It was the spring of 1974 . My oldest brother , Fernie , was a senior at Gilroy High School . He was a football star , popular , and a kind soul with a milliondollar smile . He studied martial arts for much of his young life , starting around the age of 10 . He earned his brown belt in Judo and was in line for a black belt in Kempo Karate ( Ed Parker American Kenpo ).
Where your head goes , your body goes
by Mike sanchez early life lessons taught By my biggest hero apply more than ever today
It was the spring of 1974 . My oldest brother , Fernie , was a senior at Gilroy High School . He was a football star , popular , and a kind soul with a milliondollar smile . He studied martial arts for much of his young life , starting around the age of 10 . He earned his brown belt in Judo and was in line for a black belt in Kempo Karate ( Ed Parker American Kenpo ).
At the time , the television series Kung Fu was popular . I watched every episode and saw my brother in the main character , a Shaolin priest who traveled the wild west looking for his half-brother and family , only to find himself in precarious circumstances every episode .
Due to his kind spirit , the priest was regularly forced into confrontations with bullies and nuts . He stood up for underdogs , defended the defenseless , and protected the weak . Ultimately , he would neutralize the bad guys with Hollywood ’ s version of martial arts . David Carradine , the actor who played Kwai Chang Caine , the Shaolin priest , when asked about his martial arts abilities , was quoted as saying “ I ’ m just an actor , I ’ m just dancing man .”
The situations the Kwai Chang Caine found himself in on the TV series paralleled the real-life situations my brother often found himself in . The “ Old West ” as portrayed in Kung Fu seemed not too different from small west coast towns in the 1970 ’ s . Fernie was often challenged by bullies and nuts . He stood up for underdogs , defended the defenseless , and protected the weak . Ultimately , he would have to neutralize the bad guys with real martial arts .
This always weighed heavy on him . He didn ’ t like to fight . He preferred making friends to finding trouble . He laughed and joked often . He loved deep conversations with elder , wiser souls . He loved life . Even when life handed him hardships , challenges , and trouble .
As a sixth grader at Las Animas elementary school , I was energetic . I tried to emulate what I saw in my brother and that Shaolin priest on TV . I stood up for underdogs , defended the defenseless , and protected the weak . The problem was , I didn ’ t know martial arts — nor how to fight at all . As a result , I would regularly get punched in the face by bullies and nuts . It hurt . A lot .
56 SPRING 2024 gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... gmhtoday . com