Editor’s Note: When I first started doing wushu, my friend and coach Dan Wu lent me a few wushu videotapes. It was a hodgepodge of videos from various competitions. Those VHS tapes took a brutal beating as I watched them over and over for inspiration. I remember one tape from a competition that I think was in Florida. It was during the master’s demo in what looked like a hotel convention room that was dimly lit with a patterned carpet floor. One performance really stood out to me. It was a lanky white kid who had the loudest slap kicks I’d ever heard and the speed of his movements blew my mind. I went back to Dan and asked him who that kid was. It was Scott Parker.
Jiayo.com forum moderator Y Chan caught up with Scott who agreed to this interview and shares some great stories and thoughts on wushu. We’d also like to thank Scott for these photos that give us a glimpse into the early days of wushu in the United States.
YC: Hey Scotty, thanks for doing this interview. I’ve told you this before, growing up in Ohio I grew up on the legend of Scott Parker so this interview is especially exciting for me.
You’ve trained with several people, but Master Nick Gracenin is the one you’re most often associated with. Before we get to how you found him, paint us a picture of what the times were like and how you got interested in wushu.
SP: It was the summer of 1984. One could feel the eruption of an entire nation behind this young athlete, her name was Mary Lou Retton and strangely enough it was there wushu began for me. Let me paint the picture, the whole world was glued to their television sets, the reason being, a young girl from the United States Gymnastics team. Who in order to win the gold medal, not only for her event but for the team overall, needed to place first in the vault. The young girl took a deep breath as she peered down the runway at the apparatus; the entire country seemed to be on the edge of their sofas.
I stood there in my granny’s living room, feeling tingles and chills with incredible anticipation. She began to sprint down the strait lane of carpet. At times the camera cut to close up to focus on her face, her face exuding the confidence and concentration of an elite professional. Running toward the pummel horse, everyone in existence was stride for stride as she made her approach. Then BAM! Everything stood still as the young power house sprung from the spring board, hit the equipment, and did the most incredible front end hand spring end over end thing I had seen up to that day, then following through to stick the landing.
YC: Wow, Mary Lou Retton inspired you to do wushu?
SP: For sure, I was a nine year old boy from Masury, Ohio. This was probably the first Olympic Games I was old enough to comprehend. There was something about the whole event. The thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Cheesy but true! Many other variables of a child’s life also played a role in the beginning of my voyage of Chinese kung fu. I was often sick when I was little, having had an inability to fight infection, involving my lungs, which at the time weren’t exactly working up to par. To this day it has never been clarified what exactly the problem was even after innumerable family doctors, an eccentric specialist at the Cleveland clinic and probably countless hours of hospital stays in an uncomfortable chair for my mom. I suppose those awkward sickly childhood years are often the catalyst for many kids in need of starting new different activities. So I guess it was then, after seeing my clear enthusiasm for Mary Lou Retton’s abilities the gymnastics idea fell into my mom and dad’s thoughts. They knew at the time it would be a good idea for me to start something that would offer some conditioning for my pulmonary system and the fact there was a local gymnastics center was a fortunate coincidence.
YC: Wow, all these years I’ve known you, I never knew that. So, tell us how you got started with Master Nick Gracenin, what it was like to train under his watchful eye, and your relationship with him. I know that’s a lot. Like I said, I’m pretty excited about this!
SP: Traveling down memory lane with you Y is a pleasure. I had no idea walking in the gymnastics center and seeing a group of my peers doing beginner wushu would develop into all it has. While my mom and dad were at the desk checking on class options, I noticed something on the spring floor taking place. It was a class of some kind and immediately I was drawn in. Now I know what they were doing, it was arm wheel into hammer fist. I had never seen anything like it. To date, I’ve probably done roughly three million arm wheel to hammer fist. After watching the class for a little while, I noticed its structure; I noticed the teacher leading the class, how he spoke, and what he expected. I went over to my mom and dad and asked if instead of doing gymnastics I could take part in what I was watching on the floor. The gentleman at the desk explained a little about wushu and then on to the schedule for the class and I signed up. The next day I showed up to class and was introduced to Sifu Nick Gracenin and his students, he told me what shoes I would need for his class and we began to warm up by jogging around the gym floor, first forward then back to the side, I know you know how we get it on and poppin’ when class starts. The class progressed the way it commonly does. I remember even that first day wanting to get everything right. I remember wanting to be the best in my class that first day. This I’m sure is a feeling most competitive people feel. This feeling was perfect for my wushu; I strived to do more and do better. The competitive drive was evident, when on my second day Sifu made a positive example of me in front of the entire class for working on things I had learned the previous day instead of horseplay before class. That was the first of many examples Sifu made of me, however, the examples were not always positive.
I continued to work out for a long time at the gymnastics school. The gymnastics school, however, was Sifu’s second school. The main school was at the Buhl club in Sharon Pennsylvania. I wanted to take my wushu to the next step and, from what Sifu would say about the students at the Buhl club, I needed to be there. So I made the transition to working out there. The facilities were awesome with two big rooms. One was with a carpet, mirrors, and a weapons rack. The other had nice wood floor and stretching bars on the wall. There were posters on the wall of Jet Li– I didn’t even know who the guy was, but, he looked sweet. When I began at the club it was all much more serious. Sifu was so involved in the class and I realized wushu as a whole. With Sifu Gracenin, there were always events with extreme involvement in the art. Being his student already opens up the world of wushu on so many levels, there were people from all over the country, and even the world, seeking Sifu out for his knowledge on the art. This would lead to people needing places to stay for an extended amount of time on many occasions, so I met so many great athletes and people whose names I would come to greatly respect.
One such event the school went to see the Beijing Wushu Team at a theatre in Ohio. I remember being blown away by everything they did like I was at a blockbuster world premiere. After the show we walked to the tour bus, after Sifu had a conversation with someone in fluent Mandarin, we were on the bus introducing ourselves to the team. They were all so nice. After we exited the bus we did a little demo for them in the parking lot. They looked from their tour bus window, and seemed to actually be impressed. I’m not sure if it was my butterfly twist or my fresh Bell Biv Devoe gear. The next day we had a seminar where I got some long fist pointers from a team athlete we performed for the night before. I gave him some pointers on wearing baggy Girbaud jeans overalls with one strap undone. Wow! Now I see it was the BBD look.
YC: How and when did you begin competing?
SP: I started competing very early, first doing basic number one forms in karate rinks around all of north eastern Ohio. Sifu Nick would also host the Wushu Expo annually. These were incredible events where people would come from all over the world to Sharon, Pennsylvania, to compete, do seminars and perform. It was amazing to meet so many people that were so consumed with kung fu.
YC: While you were training under Master Nick, you also trained alongside and competed with many other old-school U.S. legends. Can you take our readers back in time and tell us what the competition scene was like when you were competing?
SP: After competing in north east Ohio and western Pennsylvania for a few years it was time to travel with Sifu to a larger tournament out of state. So the parents of the school got together and decided to plant corn on some donated land to raise money to send our team to a tournament in Houston Texas. We sold corn literally by the dozens on the side of the road. Grocery store parking lots I must admit it was quite a fund raiser picking and selling corn for the love of wushu. Money was raised and I was on my fist airplane ride, destination Houston Texas for Jeff Bolts “International Kung Fu Championships”. This trip was the first of many. Over the years this event is where I started to meet and notice so much other talent Phillip Wong, Javone Holmes, Woody Wong, Richard Brandon, to name a few. This was pre-compulsory form years so the interpretation of everyone’s choreography for forms was so much more diverse and unique. One could observe the explosive jumping and speed of Javonne Holmes mixed with his crowd pleasing monkey staff form. On the ballroom carpet in an adjacent ring Tom Dorney was gracefully using up the entire ring with one of the longest spears I’ve ever seen. Tom could also keep a pair of what seem to be a fifteen section whip chains moving in perfect line for a good minute twenty. Phillip Wong was the consummate professional with some of the cleanest wushu I’d seen. Later we would become teammates on Edward Aguirre’s Professional Wushu Team. I was extremely excited to be in his company as a teammate and a competitor.
YC: Having worked and trained together before, you’ve told me some interesting stories about competing with Yuen Wen Qing at the World Wushu Championships. Can you share some of that with our readers?
SP: Eventually competing would lead me all over the world. Including the World Wushu Championships where at 18 years old I not only competed against Yuen Wen Qing, but also spent an entire night in a Kulha Lumpur Malaysia hotel patio drinking beer and desperately trying to bridge the communication gap as much as an eighteen year old intoxicated boy in a foreign country could do. I think he got the point. Rumor has it after I stumbled back to my hotel room; Yuen Wen Qing was looking in the swimming pool calling my name to make sure I hadn’t fallen in. The next day I placed 9th in broadsword and he placed 1st. Surprise!
YC: That’s hilarious, Scotty! Besides Master Nick Gracenin, can you tell us a bit about your other wushu teachers and their influence on you both on and off the carpet?
SP: Even within the very sometimes similar wushu class structure there is a very different way of being sifu and being student. Other than Sifu Gracenin it’s been my pleasure studying under a number of coaches, each having as unique and diverse a way of instructing as they do living. A great coach, I had worked with after making the American Wushu Society’s team, was Sifu Edward Aguirre. His impact on me at the time was huge. I traveled to New York City via Greyhound bus to work out with Edward in-between national sport karate tournaments while we competed throughout the country. Sifu Aguirre had an exhausting grueler of a class that left you beat and sore. I loved it!
YC: Something a lot of people don’t know is that you have an extensive Peking Opera background. How did you get into that and what was it like for you?
SP: After a few years my interest would lead me to move on from Sifu Aguirres American Wushu Society. I began to teach my own class by renting different dance studios around Manhattan. Fortunately, placing an ad in the village voice would lead me to find a great group of people I was honored to teach. In between all this I managed, through a good friend, Kevin Howard, to be introduced to a gem of a hidden talent living in Roosevelt Island. Hung Jin Quan or as everyone in the states knew him, Jamie. He was a performer from Beijing opera troupe number one. Actually in the company that performed for the wife of communist leader Chairman Mao Tse Tung. Anyone who practices wushu understands the level of communist China athletes. Now multiply that by the level needed to be a performer for the chairman yourself.
YC: Can you elaborate further on the commonalities and differences in training methods between peking opera and contemporary wushu?
SP: When I first accompanied my friend Kevin Howard to a Peking opera class, it was literally the first time I had ever truly seen or experienced opera. I started out with opera the same way as wushu doing the basics, warming up I got to know my new coach Jamie Quan. We were outside on the bank of Roosevelt Island looking over to 59th street in Manhattan. When, between the front splits and head-to-toes, I got a little knowledge of what I was in for. Jamie offered an amazing glimpse into opera, the Cultural Revolution, and the difference between Chinese and American. Our discussions were often cut short when it came time to do hand stands, bow stance, horse stance, and stance technique in cadence to Jamie’s counts. I followed both him and Kevin that first class, my wushu background made picking up a little easier.
However, there is a control of body movement in opera that does not come easy by any stretch. Always eager to impress I started out going strong with warm up and stretch kicks. It was very difficult to keep up the pace for very long, reason being the typical Peking opera workouts are designed to build a level of stamina that exceeds the typical wushu athlete. When beginning basic kicking there is a preparation referred to as the cloud hand. The cloud hand is somewhat of a horizontal arm wheel simultaneous with four steps of foot work ending in a high empty stance with both arms extended similar to wushu basics. Stretch kicks are done stationary with three beat steps in between. This conditions the performer for both stamina and creating the appearance of traveling movement in a confined area. After around 30 front stretches in this manner you finish the reps with a cloud hand then relax briefly. Seriously with Jamie Quan, TOO briefly. Beginning the next 30 cross kicks with a cloud hand and continuing on through the full fundamental ranges of kicks.
Following basic kicks there are a number of body turning techniques that are done in place; as opposed to wushu which uses of the entire carpet. When doing these techniques in place you start off feeling like a beginner again. This is because of the conditioned element of control. This is especially apparent through my favorite aspect of opera, the fight choreography, which after adapting to the choreography and its differences it often takes place in the center of the individuals.
With wushu fighting sets, the action of the fight is constantly crossing, overlapping, and appealing to all corners of the carpet. However with opera, the fight is controlled by the characters to be as equally exciting to audience viewing from two dimension. The difficulty in opera is within the fight choreography there is also a story to tell and without the stamina and the appearance of acting chops you can look like a real herb. Opera also has enormous emphases on tumbling. Jamie once told me, a student’s tumbling should be handmade like a cook’s dumpling. I knew what this meant when I became very familiar with his tumbling and spotting regimen. I assumed Di tang, a personal favorite style in my competitive prime, would benefit me well in opera, unfortunately, not so much. In opera the Cartwheels, aerials, back hand springs, and front hand springs are done repetitively by the dozens covering only a few feet. While in wushu there are apt running preparations. When seeing an elite opera tumbler do their thing it is an unbelievable experience that will have you totally in awe.
My study in opera was primarily in the warrior roles; however this is one role in an entire catalog of characters based on Chinese history and myth, that’s pretty vast. Then you add in study of vocals and face painting, juggling and sleight of hand there is a lot to discover. Discovering Peking opera opened up my eyes to the use of movement, and for me the core of that movement was wushu.
YC: That sounds incredible and I just learned something new! Besides Peking Opera, you’ve done a lot of other stage work and performing. How did wushu and competing help prepare you for this and what other skills did you need to develop outside of wushu?
SP: Utilizing my wushu I had performed in a countless number of plays and productions school shows thing of that nature however after studying under Jamie Quan, my wushu took on a different characteristic. The art of Peking opera taught by someone at that level has a confidence almost arrogance of performance quality that can only be reached by extreme levels of practice. I merely scratched the surface of the art even after six years of study. Never the less Peking opera added so much to my wushu a new understanding, a performance quality of story and dimension.
There was a long time of mostly practicing martial arts in rehearsal studios and on the road, it would come time I would need a coach again. Needing to get back to my roots. Sifu Chen Ying offered the perfect class. I had heard about and seen Sifu Chen around New York City for years. You know firsthand that anyone going down the road in search of good wushu will eventually find it. Sifu Chen’s class is where I met a group of people that found “It” in a H.O.T. [editor’s note: this is an old inside joke] school on the Bowery. The level of his students was proof that he had the quality of wushu I needed. I studied there almost until the time I moved from New York. Sifu Chen’s teaching as well as having the friendliest group of wushu athletes is something I’ve missed since leaving.
YC: Ok, so we’ve talked a bit about your past. The last time you and I trained together, you were still ripping out tornado 720s, butterfly twist 720s, jump outside 720s, and your patented whip-cracka’ slap kicks. Can you give us some pointers on our wushu?
SP: Recently, this Thanksgiving, I visited my favorite city in the world, New York City. I worked out with another great sifu, Yuan Zhang, at his school in Brooklyn. After taking and assisting in a couple of classes I realized something. My workout now is considerably different than the workouts of my past due to age and a totally wrecked right knee ACL injury. This prevents me from catching the air or flowing the way I once did. However, it in no way prevents me from developing the art on a new avenue of discovery. After years of trying to develop the highest straightest butterfly twist or the loudest fastest standing kicks, the biggest pointer I can give is what I learned from everyone I’ve done wushu with, my partners, teammates and even from competition. To perfect your wushu you need to be committed to your wushu. It is a special martial art not always restricted by past traditions but an evolving changing art that is capable of always pushing a multiple number of boundaries, much like the individuals that study it.
YC: BOOM! Words of wisdom from U.S. wushu legend, and my good friend, Scotty P! Thanks a ton Scotty. It’s always a pleasure.
SP: It truly was a pleasure Y.
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Scott Parker competes with broadsword in Arizona in 1996:
