Wushu literally translates from Chinese as "martial arts". In the U.S., the term wushu typically refers to contemporary wushu (as opposed to traditional kung fu), and has a focus on aesthetic and athletic aspects of the sport, rather than combat.

I started practicing in 1996 as an engineering student at UCLA, and competed at the first annual collegiate competition in 1997. While training for U.S. Nationals in 2000, I sustained a back injury and "retired" from the sport.

Coming back to UCLA for the Employed MBA program, I occasionally practed with the UCLA team. In 2011, UCLA hosted collegiates for the first time, and I decided to set a goal of getting back in shape and attenting the 2012 collegiates. While simultaneously working full time and taking a greater than normal class load, I made it back to collegiates after a 12 year break: