Action Queen
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Article by Mike James
The athletes' village at the recent Pan American games in Winnipeg Canada is testament to the old saying, “lt takes all types to make a world”. The range and diversity of body types is a caricaturist's dream. Centre stage for this potpourri of physiques is the athletes' cafeteria where athletes from over 42 countries competing in 38 different sports feed the vehicle they rely on to take them to victory.
While bull necked weight lifters chow down on protein powders and anything that lies within reach of hand and mouth, lean, mean tri-athletes pile their plates high with pasta and anything that spells carbohydrate. Nearby, wasp waisted adolescent gymnasts pick at plates of salad, while fragile looking marathon runners gorge on proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Lisa Ling, Canada's reigning women's national middleweight karate \) champion walks confidently amongst this human grazing paddock of athletes from 42 countries competing in over 38 different sports. On first impression her lean, lithe limbed physique and striking good looks are more akin to modeling than athletic pursuits. While standing in line in the cafeteria, a fellow Canadian team member looks down from his 198 centimetre, 109 kilogram, discus throwing frame at the slim 167 centimetre, female in front of him. "What sport are you competing in?" he asks. "Karate", Ling replies. "Karate, eh? Does that mean you could kick my butt?" asks the smirking human mountain on legs. "Sure does!" Ling replies without a moment's hesitation. Suitably shocked and chastened by the confidence of Ling's reply, the discus thrower laughs nervously and wishes her good luck in the games. The next week Ling went on to win a bronze medal for team Canada.
It has been a very varied journey for Lisa Ling . Born in the tiny Canadian town of Kitimat, in north West British Columbia, she has been studying karate since the ' age of five. She attributes this life long dedication to her Malaysian born father Dr. Chee Ling's passion for the sport.
But my father always said “The pen and the sword must be in accord??, she explains, and with this advice firmly instilled, the ensuing years saw Ling become a pianist, lawyer and management consultant. She earned her law degree from the London School of Economics (as a Commonwealth Scholar) and studied piano under the tutelage of her mother, and then the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Ling pursued a career in management consulting after she found practicing law too constricting. "Too much thinking inside the box", she explains.
From a family of four girls, competition has been a way of life for Ling. All her sisters have been Canadian national karate champions at different times. She continues to compete with the hope that karate will be included as an official sport in the 2004 Olympics. But she is not about to return to law or management consulting when her competitive karate career ends. She is ready to embark on a career change that is as equally intense, exciting and competitive, one that will test every bit of her inner confidence and karate skills.
After auditioning in Hong Kong last year Ling has just landed her first major role in a martial arts movie called C3 fighters. The film to be made by Golden Harvest Studios, famous for producing the Bruce Lee movies, will be directed by one of Hong Kong's leading action film directors, Tung Wai.
Ling is hoping that her exposure in C3 fighters could lead to major mainstream film roles and is currently taking acting classes. "My aim is to become the next action queen" she says. "Major stars like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee were martial artists first and actors second. Female martial arts star Michelle Yeow, is now in her late thirties. It's time for a new face," Ling says.
Ling maintains her slim, well defined figure with a rigorous fitness regime that includes running, muscular endurance work, karate drills, flexibility, yoga and meditation. Her workout program consists of an 'in season routine' when she is preparing for a specific karate tournament and an 'off season routine' to keep in good physical condition throughout the year.
In the off season Ling exercises five to six days per week, for two to three hours per day. A typical workout starts with a three mile run. Intervals of fast and medium paced running simulate the anaerobic energy requirements specific to karate. For strength Ling incorporates punching on the heavy bag and participating in muscle fitness classes or boxacise circuits which combine strength with an aerobic component. "I don't really like doing weights that much because in karate I am at the top of my weight category (59 kilograms) and can't afford to increase my muscle bulk", she explains.
Ling finishes her work outs with yoga. "This helps me remain flexible and supple and the meditation component is tremendously beneficial for my karate". In fact nowadays, mental preparation is the most important part of her training. "I have concentrated on the physical aspects for so long now that I can do all the moves and techniques the world champions do. The difference between being first and tenth at the elite championship level is whether you can be in 'the zone' on competition day and bring out the absolute best in yourself. When your mind is still, there are no thoughts flowing through and you operate on instinct with no conscious thought process involved . This way the various kick and punch combinations occur instinctively without hesitation or a second's delay." Fortunately, other than a few black eyes and fat lips which she says, "are part of the territory", she has not suffered any major injuries.
If you are a martial arts film aficionado, look out for C3 fighters, scheduled to be released soon. But remember, this dark Eurasian beauty is no model pretending to be a martial artist. Lisa Ling has real fists of fury. She is definitely a “contender, not a pretender”.