About Paul Cheng
Paul Cheng (seen on the left) is from
Taipei, Taiwan and immigrated to Canada at 9 years of age. He attended Simon
Fraser University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and
minor in Communications. Paul competed in Football, Rugby, Track and Wrestling
in high school and was awarded a scholarship to play Football at Simon Fraser
University. He went on to become the first Asian to be drafted 6th
overall in the 1st round of the Canadian Football League Draft.
Currently, Paul trains and competes in Mix Martial Arts.
Interview:
BCABI: So let’s have you introduce
yourself.
Paul Cheng (PC): I’m Paul Cheng. I’m
currently a professional mixed martial artist and stunt performer. I played in
the Canadian Football League for a couple of years in 2002 through 2004 for the
BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Allouttes. I was a first round draft
pick [of the CFL draft], 6th overall of the draft, from Simon Fraser
University; so, I have an extensive sports background. As a kid, I was not
always athletic or popular so I got picked on, [which] was one of the reasons
why I got the drive to become the athlete I became.
BCABI: Alright, I think it’s important
that you became an example for people to follow.
PC: It’s like when kids get picked on for the way they look, sometimes [on] the way [they] dress. I’ve been through it [getting picked on] like every other kid. I had big glasses; I wasn’t the most skinny or best looking kid on earth. I didn’t speak English; [I] immigrated from Taiwan so I didn’t speak English. Kids made fun of me and picked on me because I didn’t understand what was going on. I [could] only take so much, so one day I was just like this is just not going to happen anymore. So I picked up a lot of [sports], I played football, I was a professional boxer and now I’m a mixed martial artist--kind of interesting.
BCABI: Why and how did you get involved
with your current anti-bullying activities?
PC: So the gym I train at is called
Clinch MMA. My coach, Sal Ram, he started an anti-bullying MMA outreach program
for high school kids or younger. It’s part of the anti-bullying initiative,
[which I am a part of], just to help kids out. I’ve been finding that martial arts
really help a child’s confidence. [It also] helps with their discipline. It’s
good for me since I went through a few years of trouble and now through MMA [I
have] come back to the right track and I just want to help and be able to pass
it on to someone else.
BCABI: If one let say, encounters a
bullying situation at a school ground, what should one do?
PC: I think with a lot of children, in
terms of bullying, they try to avoid the problem. I’m not one to support
violence at all. I went through the same situation when I was a kid and it was
just tough to just run away because they (the bullies) just keep doing it.
That’s why I find martial arts can really helps someone, in terms of standing
up to [one’s] problems. I’m not saying,” start a fight”, [rather you should] be
able to protect yourself and be confident in your own ability; so these other
kids don’t push you around. I’m not telling any kids to fight or be bullies or
anything like that. I emphasize that kids should be able to protect themselves.
Because in the outside world, it’s a crazy thing. I think we have all been there;
sometimes you don’t want to have any physical violence or anything but people
force it. But what are you suppose to do? Run away for all your life from your
problems? That’s why I find martial arts [is] able to build a child from the
inside and [allow kids to] be confident in themselves and their body image so
they can stand up for themselves.
BCABI: What can be done at the
individual and public level to address the bullying problems?
PC: I think they should address it in
schools, they should have some informative sessions at school because when I
was in school, our teachers never told us about how to deal with bully[ing]. I
dealt with it as I learned. I think schools should have an in-school program
where they inform kids about bullying and should punish [those] kids who bully
other kids. Show bigger punishment, not just let it go because kids are horsing
around. It’s not that way. It ruins a lot of people’s confidence and lives.
That’s what I find [about] bullying, because for years of my life I had no
confidence. Even when I played in the CFL, I think this bullying thing affected
me because sometimes you feel like you’re not really as good or strong as the
other person. It makes you insecure. I feel for every kid that goes through it
and I don’t think anyone needs to go through it. As children develop, they
don’t need people to bring them down and push their confidence down and tell
them they are this and they are not [certain things].
BCABI: What are some good anti-bullying
resources?
PC: I guess it starts with you and I
heard from schools here and there. Some of my teammates from the CFL, [such as]
BC Lions, go around talking about anti-bullying. So I kind of heard from them
and that’s why I decided to volunteer at the MMA Outreach. We went every Saturdays from 2:30pm to 4pm at
[Clinch MMA] in Burnaby. I’ve been going for about a month and I already seen
differences on kids who come to class on a regular basis, which is really
fulfilling for me. I had a parent write
an email to us [Clinch MMA outreach] and it was really touching. It makes me feel
like I’m actually doing something.
BCABI: Definitely, that’s a very good
service you do and I think a lot of people do require a mentor figure through
their difficult time in their life.
PC: Yes. I have a kid under my wing
right now and I’m working on him. It’s been a long road and it’s coming along
so I’m excited.
BCABI: Alright, I know you have had a
long day, so I won’t take too much of your time. If someone wants to reach you how
would they reach you?
PC: Anybody who wants to reach me can
add me on Facebook- PaulCheng. You can follow me at Twitter- @typhooncheng.
You can contact me through those sources. If I can be a help in anyway, I would
love to help. Like some of the kids in my class, I understand what you are
going through, I was you.
BCABI: Thanks for your time Paul and we
hope to speak with you soon in the future!
