The Kung Fu Democracy of Whitefish Bay

Under the chandeliered high ceilings of the Silver Springs Masonic Center, members of the Whitefish Bay Kung Fu Club gather to practice the Chinese martial art. It’s Wednesday, an open practice day, less structured than the lessons on Saturdays.

Younger members move excitedly around the room to jump and kick, while older members practice slowly, holding their form with more discipline. Many practice with empty hands, while others wield weapons such as staffs, fans and swords. 

When Sifu (Cantonese for ‘master’) Chuck Carroll practiced his Hung Gar style kung fu on the lawn of the Whitefish Bay townhouses 17 years ago, he couldn’t imagine he’d inspire the neighborhood kids to organize a club to learn it.

“I would practice outside,” Carroll said. “Kids would see me and ask me to teach them kung fu.”

At first, Carroll didn’t feel comfortable teaching kids an art he was just learning himself from Sifu Kwong Wing Lam. After he became a teacher in Waukesha, he decided he would teach kung fu – but under one condition.

“I finally said, I don’t want to start a school or a business. Why don’t you kids just start a club? As long as you start the business, I’ll teach it for free," he said. "I thought they’d go away, to be honest.”

But the kids didn’t go away. In fact, one boy posted flyers around the neighborhood, and on September 30, 1995, 15 kids showed up in Carroll’s backyard for the very first meeting of the Whitefish Bay Kung Fu Club.

That day, the kids agreed on a set of rules which have evolved with the club. The members pay dues, which are strictly for equipment and securing practice space. Kids pay $25 in dues per month, adults pay double. New members get a free one-month membership to try it out. After that, they need to be unanimously voted into the club. Right now, the club has about 29 members, Carroll said.

Carroll said people join for a number of reasons.

“Some people come for health. Some people come because they’re crazy about martial arts. Some because they’ve seen a movie and wanted to try it. Some come just for fun," he said. "That’s our first rule, to have fun.”

Laura Drake, off to the side to watch her son Henry Zhang practice, said he wanted to learn kung fu after becoming inspired by the Monkey King, a character in the book ‘A Journey to the West.’

“Henry was doing kung fu all over the house, so we thought we’d get him to learn the real thing,” Drake said. 

Katherine Foster, 13, said she was inspired by movies.

“It’s fun. It’s great to know I’ll be able to protect myself,” she said. “I’m learning fan and it’s really awesome. It’s crane style, and I really like it because it’s flashy and fun.”

The club is well known for its Lion dance, a traditional Chinese dance performed by two people in an elaborate paper-mache Lion costume. It’s more than a dance: the lion has to solve puzzles and demonstrate emotion. The dance requires balance and technique, as the dancers perform acrobatic jumps inside the lion.

The club performs the Lion dance in eight costumes at weddings, cultural events and parades, and then donates its performance fee of $888 (eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture) to charity. They recently donated $3,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Chicago.

The club carefully chooses events to perform the Lion dance, with respect to the strict observances of Chinese tradition. The next performance will be in the Fourth of July parade.

James Melville, 34, studied kung fu prior to joining the Whitefish Bay Kung Fu club. He described Carroll’s teaching style as “very hands-on.”

“He cares about the meaning behind the techniques,” Melville said. “A lot of schools don’t explain how to apply the techniques.”

Carroll said he wants his students to ask themselves, “’Am I better than yesterday?’ If not, practice. If you are, practice anyway.”

To learn more about the club and how to get involved, visit their website.