Hot As Health Magazine January/February 2017 | Page 15

To see a mentor who truly defines a strong commitment to kids , family , and community , take a walk into the dojo “ White Tiger Karate ” at Cache Valley Athletics to watch Sensei Lynn Myers with his students . Lynn guides students from toddler to ancient . He is so committed to his belief in family and community that he has based his program around it . “ When you join our kenpo class with your family , you are not only acting as an inspiration to your own family , but you are also inspiring other families in the class . You are setting a good example and actually inspiring everyone involved in and out of class to BETTER themselves at martial arts and in life as a whole by just participating . It is never too late for you to better yourself , in any way ! “ As a writer , I get the opportunity to meet and talk to a lot of people , but the years I have known Lynn have been an inspiration to me . He doesn ’ t really like being in the spotlight or having the focus put upon him , but I just couldn ’ t help myself . Lynn grew up in a family where the only person that could hear the world around them was his mother . His father was deaf , and had issues coping with his lack of hearing . He spent his life drinking and associating with people who probably didn ’ t have the best of intentions . Lynn grew up in a home where alcohol was the solution to many frustrations . Growing up in a predominately Mormon community , the actions of neighbors was probably heart felt , but had the exact opposite effect on Lynn and his siblings . They didn ’ t understand the challenges that came from being deaf and not being able to communicate with others . To compound this problem , Lynn did not learn to sign as a child so his struggles were more of a communication isolation . He spent his childhood being teased and bullied , feeling ashamed of his limitations . When he was young , movies were only 25 cents , so he spent a lot of time watching Bruce Lee . One of his favorites was a James Coburn movie called “ Our Man Flint ”. Watching the underdog win with honor was an inspiration . A small spark was planted in the child that would soon define the man . Like the rest of his family Lynn spent years trying to drink away the pain , but no amount of alcohol would take away the fire that burned inside of him . A deep-rooted knowledge , and an indomitable spirit burning with passion inside , set the key to Lynn ’ s future successes . He has focused on becoming a martial artist since he was very small . He spent his life visualizing it in everything he did - by teaching himself to set the goal , focus on it , and then see it within himself . It doesn ’ t matter how long it takes to get there , the focus just needs to be on getting there . Lynn was kind of a late bloomer , it took