Martial arts master John Worley celebrates 80th birthday with 80 push-ups
MINNEAPOLIS — Monday marks another trip around the sun for John Worley. But instead of cutting the cake for the milestone, he's pumping iron.
He does a push-up for each year he's been alive, a tradition he's done for the last decade. This year is tough because it's a big one: 80.
"There are days when I certainly feel like I'm 80. Most of the time I feel great. I don't feel any different than I did 10 years ago, really," Worley said.
Worley credits his stamina and longevity to karate.
"Martial arts is a sport, it's a physical training exercise, it's mental conditioning, it's all that, but it's more than all that," he said. "The sum of it is greater than its parts."
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It was that passion that led him to the Twin Cities 50 years ago, where he helped found National Karate. The martial arts academy has 13 schools in the metro, and even more beyond.
He worked and trained along the way with greats like Jhoon Rhee, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee.
"I think there's a lot of guys who'll be doing push-ups every year now," said National Karate branch owner Jim Albertson.
Mr. Worley no longer coaches, but he still helps with black belt exams.
"He's always so high energy," Albertson said. "He's inspiring to all of us."
Worley hopes that energy is contagious to others.
"You don't have to feel old when you're 60 or 70, you don't have to be. You're not," Worley said.
Worley is a 10th-degree black belt.