The Outsiders' Edge

(The Following is an e-mail interview I conducted with the great Coach Ben Wade from Survivor Tocantins and Heroes vs. Villains. If you’d like to hear my dad answering these questions while channeling the spirit of the dragon slayer check out my 2 hour World Cup preview spectacular. )

Coach’s answers in bold. Be sure to visit his website

The Dragon Slayer is a man of virtue and posseses the warrior spirit.

JPK- Hello Coach, I appreciate you taking the timeout to answer a few of my questions. First of all, prior to your involvement in Survivor: Tocantins and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains did you undergo any sort of training regimen to prepare yourself physically or mentally for your time in the game?

CBW- The first time I went to Tocantins I worked out, but all in the wrong way. I was doing heavy weights and an hour of cardio. WRONG. Worst thing you can do. Survivor is all about sprint spring jackass all over the place. So the second time (whats the saying? First time shame on you, second time shame on me) I trained like a warrior. I knew what to expect. I worked out three times a day, sprinted on the sand, weights, swimming, and then I would sit down exhausted and work out a puzzle. That’s the key.

JPK-How did you become a part of the Survivor franchise? Did you decide to apply and audition for the show on your own, or did family or a group of friends get the word out about you?

CBW-I sent in a tape with an application. My coaching staff was asking me to apply for a show, the soccer players wanted me to go on the bachelor, and one thing let to another and voilla

JPK-Did you find it more challenging to play the game in Survivor: Tocantins where all the contestants were total strangers or in Heroes vs. Villains where many of the contestants already had relationships with each other coming into the game?

CBW- Tocantins was by far better because we all had a fair shot. It was a lot of getting to know people and fencing mentally every day to see who you wanted to go with. On an all stars the fate of some are decided before they even walk on the first challenge.

JPK- During this past season, you like many others were extremely critical of Russell. Now that you have had the chance to look back and see the way he played the game from a different perspective, has your opinion of Russell as a person and as a competitor changed at all?

CBW-I respect all competitors and if you read my interviews you will see that I have lightened up in terms of other people and my opinion of them

Good to see that Coach and the Evil One are back on the same page

JPK- I agreed with your vote of Parvati as champion for Heroes vs. Villains. Do you think it is fair that Sandra won solely because she was not Russell or Parvati?

CBW-Life is not fair. Survivor, without question, is atrociously not fair. I think that the strongest should win, and the most noble, but that just doesn’t happen sometimes. Its frustrating but you gotta learn to deal with it

JPK-It seemed like in the Survivor: Tocantins season you spent a great deal of time sharing your tremendous survival experiences, such as the awesome getting captured by pygmies story. Did you make a conscientious decision not to be as forthcoming about your past experience in the Heroes vs. Villains season or were they mostly edited out?‘

CBW-I told a story every single night. I think if I had gone farther they would have shown them more. I love telling stories they are part of what makes me me.

JPK-You seem like a very spiritual and philosophical person. Are there any particular authors or works of literature that were particularly important in your philosophical development?

CBW-Shantaram is the best book I have ever read. A Voyage Beyond Reason isn’t a slouch either I love all philosophers, because there is something that you can learn from each teacher if you just open your ears to hear, your mind to mold, and your body to breathe it in (I just made that up, literally in five seconds)

JPK-Are there any particular lessons you learned on Survivor that have changed your approach to soccer coaching or working with symphonies?

CBW-Be true to your self no matter what

Walk the way of the noble warrior even when everyone around you does not

Don’t take yourself so seriously

You can admit wrongs and defeat

Be more humble

JPK-In your work as a Maestro with the Susanville Symphony, I’m assuming that you primarily work in the work with the classical music medium, however on the Survivor Ponderosa show, we saw you Courtney and J.T. delve more into the rock and roll/ electronic dance music side of things, coming off that experience do you expect to spend more time creating and performing rock music?

CBW-I would love for a producer to come along right now and say lets record your band. I like creating, whether it is the character of the dragonslayer or the classical music of a symphony or the rock and roll of a band.

JPK-Are there any coaches in soccer, or any other sport, that influence your philosophical and day to day style of coaching?

CBW-No. I look to people outside of soccer to be my mentors because although some people say soccer is life, life is not soccer and you must branch out of your own world to truly see.

JPK-Since you are a collegiate soccer coach, do you follow the professional game at all, and do you have any prediction on who will win the 2010 World Cup?

CBW-Look for Ivory Coast to make a strong showing. I think that England might look good, and if Argentina coach gets it together than maybe we will see something good from them too.

Coach + Drogba could equal World Cup gold for the Ivory Coast.

JPK-Coach, now that Survivor Heroes vs. Villains has wrapped up, are you exploring any other potential acting or reality television roles for the future? America needs more Ben Wade.

CBW-I just wrapped up filming a movie called Isabel, filmed by the Ketola brothers in Maine. I have a supporting role there. I am also staring in the movie 180 www.180film.com that is filmed this summer. Both movies will be out later this year or early next year. Another door is opened and Im kickin it in.

JPK-Now finally Coach, do you have any future plans to head back down to South America and kick a little Amazonian pygmy ass?  I think it’s time you got a little pay back.

CBW-HAHA That’s a good one. I have always wanted to go back and kick some ass down there but the time for retribution has passed. I am now more the peaceful warrior than the vengeful ahole.

Don't piss off the half pint pygmy.

~ by lordelevation on June 11, 2010.

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: coach, Coach ben wade, coach survivor, Coach survivor heroes vs villians, didier drogba, heroes vs villians, ivroy coast world cup, russell hantz