GoLI Member Spotlight
January 2021 - Wushu Sugar
1. What does your cacher name mean?
After coming from the south, I called everyone Sugar. And I mean EVERYONE. So when I went to China and started training in Wushu (Chinese Kung fu) my teacher who spoke no English, would yell in Cantonese “ Why is this wushu student always calling everyone Sugar?” It confused him. But the only 2 words I understood were Wushu Sugar. So eventually everyone started calling me that. Then it became my roller derby name too.
2. When did you start caching and how did you find out about it?
I started caching in 2014. My girlfriend and I were talking about how I always do weird things like Kung fu and roller derby (yes I was slightly offended lol), She said, “I bet you do geocaching too". Well I googled it and that was it! Here I am!
3. Describe your first find.
It was a cemetery cache. I had NO clue what I was looking for. I took my 12 year old (now 19) and drove a few blocks away. I seriously had no idea what to do. I called her up and she told me to lift the cap off something. I was like “OMG, There are THOUSANDS of these in the US?!?” Once I found out that they were all different types, sizes, virtuals and that they were in other countries, I couldn’t wait to do more. So I wound up getting a premium membership after finding a few more caches.
4. How many finds do you have?
I just checked. I have 777. It’s not that many. I don’t cache to “get a lot of caches” I cache with my friends and I like events and challenges.
a. Find count by type - Traditional 671, Multi 10, Virtual 2, Letterbox 5, Events 26, Mystery 58, EC 4, Wherigo 1
b. Favorite find type? I like events. I like Wherigo’s but have only done one. New Market Mallers Star Wars Wherigo is on my list when it warms up to do next!
c. Pick one favorite find? Well I would have said Suburban Spelunking until I found TIN MAN (GC3JAY4) over the summer just outside Albany. It’s a must. It was worth the trip.
5. How many caches have you hidden? 4
a. Hide count by type - Traditional 3, Letterbox 1
b. Favorite hide type? - None really, but I hope to be adding to my Aerosmith series in 2021.
c. Pick one favorite cache that you’ve hidden?
Well I just hide them locally so I can maintain them. I started an AEROSMITH series. It is based on their songs and the locations are in the song title. I guess my fav one would be the first one I decided to hide, which was SWEET EMOTION in the Sweet Surrender bakery parking lot (ish).
6. Stats review -
a. How many state and country souvenirs? I have cached in 7 different states and I have 2 country souvenirs (US and Puerto Rico)
b. Jasmer challenge? No
c. Fizzy challenge? No
d. Calendar days? 207 of 366
e. Streak? Uggg I hate streaks. I tried. They caused me stress. Lol.
f. Slump? From 2014-present. Haha! But seriously sometimes I can go 13 in one day like the other day and maybe 20 in a year. It all depends on if I’m on vacation or if there is a new challenge to get me out of my slump.
g. FTFs? I think I got it twice. Just the right place at the right time.
h. Best caching week? Mother’s Day weekend a few years ago with my sidekick DPH1 we got JAWS finally after the 3rd time.
Weekend? 13 deadly sins (Marilyn and Bob's "trail") was amazing and I got a cool coin too.
7. Do you trade SWAG? Sure! I have roller skating bottle cap swag that’s my new signature swag.
8. Like to move trackables? NOPE How many do you own? 24 that are activated. Mostly coins from events (like Cache Wars!) that I keep in my collection.
9. Cache with GPS or Phone? Phone
10. Do you have any geocaching goals? A few. I’d love to get a ”Free Little Library”. After I register it, I’d like to turn the back part of it into a Gadget cache/Trackable Hotel. I have a list of cool caches all over the US. I’d love to do a road trip when the weather gets nice. I want to complete Bridges and Arches in Central Park! Hopefully there will be some more challenges that are fun and not so much time sensitive. Those I enjoy the best!
11. Do you cache with anyone? DPH1 or myself. Sometimes I do sneak around with other geocachers because I feel like I am cheating. Not on my fiance, but on my Dianne!
12. Tell a memorable caching story.
Back in January 2016, I was caching with my friends Sarah and another friend who we will call "Dianne", since the story is a little embarrassing....ha! We were looking for a cache called Crow's Nest (GC5MFN2). It was cold and there was a lot of snow on the ground. At one point, "Dianne" fell through the snow and ice and was up to her knees. We tried to get her out. I was pulling to the left and Sarah was pulling to the right and we were getting nowhere...LOL. I guess we should have been pulling up? When we finally got her out, we were all crying and on the verge of nervous breakdowns, so we were so relieved when "Dianne" spotted the cache. Good thing too, because I needed to change my pants! I think her log was, "OMG...I am soaked and want to cry. How do I get back to the car?". Mine was, "I would like to say thank you for this geocache, but I will let you know if I make it back to the car alive. Possible FP if I can feel my feet in an hour". It's funny now when I look back ;-)
13. Bucket list cache? Not really. I always look at YouTube videos of creative caches. I love Ari’s (Mushnikas) caches and I’d love to do some of WVTim's caches.
14. Besides geocaching, what else should we know about you? I’m an ex roller derby player and I miss it immensely. I LOVE the lake, camping, Star Wars, Harry Potter, martial art movies and my favorite color is leopard!
15. What do you want GoLI to work on?
A trail of caches that is roller skate friendly ;)