Christine Ruffolo

1. How would you define your personal practice?

Exploring and expanding possibilities

2. What turning points have you encountered on your movement journey?

I was a chubby kid that came from a large boned family, so the first thing I wanted was to not be fat. Being put into sports helped immensely, and my success there formed my athletic identity. Through high school most everything went into basketball, though I played softball and volleyball to keep myself active and engaged. I wasn’t able to continue basketball in college, but I ended up finding rugby which was ten times more consuming and special. Then I blew my knee out playing and forced time away from the game made me question whether it was worth the punishment it put upon my body. I also developed chronic low back, neck, and hamstring pain, which got me interested in rehab. From rehab, I found my way into movement culture and using your body to experiment… movement became a means to engage my brain, not just a way to burn calories or check off a routine.

3. What role has injury played in cultivating your current niche?

Other than the above, it made me question the idea of sets and reps. I train everything on feel. I rarely perform movements more than a few times per session. The deliberateness seems to make up for volume.

4. Do you consider yourself a teacher? Why or why not?

I am a high school physical education teacher in Woodburn Oregon, and it is my chosen career. Even in my role as a clinician/therapist at the clinic I work at after school, my hope is to teach them how to question and investigate movements to find solutions.

5. What has been your experience with physical education, both in the schooling system and sought out knowledge/ know-how elsewhere?

As a student, I loved it. I considered myself an athlete and working hard was something I excelled at. As a teacher, though, I’m more drawn to the kids who struggle with/ dislike PE. I think they hold the answers as to how Physical Education can be personalized to individual goals and interests.

6. How do you involve your mind/emotions into your physical routines?

Most things I do are made up on the spot, so my mind stays pretty in sync with my body. I do a lot of thinking as I move, particularly when listening to music on long walks, which helps me sort out my feelings and emotions. To be more expressive, I hope to venture into more dance-like movements.

7. What are your personal aspirations regarding movement? How do you hope to find purpose and use in the skills you have built?

I hope to share ideas and discuss movement philosophies with as many people as possible, both virtually and in person.

8. How can people find/ contact you? Do you have a site or social media handle to share?

I share many movement patterns and findings at www.postcompetitiveinsight.com , help curate a subreddit called StartMoving, and use @ruffolous as both my Instagram and twitter handles. I can also be reached via email at ruffolous@gmail.com.