Certain athletes transcend their sports. Muhammad Ali in boxing, Michael Jordan in basketball and Bruce Lee in martial arts.
A man with close ties to Lee's legacy found a home in Boise and now brings Lee's teachings to all those who are interested. Since 1999, Kent has been teaching what's known as Jeet Kune Do at his studio on State Street. "Jeet Kune Do is the art of expressing your body in combative form without any limitations or confinements."
Something that attracted Kent at a very young age by simply watching TV. "It was the Green Hornet television show. When I was a young boy there was something about the show and the way this individual moved." That individual was Bruce Lee playing the Green Hornet's sidekick Kato. Years later he enrolled in a class taught by Lee's personal assistant and was forever committed to this for life.
After Lee's death, he became friends with Lee's wife Linda who would later convince Kent to move his family to Idaho. "My wife and I came up with my daughter and we spent a week here and we thought this is a great place to raise a family. I felt I had something I could offer Boise that it didn't have that I hold is extremely valuable."
Most of his students are men, but Chris says he would love to have more women sign up. "I've done a number of workshops for women and children as a community service, and I call it S.A.V.E. Safety against violence education."
Chris has even worked with NFL defensive lineman educating them on how to get to the quarterback faster. "What we found is they really have fast feet, but at the time they had slow hands, so we were working on how to hit and get by the guys on the other side of the line."
So, what if Chirs never turned the channel that day and never saw the Green Hornet, what would have become of his life? "You know I've never given any thought that's an interesting question. I do remember watching cooking shows, I love to cook, so maybe I'd be a chef. But I really don't know."
Who knows maybe somewhere on State Street there would have been a Kent's Kettle restaurant?
