He’s a full-time student, a full-time athlete (of the basketball variety) and a full-time inspiration — he’s Adam Folker. Taking social media by storm, UCI men’s basketball all-star Adam Folker’s “#FOLKERSYSTEM” has undoubtedly made quite a splash, helping athletes and inspiring people in its wake.
What started as a lighthearted Twitter hashtag has evolved into a movement — a revolution set on helping people achieve their goals. And in hopes of bringing his inspiring words to the world and helping those that need support in their struggles, Folker has recently expanded his #FOLKERSYSTEM empire, branching out globally via the World Wide Web.
With words of wisdom that sound years beyond his age, Folker is truly a poet at heart, inspiring his followers through his words and his strength. “I just post whatever comes to me,” Folker said, but clearly the words of advice come from his experiences and how he has overcome the struggles that life has thrown his way. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what they won’t.” Not poetic prose, but his words carry behind them a meaning that transcends the page they’re tweeted on.
The self-titled site, www.adamfolker.com, went live last week and has already begun to make its mark on the web. Based on the underlying values of hard work, Folker says the site is a manifestation of his appreciation for a game that has given him all of the opportunities that the world has to offer.
“The game of basketball has given me such great opportunities to pursue,” Folker said. “It’s been a way for me to give back to the game of basketball and to the people that have helped me along the way. This is a way to give back to the game that I love, to help athletes and to provide resources and information that I’ve learned over the years.”
Overcoming the struggles of wanting to play basketball in a country that is primarily covered in ice and healing from the injuries that followed the start of his college career, Folker is no stranger to the concept of hard work — his basketball career is a testament to this.
“I had a tough injury and my hip surgery two years , just like a lot of other athletes that have set-backs, and I’ve taken that and turned it into a positive,” Folker said. “I’ve tried to find something positive to come of it, and I guess it has inspired a lot of people.”
The site will undoubtedly help Folker spread his inspiring story and words all over the world. With content produced by Folker and his team of writers, including the input of a life coach that Folker works closely with, the site is based primarily on the foundations of “working hard, achieving your goals, and creating your own recipe of success.”
Thus, the site has taken the direction of expressing Folker’s passions and bringing resources to his readers.
“I’m pretty passionate about fitness, nutrition and obviously basketball, and I really just hope to be able to help people,” Folker said. “I’m really passionate about mentoring young athletes and I hope to be able to set up a foundation in the future to assist kids from elementary school through high school on their way to college.”
But for the time being, Folker has set his mind on following his own advice of “using what he has and doing what they won’t” by using resources like the Internet to help as many people as possible. The site will continue to grow, producing more and more content to help followers of the #FOLKERSYSTEM stay motivated while attending to their academics, athletics and mental health.
Folker is thankful for the opportunity to be able to lend his knowledge to friends and followers alike, giving back to those who have supported him in his long journey from Canada to Southern California and everything in between.
“I grew up in Canada, where hockey is the big sport, so it was a little bit more difficult to make it as a basketball player, but there were a lot of people there to help me,” Folker said.
“I’ve learned a lot in the process, and to be able to turn around and help people is amazing — I’m so blessed to have this opportunity.”
