The Bulletin FEBRUARY 2006 I 11 from Real Life
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Hapa Power at the Torino Games Bulletin Readers’ Haiku Unfolding cherry blossoms t 5’7 and 170lbs, Scarborough’s Vicki Sunohara exuding a sweet scent would be dwarfed by the smallest player on Spring has sprung Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2006 Patsi Naomi Yodogawa, Vancouver Torino Olympics. Yet she flies home tomorrow Aafter the closing ceremonies with a gold medal hanging I made a student cry around here neck—a prize that eluded the men this by giving so much homework year in a much-publicized and -lamented collapse. At I cried too 35, she is a veteran on Team Canada—the only current member of the National Women’s Team to have played James Edel, Richmond thethe longlong roadroad at the inaugural World Women’s Championship in boughsboughs ofof whitewhite blossomsblossoms 1990. She was two months shy of her 20th birthday at lightlight thethe wayway pink petal shower: the time. Having played in ten World Championships luscious blossom kisses on and two Olympic Winter Games prior to the Torino Helen Baker this windy spring day Games, Sunohara has plenty of experience to share North Vancouver, British Columbia Lorene Oikawa, Surrey with her younger teammates, a fact that is reflected BestBest CanadianCanadian PoemPoem in the “A” she proudly wears on her jersey. While not A majestic tree as high profile as some of her team mates, she brings are so many great players. To be able to make the team and be a part of standing alone in the wood experience and a steadying influence to this remark- all this . I can’t imagine anything better. The friends that I’ve made and silently in thought able team, which outscored its opponents 46 to two on how much I love the competition. Trying to get better every day. I can’t Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival its way to a gold medal win over Team Sweden. imagine trading that for anything.” inda Poole spent most of her life in Vancouver, Both Japanese and West Coast Style The eagle sours high Sunohara’s father David, who once played hockey for Still, when the day does come that she hangs up her skates, coaching is and always remembered spring as a special bentos will be available for purchase. above the cares of the world the Ryerson Rams, died of a heart attack when Vicky was very real possibility. She has had some experience coaching at the University time, with the thousands of blooming cherry The bentos will be available from with wings of justice only seven. Her mother Cathy is of Ukrainian descent but of Toronto, and experience she says was positive. For now, she continues to trees adding a special magic as winter melted March 13 onwards and order forms Laway. When her husband, who is in the Canadian for- are available on the festival website. made sure her three kids grew up proud of their Japanese play with the Brampton Thunder in the NWHL, where she continues to work A cookie pony heritage. While she wanted to enroll Vicky in Japanese on becoming a complete player in the mold of Detroit’s Steve Yzerman, eign surface, was posted overseas in hot climates, they Poole points out that all aspects of the both beautiful and tasty lessons, though, they took a back seat to hockey, floor one of her role models. Still, despite her recent attention to the defensive only came home to Vancouver in the summers and she festival are free, except the bentos, there are none left now hockey and bowling. Years later all that practice paid side of her game, she remains the team’s all-time leading scorer. found herself missing the blossoms. and through purchasing the Official off when Sunohara made her first trip to Japan as a When not leading her team on the ice, Sunohara owns and operates When they returned home two years ago, Poole Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic you Michael Bennett (14) member of Team Canada, winning a silver medal at the the Vicky Sunohara Female Hockey School. She also has an award, named came up with the idea of a city-wide celebration that can support the festival. As an added 1998 Nagano Games. There, Sunohara became a minor after her, with the Whitby Girls Hockey Association and is a spokesperson would encompass many different events and bring incentive, orders of 15 or more will celebrity, receiving more than 100 interview requests for the Youth Assisting Youth Program, helping to provided youth with together people of all ages and cultures to celebrate be delivered free to the cherry tree Top Haiku from from Japanese media outlets on her arrival in Japan. the same opportunities she had growing up. the arrival of the blossoms and their special contribu- of your choice. Festival Entries While in Japan, she made a pilgrimage to Ueda-shi, the tion to Vancouver’s natural beauty. Poole has been overwhelmed small village where her father’s ancestors hailed from, and Another hapa, United States short track speed skat- With a very small budget, she embarked on a two- by the response to the festival. cherry blossoms had an emotional reunion with relatives there, where she ing star Apolo Anton Ohno, skated away with a gold year mission to make her dream a reality. This month, The haiku contest alone attracted I fold my résumé was feted as a hometown hero. and two bronzes at the Torino Olympics. In the 1000 Vancouver City Council will proclaim March Vancouver almost 1,000 entries from around into a crane Over the past 16 years, Sunohara has seen the wom- Cherry Blossom Month at the opening ceremonies, the world. Four local poets volun- metre he finished third behind two Korean skat- Barry Goodmann en’s hockey scene change dramatically, with many more which are, at this point, TBA in early March. On the teered to go through the entries ers; in the 5000 metre relay his team finished third Hackensack, New Jersey girls taking up the sport as opportunities open up for phone this morning, Poole pointed out that weather and select the top 30 haiku, which behind the koreans, who overtook the Canadians Best U.S. Poem female players. This is attributable in large part to the in the final few metres to take the gold. The Ca- forecasting is an inexact process at best, making it dif- will be printed on ribbons and hung success of the National Team program including its ficult to predict with certainty when the cherry blossoms in a cherry blossom tree at Burrard nadians—Eric Bedard, Jonathan Guilmette, Charles cherry tree hard-won Gold Medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics. will make their appearance. Her Sakura Team – botanists SkyTrain Station in downtown Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay and Mathieu even the blind woman While Team USA remains their only real competition, and arborists from The Vancouver Board of Parks and Vancouver. Four of these haiku will Turcotte—ended up with the silver medal despite picks blossoms that team’s surprise upset by Sweden at the Torino a well fought race. Recreation and UBC Botanical Garden – are monitoring also appear on a poster in 400 city Olympics points the way to increased competition in Ohno finished up these games with a gold the west side of Vancouver, looking for signs of impend- buses. is amazed at the dedication Rosa Clement the future. This can only be good for the game, which medal finish in the 500 metre, relegating Canada’s Francois-Louis Tremblay ing blooms. Poole herself has been driving down to of volunteers such as the Pacifi-kana Manaus, Brazil continues to be played in the shadow of the faster, to the silver medal. the Burrard Skytrain Station, the site of the launch, on Haiku Selection Committee who Best International Poem more physically punishing men’s game. Raised by his father Yuki, Ohno (who combined the Greek words “Apo,” a daily basis, looking for confirmation that the launch were up until 5:30am completing (outside North America) With a bushel of medals and awards, including two meaning “away,” and “lo,” meaning “look out” to create his unique first date—hopefully March 7 or 8—can be announced. the selection process. “I wouldn’t Olympic gold medals, to her name, Sunohara is uncer- name), Ohno is a star in the US short Track speed skating world. He began Whatever its eventual date, the inaugural opening ask a paid staff member to do stopped in traffic— tain how long she will continue playing on a competi- his training at age 13 and at 16 became the youngest skater in history event will get off to a rousing start with a performance by that,” she says, “and these were on my window tive level. Prior to the Torino Olympics, Sunohara told to win the World Cup. At the Salt Lake City games, Ohno won a gold at two taiko drummers from Vancouver’s Chibi Taiko. There volunteers!” Many of the haiku cherry blossom will also be a performance of Orff music by 30 grade five are posted on the festival website: hockeycanada.ca, “You never know when it’s going to 1,500 metres and a silver in the 1,000. His gold was received after placing Sophia Frentz (age 13) students from Vancouver’s Renfrew Elementary School, an www.vcbf.ca, where you can find be your last time. It’s just so much fun. Time goes by second in the 1,500, then moving up to first after Kim Dong-sung was Tauranga, New Zealand Uransenke tea ceremony demonstration, and free food up-to-date information on the vari- so fast .