Bowlers in the family

As it is in the workplace and in all of the sports I've played, many of my co-workers and/or teammates have become friends and family. In the 4 years since I began bowling so much, I often see couples bowl together and notice (in most cases) how much they enjoy each other's company. No doubt it's the same on the PBA tour, as I've found many of the wives/girlfriends of players are bowlers too. Here are a few examples:

Chris and Lynda Barnes

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Del Ballard Jr.

photo courtesy of BOWL.com

Brenda Edwards Padilla and Stephen Padilla

Other couples include: 

• Bill O'Neill and his wife, Christi White O'Neill, who bowled at Farleigh Dickinson University. 
• Shannon O'Keefe and her husband, USBC coach Bryan O'Keefe. 
• Mike Fagan and his fiancee, Emily Maier, who bowled at Wichita State.
• Stuart Williams and his girlfriend, Tina Stickney, who bowled at West Texas A&M. 
• Tim Mack and his wife, Brenda Norman Mack.

It extends to the spouse's families as well. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard's sister, Cathy Dorin-Lizzi, is a pro bowler and helps out with ESPN's women's bowling events as a field reporter. Cathy's husband Jeff, has bowled in PBA regionals. Parker Bohn's wife, Leslie Beamish Bohn, bowled at Wichita State. So did Leslie's sister, Chrissie Beamish Kent, who's married to PBA veteran Doug Kent.

A wild guess that date night for these folks isn't always dinner and a movie...

East of Main Street - Small Talk and Asians Aloud

The focus of my last 3 blog entries has been on Asian-Americans. I decided I'd write another one, but had no clue as to what that would be. Some of the information I researched on "No Look Pass" featuring Emily Tay came from Asia Society.  So I went back to their website for ideas.

I found a trailer (shown above) for an HBO Family feature that aired in May called, "East of Main Street: Small Talk", directed by Jonathan Yi. Charming, sweet and funny, I laughed out loud. Mostly because I know I would have answered with the same responses when I was their age.

As I began to write this entry, I then noticed on YouTube a link under the same documentary name, but with a different subtitle, Asians Aloud. HBO On Demand aired this in April 2010 (May is officially Asian Pacific American Heritage Month).

The biggest difference in this trailer compared to Small Talk is that it's from adults - and, not all of it is funny. This time, I nodded at what the adults said because like the kids, I would have answered with the same responses.

Here's the trailer for East of Main Street: Asians Aloud:

HBO Family will rebroadcast Small Talk at the end of this month. Check the website for more information. HBO isn't among my list of subscribed cable channels, but I'll go back to YouTube to find out what I can.

The Hapa Project - Kip Fulbeck

Photo courtesy of Seaweed Productions
The Hapa Project - website

• Summer Olympics 2012 U.S. team members Nathan Adrian and Kyla Ross 
• Actors Jennifer and Meg Tilly, Russell Wong, Moon Bloodgood, Ian Anthony Dale
• USF men's basketball coach Rex Walters 
• MLB pitchers Tim Lincecum, Ron Darling (retired) and Danny Graves (retired)
• NBC news anchor Ann Curry 
• Sean Lennon
• The children of my cousins John, Kin, Ming, Kit, Faye 
• More than I can count on all my fingers and toes, my friends and their children

What do they have in common? All are of mixed ethnic heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry*.

Or, in Hawaiian language, Hapa.  In 2001, American artist Kip Fulbeck began The Hapa Project, a photographic montage of 1200 volunteer subjects who identified themselves as hapa. To find out more about the project, please click the website link posted below Kip's picture.

For me, the objective of the project, as described in Wikipedia, said it best: The Hapa Project was created to promote awareness and recognition of the millions of multiracial/multiethnic individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander descent in the U.S; to give voice to multiracial people and previously ignored ethnic groups; to dispel myths of exoticism, hybrid vigor and racial homogeneity; to foster positive identity formation and self-image in multiracial children; and to encourage solidarity and empowerment within the multiracial/Hapa community.

While I may not be Hapa ethnically, I certainly am culturally. Loudly and proudly.

*from "about The Hapa Project" website.

Nathan Adrian - "Bok Choy"

Photo courtesy of Channel APA

Count me among the millions of women who find Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian absolutely adorable. As I'm probably in the same age range as his parents, I'll admire him from afar. He's from Bremerton, WA (in the Seattle area) and a recent UC Berkeley graduate, with honors, so he's no slouch in academia either.

At the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics, all the publicity was on teammates Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Nathan got heads turning when he upset favorite James Magnussen of Australia in 100m Freestyle which earned him a gold medal. He also swam the anchor leg (freestyle) in the men's 4 x 100 medley relay which got him another gold medal.

Cute, smart, and based on what we've seen and heard from him, humble, and friendly, with a quick smile (Reminds me of someone special I dearly miss). On top of that, his mother Cecilia was born and raised in Hong Kong, which makes his ancestry half-Chinese. When swim teammates found this out, they nicknamed him "Bok Choy" (Chinese cabbage).

Sigh. Best of luck to you, Nathan. You've got a bright future ahead. And I wish you even more luck in fighting off the swarm of women who'll desperately want to be your girlfriend.