What A Year for Sports in London

:London Knights sniper Seth Griffith in action at the 2012 Memorial Cup in Shawinigan

With a new year comes new opportunities for London's sports teams to shine and dominate the sporting world in Ontario, Canada and the world. Last year, London's athletes put on some outstanding performances, and their achievements were recognized and praised by Londoners and sports fans across the country.

Let's start with everyone's favourite team, the London Knights. They won the OHL championship for the second time, beating the Niagara IceDogs on home ice in game five, driving the city into a frenzy. Austin Watson was a marvelled acquisition; he showed his worth in the playoffs as the Knights headed to Shawinigan for the Memorial Cup. Sadly, they lost in the finals to the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-1 in overtime.

This season, the Knights have taken the OHL by storm. Although the team started off slow, their loss to Windsor on November 1 would be their last for almost two months. The boys won 24 consecutive games, beating their own franchise record and falling just one win short of tying the Canadian Hockey League record. The Knights are sure to be tough competitors as their exciting season continues and the run for the Memorial Cup begins once again.

The London Nationals also had a great season, claiming the Western Conference championship in the 2012 Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. While they went on to finish third in the Sutherland Cup, Kelly Thomson's team helped put London sports on the map.

London's new basketball team made a name for themselves across Canada. In their inaugural season, the London Lightning came out on top, as over 5,000 fans witnessed them defeat Halifax in game five to win the league title. London finished with a 33-10 record on the season, including 5-2 in the playoffs. Budweiser Gardens could be home to two defending champions for the 2012/13 season.

The Lightning made numerous changes to their roster in the off season, coming back even stronger than last season. The Lightning won their opener, beating Halifax once again. The team continued to be successful throughout 2012. No team came close as the Lightning opened the season with 11 consecutive wins, breaking the league record.

Soccer might not be the prime choice for London sports fans, but that doesn't mean the sport doesn't do well in the city. FC London was crowned winners of the 2012 Premier Development League season, beating the Carolina Dynamo 2-1 in the championship finals in North Carolina. While the victory might not have sent every sports fan in the city into a frenzy, London's soccer fans were ecstatic that from a league of 73 teams, spread across the U.S.A., Canada and Bermuda, their local team came out on top.

One of London's women's soccer teams also made headlines. North London Galaxy was crowned as the best women's team in the country when they beat Surrey United to lift the 2012 Jubilee Cup. This victory is their first national title after four Ontario titles in six years.

The 2012 Olympic Games gave Londoners a chance to show their talents to the world. London native Damian Warner catapulted to Canadian fame after his mesmerising performance in the decathlon, where he finished fifth. He didn't win a medal, but instead he set six personal bests in 10 events. The 22-year-old also put up the second best point total (8,442) in Canadian history. Heptathlete Jessica Zelinka and swimmer Joe Bartoch had memorable performances in the Olympics as well. Zelinka placed seventh in the heptathlon while Bartoch and his teammates finished eighth at the 4x100-metre medley relay.

London and Londoners can be proud; they live in a city that is home to champions. From individual accolades to team championships and success at the provincial and national levels, and even at the Olympics, 2012 had it all.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=9173&sectionID=4&issueID=219
Image Credit: http://chl.uploads.mrx.ca/memorial/images/en/gallery/2012/05/MMC12_0519_DSC_77192909.JPG

Canadian Castle's

Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion: Hamilton meets Edmonton...

I loathe myself for two reasons. One for letting my workload get to me and not being able to write anything for last week. And two, and I can't stress this enough, for not realizing what this week is all about. I've recently gone on a Castle-watching spree. The ABC series is something different from all the sitcoms I usually watch, and it only just struck me that both the lead actors (Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic) are Canadian. This is something I should have written about ages ago!

I've noticed that Nathan Fillion has been around for a while. He was cast in Joss Whedon's Firefly (which, coincidentally links, Fillion to one of my other favourite shows, The Big Bang Theory). On digging further, I noticed that Fillion went to school in Alberta, where he is from: The Concordia University College in Alberta and then the University of Alberta. I often chat with friends back home about Castle, and the one thing that comes up – especially if they're female – is his looks, his charm and his personality, especially portraying the role of Richard Castle. It's an area I don't have any comment, naturally.

But then I move on to Kate Beckett, or rather Stana Katic. For starters, she's from Ontario; Hamilton, to be exact, although she did live and grow up in Chicago, Illinois. This time when I chat with people from back home, they usually have no comment. For starters, if they're female, they're usually too busy ogling Nathan Fillion, or if they're male, they think they have other, more important shows to watch. So usually, it's just me against the world. I'm actually excited about both these characters to be honest; I'd say they're a perfect match.

Anyway, I thought I'd finally move on to the show itself. I was skeptical at first when I saw the ads on TV back in India; I wasn't so sure how the show would pan out, much like Burn Notice, although I was insanely excited for Burn Notice when I saw the first trailers. I'm more of a sitcom kind of guy; anything that makes me laugh usually has priority when it comes to watching TV, so Castle is a welcome change at times, something different (though it still makes me laugh). I'd say the show is well supported, especially by Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever in the roles of Esposito and Ryan, respectively.

While I haven't been able to watch the new season of Castle yet, owing to my lack of a cable connection, I'm sure the show is moving forward well. I'm eagerly waiting for the day I'll get to watch season five. Until then, I have the first four seasons on DVD to keep me company. Canada has outdone herself once again, this time through two quirky actors that know how to work together well on screen. Kudos, Canada, Kudos!

Originally Written for the Interrobang:http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=8896&sectionID=3&issueID=213
Image Credit: http://fandomania.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/castle-206-1-7.jpg

Sharing roots with Russell Peters

"Somebody Gonna Get A Hurt Real Bad"

Everyone's favourite comedian is Canadian. You got it; I'm referring to Russell Peters, the first comedian to ever perform in front of a sold-out crowd at the Air Canada Centre. What makes this week's column even more special to me is the simple reason that I share similar roots with Peters: the only significant differences that come to mind is that he was born in Canada, I was born in India and he's a lot more famous than I am right now.

I'm going to take the similar roots aspect a little more in depth: How about I say the same city? That's right, for I grew up in Calcutta, the same city where Peters' mom was born. This YouTube sensation was in Calcutta as recently as 2008, but unfortunately for me, I couldn't be at his performance, although I do not remember the reason why. I do, however, know some people who did attend this show, and when the 5'10" brown skinned man eventually came out on stage a half an hour late (which, by the way, is normal for Calcutta standards), he said something I remember to this day. His reason for the delay? "I have always identified myself as an Indian. I am Indian. In fact, that has been my answer to every question I've ever been asked, whether it makes sense or not. 'What's your name?' I'm Indian. 'What do you do?' I'm Indian. 'Why are you late?' I'm Indian."

Funny story here, by the way: the reason I watched Breakaway was indeed Peters, where he plays bridegroom-to-be Sonu Gill in his own characteristic way. I also just recently came across videos from the 2008 and 2009 Juno Awards, hosted by Peters, and while I know he isn't everyone's favourite award show host, he certainly made it look easy, again in his own characteristic way. But the biggest reason why I look up to this comic is because he dissed 'Bollywood.' Bollywood, for those unaware, is India's version of Hollywood, and while I admit they do make some great movies from time to time, the film industry of late makes Indians "look dumb" (as quoted by Peters in an article on expressindia.com dated October 21, 2008).

I've also seen a fair share of critics for Peters, who mostly look down upon him as being racially insensitive, which for me is the prime reason why he has been so successful all these years. Coming from a minority background in Canada does help one see life in a completely different light. I should know, I'm seeing a whole new side to life that was unheard of back in India. "I don't make stereotypes, I see them," he said in one show in San Francisco. One of the first Anglo-Indian comics who made fun of South Asian culture, Peters is, in my opinion, just your average guy trying to raise awareness about stereotypes through wit and humour. I end, otherwise "somebody gonna get a hurt real bad."

Orignally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=8750&sectionID=2&issueID=210
Image Credit:http://www.leaderpost.com/7323457.bin
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuYM-KZIczs

Basketball's Canadian side

The father of Basketball, Dr. James Naismith

Here's a fun fact that not many people are aware of: basketball is Canadian. Sure, you might tell me that it was first played in Springfield, Massachusetts and not on Canadian soil, which is fair enough, but the fact that the sport was the brainchild of a Canadian born innovator, Dr. James Naismith is reason for me to believe that the sport is Canadian. Naismith was born in Ontario and if my limited knowledge of Canadian geography is correct, he was born in present-day Mississippi Mills, Ontario.

There would be no LeBron James and no Kobe Bryant and definitely no Steve Nash if it wasn't for Naismith's invention on a cold winter day in Springfield in December 1891. And ever since then, the sport has not looked back. At least 10 players in this original game of basketball were university students from Quebec, (according to an nba.com article from March 2002), thus ingraining Canada and Canadians into the sport's earliest days. That very same article cites how quickly the sport spread into Canada; like maple syrup on warm pancakes, if you must. This hockey- obsessed country has participated in Olympic basketball from as early as the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany, three years before Naismith breathed his last breath.

Another great story that I came across while doing my research was the fact that Naismith had just 14 days to invent the game. According to his resume, the game was invented "under orders from Dr. Luther Gulick, head of Springfield YMCA Physical Education, to provide an athletic distraction for students. Gulick demanded that it would not take up much room, could help its track athletes to keep in shape."

Probably a more well-known fact is that the first ever game in the sport's most elite league, the NBA, was played on Canadian soil in Toronto between the New York Knickerbockers (now the NY Knicks) and the defunct Toronto Huskies. Of course, the league was then known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the Huskies were only around for one season, but as I've said before, the sport was already showing its Canadian side.

Modern-day basketball fans in Canada have to contend with the struggling Toronto Raptors. I've often seen lots of vintage Vancouver Grizzlies memorabilia around the halls of Fanshawe College itself, proving the fact that the sport is indeed ingrained in Canadians. Videos of the famous pairing of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady in the late 1990s still sends shivers down my spine: I guess you could call that the heyday of the Toronto Raptors.

US Patent #1,718,305 will be remembered as the basketball granted to G.L. Pierce in 1929, almost four decades after the game was invented. While Naismith's 'original 13 rules' might have been modified several times over the ages, the joy and excitement that the sport of basketball brings hasn't diminished one bit. It's a Canadian invention, after all.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.php?storyID=8723&sectionID=4&issueID=209
Image Credit: http://www.peoplequiz.com/images/bios/James-Naismith.jpg-5864.jpg

London Through The Eyes Of An Outsider

Downtown London

Whenever I mentioned to my friends that I was going to Canada for college there were mixed emotions that came through: some happy, some sad, some couldn’t care less. When I replied “London” when asked which part of Canada, 99% were stumped. “London? In Canada? You’re joking right?” was the usual monotonous reply. Things said and done, it’s almost a month since I left home. It’s almost a month that I have been living on my own, independent. And I must say it’s been one heck of an experience.

                London, Ontario is unlike London, England. Why you ask? It’s a simple answer but one that needs to be experienced properly. London, Ontario is a small little city with a population of a little under half a million, situated midway between Detroit (in the American state of Michigan) and the city of Toronto. Yet, this city is home to two major educational institutions in Ontario: Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario. Now, as I’ve already mentioned, I’ve been here just about a month and yet I’ve already set foot on places like Covent Garden, Highbury and Oxford Avenue, Trafalgar Street and so on. The early settlers here sure did love their old dainty city of London. Interestingly enough, I read somewhere that it was intended that London, Ontario be made the capital of Canada but the Queen thought otherwise. Probably it was a wise decision, for if it were the capital, it’d be a lot noisier.

                It’s been homely, to say the least. The place I’m staying, the college and the new people I’m meeting on a regular basis. They all make the extra effort that the only International student in the Broadcast Journalism program feels at home. It’s quite flattering I tell you. (If you’re one of these people reading this, it’s the only reason why I haven’t mentioned the possibility of me taking advantage of it someday!) Interestingly enough, this small city plays gracious host to some of the biggest events in Canada – a WWE show (which interests me not), a TIESTO concert, a Kings of Leon concert, Avril Lavigne, Colbie Calliat and more hockey than I ever could have imagined. I can see some of you preparing to wring my neck and that is the risk I am willing to take. It’s a beautiful place, London, and it’s where I am for at least the next two years.

Photo Credits: http://beloveserve.com/?category_name=uncategorized&paged=2