'Beijing report my way' continued | Ohno Zone Home
by Junko
Cheering
When Jan and I cheered, we acted like coaches. "GO...NOW!" "Stay!" "Speed up!" "Faster!" "Come on so and so!" "Behind you!" "Move!" and we looked mighty scary at times when calling out. "Go or kill you!" No, never that violent. Tiggie mostly went, "WAW!" loudly with waving and swinging a flag and almost lost her voice by Day 3. Mr. Baver's voice was low and it carried. I can assure Allison could hear her dad on ice. His cheering style was also a coach can-be. "OUTSIDE!"
Talking about a coach, one time, Sugio, Japanese coach, gently told Terao who was in the second position in quarter final, "Good, it's good... you can stay... good." and Terao took off right after Sugio told him good to stay and finished first. It was funny. He could've stayed because it was a quarter final and first two skaters advanced. Skaters have their own strategy.
Banquet
A few of us managed to attend the banquet on Sunday evening from 8pm. The banquet tables that sat 10-12 people each had been all full, booked, occupied, sold out and there was no space for us, fans to squeeze in. Did I say, a few of us attended? Yes we did, through much efforts of Kimo, Yang Yang S and Richard of Chinese organization for the Worlds. And the lucky and happy attendees were Kimo, Jan, Sonia and moi. The other fans didn't attend by choice.
Well, the banquet started out as a usual banquet. The awards were given to the skaters as usual. We took some pictures of the skaters as usual. It was just an ordinary, well planned and organized banquet -- so it seemed at first. Somehow at some point, we noticed all the Korean skaters started visiting tables and taking pictures with them. When they came to the Japanese table, all the skaters were calling out something and there was a loud laugh. Soon after the photo visit session of Korean team, all the skaters started visiting, hovering, strolling around the other tables. It was so fun to watch that everybody was enjoying each others company with big smiles and friendly laughs.
Evgenia Radanova was serenaded by Italian skaters for a drink or... two at their table. Japanese table was hilarious with many kanpai and playful contests with drinks. Oh, Apolo visited our table to talk to Kimo for quite a while. Tania Vicent told us some funny "fish" story in the men's bathroom in Korea. Alanna and Amanda came to say "hi" to us which was very sweet. They went to talk to their former coach Derrick Campbell at U.S. table later. Carly Wilson and Halie were doing table hopping for the pictures. Fabio was gloating Kimo that his goatee was longer than Apolo's in front of Apolo.
We tried to visit all the tables but we got stuck at some fun table and ended up with laughing with them most of the times. I was at the Japanese table for a while, watching them having fun and taking pictures with them. After that visit, every time I got near their table, Kodera never failed to ask, "Want to join?" "Care for a pic?" Polite! We finally left the banquet at Nikko Hotel around 11pm. It was FUN to express the least.
Tidbits
* I believe referees can be young... impartial, fair and inquisitive. I have nothing against old referees if they are sharp and intuitive enough to be impartial and fair with good eyes. This is not an argument, is just my opinion.
* Chinese people in Beijing in general are very kind.
* I didn't see Pablo in person this time. As I was asking Tiggie about him through competitions, it got Kimo's attention. "Who's that Pablo guy you were talking about?" Next time, Pablo!
* Great Wall is literally great, and steep. Kimo walked far and had to take off three of his layers of clothes. He still had two more layers left though. It was a good exercise for us.
* At the banquet and after we came back to our hotel, we became a bit of skaters information desk, "Do you know where so and so went?" "Do you happen to have a pen?" "Ni Hao, (followed by all Chinese)………?" Sometimes we knew the answers, sometimes we even didn't know what they were asking. (Jiajun -- in English, please!)
* Apolo hugged Jan and me for a good bye. Other skaters thought we were hugging kind. We got some more hugs from other skaters. Excellent!
Finally
The time was early spring. When I left Beijing, it was pouring rain, dark and cold... all right, all right, I'll behave... In reality, Beijing was sunny and cool. It was pleasant when I left Beijing. Hoping I could come back one day, thinking all the funs I had...
Yi Hui Er Jian and Xie Xie
Ohno Zone Home | page 1, 2, 3, 4 (banquet photos!)