By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. In this edition, Ichiro makes the Hall of Fame, a young Vietnamese American tennis player makes his mark, the Kraken celebrate Lunar New Year, and a plane crash claims the lives of several rising, young figure skaters.
Asian American figure skaters perish in plane crash
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C. The aircraft was carrying several young skaters returning from a development camp after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The young skaters belonged to clubs in Boston, Philadelphia, and D.C. Among those who were on the plane were Spencer Lane, 16, and his mother, Christine, and Jinna Han, 13, and her mother, Jin.
Lane was considered a late bloomer in the sport, as he began skating at the age of 13. He had gained a following on social media. In a post on Instagram this past November, he talked about qualifying to attend the camp. “I am so happy to have qualified for the national development camp…It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing.”
It was Jinna Han’s goal to make the Olympics and win a gold medal. One of her coaches said she excelled at both the athletic and artistic components of the sport.
“It’s a close, tight bond, and I think for all of us, we have lost family,” said Doug Zeghibe, CEO and executive director of the Skating Club of Boston.
In total, 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Black Hawk helicopter lost their lives.
Kraken celebrate Lunar New Year
The Seattle Kraken celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 30th. Local artist Shayla Hufana designed this year’s Lunar New Year-inspired logo.
The Seattle Kraken celebrated Lunar New Year on Jan. 28. The game against the Anaheim Ducks included celebrations recognizing the Year of the Snake.
During the first period break, the team acknowledged Larry Kwong, the first player of Asian descent in the National Hockey League (NHL) , during the Kraken’s “Heroes of the Deep” segment. A relative of Kwong’s was in attendance. Born in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, the elder Kwong played in the NHL in 1948.
A picture of Asian pioneer in hockey Larry Kwong, who was honored at the Kraken game on Jan. 30, during the Lunar New Year celebration.
A local artist, Filipino American Shayla Hufana, designed this year’s Lunar New Year uniforms. The uniform design showcased the Year of the Snake.
Learner Tien claims upset at Australian Open
Vietnamese American tennis player Learner Tien upset the fifth-ranked player in the world, Daniil Medveded, at the Australian Open last month. It was the first time the 19-year-old from Irvine, California had defeated a top 10-ranked player in the world. In fact, the Australian Open was the first Grand Slam tournament of his career.
Although Tien’s style is not flashy, it is technically sound. The lefty’s forehand is deadly, as he used it to pick apart Medveded. He also spreads his shots around the court to his advantage.
Tien was the No. 1-rated recruit in his class and chose to play college tennis at the University of Southern California. He started playing tennis when he was a toddler and won his first tournament at the age of 5.
Tien played on the junior circuit, achieving much success, including reaching two junior Grand Slam finals at the 2023 Australian Open and the 2023 US Open. He has also played in the French and Wimbledon tournaments as a junior. He won a doubles Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2023.
Notably, his first name, Learner, is inspired by his math-teaching mom. His sister, Justice, is named after his father’s profession, a real estate lawyer.
Ichiro is a Hall of Famer
The writer with his children and Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
Ichiro Suzuki was voted into Major League Baseball (MLB)’s Hall of Fame on the first ballot he qualified for the honor. The Baseball Writers of America votes on who gets into the Hall of Fame. Of the 393 votes possible, Ichiro received 392. One individual did not vote for Ichiro. Only New York Yankees pitcher, Mariano Rivera, has received 100% of the votes into the Hall of Fame. Ichiro received 99.7% of the votes.
Ichiro jokingly said he wanted to sit down and have a drink with the person that did not vote for him.
Regardless of one person’s slight, it’s clear that Ichiro’s MLB accomplishments are well-recognized.
After playing professional baseball in Japan for 8 years with the Orix Blue Wave, he was signed by the Seattle Mariners in 2001. An agreement between Japanese baseball and MLB prohibited him from playing in the U.S. prior to 2001.
While there were skeptics about whether Ichiro’s slight frame could compete against bigger, stronger players in MLB, he was the 2001 Rookie of the Year and the American League MVP. With Ichiro’s spark, the Mariners won an MLB record 116 wins.
Ichiro is the only player in MLB history to win an MVP, Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove Award, and Silver Slugger Award, and start in the All-Star Game in the same season.
The mystique of Ichiro preceded him. He had his own technique at the plate and a custom of keeping his bats in temperature-controlled humidors. Although he is retired, he continues to participate in warmups in full uniform. He also pitches to hitters in batting. Despite knowing the English language, Ichiro to this day uses an interpreter.
On a personal level, I met Ichiro with my kids at a Mariners meet and greet. He came up to us, wearing his uniform and batting gloves, extended his hand to me and said, “Hi, I’m Ichiro.” He also shook my kids’ hands. It was a memorable experience. Even though he was very humble, it was daunting to meet a true superstar of the sport.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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