Page
      11
      January
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “SPORTS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
        
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Charlottetown
      Karate
      classes
      are
      fun
      and
      challenging
     
     
      way
      to
      stay
      or
      get
      in
      shape.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      0j0
      Location
      Our
      Dojo
      is
      located
      in
      the
      back
      of
      what
      was
      the
      Holland
      College
      Royalty
     
     
      entre.
      It
      is
      now
      known
      as
      the
      Sport
      P.E.I.
      Centre.
      See
      Map
      For
      instructions,
      or
      email
      us
      af
     
     
      oper
      @eastlink.ca.
      http://www.peichitoryu.ca/
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sports
      vs.
      The
      Movies
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kate
      VanGerven
     
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wouldn’t
      it
      be
      nice
      to
      enjoy
     
     
      a
      night
      of
      entertainment
      for
     
     
      free
      just
      by
      flashing
      a
      card?
     
     
      No,
      not
      a
      visa,
      (you
      actually
     
     
      have
      to
      pay
      with
      that
      one.)
     
     
      The
      card
      in
      question
      is
      your
     
     
      UPEI
      student
      id,
      and
      as
      a
     
     
      student
      with
      this
      small
      piece
     
     
      of
      magic,
      you’re
      entitled
      to
     
     
      free
      entrance
      to
      all
      UPEI
     
     
      sports
      games.
     
    

    
     
      Watching
      the
      Panthers
      of
     
     
      either
      gender
      play
      basketball
     
     
      is
      like
      watching
      an
      action
     
     
      movie
      in
      theatres,
      except
     
     
      it’s
      happening
      live
      in
      front
     
     
      of
      you,
      and
      again...as
      a
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      less
      hockey
      virgin
      in
      ‘the
      world
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sports
      editor
      Kate
      VanGerven
      introduces
      a
      student
      from
      the
      Bahamas
      to
     
     
      Canada’s
      favourite
      sport
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kate
      VanGerven
      ©
     
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hockey
      games
      typically
      at-
     
     
      tract
      three
      kinds
      of
      fans
      to
      its
     
     
      stands:
      the
      devout
      fans
      who
     
     
      would
      undoubtedly
      paint
     
     
      their
      chests
      if
      they
      had
      the
     
     
      nerve,
      the
      social
      fans
      that
      are
     
     
      afraid
      of
      missing
      something
     
     
      exciting,
      and
      then
      there
      are
     
     
      the
      hockey
      game
      “virgins.”
     
     
      Devout
      fans
      understand
     
     
      the
      complicated
      system
      of
     
     
      arm
      waving
      and
      whistles
     
     
      from
      the
      referees
      and
      are
     
     
      usually
      at
      the
      arena
      specifi-
     
     
      cally
      to
      watch
      the
      game
      and
     
     
      make
      obscene
      gestures
      when
     
     
      something
      bad
      happens.
     
     
      Social
      fans
      are
      a
      different
     
     
      breed
      all
      on
      their
      own.
      These
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      are
      the
      ones
      who
     
     
      travel
      to
      the
      games
      in
      herds
     
     
      and
      spend
      a
      lot
      of
      the
      game
     
     
      in
      deep
      conversation
      briefly
     
     
      punctuated
      by
      enthusiastic
     
     
      cheering
      and
      clapping
      when
     
     
      a
      goal
      is
      scored
      or
      a
      fight
     
     
      breaks
      out,
      and
      then
      just
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      quickly
      revert
      back
      to
      their
     
    
   
   
    
     
      casual
      conversations.
     
    

    
     
      The
      men’s
      game
      against
     
     
      Dalhousie
      on
      January
      9
      was
     
     
      going
      to
      be
      a
      fun
      night
      for
     
     
      this
      sports
      editor,
      who
      is
      still
     
     
      making
      the
      transition
      from
     
     
      social
      fan
      to
      devout.
     
    

    
     
      On
      the
      way
      to
      the
      game
     
     
      however,
      our
      small
      group
     
     
      picked
      up
      Shavato,
      who
     
     
      had
      never
      attended
      a
      UPEI
     
     
      hockey
      game.
      Shavato,
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      international
      education
      stu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dent
      from
      Bahamas,
      is
      what
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      would
      deem
      a
      hockey
      vir-
     
     
      gin.
     
    

    
     
      While
      he
      knew
      about
      hock-
     
     
      ey,
      he
      had
      never
      truly
      expe-
     
     
      rienced
      it
      like
      we
      have
      the
     
     
      chance
      to.
     
    

    
     
      Now,
      writing
      about
      sports
     
     
      is
      quite
      different
      from
      know-
     
     
      ing
      everything
      about
      them,
     
     
      but
      when
      Shavato
      had
      ques-
     
     
      tions
      I
      found
      myself
      answer-
     
     
      ing
      them
      with
      ease.
     
    

    
     
      Granted,
      they
      were
      most-
     
     
      ly
      common
      knowledge.
      At
     
     
      the
      end
      of
      the
      first
      period
     
     
      when
      everyone
      retreated
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      concession
      stand
      or
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      warmth
      of
      the
      lobby
      Shavato
     
     
      turned
      to
      me,
      puzzled
      about
     
     
      where
      everyone
      was
      going.
     
    

    
     
      I
      explained
      the
      break
      and
     
     
      that
      the
      time
      between
      periods
     
     
      was
      for
      the
      teams
      to
      figure
     
    
   
   
    
     
      out
      what
      they
      did
      well
      and
     
     
      what
      they
      needed
      to
      do
      dif-
     
     
      ferently
      in
      the
      next
      period,
     
     
      as
      well
      as
      to
      flood
      the
      ice.
     
     
      He
      accepted
      my
      explanation
     
     
      and
      proceeded
      to
      watch
      the
     
     
      zamboni,
      remarking
      how
     
     
      impressive
      the
      driver
      was
      to
     
     
      flood
      it
      so
      accurately.
     
    

    
     
      Throughout
      the
      remainder
     
     
      of
      the
      game,
      I
      told
      him
      of
      the
     
     
      game
      having
      three
      periods,
     
     
      what
      they
      do
      in
      case
      of
      a
      tie,
     
     
      and
      I
      told
      him
      that,
      yes,
      those
     
     
      men
      in
      suits
      were
      in
      fact
      the
     
     
      team’s
      coaches.
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      in
      general,
      this
      game
     
     
      was
      a
      positive
      experience
     
     
      for
      both
      Shavato
      and
      I.
      He
     
     
      learned
      something
      new
      about
     
     
      a
      piece
      of
      Canadian
      culture,
     
     
      and
      me....I
      got
      to
      introduce
     
     
      him
      to
      it.
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dent,
      you
      get
      to
      experience
      it
     
     
      for
      free.
     
    

    
     
      Not
      convinced?
      At
      least
     
     
      give
      the
      comparison
      a
     
     
      chance.
      So
      how
      does
      this
     
     
      relate
      to
      basketball
      at
      all?
     
     
      Let’s
      begin
      with
      something
     
     
      simple.
      Good
      versus
      bad.
     
     
      Clearly,
      UPEI
      represents
      the
     
     
      good
      guys,
      while
      the
      bad
      is
     
     
      our
      opponents.
     
    

    
     
      But
      what’s
      even
      more
      amaz-
     
     
      ing,
      albeit
      in
      a
      completely
     
     
      different
      way,
      is
      watching
     
     
      them
      come
      so
      close
      and
      be
     
     
      foiled
      by
      ‘the
      bad
      guys’.
     
    

    
     
      After
      the
      basketball
      ver-
     
     
      sion
      of
      a
      crash
      there’s
      usu-
     
     
      ally
      a
      chase.
      For
      the
      ball
      that
     
     
      is.
      The
      Panthers
      are
      running
     
     
      around
      that
      court
      attempting
     
     
      to
      throw
      off
      the
      opposition
     
     
      in
      hopes
      that
      they’ll
      slip
      up
     
     
      somehow
      which
      would
      allow
     
     
      UPEI
      to
      get
      their
      momentum
     
     
      back.
      As
      in
      the
      movies,
      car
     
    
   
   
    
     
      chases
      don’t
      always
      work
     
    
   
   
    
     
      out.
     
    

    
     
      The
      ending
      is
      also
      simple
     
     
      to
      comprehend.
      At
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      the
      4th
      quarter
      UPEI
      either
     
     
      wins...or
      loses
      with
      a
      vow
     
     
      to
      win
      the
      next
      one.
     
    

    
     
      Straightforward
      so
      far,
     
     
      right?
      Most
      likely
      makes
     
     
      more
      sense
      as
      well.
      So,
      after
     
     
      understanding
      what’s
      right
     
     
      under
      their
      noses
      on
      campus,
     
     
      why
      would
      anyone
      pay
      ten
     
     
      dollars
      again
      to
      go
      watch
      a
     
     
      movie
      when
      they
      can
      watch
     
     
      TWO
      basketball
      games
      for
     
     
      free?
     
    

    
     
      They’ve
      got
      everything
      an
     
     
      action
      movie
      does,
      even
      the
     
     
      good-looking-ego-stroking
     
     
      girls.
      Well
      maybe
      not
      girls
     
     
      but
      hey,
      who
      can
      stroke
      ego’s
     
     
      and
      pull
      off
      a
      skirt
      better
      than
     
     
      a
      male
      in
      the
      cage
      crew?!