For a while, I've been meaning to post my documentary Ke Nako (It's Time!) on here for you all to view. But I had to save it in a smaller file to meet You Tube's limitations. I've finally been able to post it. Let me know what you think.
For those who are unaware, Ke Nako is a documentary about South Africa's journey from a dark history in apartheid, to hosting the first African-held FIFA World Cup in just 16 years since its first democratically-held elections. While in Cape Town and Johannesburg, I was fortunate to meet and interview several dignitaries like Alf Kumalo, Pitika Ntuli and Noor Ibrahim. None of these men were granting interviews at the time. Nor were they allowing cameras into their respective museums and exhibitions. Except mine. It was important for me to tell a story worth justifying the rare opportunity I'd been given. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's daughter, and Thabo Mxotwa, a Robben Island Museum tour guide, also helped tell the basis of this documentary.
I encourage your comments, opinions and criticism.
Here's also a link to a story I wrote about a soldier's experience with apartheid. I didn't have a video camera with me at the time, but here is his story in print: Remembering apartheid: A soldier's story
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
What are your regrets?
While vacationing in London, my friends Lola and Obehi and I took a four day trip to Barcelona. It was a first visit to Spain for all of us and we made what I feel is the best decision to rent a car, and get a hotel in Malgrat del Mar, about an hour or less away from Barcelona. The town is a friendly tourist spot right by the beach and with close proximity to all Barcelona offers. Lots of tourists opt for sponsored bus tours into the city, but we felt independent enough to tackle the roadways and signs without a reasonable working knowledge of the Spanish language. Don't ask me how we did it, but we managed to take entirely different routes each time we went to and from Barcelona.
La Sagrada Familia.
Mamadou on our last night.
We were welcomed by two good looking men at the concierge of our hotel, the Luna Club, a four-star hotel that's just 300m from the beach. We were justifiably tired when we arrived, so we didn't really appreciate the friendly nature of Mamadou until our last night in Spain when he and Said, a Moroccan, treated us to a pitcher of sangria while everyone else was seemingly asleep.
Then he shared his story. A promising soccer player from Senegal who played with a first division Belgian club. Then suffered a career-ending knee injury. He relocated to France, before settling in Spain. Every where I go, I always seem to be drawn to people connected to some sport or the other. Many of them have stories like Mamadou's: a once promising athletic career now abandoned for a variety of reasons. Just like me.
Growing up in a family of athletes, playing sports came naturally to me. You name it, I played it. Well, OK, maybe not everything. But just about every major sport I played. I fostered dreams of setting a world record as the fastest female track & field athlete in the world. But after I graduated high school as a sports prefect, I gave up on everything. I still loved competing, but there just weren't concrete avenues to continue to pursue my dreams. By the time I moved to the U.S. I was a slightly overweight has-been who focused entirely on getting an education worth making my parents proud. I still have regrets about not continuing as a competitive athlete. And my regrets have a funny way of coming to light. I don't enjoy running on a track anymore (I run on a treadmill) because I feel like a failure. It's usually followed by a sense of remorse, and before you know it, I'm walking off the track well short of meeting my goal because I've mentally battered myself over the purpose of running.
Unlike Mamadou, there's nothing physically stopping me from resuming this athletic career if I choose to embrace the difficult rigors of getting back in ideal shape. But I somehow allow my regrets get the best of me. But when I asked Mamadou if he regrets losing out on the possibility of making millions, he hardly hesistated in responding no with a smiling face. There's a lot to be said about that. And even more to be learned. I got into sports journalism as a way to marry my past in sports to my future and I have no regrets about what I've accomplished so far. It's time for me to let go of my regret over never becoming a professional athlete, and like Mamadou, break into a smile when I think of how lucky I am to still remain in close contact with this industry.
Anyone care to share regrets you've had time letting go of?
I'll leave you with one of the many videos I shot while in Spain. For those of you expecting something close to my award-winning videos, let me issue this disclaimer. The videos were shot on my small Sony digital camera with 7.2 pixels, so they are not of the best quality. But they do the job. I'll share more stories from my adventures in Spain as I sift through pictures.
I nearly died in London.
OK, I may be exaggerating a bit, but then again, maybe not.
My near death experience occurred in the London Underground. I want to say it was on the Jubilee line, but that could be because it was my most frequently used Underground train route. But it's not important. Here's what is.
I'm sitting in the train across from my friend Lola and her friend when we get into a conversation about the recent death of the world's most hated man: Osama bin Laden. Lola asks my view on how he died and if he should have been taken into custody. Without hesistation I blurt out, 'Of course not. Why would we keep him alive under my tax-paying dollars?' The fact that my significantly small tax contributions do absolutely nothing for the economy has nothing to do with it. I was exercising my freedom of expression as an American, and like many Americans who watched the Twin Towers crumble before our eyes, still smarting from the audacity of bin Laden and his cohorts to take so many innocent lives.
Yeah right!
This older man--and I hate to profile him-- who looked and dressed like he could be from the Middle East, sitting next to me barely waits for the words to come tumbling out my mouth when he starts yelling at me to be careful what I say especially in the Underground. "I guess you won't care if someone brings out a gun and shoots you dead right here," he says after I tell him I don't care what anyone thinks about my opinion. He quickly issued a disclaimer saying he wasn't disagreeing with me, but felt obligated to let me know an Osama fanatic could be in the same train and shoot me in retaliation after overhearing my comments. Hmmm...
He got off at the next start, leaving me wondering how close I may have come to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack, even as Lola and her friend laughed him off. I joined them in laughing for a second, but the realization of how possible the scenario was dawned on me. London is known for its heavy reliance on the use of the Underground, which makes the subway system a prime target for terrorist activities. Throughout my vacation, and especially in my last week there, officers heavily manned all transportation portals in the wake of bin Laden's death. So it's quite possible for this unknown man's words to become prophetic. I don't know why anyone would bother with lil' ol' me, but I still cringe at my close brush with death.
My near death experience occurred in the London Underground. I want to say it was on the Jubilee line, but that could be because it was my most frequently used Underground train route. But it's not important. Here's what is.
I'm sitting in the train across from my friend Lola and her friend when we get into a conversation about the recent death of the world's most hated man: Osama bin Laden. Lola asks my view on how he died and if he should have been taken into custody. Without hesistation I blurt out, 'Of course not. Why would we keep him alive under my tax-paying dollars?' The fact that my significantly small tax contributions do absolutely nothing for the economy has nothing to do with it. I was exercising my freedom of expression as an American, and like many Americans who watched the Twin Towers crumble before our eyes, still smarting from the audacity of bin Laden and his cohorts to take so many innocent lives.
Yeah right!
This older man--and I hate to profile him-- who looked and dressed like he could be from the Middle East, sitting next to me barely waits for the words to come tumbling out my mouth when he starts yelling at me to be careful what I say especially in the Underground. "I guess you won't care if someone brings out a gun and shoots you dead right here," he says after I tell him I don't care what anyone thinks about my opinion. He quickly issued a disclaimer saying he wasn't disagreeing with me, but felt obligated to let me know an Osama fanatic could be in the same train and shoot me in retaliation after overhearing my comments. Hmmm...
He got off at the next start, leaving me wondering how close I may have come to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack, even as Lola and her friend laughed him off. I joined them in laughing for a second, but the realization of how possible the scenario was dawned on me. London is known for its heavy reliance on the use of the Underground, which makes the subway system a prime target for terrorist activities. Throughout my vacation, and especially in my last week there, officers heavily manned all transportation portals in the wake of bin Laden's death. So it's quite possible for this unknown man's words to become prophetic. I don't know why anyone would bother with lil' ol' me, but I still cringe at my close brush with death.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Ahhhh...gotta love London!
I remember a time when all I did was live and breathe sports. It was soon after I relocated to the U.S., and discovered the 24/7 sports channel that was ESPN. I'd watched some Eurosport at home through a subscription to a foreign cable provider, but after six years of boarding school with virtually no TV watching, I wasn't much of a TV person. Besides, many of the European sports (Formula One, cycling) didn't appeal to me.
Then of course I moved to the U.S. and it was NBA until 1:30 a.m., or college football until midnight. I even stayed up until 4 a.m. some days to study for exams because I couldn't manage to steal away from a game to focus enough to grasp anything. My family and friends thought I was crazy to turn down a movie or outing because a double-header NBA game on TNT was on.
Now fast forward some 10 years and I'm in London, where the English Premiership is still in action. And back at home, the NBA Playoffs is heating up with second round action. What am I doing? Having fun. I'm letting go a little bit, enough to enjoy what London has to offer. In the past, I'd never dream of stepping out while my EPL team, Arsenal, is playing (How could we end our goal of breaking a six-year title drought with a 3-1 loss to Stokes?) but yesterday I did just that. I headed to the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome) for a birthday dinner at a Thai restaurant.
I'll admit, the thought of digging into what's becoming my favorite indulgence, Thai food, was too good to pass up, and I was right. My braised lamb was incredible.
I missed out on the disappointing end to Phil Jackson's career--barring yet another comeback-- as the Lakers got swept by the Mavs, but I stole a few phone updates while eating and conversing with friends. I'm realizing more that there's more to life than sports (I can't believe I'm saying this) and I need to make time for friends who may not be as passionate as I am about sports. And with friends like these hosting me, it wasn't hard to.
If there's one thing London's good for, it's for reconnecting me with old friends from Nigeria. I used to think the Carribean community made up the majority of blacks in England. Not anymore. From the moment I stepped off the plane, the familiar tone of the Nigerian accent filled the air. I knew it wouldn't be long before I was running into someone from my past, who I haven't been in touch with. And then it happened. On my second day here. As my friends and I walked to the train station headed for a house party, I hear someone shout my friend Obehi's name from across the street. It was quite funny that neither one of us had our glasses on and failed to recognize who it was until she crossed the street.
A former schoolmate, Bolu, was making a grocery run and spotted us. Ahhhhh...gotta love London. I've randomly spotted two other old friends in a random manner. One happened to be sitting behind us at the packed church my friend Lola took me to yesterday. Now I relish going out for just about anything. Which is what I'm about to do now. With all my friends at work, I'm about to try the independent thing and head out for some groceries. Who knows who I may run into in the 400 or so meters between Lola's flat (British word for apartment) and the local ASDA store. And for that reason, I say there's nothing wrong in compromising a visual viewing of a game with a phone scoring update. Just as long as it's not the Heat game.
Signing out from London with love.
Then of course I moved to the U.S. and it was NBA until 1:30 a.m., or college football until midnight. I even stayed up until 4 a.m. some days to study for exams because I couldn't manage to steal away from a game to focus enough to grasp anything. My family and friends thought I was crazy to turn down a movie or outing because a double-header NBA game on TNT was on.
Now fast forward some 10 years and I'm in London, where the English Premiership is still in action. And back at home, the NBA Playoffs is heating up with second round action. What am I doing? Having fun. I'm letting go a little bit, enough to enjoy what London has to offer. In the past, I'd never dream of stepping out while my EPL team, Arsenal, is playing (How could we end our goal of breaking a six-year title drought with a 3-1 loss to Stokes?) but yesterday I did just that. I headed to the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome) for a birthday dinner at a Thai restaurant.
I'll admit, the thought of digging into what's becoming my favorite indulgence, Thai food, was too good to pass up, and I was right. My braised lamb was incredible.
I missed out on the disappointing end to Phil Jackson's career--barring yet another comeback-- as the Lakers got swept by the Mavs, but I stole a few phone updates while eating and conversing with friends. I'm realizing more that there's more to life than sports (I can't believe I'm saying this) and I need to make time for friends who may not be as passionate as I am about sports. And with friends like these hosting me, it wasn't hard to.
If there's one thing London's good for, it's for reconnecting me with old friends from Nigeria. I used to think the Carribean community made up the majority of blacks in England. Not anymore. From the moment I stepped off the plane, the familiar tone of the Nigerian accent filled the air. I knew it wouldn't be long before I was running into someone from my past, who I haven't been in touch with. And then it happened. On my second day here. As my friends and I walked to the train station headed for a house party, I hear someone shout my friend Obehi's name from across the street. It was quite funny that neither one of us had our glasses on and failed to recognize who it was until she crossed the street.
A former schoolmate, Bolu, was making a grocery run and spotted us. Ahhhhh...gotta love London. I've randomly spotted two other old friends in a random manner. One happened to be sitting behind us at the packed church my friend Lola took me to yesterday. Now I relish going out for just about anything. Which is what I'm about to do now. With all my friends at work, I'm about to try the independent thing and head out for some groceries. Who knows who I may run into in the 400 or so meters between Lola's flat (British word for apartment) and the local ASDA store. And for that reason, I say there's nothing wrong in compromising a visual viewing of a game with a phone scoring update. Just as long as it's not the Heat game.
Signing out from London with love.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Who says time change can stop me?
It's taken me a while to post an entry because I was going through the graduation exit phase. And right after I left Tallahassee, which was literally the day after I walked the stage, I began planning for my vacation trip.
Which brings me to where I am right now: the U.K. I arrived yesterday, and have been fighting jet lag; determined to get off it as soon as possible. But at this very moment, it seems to be serving a good purpose as I am up at 4:36 a.m. (EST) watching the intense playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. Didn't think I was going to let a little time difference (5 hours) stop me from enjoying the NBA playoffs did you? I also caught the Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks boring match up, which threatened to send me to sleep early with its boring 48 minutes of action.
I am on my second day of a 17-day vacation in Europe where I'll be staying in London and taking short four-day trip to Barcelona, Spain. I am quite aware of how envious my family and friends are, but I think it's well deserved considering my many sleepless nights working on documentaries and news packages.
What I'm really excited about is the great weather London has right now. My first visit to the U.K. was in December 2006, which was quite cold and rainy. By 4 p.m. it was already dark, so I never got to do any of the tourist attractions. This time? Nothing's stopping me. I've already planned a day-long bus tour around London's main attractions and will share some of my pictures and videos with you all.
No I haven't forgotten this is a sports blog. But since some of you want to see more non-sports content here, I want to satisfy all of my audience; as few and loyal as you are. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to tour one or two soccer stadiums, and if the opportunity permits, I'll make a few sports comments like this one, my prediction for the NBA finals.
I never got a chance to say this with all the work I had on my plate. So let me say this now, I'm going with the Miami Heat as the 2011 NBA champions. Yes, there's some bias there as I'm a long-time Heat fan, but I also do think no one can beat this Heat team if everyone's dialed in. The Celtics old and injured legs can't keep up with the athleticism on the Heat's roster and the Bulls, though athletic, have an injured MVP for a leader and not as much experience in big-game moments as the Heat. The Lakers have lost home both home games to the Mavs and win or lose, I can't see the Mavs losing two home games to let the Lakers back in. I'm picking the Oklahoma Thunder over the Memphis Grizzlies even as the latter continue their upset campaign over much better regular season teams. I'm picking the more experienced Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavs over the talented, but younger Thunder team. Russell Westbrook's poor decision-making skills to take the offense into his hands instead of letting Kevin Durant manage it, will cost the team a first NBA finals.
So while I dash back to this feisty game with three minutes left, I make my bold prediction that the Heat would win the franchise's second championship over the Mavs in six games. Now how fitting would it be to get it at the expense of the same team the Heat beat five years ago?
Which brings me to where I am right now: the U.K. I arrived yesterday, and have been fighting jet lag; determined to get off it as soon as possible. But at this very moment, it seems to be serving a good purpose as I am up at 4:36 a.m. (EST) watching the intense playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. Didn't think I was going to let a little time difference (5 hours) stop me from enjoying the NBA playoffs did you? I also caught the Chicago Bulls-Atlanta Hawks boring match up, which threatened to send me to sleep early with its boring 48 minutes of action.
I am on my second day of a 17-day vacation in Europe where I'll be staying in London and taking short four-day trip to Barcelona, Spain. I am quite aware of how envious my family and friends are, but I think it's well deserved considering my many sleepless nights working on documentaries and news packages.
What I'm really excited about is the great weather London has right now. My first visit to the U.K. was in December 2006, which was quite cold and rainy. By 4 p.m. it was already dark, so I never got to do any of the tourist attractions. This time? Nothing's stopping me. I've already planned a day-long bus tour around London's main attractions and will share some of my pictures and videos with you all.
No I haven't forgotten this is a sports blog. But since some of you want to see more non-sports content here, I want to satisfy all of my audience; as few and loyal as you are. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to tour one or two soccer stadiums, and if the opportunity permits, I'll make a few sports comments like this one, my prediction for the NBA finals.
I never got a chance to say this with all the work I had on my plate. So let me say this now, I'm going with the Miami Heat as the 2011 NBA champions. Yes, there's some bias there as I'm a long-time Heat fan, but I also do think no one can beat this Heat team if everyone's dialed in. The Celtics old and injured legs can't keep up with the athleticism on the Heat's roster and the Bulls, though athletic, have an injured MVP for a leader and not as much experience in big-game moments as the Heat. The Lakers have lost home both home games to the Mavs and win or lose, I can't see the Mavs losing two home games to let the Lakers back in. I'm picking the Oklahoma Thunder over the Memphis Grizzlies even as the latter continue their upset campaign over much better regular season teams. I'm picking the more experienced Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavs over the talented, but younger Thunder team. Russell Westbrook's poor decision-making skills to take the offense into his hands instead of letting Kevin Durant manage it, will cost the team a first NBA finals.
So while I dash back to this feisty game with three minutes left, I make my bold prediction that the Heat would win the franchise's second championship over the Mavs in six games. Now how fitting would it be to get it at the expense of the same team the Heat beat five years ago?
Saturday, April 23, 2011
I know people in high places
OK I don't really know them, but you got a tad bit envious of me eh?
Between Thursday and Friday, I got two good opportunities to meet some famous personalities. Last week I passed up the chance to interview the Prime Minister of Kenya because of a previously scheduled trip to Denver (no regrets in a million lifetimes,) and suffered one of the biggest embarrassments as a journalist when I found that a really good interview I'd had with tennis player James Blake never recorded. I was quite pleased when I got to interview actor Kal Penn, who's the star of the Harold and Kumar movies and TV show House, and who's now a White House official.
Originally, Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, wasn't supposed to grant an interview. In fact, although his title is associate director of public engagement, I had received prior instructions that I'd only be allowed to get video footage with no audio whatsoever. Now what journalist will be satisfied with that?
So using my charm, which is quite evident in the short clip I posted below, I not only talked my way into an exclusive interview with him (beat that local TV stations with bigger budgets!) I was also allowed to tape the first 15 minutes of his round table discussion with a select number of FAMU students and alumni. Might I add that he pronounced my name quite eloquently that I may have offered him an honorary citizenship to Nigeria.
On Friday, my broadcast mentor Mike Walker invited me to a taping of the "Architects of Hip-Hop," a talk show hosted by hip-hop great Christopher "Play" Martin, which is being taped at my school. Play has been a visiting professor at FAMU the past year and created the show to interview the legends of this genre of music, and his first guest was pioneer Big Daddy Kane.
For more than two hours, the approximately 30 people in the room (not including the production team,) listened to BDK talk about his highs and lows in the game, and just about nothing was off limits. So what we witnessed was one hip-hop legend, plugging the mind of another-no holds barred. I won't go into any specifics especially since I don't know what audience would get to watch this yet. But I will say that I was one of only four studio guests who got to ask him a question (if you know how involved in hip-hop I am, thanks to my sister Ngo, then you'd know how big this was for me to do this.) So barring being cut out of the final product in the editing room, you may get to see me on TV wearing my fan hat instead of my journalism hat.
Anyway, here's two pictures of me with both legends:
Between Thursday and Friday, I got two good opportunities to meet some famous personalities. Last week I passed up the chance to interview the Prime Minister of Kenya because of a previously scheduled trip to Denver (no regrets in a million lifetimes,) and suffered one of the biggest embarrassments as a journalist when I found that a really good interview I'd had with tennis player James Blake never recorded. I was quite pleased when I got to interview actor Kal Penn, who's the star of the Harold and Kumar movies and TV show House, and who's now a White House official.
Originally, Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, wasn't supposed to grant an interview. In fact, although his title is associate director of public engagement, I had received prior instructions that I'd only be allowed to get video footage with no audio whatsoever. Now what journalist will be satisfied with that?
So using my charm, which is quite evident in the short clip I posted below, I not only talked my way into an exclusive interview with him (beat that local TV stations with bigger budgets!) I was also allowed to tape the first 15 minutes of his round table discussion with a select number of FAMU students and alumni. Might I add that he pronounced my name quite eloquently that I may have offered him an honorary citizenship to Nigeria.
On Friday, my broadcast mentor Mike Walker invited me to a taping of the "Architects of Hip-Hop," a talk show hosted by hip-hop great Christopher "Play" Martin, which is being taped at my school. Play has been a visiting professor at FAMU the past year and created the show to interview the legends of this genre of music, and his first guest was pioneer Big Daddy Kane.
For more than two hours, the approximately 30 people in the room (not including the production team,) listened to BDK talk about his highs and lows in the game, and just about nothing was off limits. So what we witnessed was one hip-hop legend, plugging the mind of another-no holds barred. I won't go into any specifics especially since I don't know what audience would get to watch this yet. But I will say that I was one of only four studio guests who got to ask him a question (if you know how involved in hip-hop I am, thanks to my sister Ngo, then you'd know how big this was for me to do this.) So barring being cut out of the final product in the editing room, you may get to see me on TV wearing my fan hat instead of my journalism hat.
Anyway, here's two pictures of me with both legends:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Last Hurrah!
I produced my last newscast today, and it was a great way to end the show. The only thing that would've made it better was having my professor Leonard Horton, and my weather anchor Jessica Green, there. Professor Horton had an illness in his family and Jessica (from what I heard) was so pale that it was evident that she was struggling to not cancel on us. Both of them left early, but I'm extremely happy we represented them in their absence. If things had gone wrong, I'm sure they may have wondered if their absence contributed to it.
Earlier in the day, before he left, professor Horton asked me if I was feeling bittersweet. At the time, all I could muster was an 'ask me later.' At that time, I was still dealing with producing the show that I didn't have the time to think about what I had survived in the last 15 weeks.
But now I do. And I definitely am more appreciative of this experience I've had to go through. Not everyone can get to include a producer credit on their resume, which, if anyone who's talked to me on Tuesdays can attest is an arduous process when you are a virgin to the process.
I didn't do it for the potential awards I could get. In fact, I was pretty upset to find out I was tabbed to produce. But now that I'm done, and especially after closing the show on such a good note, few hours after I accepted an award as top graduate student of the year, I'm feeling a little bittersweet about walking away from the show because after all my great and not so great days, this was my show. This was my love this semester.
Here's a picture of my third award so far:
Earlier in the day, before he left, professor Horton asked me if I was feeling bittersweet. At the time, all I could muster was an 'ask me later.' At that time, I was still dealing with producing the show that I didn't have the time to think about what I had survived in the last 15 weeks.
But now I do. And I definitely am more appreciative of this experience I've had to go through. Not everyone can get to include a producer credit on their resume, which, if anyone who's talked to me on Tuesdays can attest is an arduous process when you are a virgin to the process.
I didn't do it for the potential awards I could get. In fact, I was pretty upset to find out I was tabbed to produce. But now that I'm done, and especially after closing the show on such a good note, few hours after I accepted an award as top graduate student of the year, I'm feeling a little bittersweet about walking away from the show because after all my great and not so great days, this was my show. This was my love this semester.
Here's a picture of my third award so far:
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tallahassee Track Club
Since I blogged about the upcoming track & field World Championships this summer, it's only right that I share this story I produced about a group of professional track athletes who train down here in Tallahassee and are coached by FSU men's sprints coach Ken Harnden.
Zimbabwe native Brian Dzingai, a former FSU sprinter, unofficially started this group and recruited Romanian Angela Morosanu into the fold. Morosanu is a 400m hurdler and counts a European U-23 Championship title and World Indoor Championship bronze medal under her belt. Brit Michael Bingham only turned pro a little more than two years ago, but already has two silver medals in the 400m and 4x400m relay at the 2010 European Championships.
All three athletes and the two others who train fully with them, have their sights set on Daegu, which will be a precursor to next year's Olympics. Here's the video. Let me know what you think.
I couldn't use Bingham's soundbite in the story, but I put together a short clip on training in Tallahassee in a separate video.
Zimbabwe native Brian Dzingai, a former FSU sprinter, unofficially started this group and recruited Romanian Angela Morosanu into the fold. Morosanu is a 400m hurdler and counts a European U-23 Championship title and World Indoor Championship bronze medal under her belt. Brit Michael Bingham only turned pro a little more than two years ago, but already has two silver medals in the 400m and 4x400m relay at the 2010 European Championships.
All three athletes and the two others who train fully with them, have their sights set on Daegu, which will be a precursor to next year's Olympics. Here's the video. Let me know what you think.
I couldn't use Bingham's soundbite in the story, but I put together a short clip on training in Tallahassee in a separate video.
Terhemba Makurdi Tennis Groundstrokes
While posting up some of my videos on YouTube, I stumbled upon this video of my brother who's a tennis coach. So I thought I'd share it with you guys. I didn't realize my brother was well known in the tennis circles. But this past weekend, while covering Senior Day for FAMU's tennis team, I met a coach/semi-pro player who knew him. And he isn't the first. I've met a few people who've dropped his name, and even found a Yahoo answer about tennis coaching in which his name was dropped as well. So while I can't reward my brother in any way, I can at least acknowledge his good work. Love you bro.
Interesting year in track & field
This year is shaping up to be an exciting one for track & field. The upcoming World Championships will serve as a precursor to next year's Olympic Games in London, and some key match-ups are worth following.
Everyone knows about the Usain Bolt-Tyson Gay rivalry in the 100m. Ordinarily, we wouldn't be talking about this rivalry as a legitimate one, if Gay didn't defeat Bolt in their final race against each other last year. If you didn't think this was a rivalry worth tracking, then check out this interview Bolt gave to USA Today about their friendship or lack of one.
http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=mr.universe/postid=528701.html#bolt+gay+fast+friends+think+again
On a side note, the editors of this video really dropped the ball when they showed a picture of Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey during the subject of drug use in track & field. I hope they correct it soon, because it could be a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Another match-up I intend to follow is in the women's 400m. Sanya Richards-Ross has dominated this race the past four years, but has always faltered at the Olympics. To make it interesting Allyson Felix, who's been just as dominant in the 200m, is going for the sprint double. I don't think any woman has won the 200m and 400m at the Olympics since French woman Marie José-Pérec did at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
I'll continue to update you guys on some key races to follow at the upcoming World Championships in South Korea, to give you an early scouting report for next year's Olympics.
Everyone knows about the Usain Bolt-Tyson Gay rivalry in the 100m. Ordinarily, we wouldn't be talking about this rivalry as a legitimate one, if Gay didn't defeat Bolt in their final race against each other last year. If you didn't think this was a rivalry worth tracking, then check out this interview Bolt gave to USA Today about their friendship or lack of one.
http://www.universalsports.com/blogs/blog=mr.universe/postid=528701.html#bolt+gay+fast+friends+think+again
On a side note, the editors of this video really dropped the ball when they showed a picture of Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey during the subject of drug use in track & field. I hope they correct it soon, because it could be a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Another match-up I intend to follow is in the women's 400m. Sanya Richards-Ross has dominated this race the past four years, but has always faltered at the Olympics. To make it interesting Allyson Felix, who's been just as dominant in the 200m, is going for the sprint double. I don't think any woman has won the 200m and 400m at the Olympics since French woman Marie José-Pérec did at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
I'll continue to update you guys on some key races to follow at the upcoming World Championships in South Korea, to give you an early scouting report for next year's Olympics.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Back from hiatus
Hey guys,
I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but as you can imagine, my last semester in grad school is winding down so I have very little time to dedicate to anything that doesn't produce a grade necessary for me to possess a diploma with a master's of science in broadcast journalism degree.
On a positive note, I spent my weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, where I received an award that I'm very proud of.
The story I won this award for was one of the earlier ones I wrote involving the actual World Cup coverage. Fans who couldn't afford tickets to matches could go to a number of fan parks around the country to simulate the stadium experience.
It's funny this ended up being a winning story because I actually didn't like it much. I had caught the cold and lost my voice while out there (this was before my dreaded flu bout, which came about a week to the end of our trip.) So I had to yell above the crowd noise to be heard. Well, I felt I overdid it and just couldn't see what my professor, Joe Ritchie, saw in this package.
I guess he was right in saying it was a winning piece, though I suspect one very excited lady-- look out for someone spotting a huge pair of glasses-- played a huge role in getting me this award.
Thanks to all of you have been supportive through my entire master's journey, and as my time in Tallahassee winds down, I must say I'm grateful for every experience I've had; even the painful ones.
Now about that third place finish, I'd sure like to see who finished ahead of me.
**Click on the link below to watch the package.**
‘It’s like being in the stadium’
I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but as you can imagine, my last semester in grad school is winding down so I have very little time to dedicate to anything that doesn't produce a grade necessary for me to possess a diploma with a master's of science in broadcast journalism degree.
On a positive note, I spent my weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, where I received an award that I'm very proud of.
The story I won this award for was one of the earlier ones I wrote involving the actual World Cup coverage. Fans who couldn't afford tickets to matches could go to a number of fan parks around the country to simulate the stadium experience.
It's funny this ended up being a winning story because I actually didn't like it much. I had caught the cold and lost my voice while out there (this was before my dreaded flu bout, which came about a week to the end of our trip.) So I had to yell above the crowd noise to be heard. Well, I felt I overdid it and just couldn't see what my professor, Joe Ritchie, saw in this package.
I guess he was right in saying it was a winning piece, though I suspect one very excited lady-- look out for someone spotting a huge pair of glasses-- played a huge role in getting me this award.
Thanks to all of you have been supportive through my entire master's journey, and as my time in Tallahassee winds down, I must say I'm grateful for every experience I've had; even the painful ones.
Now about that third place finish, I'd sure like to see who finished ahead of me.
**Click on the link below to watch the package.**
‘It’s like being in the stadium’
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Marching 100
I worked on this story for the Florida A&M's 2010 homecoming show. The Marching 100 band is world renowned for giving spectacular performances. The Grammy's, Super Bowl and President Barack Obama's inauguration are just a few notable events the band has performed. My story focuses on the band's familial relationships, and was done in honor of the passing of legendary band director Dr. William P. Foster.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Fab Five backlash
I guess I missed it.
I guess I was so caught up in a documentary so candid that it brought all its viewers back into the present day. As the NCAA championship plays on in real time, it's easy to see why people can relive the Duke-Michigan rivalry of the Fab Five, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner days in real time as well.
Misconstruing Jalen Rose' and Jimmie King's comments as real-time perceptions, well that's another thing.
Are we the media so caught up in drumming up controversy that we forget what we were taught in basic English language composition? When a person uses the words "felt," it represents the past tense of one's feelings. So, maybe I was just enamored by the reality of the documentary, which helped people like me who didn't watch the rivalry play out in real time, feel like we witnessed the events when they happened. Or maybe, I just understood that when Rose said he felt Grant Hill represented the Uncle Toms of the black community or when King said he felt like Hill was a "b**ch," they were expressing how they felt as the teenagers that they were at the time.
For Hill to hear these comments made by people he views as friends today, I can understand why he was compelled to write a passionate rebuttal in The New York Times. To hear how the symbol and strength of your parents marriage is partly the basis for a deep-rooted hatred for you is insulting. But even Hill acknowledged that he didn't feel that those were Rose' sentiments today. What he attempted to do was make a case for the value of blacks striving for a quality education from schools like Duke and Yale; (I imagine) just in case there are still members of the black community who still harbor similar sentiments to Rose today. But his rebuttal mostly succeeded in giving the media ample ammunition to fire up the grill. Too bad Rose is the one being roasted.
The controversy has become the leading subject of discussion on many sports talk shows, forcing Rose to have to clarify that his comments represented the ideologies of an angry kid who grew up without a father and was unfairly judged as a product of his environment. It's forced both Rose and King to issue apologies to Hill, who they both expressed admiration and respect for in the documentary, and to the Duke organization.
But I don't understand why Rose and King should harbor the blame caused by decisions made by some members of the media to forget what one of the fundamental rules of the English language demands: that you regard verbs or words expressed in the past tense as an issue of the past.
I guess I was so caught up in a documentary so candid that it brought all its viewers back into the present day. As the NCAA championship plays on in real time, it's easy to see why people can relive the Duke-Michigan rivalry of the Fab Five, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner days in real time as well.
Misconstruing Jalen Rose' and Jimmie King's comments as real-time perceptions, well that's another thing.
Are we the media so caught up in drumming up controversy that we forget what we were taught in basic English language composition? When a person uses the words "felt," it represents the past tense of one's feelings. So, maybe I was just enamored by the reality of the documentary, which helped people like me who didn't watch the rivalry play out in real time, feel like we witnessed the events when they happened. Or maybe, I just understood that when Rose said he felt Grant Hill represented the Uncle Toms of the black community or when King said he felt like Hill was a "b**ch," they were expressing how they felt as the teenagers that they were at the time.
For Hill to hear these comments made by people he views as friends today, I can understand why he was compelled to write a passionate rebuttal in The New York Times. To hear how the symbol and strength of your parents marriage is partly the basis for a deep-rooted hatred for you is insulting. But even Hill acknowledged that he didn't feel that those were Rose' sentiments today. What he attempted to do was make a case for the value of blacks striving for a quality education from schools like Duke and Yale; (I imagine) just in case there are still members of the black community who still harbor similar sentiments to Rose today. But his rebuttal mostly succeeded in giving the media ample ammunition to fire up the grill. Too bad Rose is the one being roasted.
The controversy has become the leading subject of discussion on many sports talk shows, forcing Rose to have to clarify that his comments represented the ideologies of an angry kid who grew up without a father and was unfairly judged as a product of his environment. It's forced both Rose and King to issue apologies to Hill, who they both expressed admiration and respect for in the documentary, and to the Duke organization.
But I don't understand why Rose and King should harbor the blame caused by decisions made by some members of the media to forget what one of the fundamental rules of the English language demands: that you regard verbs or words expressed in the past tense as an issue of the past.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Fab Five film
Wow.
That's just all I can say after watching the ESPN film The Fab Five, about the Michigan basketball team's famous five freshmen starters. The team included former NBA stars and current NBA analysts Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, current Miami Heat forward Juwan Howard, Jimmie King, who had a short stint in the NBA and Ray Jackson, who never played in the NBA.
I knew the story of these guys impressive back-to-back runs to the NCAA finals, the second of which ended on a botched time-out call by Webber. I have watched all kinds of footage about this team, enough to tell you much of the story. But watching the film gave me a better sense of the magnitude of these guys' impact on college basketball; particularly financially.
But before I go into the financial aspect, I have to say the film did a good job of capturing the vulnerability of these guys. As a result of their accomplishment, people treated them more like experienced college players than as the young'ns that they really were. Watching these guys find out how popular they were when Muhammad Ali addressed them by their names was indicative of their innocence and unawareness of just how much of celebrities they had become.
Which brings me to the financial problem. The debate over whether college athletes should get paid has been ongoing for years. On one end are those who feel the free college education with room and board amounts to paying athletes and on the other end are people who see how much athletes at universities like Michigan are netting schools and view it as modern day slavery.
Mitch Albom, a Detroit Press columnist discussed when he knew Webber would turn pro after the second NCAA title bid. He was walking with Webber who asked him for money for gas and to grab a bite. Albom turned him down (per NCAA rules) and moments after they passed by a store selling a Webber jersey for $75. Webber voiced his displeasure that his jersey was selling for that much and he had no money to eat, and Albom said he knew Webber would declare for the NBA draft. Webber announced his decision a week later. The film also cites that the University of Michigan netted $10.2 million from capitalizing on the sales of the fab five merchandise. Prior to the group's emergence on campus, Michigan was getting less than $2 million. The collective value of their college education if all had graduated (Webber left after his sophomore year, Rose and Howard left after their junior years) would not make a dent on what they earned the school.
I can see why Webber and Rose would be roped into the cash for play scandal that cost the school its Final Four appearances years later. It was hard for these young guys to understand that they were bringing the school millions of dollars, but living on cereal and hot dogs. And for this reason, I support the idea of college athletes being paid. It would definitely eliminate many of these NCAA infractions schools are facing, help the struggling families of these players who are earning money for their school but can't help their families and give more players an incentive to stay in school and get a college education.
After a failed NBA career, King reportedly worked with Merill Lynch as a financial analyst at some point and now has a solar energy business. Jackson became involved with a non-profit to help young children. I'm glad to see they found a life beyond basketball. Sadly, it's not the case for many former star athletes (look up Maurice Clarrett or Lenny Cooke.) So while these guys could've resorted to the kind of lifestyles that unfairly earned them monikers like "thugs," "goons" and even "n***ers," they've become positive role models for others.
That is what they should be remembered for more than anything else.
That's just all I can say after watching the ESPN film The Fab Five, about the Michigan basketball team's famous five freshmen starters. The team included former NBA stars and current NBA analysts Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, current Miami Heat forward Juwan Howard, Jimmie King, who had a short stint in the NBA and Ray Jackson, who never played in the NBA.
I knew the story of these guys impressive back-to-back runs to the NCAA finals, the second of which ended on a botched time-out call by Webber. I have watched all kinds of footage about this team, enough to tell you much of the story. But watching the film gave me a better sense of the magnitude of these guys' impact on college basketball; particularly financially.
But before I go into the financial aspect, I have to say the film did a good job of capturing the vulnerability of these guys. As a result of their accomplishment, people treated them more like experienced college players than as the young'ns that they really were. Watching these guys find out how popular they were when Muhammad Ali addressed them by their names was indicative of their innocence and unawareness of just how much of celebrities they had become.
Which brings me to the financial problem. The debate over whether college athletes should get paid has been ongoing for years. On one end are those who feel the free college education with room and board amounts to paying athletes and on the other end are people who see how much athletes at universities like Michigan are netting schools and view it as modern day slavery.
Mitch Albom, a Detroit Press columnist discussed when he knew Webber would turn pro after the second NCAA title bid. He was walking with Webber who asked him for money for gas and to grab a bite. Albom turned him down (per NCAA rules) and moments after they passed by a store selling a Webber jersey for $75. Webber voiced his displeasure that his jersey was selling for that much and he had no money to eat, and Albom said he knew Webber would declare for the NBA draft. Webber announced his decision a week later. The film also cites that the University of Michigan netted $10.2 million from capitalizing on the sales of the fab five merchandise. Prior to the group's emergence on campus, Michigan was getting less than $2 million. The collective value of their college education if all had graduated (Webber left after his sophomore year, Rose and Howard left after their junior years) would not make a dent on what they earned the school.
I can see why Webber and Rose would be roped into the cash for play scandal that cost the school its Final Four appearances years later. It was hard for these young guys to understand that they were bringing the school millions of dollars, but living on cereal and hot dogs. And for this reason, I support the idea of college athletes being paid. It would definitely eliminate many of these NCAA infractions schools are facing, help the struggling families of these players who are earning money for their school but can't help their families and give more players an incentive to stay in school and get a college education.
After a failed NBA career, King reportedly worked with Merill Lynch as a financial analyst at some point and now has a solar energy business. Jackson became involved with a non-profit to help young children. I'm glad to see they found a life beyond basketball. Sadly, it's not the case for many former star athletes (look up Maurice Clarrett or Lenny Cooke.) So while these guys could've resorted to the kind of lifestyles that unfairly earned them monikers like "thugs," "goons" and even "n***ers," they've become positive role models for others.
That is what they should be remembered for more than anything else.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Baller takes car dunk to another level
I stumbled on this video of And 1 streetballer Guy Dupuy making this year's NBA Slam Dunk winner Blake Griffin's dunk over a car look like a piece of cake. To refresh your memory, Griffin dunked over the hood of a car, with very little flair if I may add, to win the contest. Well if anyone knows anything about these street ballers, it's that they always push the envelope. Dupuy doesn't receiver an alley like Griffin does. Instead he takes off in the air, grabs the ball from the assisting ref, passes it between his legs before slamming it. The dunk is pretty incredible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)