导出博客文章In November, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on giving.I first heard of
Chinese Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui when someone on Facebook posted an article
about her with the caption: I want to be her best friend. I winced and moved on.
For days, I did not click on the link, until I saw even more people posting
about her -- always with the same words. Shes amazing. I love her. Too real.Oh,
no, I thought. Oh no. I knew exactly where this was going. But I clicked
anyway.When I was in elementary school, I was the only Asian in my grade. On the
playground, my classmates pretended to be Chinese, saying things like
ching-chong-chaw and doing kung-fu. At my desk, I seethed but could not explain
why -- only that it came from some deep feeling that my classmates were
pretending to be Chinese the way kids pretend to be aliens or superheroes.One
afternoon, my classmates had gathered around me, fascinated by my eyes. Theyre
different, one of them announced, and then they all stepped in closer. I
wondered if I had became a caricature by being fully Asian and half-Chinese.When
I grew older, the narrative changed. After college, I spent some time studying
Chinese in China, in an attempt to understand my mothers culture. The majority
of my male classmates had arrived on a different quest: They wanted a
girlfriend.Chinese women are beautiful, one of my classmates told me. He handed
me his phone. The contacts list was filled with the names of women hed met
clubbing. The album was packed with photographs of him wrapped around each of
the women hed met, their faces green and silver from the flashing lights of the
clubs.I cant speak the language, I hate the food here and I miss my family, he
told me as he swiped through each picture so quickly the faces blurred together,
but Im not going home until I get a girlfriend.Theyre different from American
women, my apartment mate explained when I asked him about the allure. Theyre
more feminine and more submissive. Perfect wife material.Chinese women had
evolved to mean sexy. I couldnt decide if that was better or worse. Really, it
was just about the same as being a caricature, but now served with a side of
submission and breasts.With all of that in mind, I read all the stories and
watched interviews of Fu Yuanhui, expecting a celebrity swimmer who was polite
and poster beautiful.The unexpected happened: I too fell in love. I, too, wanted
Fu Yuanhui to be my best friend. She wasnt poster-pretty. She was something far
better: She was human.When Fu Yuanhui heard shed come in third at the 100-meter
backstroke finals at the Rio Olympics, she gasped for air, stuttered and then
mangled her lanyard from the sheer joy of winning. Her bubbling, over-the-top
delight with life was infectious. In the photographs, while other athletes posed
for the camera, smiles frozen in place, she clutched her medal mouth open in a
silent roar of happiness. She made faces, grinned maniacally.The moment I truly
fell for her was during the womens 4x100-meter medley relay when she emerged
from the pool doubled over in pain. Her period left her feeling weak, she told
the reporter, and she didnt swim her best. Then, she apologized for her
performance and moved on.Never mind the cultural taboo that exists around
periods, particularly in China, where tampons are hard to come by. Never mind
the cultural taboos about periods that exist around the world. Fu Yuanhui swam
in pain; she felt like she underperformed; she apologized; and that was all
simply all there was to it.Fu Yuanhui didnt give us pretty, she gave us joy so
fierce you could feel its power blasting through the camera lens. She didnt give
us pitch-perfect celebrity-speak molded to showcase her best self to the press.
She gave us herself, her incandescent happiness, her earthly pain.She showed us
its possible to be loved by the world for simply being yourself. And for this,
we loved her, for this we continue to love her: Fu Yuanhui, champion swimmer,
champion human.Shalene Gupta is currently working on a novel about growing up
Chinese-Indian in Minnesota. A former Fortune reporter, with an M.S. from
Columbia Journalism School, she is currently a freelance writer living in
Boston. Follow her @ShaleneGupta
Swell Bottle
Ombre . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held
them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine
seasons in the making.
Buy Swell Bottles
Nz . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120
overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another
update next week after consultation with their doctors.
http://www.swellbottlesnz.com/ .
Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2
minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout
Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
Real Wood
Water Bottle . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna
Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17
assists with 36 penalty minutes.
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Bottle Stockists . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will
wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch,
shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th
Anniversary" banner. ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- An eastern Pennsylvania judge says she
wont dismiss the homicide charges against former pro wrestling star Jimmy
Superfly Snuka in the death of his girlfriend more than three decades ago but
may consider doing so later.The Lehigh County judge in June ruled the
73-year-old defendant mentally incompetent to stand trial in his girlfriends
1983 death. She declined prosecutors request to have him involuntarily committed
to a mental hospital.Prosecutors then asked the judge to either require Snuka to
participate in outpatient treatment to determine whether he can become mentally
competent or dismiss the charges.If you believe that hes not going to become
competent, then whats the point? Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles
Gallagher III asked Judge Kelly Banach in court on Tuesday. We ask you to
dismiss the charges.Banach said she wasnt comfortable with dismissing the
charges at this point but wanted to revisit the case at Snukas next evaluation
hearing in December. She said she was open to reconsidering her decision if new
evidence to drop the charges was presented.The defense has argued that Snuka
suffers from dementia, partly due to the head trauma he suffered over a long
career in the ring.dddddddddddd A prosecution expert said Snukas brain shows
normal signs of aging and suggested that he might be feigning symptoms.
Gallagher repeated that contention Tuesday, saying the defendant has been an
actor his whole life.Banach, who questioned Snuka herself earlier, said in June
that she found the wrestler vacant and unable to assist in his defense. I dont
believe hes faking it. I dont think hes smart enough to fake it, Banach said in
June.If Banach grants the prosecutions motion to require outpatient treatment,
its unclear where Snuka would receive it. Defense attorney Robert Kirwan said
his client plans to move to Florida to live with his son.Snuka, a native of Fiji
who lives in New Jersey, was charged last year with third-degree murder and
involuntary manslaughter in the death of 23-year-old Nancy Argentino, whose body
was found in their Whitehall Township hotel room. Prosecutors allege she was
beaten while Snuka has maintained that she died from a fall. ' ' '
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