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LESSONS FROM THE RAPTORS RUN I n our age of enormous salaries for professional athletes and overpriced tickets to sporting events, there are many reasons why the Toronto Raptors winning the National Basketball League championship is worth celebrating. Behind all of the hype, the team succeeded because they were built on the solid principles. First and foremost, the Raptors won with tremendous class. It was quite clear that the two teams in the final series had great respect for each other. Before answering questions about his team’s loss, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “they’re a fantastic basketball team. Great defensively, share the ball, play a beautiful style…. Congrats to Toronto, to their organization, to their fans, they are a worthy champion.” Golden State lost some key players as the series went on, but Toronto players made it clear that they were never happy to see an exceptional opponent hobbling off the court. When Kevin Durant reinjured his leg in game 5, Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry not only walked with him, they motioned to the crowd to stop cheering. The hometown fans relented and even showed remorse, with one setting up a Go Fund Me campaign for The KD Charity Foundation. From a basketball point of view, I cannot remember a time when I have seen the sport played at such an exceptional level. Yes, there were great individual players, but here we had two extremely well coached teams each playing as one unit on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. I do not believe it would be an exaggeration to say that sport was elevated to the level of
LESSONS IN LEARNING GERRY CHIDIAC
an art form. The Raptors, however, not only impacted the world of basketball, they inspired an entire country. Despite the fact that basketball was invented by a Canadian, Toronto is traditionally a hockey city and Canada is a hockey country. Yet this year, viewership for the NBA finals far exceeded interest in the Stanley Cup. Perhaps this is because the Raptors, the most ethnically diverse team ever to win an NBA championship, were a reflection of Toronto and of Canada. Players were from six different countries and the team president represented a seventh. The fans were just as diverse as the Raptors. This could be seen as millions lined the streets of Toronto for the team’s victory parade, joined the crowds that cheered for the team at various Jurassic Parks around the country and even travelled to California to cheer on their team when they were in Oakland. Indeed, the team’s superfan, Nav Bhatia, who has been to every home game for the last 24 years and can always be seen in seat A12, is a Sikh immigrant to Canada. As the Raptors party winds down, we can reflect on how basketball and the world are changing. Africa, in particular, is strongly represented in the Raptors organization. Veteran player Serge Ibaka, the pride of Brazzaville, won his first NBA title, as did
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Toronto Raptors centre Serge Ibaka, left, and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam celebrate after defeating the Golden State Warriors. Pascal Siakam of Cameroon. The entire team was put together by Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who is from Nigeria. He has also been instrumental in providing opportunities for African youth to develop their basketball skills and stands behind the Basketball Africa League, which begins play in 2020, becoming the first NBA sponsored league outside of North America. I absolutely treasured the Raptors’ championship run, not only because I love basketball and I am from Toronto, but because the team represents so much of what I believe in. Diversity is strength and
diversity is to be celebrated. Work hard to be your best, but commend others and thus create synergy. Honour your opponent and remember that true competition does not mean to win – it means to strive to be better together. These are all lessons of far greater value than even the richest NBA contract. Thank you, Raptors! — Gerry Chidiac is a champion for social enlightenment, inspiring others to find their greatness in making the world a better place. For more of his writings, go to www.gerrychidiac.com.
RADIO STATION HOSTING YOUTH ACADEMY 97/16 STAFF
Prince George youth can get on the live media wavelength. CFUR 88.7 FM has opened a channel to the broadcasting industry, offering kids aged 14-18 their annual youth academy. “Following up on three successful years, CFUR is very excited to once again offer this ever improving camp,” said station manager Ian Gregg. “This camp is a great opportunity for young people to get a head start at a career in media, or just have fun making radio. CFURadio Youth Academy is a 10-day radio camp. Participating youth will be encouraged to learn the art of radio-based entertainment, podcasts, and reporting. They will also learn technical skills relating to production and editing. By the end of the two weeks, each camper will create their very own hour-long program to be broadcasted on the radio.” The camp also gives participants a working knowledge of the university’s layout. CFUR is the campus station for UNBC and is situated at room 6-354 in the Student Centre. There are three timing options to choose from for those interested in signing up. The first of these windows starts July 2 and the last one ends on Aug. 23.
“Youth, everywhere, have a voice,” said Gregg. “We show them how to turn their volume up. In this ever changing media landscape it is important for those who are interested in pursuing a future in this discipline to accumulate as many skills as possible and mentorship is key. Everybody has a passion. It might be bugs, track and field, drawing, hockey, stringtheory, mountaineering, or it might be radio. You’ll never know unless you’re allowed to try.” The added benefit of learning media skills is how transferable those are to any other interest or career you might pursue later. Media provides built-in marketing and messaging techniques. “Payment for the camp works on a sliding scale, ranging from $40 to $400 depending on the campers’ financial situation,” said Gregg. If you are interested in learning more about this summer’s academy, please visit www.cfur.ca/radio-camp/ for the registration form, day plans, cool videos, past photos, and more. Those interested are invited to reach out to Gregg (stationmanager@cfur.ca) or community outreach coordinator Kate Partridge (cfur_hello@cfur.ca) for additional information.