September 15, 2013
ToledoFreePress.com
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Tai chi healing expert to visit Toledo Sept. 28-29 By Jay Hathaway
TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER news@toledofreepress.com
A global leader in the art of tai chi for healing will appear in Toledo for a two-day workshop. Dr. Paul Lam will be the featured guest at the “Explore the Depth of Tai Chi for Arthritis” workshop, set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28-29. The workshop will be held at the Lodge at Strawberry Acres, 950 S. McCord Road, in Holland. Lam is a family physician and tai chi master living in Sydney, Australia. He suffered from arthritis from a very young age, due to malnourishment growing up in China, and began learning tai chi, a Chinese exercise focused on balance and slow movements, in the 1970s.
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n this modern world, it is incumbent upon us to expand our horizons. To be accepting of those who are different from us. To try new things ourselves. And in the past few years, I’ve dabbled in something a little new. Something that’s not exactly accepted by society as a whole, but has its place in the world. I wouldn’t say that I’m fully on board, but I see the appeal. Of course, I’m talking about soccer. I’m not the only one, either. On Sept. 10, a high-profile World Cup qualifier game was played down in Columbus between the United States and Mexico. Not only did 25,000 fans descend on Crew Stadium to cheer on the Americans in their 2-0 win, but the game drew a 1.9 rating on television. Not earth-shattering numbers, but respectable — and a lot more than people give it credit for. (For the record, on that same night, only 12,000 went through the
He quickly became a master instructor and today owns Tai Chi Productions, an international company with offices in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S. (Tennessee). His “Tai Chi for Health” program is also recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administration on Aging. Becky Rahe is a co-host and coordinator of the workshop, with Julie Oberhaus. Rahe described the event as a workshop for instructors and students who are familiar with Lam’s program. “This is a ‘depth workshop’ — it’s for [Lam] to take us a little bit deeper,” Rahe said. “It’s not just for instructors; it’s for anyone who knows the form.” She said there are essential principles in tai chi that may be added to the form to take it to a deeper level.
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to Massachusetts. She is making a special trip back to Toledo to host the workshop with Rahe. “We got in touch with his manager in Australia and we set the date, found a venue and we’ve been working toward this ever since,” Oberhaus said. About 60 participants have already committed to attend the workshop, including three master trainers and five senior trainers. Oberhaus said that to get involved with tai chi, a good starting point would be checking in on a local class or instructor, or watching video sessions posted online. However, she said it is best to share the experience with others. Rahe said those interested in attending may visit Lam’s website, www.taichiproductions.com. The cost is $350 for both days. O
Getting kicks from soccer
little uncomfortable. I’ll turnstiles at Progresspare you who wrote it, as sive Field to watch the he has since deleted the Cleveland Indians, who tweet and apologized.) are knee-deep in a race And that’s all well for the AL Wild Card.) and good ... heck, I used I took in the game to do the same. “Pfft, Tuesday night, just soccer is boring,” I’d tell me on the couch and my co-workers. Most Twitter by my side. I’m agreed with me. Others no soccer “fan,” but I’m would do that little head not a slouch either — I’ve watched enough Matt CULBREATH shake and walk off. But one day I kind of came face to World Cups to at least understand when a player is offsides. I enjoyed face with the realization that I had never myself, particularly since it was a win. really sat down and watched a game as But read anything online enough, played on the highest level. So I went out and you’ll see negativity start pouring of my way to watch some English Preout. Especially when it comes to The mier League (EPL) games. I followed a team for a bit. I learned the rules. I Beautiful Game: “Orange slices for everyone!” watched some international play. And after giving it a go, it’s still not “Only 6-year-olds care about soccer!” “The world’s most popular sport ... in my favorite sport. Not by a long shot. But it’s not “THE WORST countries that have stick huts and no running water.” (That one made me a THING TO HAPPEN TO TELEVI-
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Lam also hosts a weeklong workshop in the U.S. every June, which Rahe said she would like to eventually bring to Toledo. “It’s been a desire and a goal of ours to have Dr. Lam come to Toledo, because he’s never been to this area. LAM Dr. Lam is world-renowned and is an excellent teacher. We just wanted to be able to share with this area.” “He’s a wonderful man,” she added. “[He uses] his knowledge in the medical field, taking it and creating these health forms, and understanding movement and the body.” Oberhaus, a former Toledoan, recently moved
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SION SINCE THE CHEVY CHASE SHOW” as everyone seems to think it is. It’s played very similarly to hockey, both in rules and in strategy. I can appreciate that the game doesn’t have a whole lot of downtime. I can admire the level of athleticism needed to run up and down a field for 90 minutes. And at the end of the day, a sport is a sport, right? Those EPL games are played around 10 a.m. Eastern time; what’s wrong with watching that on a Sunday morning before gorging on NFL action? Not a thing. So why is there this urge for redblooded Americans to react almost violently to the mere mention of soccer? Why do we sneer and shout it down? Is it because soccer fans love to throw that “It’s the world’s most popular sport” thing in everyone’s faces? Is it because we all played soccer when we were kids, and then “grew up” enough to play football? Is it because of all the stories about
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leagues that don’t keep score? I don’t have answers to those questions. I just know that the knee-jerk reactions and “nobody cares” jokes are old now. They’re played out. Replaced with 25,000 fans at the country’s first modern soccer-only venue in Columbus, singing and chanting “DOS A CERO” all night long as the U.S. Men’s National Team punched their ticket to Brazil. In this country, soccer’s not going to beat football, basketball, baseball, hockey or even stock car racing. But this country is producing quality players, and they’re competing at the highest level. People are finding ways to tune in, and broadcasters are paying good money to bring it to them. The fanbase exists. I’m not saying you have to like it, but at this point, you have to respect it. O Matt “Shaggy” Culbreath is sports director for 1370 WSPD.
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