Ohno gets honorary Iolani award
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Yesterday was such a big day for Barcie Blair that she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
The 8-year-old third-grader at Iolani School had the very important job of asking Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno the first question during a video conference. It was a fitting job, considering Barcie was the reason the speedskater agreed to talk with her class.
"I never thought this would happen," said Barcie, who considers a ponytail getting "dressed up."
"I just got the ball rolling," she said.
Every quarter fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders nominate their peers for the Raider Award, which honors 10 students for good character, citizenship and sportsmanship. Barcie wrote a letter to the school's headmaster urging him to recognize Ohno, who fell during a 1,000-meter short track race during the Winter Games, costing him the gold medal. Ohno got up, finished the race, earned the silver medal and never complained.
"He did not blame anyone about the crash," Barcie wrote in her letter, with a drawing of Ohno saying, "I did my best" in the margin. "I think we should send him a Raider Award because that in my opinion is very, very, very good sportsmanship. I am proud he represents my country and me."
The honorary award, the first ever given to someone outside Iolani School, was mailed to Ohno's father in Seattle. Upon receiving the award, Ohno contacted the school and set up a 15-minute video conference with the students yesterday, incidentally Apolo Anton Ohno Day in Seattle.
About 70 third-graders waited as patiently as possible in the school's computer lab, staring at the big-screen TV that showed an empty chair and a microphone. Sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, they whispered, fidgeted and giggled, their teachers sitting on too-small chairs in the back of the classroom. Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming shut quieted the restless kids, now focused on the TV.
"There he is," one boy whispered, pointing, as Ohno, dressed in an oversized black collared shirt, took a seat in front of the camera. The kids waved small American flags to greet Ohno, who responded with his trademark smile.
"I was nervous because I haven't talked to a famous person before," said 9-year-old Kevin Barayuga, who was lucky enough to ask his favorite Olympian a question. "But he was just like anybody else. He doesn't try to be someone else."
For 15 minutes Ohno graciously answered questions about his Olympic dreams, his favorite sports and the ill-fated fall.
"If I had a message for all of you, it would be to just have fun," Ohno said. "Good sportsmanship is the key to being a winner . . . Whether you win or lose, if you gave it your best, that's all that matters."
That's a lesson Barcie wants to learn, to be satisfied giving your best even if the effort doesn't result in a gold medal or a first-place finish. It's a lesson she said she'll keep in mind when she's frustrated learning the violin or horseback riding.
"I just thought it was good of him to not blame anybody (when he fell)," she said. "I was fuming after the race. But it's not finishing first that's important. It's giving 100 percent."
