On Monday, April 24, the men’s intramural volleyball championship took place at the Woodruff P.E. Center between Beta Theta Pi and a team made up of predominantly Asian-American students. Each team had a number of fans cheering them on. In the middle of the second game, we heard the Beta fans cheering something. The meaning was not imminently clear for the first few seconds, but the racially-charged cheer soon struck us like a bolt of unwelcome, unrelenting lightning that rooted us to where we stood in shock.
“USA! USA! USA!” cheered the Beta fans with their fists pumping in the air as they chanted again and again. Suddenly, our yellow skin, black hair and Asian heritage became the target of this subtle, yet jarring taunt. With each declaration, we felt more alienated. Suddenly, we weren’t Americans, born and raised, but “Others” who didn’t belong.
It is difficult to explain the emotions that wash over you when you are subjected to such cruel and inconsiderate actions. What should you do? Do you yell back? Do you tell the intramural coordinator who is watching the game, listening to the same chant you are? Do you just take it and brush it off as a joke?
In the few seconds we had to react, we joined them in their chant. “USA! USA!” we yelled back. We yelled not because we needed to retaliate, but because we wanted to let the Beta fans know how truly ignorant…
Sanya, China – Beijing Olympic bronze medal winners Xue Chen/Zhang Xi will seek back-to-back title in the 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour Olympic Bay Sanya Open following their victory in the season-opening Brazilia Open last week.
“We have produced our best ever results in the Brazilia Open and I believe good luck will always stay with us,” said Xue Chen, who paired with Zhang Xi to capture the title of the Sanya Open in 2010. Sixty-five tandems from 27 countries and regions have registered for the first women’s single gender event of the season to vie for a total prize money of 190,000 US dollars with the country-quota competitions to kick off on Tuesday.
Beach Volleyball came to Sanya with a particular fascination during the “exceptional” year of 2008. Thanks to the perfect combination of dynamic games and the terrific tropical scene of Sanya, FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Sanya Open achieved an immediate success in its first edition and has already become a brand for the beautiful beach city in southern China.
STANFORD, Calif. – The sixth-ranked Stanford women’s volleyball team dropped a 26-24, 27-29, 23-25, 14-25 decision to No. 10 California in the regular season finale for both squads at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal falls to 21-7 overall and 15-7 in the Pac-12, while the Bears improve to 26-6 overall and 16-6 in the conference.
Redshirt freshman Lydia Bai added eight kills, five digs and three blocks. Lydia’s mother, Jenny Lang Ping, was a star volleyball player on the China National Team who won the gold medal in 1984 and later coached the USA National team to a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Stanford will learn its postseason fate this Sunday, Nov. 27 as the 64-team field for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship will be announced at 3 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
