Asked why Canadians played so well in the US Open, Olympian and rising tennis star Leylah Annie Fernandez replied: “I would say it’s the maple syrup.”
Cheering for Montreal-born Félix Auger-Aliassime then seeking for a semi-finals berth, Leylah told media: “I’m going to give him a huge jar of maple syrup.”
Throwback. Vasek Pospisil, a great Canadian tennister from British Columbia, was seen drinking maple syrup from the jar, during an Open Sud de France game in Montpellier, France in 2020. He told sports channel TSN that he was “a huge maple syrup guy,” urging fans to try his namesake coffee with maple syrup at a food shop branded after a famous Canadian ice hockey defenceman.
Maple syrup, hurrah!
However, in the recent September 11 finals, Fernandez bowed to fellow teenager Toronto-born British champion Emma Raducanu, who embraced her US Open’s 141st edition trophy at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.
Earlier, Félix ended his US Open stint, losing to world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
The pre-finals volley of magic that went Leylah’s and Félix’s way in the tournament was most likely because of their strong athletic mindset and awesome tennis skills.
If ever, savouring slices of breakfast pancakes with maple syrup might have helped, as Canada’s favourite sweetener is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that included zinc, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Referencing the so-called Canadian liquid gold might have been Leylah’s way to shout-out her birthplace in Laval, Quebec. After all, the French-speaking province has been supplying two-thirds of the world’s maple syrup.
Leylah’s quip could have also been a valued acknowledgment, recognition and appreciation of the Iroquois people in northeast America, who pioneered the sap tapping of maple trees and the careful meticulous processing of the sap into syrup.
Whatever impression she might have hinted or driven at when she spoke of maple syrup, only Leylah knew.
But by tapping specific Canadiana, she sparked and rallied a growing fan base in Canada and worldwide; while inspiring girls and boys to aspire and achieve; to swing a racquet, serve a ball and score more than love.
(Just trivia. Meriam-Webster’s definition: In tennis, “love” is a word that represents a score of zero. Such has been in use since the late 1800s. It is, however, unclear how the tennis usage of “love” came to be, but the most accepted theory is that those with zero points continued to play for the “love of the game” despite their losing score.)
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Love it or not, poll time will soon be staring at us. It’s on September 20, folks, if you don’t mind.
Get ready to cast your ballot and elect your riding’s representative to the 44th Canadian Parliament.
Much-touted as a federal election in a pandemic, let us not make it an election that is anaemic.
Come on! Exercise your right of suffrage. Let your voice be counted.
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This column appreciates campaign volunteers and the tireless work they do. They knock on doors, hand out poll paraphernalia and sometimes engage voters in quick, candid and respectful conversations. Best of all, they follow strict health protocols while doing the rounds.
A common complaint many intelligent voters harbour is the sheer but glaring inability of a lot of candidates to regularly meet with their constituents and share insights on community concerns.
Then I begin to wonder why these candidates for respectable parliament seats even bothered to run for office only to soon display incompetence and ineptness on the floor and be paid huge sums from public coffers.
“No knuckles, no spine! No spine, no use! No use, no vote!” a friend commented.
Really, it is good to know voters who want to get rid of paper puppets in government.
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Both amateur and professional politicians must realize that before they can mesmerize voters with their saintly smiles, firm handshakes, flashy names, honourable looks, colourful posters and glib talk, they have to first persuade voters that they can really efficiently and effectively handle the parliamentary tasks at hand.
Win or lose, it is not expected of politicians to go into winter hibernation or take long slumbers during the other seasons.
What do you see? (Ano sa tingin ninyo?)
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Kuya Victor: “Help me understand why many bets seem to have become blind, deaf, mute and invisible.”
Tita Mely: “If they never contracted the virus, then what else is new?”
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It’s a sad fact. Many politicians will always be politicians, never heroes.
Bad luck! The X-Men, Avengers and Ninja Turtles can only be found on film and TV.
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Between watching the English-language federal leaders’ debate and the US Open match between Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, I chose the latter.
Skipping the repetitious blah-blah-blahs of party leaders proved good for my aging ears.
Focusing on the back-and-forth tik-tok hypnotically followed by the eyeballs of silent spectators in the tennis arena brought even better results.
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Admittedly, I tried to get through the earlier French-language debates but miserably failed.
That sparked my resolve to learn French ASAP.
One of these days, it will pay to understand and say Bienvenue, Merci beaucoup, S’il vous plait, Veuillez m’excuser and Au revoir, for starters.
Sirop d’érable, s’il vous plait. Did I get it right?
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Throwback. My wife and I had a blast casting our ballots — for the first time in a Canadian poll — in the auditorium of a school near our residence on October 25, 2010. It was the election of municipal officials for the City of Toronto.
We were out of the polling place in a jiffy because the process was very simple and systematic.
However, I was a bit upset. I did not find the name of my favoured candidate in the ballot — the fellow referred to by an outside poster that said Vote Wisely.
Be that as it may, I can honestly say that I voted according to the merits of a candidate’s platform, not because of a candidate’s flat form.
And it would be in the same manner when we again render our choice on September 20.
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Elections Canada requests voters to bring their own pens to polling sites.
This makes sure that pens and pencils provided to mark ballots are not used by so many hands.
Call it the suffrage pen-demic, huh?
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Mang Tasyo: Are there pop-up vaccination clinics near the polling places?
Tata Ambo: I guess not. The clinics are a health concern; the voting centres, political.
Aling Charing: Never the twain shall meet?
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Curious cat: “More than a dozen gorillas in an Atlanta zoo had been tested positive for COVID-19, adding to earlier reports of isolated virus infections among animals.”
Annoyed dog: “What’s with the nine lives? Don’t worry. Humans are not yet done testing their kind.”
Sly mouse: “Please, be kind to unvaxxed animals.”
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Love it or just like it, the season of Fall is nearing.
The transition between summer and winter officially starts on September 22.
As nights get colder and stretch longer, the autumnal fruitful harvest, landscape’s change of colours, falling leaves are set to bless the earth.
Have you heard any Christmas tune yet?
And if you are prepping Yule gifts, I’d appreciate a jar of maple syrup. #####
