[00:00:00] Podcast Introduction

Larissa: Just, I, I had to look it up. Be like, "Hmm, there was an interesting game I saw. I wonder what that was." Yeah, it was a big deal.

Misha: So many of our listeners probably are like, "I would love to see that." Yes. You didn't even know.

Larissa: I didn't, and I'm so sorry I ...

that it was wasted on me.

Misha: Aw.

Hello, EEPers. Welcome to another episode of Extra English Podcast with Misha-

Larissa: And Larissa.

We're two Canadian English teachers talking about life in Canada, our lives, and anything else that might interest us, and hopefully will interest you too.

Misha: So join us for another conversation

Larissa: So today we're going to talk about sports, which is kind of hilarious- Mm-hmm ... because neither Misha nor I play sports- No ... or really likes much sports- ... or knows much about it.

Misha: We're very unsporty. So this is a funny topic choice, but we have a few things to say.

Larissa: We do.

Misha: Mm.

[00:00:56] Living in Qatar

Larissa: Um, so for five years, I lived in Doha, Qatar.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: And that was in, like, from 2008 till about 2013. So at that time, Qatar was... They had bid to host the World Cup.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: Which they did actually do in 2022. Cool. But it, it takes a long time- ... to, to become, uh, to get ready to host an event like that. So they were bringing in a lot of very high level sporting events to kind of- Interesting

to practice and to show the Olympic Committee, not the Olympic Committee, the FIFA committee-

Misha: Uh-huh ...

Larissa: that they could, that they could t- they could do this. So we had the opportunity to watch a lot of, like, incredible athletes.

Misha: Wow.

Larissa: And things that I would never even think to watch.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

[00:01:48] Olympic Level Diving

Larissa: I saw, like, Olympic level diving.

Oh,

Misha: hello.

Larissa: High, high dive board diving.

Misha: Crazy.

Larissa: Pair, synchronized, individuals. Like, wh- where would I ever... I don't know anybody who is an-

Misha: No ...

Larissa: who is an aquatic diver. Where would I see that?

Misha: I don't even know, yeah, where in Canada, if I wanted to watch that, how I could do it.

Larissa: There must be places, because- Yeah

there are people who, who do that.

Misha: Yes. Here, this is the lack of sports knowledge coming in. But that's so amazing that you got to see that.

Larissa: Yeah, it was so interesting.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: And, and impressive. I, I remember just... 'Cause I've seen it on TV on, on the Olympics- Mm-hmm ... like, this kind of, this kind of athlete.

Mm-hmm. But in real life, to see, like- Oh ... they're just up there, and then they're, like, tumbling. Oh my gosh. And they're landing in the water, and they're not making a splash. It's so incredible. Yeah. And I don't even think I had to pay to go to that one. They just really-

Misha: Wow ...

Larissa: wanted people to come, and, and they wanted to work out the kinks-

Misha: Sure, yeah

I think. Figure out their system.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: Mm-hmm. That's amazing.

Larissa: So it wasn't just that.

[00:02:54] Equestrian Competition Experience

Larissa: I saw, um, professional level, or, like, high, high level, um, horse jumping.

Misha: Uh-huh. Horse jumping. That, uh, crazy.

Larissa: So I, I actually have a niece who- Yeah ... who does compete, um, equestrian- In this- ... does equestrian competition

Misha: here ... I have a friend also.

But actually, I've never watched one of her shows. Hmm. Have you seen your niece

Larissa: do it? I haven't, no.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: It was, like, it was so fascinating- Mm-hmm ... for about a half an hour.

Misha: The sports limit for non-sports- ... non-sportsers.

Larissa: I mean, the problem is I didn't... Like, I couldn't really tell how one was better than the other.

Yes. You know, I, when you're into a sport, you know the, in this case, the horses and the riders. Mm-hmm. And you follow their statistics, and I-

Misha: Mm-hmm ...

Larissa: I didn't have that. But-

Misha: You know when something is particularly a skilled move. Yeah. Yeah.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: But I didn't know- But still, anything with animals would be fun for at least a half hour.

Larissa: At least a half. Maybe it was even longer- ... than a half an hour. 40

Misha: minutes. That's so cool.

[00:03:50] Night Events in Qatar

Larissa: That was always at night.

Misha: Oh, really?

Larissa: It's really interesting. Most of these events were held at night. The diving was indoors- Yeah ... but because Qatar is so hot-

Misha: Of course ...

Larissa: they would host it, they would have lights on, and- Yeah

like, we, it was impossible. It wouldn't be fair to the horses or the athletes- No ... to compete in the day.

Misha: Yeah. Interesting. Yeah. Hmm. I wonder when they eventually hosted the World Cup, did they have the games at night?

Larissa: You know, how did I not even watch that World Cup?

Misha: We could probably go back and watch- I'm

Larissa: sure it's online

Misha: clips of it now.

Larissa: Yep. They were doing a lot of research into ways to do air conditioning- Uh-huh ... and, and make it comfortable for people, um, and players.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: But I kinda just lost-

Misha: Yeah ... track

Larissa: of that story.

Misha: Well, fair, it was many years after you moved back.

Larissa: It was.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: It was, and I had other stuff going on.

Mm-hmm.

Misha: Um, you know, Larissa, when you were talking about not knowing the sport well-

Larissa: Mm-hmm ...

[00:04:47] Managing Laos Rugby Team

Misha: this reminds me of the only sport I've ever really learned much about, which is rugby

Larissa: Rugby?

Misha: Very tough sport, rugby.

Larissa: I know so little about rugby.

Misha: Mm. I know ... I don't know a lot, but I know more about that than probably any other sport.

Larissa: Wow. I feel like it's... That's an intense sport.

Misha: I think it is intense. I think there are often injuries in

Larissa: rugby.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: Yes. You've gotta be strong and skilled and-

Misha: Yeah ...

Larissa: and I also know that it's very popular in some parts of the world.

Misha: It is very popular, and the funny thing is I was living in a part of the world at the time I got to know about rugby where it actually isn't very popular.

Larissa: Not Canada, and also not popular. Like, it could've been here, right?

Misha: It could've been. That's right. I was living in Lao, or Laos, which is the country in Southeast Asia between Thailand and Vietnam.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: It's a relatively small country. Wonderful country.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: I loved it there. Uh, and f- strangely, I became the manager of their national rugby team.

Larissa: Of course you did.

Misha: For a few months. Only because... Not even a few months. For one particular tournament. Um, my close, close friend, who I met in India, although she's American-

Larissa: Okay ...

Misha: she now lives there permanently, and she is a rugby player.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Retired at the, at this point. It's not the kind of game you play into your 50s.

Larissa: Right.

Misha: Not that she's 50. Anyway, uh, she is very involved in rugby in Lao- Yeah ... uh, and internationally, but she was involved at the time with the, the Lao Rugby Federation.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: And they were going to a tournament, and they needed someone to be the manager, so- Wow ... with no relevant experience, I volunteered to do that.

[00:06:31] Manager Duties and Responsibilities

Larissa: What does a manager do?

Misha: Well, I would arrange... Like, when we went to the tournament, I would handle the schedule. Okay. I made sure we had the kit, which is what they called the sports clothes. I think that might be a- Mm ... British or Australian term. I'm not

Larissa: sure. Yeah, I think that's what they call it in, in football, like soccer, too.

Misha: Oh, is it?

Larissa: Okay. I think so.

Misha: And-

Larissa: I think I learned that from TV.

Misha: Such a useful source of knowledge- ...

Larissa: about sports.

Misha: Anyways, things like logistics, like a lot of our travel arrangements, stuff that you didn't need n- special knowledge- Yes ... to be able to do.

Larissa: You just need to be organizationally adept.

Misha: Exactly.

Mm-hmm. And I'm sure other managers do more- ... but I was doing what I could do. Um, but because of that, you know, I would go to the practices. Obviously, I went to the tournament. Yeah. So I ended up learning, like, kind of the basic rules, and, and also the players, a lot of them were my friends.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: So I just have never been so excited about sports.

But I would stand on the sidelines and be screaming, "pai pai," which is "go, go"- Oh ... and so excited when they got a- point. I forget what it's called. Not a goal? Oh, my friend's gonna be embarrassed by me.

Larissa: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Misha: I've forgotten. Mm-hmm. But I even learned a few, like, relevant sports terms in Lao- Whoa ... which was a funny set of vocabulary.

Like- Yeah ... ball is ban, and, uh, practice they called som. Hmm. Things like this. So it was fun. It was a fun way to... It just was a fun way to interact with people- Mm-hmm ... to make some friends, et cetera.

[00:08:08] The Beauty of Team Sports

Larissa: Really, that is the beautiful thing about sports.

Misha: Absolutely.

Larissa: Right. Okay, there's the exercise. Like, it's good for your body.

Misha: So discipline is something I could use a little more of. Yeah. That's a good thing about sports.

Larissa: Yeah, discipline too.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Yeah. But then the, it's the bonding, the bonding with the team- Yes ... especially a team sport. There are individual sports- Yeah ... but a team sport has something really special about it.

Misha: Absolutely. And the tournament was international, so it was nice to see people from all different cultures interacting- Mm-hmm ... and this thing they have in common. Mm-hmm. It was

Larissa: cool.

Misha: Yeah. Yeah.

Larissa: Hmm.

[00:08:40] Watching Serena Williams Live

Larissa: So I've never seen rugby, but I have seen... Ooh, I have seen really great tennis.

Misha: Oh, tennis.

Larissa: Like, I've seen- I watched Serena Williams play tennis live.

Misha: Wow. In Qatar also?

Larissa: In Qatar at night.

Misha: Of course.

Larissa: In the winter. Oh. Um, they hosted, they hosted a men's tournament, and then also a women's tournament. The men's tournament I think was on a weekend that I was really busy, so I didn't, I didn't go, but the women's tournament was a different weekend, and again, I got really affordable tickets, and I saw, like, it was, like, world-class tennis.

It was incredible- Wow ... to watch these women, you know, show their strength and- Yeah ... and tennis looks kind of easy, like, the, the concept of it is easy. Yeah. It's not.

Misha: No. But I feel like at least it's simple enough that as a unknowledgeable observer-

Larissa: Yes ...

Misha: you could kinda get it. Yeah. A little bit?

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Hmm.

Larissa: Oh, yeah.

I totally understood what was happening. Yeah. And, and I could see the skill. Yes. Like, when someone does, like, a little, a little hit and then it, it flops, or when they go to the corner- Yeah ... right? I can see the strategy. Yeah. I can see... Oh, yeah. It was fun. That was fun. That's

Misha: amazing. Mm-hmm. That would be so fun.

Larissa: It was. It was... It- it's incredible that, that I had the opportunity just to, just to go.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: To go and see these incredible things that should only be on TV.

Misha: That normally probably the audience is full of enthusiasts for that particular sport.

Larissa: Yes. And here you are. And there were a lot of empty seats, actually.

Oh, interesting. Because I think they might have been friendly competitions- Mm-hmm ... rather than, like, they weren't getting paid a lot potentially to win them. I'm not sure. At the time, it was a very interesting time in Qatar when they just- Yeah ... really wanted to, to host some big things.

Misha: Yeah. And they did.

Building up that international sports.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: Hmm. That's cool. Good for them. It

Larissa: was, yeah.

Misha: Yeah, and interesting for you to be there at that time when... 'Cause if you went now, probably you wouldn't be attending those big events. I

Larissa: would not. Yeah. I'm sure the tickets would be expensive.

[00:10:47] World Cup Coming to Canada

Larissa: So the FIFA World Cup is coming to Toronto and- Oh

and, um, Vancouver-

Misha: Of course ...

Larissa: in June/July.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: It's very soon, and I've heard that tickets are hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Misha: Whoa.

Larissa: And so, like, a lot of people-

Misha: Yeah ...

Larissa: who would be interested and, and who are excited because it's right in our backyard-

Misha: Yes ...

Larissa: won't be able to go.

Misha: That's true.

Larissa: And I think probably Qatar is more like that now, maybe not thousands of dollars- Yeah

but certainly it would be, there would be a, a ticket price.

Misha: Yeah. More than, than when you were going to these events. Yeah,

[00:11:20] Sports we Watched in Childhood

Larissa: absolutely.

Misha: Interesting. Mm-hmm. That's so fun.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: I haven't watched a lot of sports live.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: But in my house growing up, there were two popular sports, which I think are probably pretty popular in general in Canada.

Larissa: Let me guess. Hockey.

Misha: Hockey.

Larissa: And baseball?

Misha: Yes. Baseball was actually the most, my dad- Mm ... liked to watch baseball.

Larissa: My dad, too.

Misha: Yeah. Right?

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: And sometimes I would watch it with him. I didn't care about the baseball, but I liked to spend time with my dad.

Larissa: Yeah. Um- There was a time when I could name most of the regular players on the Toronto Blue Jays team.

Misha: Wow.

Larissa: Yeah, because we watched it faithfully on Sundays. Like, my dad- Oh ... would watch it, and I would watch with him sometimes.

Misha: Cute.

Larissa: They have all retired. I don't know anybody anymore- ... but there was a time.

Misha: There was a time. That's fun.

Larissa: Yeah. More than I ever knew. The things you do just to hang out with people you like.

Misha: Just to bond.

Larissa: Yeah.

[00:12:14] Hockey Watching Struggles

Misha: Um, anyway, we would watch hockey sometimes. Hockey is what everyone thinks of when they- Yeah ... think of Canadian sports- Mm-hmm ... which is true. And I watched a lot of it in high school just because m- I was friends with hockey players. They wanted to watch hockey. I suffered through it- ... for social, social gain.

Larissa: Hockey, I find, is hard to watch- Yeah ... because the puck is so small that- Yeah ... I can't, I have a hard time following it around the rink. Yeah. And it goes fast.

Misha: It does go fast.

Larissa: I mean, you can tell by where the people are.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: But I don't often see when they get a goal.

Misha: No. I don't- Oh, we are gonna, we're gonna annoy some Canadians-

by not being enthusiastic about hockey. It's also a long game.

Larissa: It is.

Misha: Uh, baseball's also long.

Larissa: Oh, baseball is so long.

Misha: Baseball's

Larissa: really long. I'm done after seven innings, always. That's- Six, five. Really? Five is perfect amount.

Misha: Two. Give each team a turn. Is that how it works?

[00:13:09] Baseball Game Experiences

Misha: Anyway, we would go sometimes to see baseball in person- Mm

when I was a kid. We had tickets. We had a connection. Sometimes we'd get- Ooh ... baseball tickets to see the Toronto Blue Jays, which are the team closest to where I grew up and where we currently live. Um, and it's... I mean, I think it's like music, like anything, where in person is always more fun.

Larissa: Yes. And even if you don't care about the sport, like-

Misha: Yes

Larissa: what do I know about tennis?

Misha: No. But

Larissa: I was fascinated watching them- Yes ... watching artists do their thing.

Misha: Exactly. Yeah. Skilled people. And I think you pick up on the energy of the people- Yes ... around you, right? The crowd's excited, and- Yeah ... I had a Toronto Blue Jays hat I would wear. Wow,

Larissa: look at you.

Misha: Yeah, I was into it.

Can't name a single player, but I watched some games.

Larissa: I have a Toronto Blue Jays shirt that I put on.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: Or no, I have it just in case one of my kids gets invited to a game.

Misha: It's your, it's your emergency sports shirt.

Larissa: That's right.

Misha: That's cute.

[00:14:10] The SkyDome Story

Misha: Uh, one part that was fun is in Toronto there's something, at the time it was called the SkyDome.

I don't know if it still is.

Larissa: Mm. It's Rogers Centre now.

Misha: Right, the

Larissa: Rogers Centre. But it was called the SkyDome, which is a cool name.

Misha: It is a cool name. And maybe it's something that other places have, but it was, like, a dome, which is a rounded half-circle shape on the ground, and it, the roof would open up.

So when the weather was nice-

Larissa: Mm-hmm ...

Misha: you're out in the sun. You're getting that nice fresh air. It- it's a cool, like, architectural-

Larissa: Yeah ... structure. And I think... I don't think it's unique, but it was- No ... it was very special.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: Especially at the time it was built. Was that maybe the '90s?

Misha: Maybe. Yeah, it was definitely...

When I was going it was the '90s.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: And also, it's right at the base of the CN Tower. Mm-hmm. We're quite close. Yeah. So they're kind of a pair, and you would see the CN Tower when- Yeah ... you went. It was, it was neat.

Larissa: Yeah. I think... So because my dad liked baseball, we also watched... We went to, to Toronto to see a game every now and then.

And I feel like I was there once when it opened. Oh. Like, I was there while the dome was opening. Interesting. And it felt very exciting.

Misha: That would feel cool.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Classic Canadian experiences, these.

Larissa: Yeah. So people our age might still call it SkyDome, our age and older-

Misha: Yeah ...

Larissa: even though that's not what it's called anymore.

Misha: I'm gonna keep calling it that.

Larissa: It's a good name.

Misha: It is a good name. It's descriptive.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Says what it is.

[00:15:35] Soccer/football in Qatar

Larissa: So I've said, we've both mentioned that we don't really l- follow or love sports so much. Mm-hmm. Um, and so it- it's kind of a shame that all these incredible experiences were given to me. Like, they were wasted on me.

I have a bit of an embarrassing story. Also in Qatar-

Misha: Uh-huh ...

Larissa: in 2010-

Misha: Mm ...

Larissa: I went to see, um, a soccer game. Football, if you will. Yeah. Soccer, as we would call it here. Um, everybody was going. You know, my colleagues, we were all going together. Oh, sure. It was great. Yeah. Fine. Whatever. It was, again, a friendly match, an exhibition game, because they wanted to, to test out how everything was working.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: It was a little bit of a dull game in that the score was one-zero.

Misha: At the end.

Larissa: At the end.

Misha: Okay.

Larissa: Not a lot of- Which- ... action ... which is not really surprising for soccer, I guess. But I'm used to... Like, in other sports, sometimes we get more, more action, right? Like basketball. The thing about basketball is like 100 and something.

Misha: Yeah. Football, we're unimpressed with your amount of points. You should change the sport.

Larissa: But I mean, it was fun to be there, and the atmosphere and whatever. Um, and I don't think I realized how big a deal it was. But there were people, like, who had flown in for this event.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: So it wasn't just local. This...

And the stadium was packed.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: People were coming in, and so I- I had a sense that there's something significant happening here, but I didn't really understand.

Misha: Yeah.

[00:17:03] Argentina vs Brazil Match

Larissa: So this week I researched it. I went back to be like, "What was that?" I'm- 2010. Uh-huh. This was an exhibition game, Argentina versus Brazil.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: Misha doesn't know the significance of that. I had to look it up, so- Sounds

Misha: cool ...

Larissa: Argentina versus Brazil, these are, like, the best teams- Okay ... in the world.

Misha: Ooh.

Larissa: They came to Qatar to play each other just for fun. I went for cheap money.

Misha: Yeah.

[00:17:29] Seeing Messi Play

Larissa: And I was ... Like, I saw Messi-

Misha: Ooh ...

Larissa: get a goal.

Misha: Even I know that name.

Larissa: I saw that.

Misha: That's crazy.

Larissa: And then I forgot about it.

Misha: He was the one point. He was the one point,

Larissa: but then, like-

Misha: Wow ...

Larissa: it was- Like, I had to look it up to be like, "Hmm, there was an interesting game I saw. I wonder what that was." Yeah, it was a big deal.

Misha: So many of our listeners probably are like, "I would love to see that."

Yes. You didn't even know. I didn't, and I'm- ... so

Larissa: sorry that I,

Misha: that it was wasted on me. Aw. That's cool, though.

Larissa: It i- and it was very fun. That's a fun story. It was very- Yeah ... like, it was fun to be there. It was fun to hear the cheering. I had never been to an international soccer game. Uh-huh. I'd never been to a soccer game that wasn't played by children.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: And-

Misha: Same ...

Larissa: and, like, there were the chants. People had their chants. Like, you know- Mm-hmm ... there's a whole culture around sports. Yeah. And it was fun to be an outsider experiencing that.

Misha: Totally, and obviously most of the crowd knew who they were watching.

Larissa: Absolutely.

Misha: So that enthusiasm would have ... You would have felt that whether or not you knew where it was coming from.

I think

Larissa: even my friends knew. I'm

Misha: just

Larissa: like, "Oh, here I am at sports."

[00:18:36] Learning From Students

Misha: Plus, you know, at that time, I only know that name now because many of our students-

Larissa: Students, yep ...

Misha: love football- Yes ... as they would call it, which is now what I call it 'cause that's how I hear it talked about mostly. Yes. We have an international student body obviously, and football's so popular.

Mm-hmm. So I only know that name and a couple others and team names from my students telling me about it. Yes. So at that time if someone 15 years ago, 20 years ago had said that name to me, I probably wouldn't have known it either.

Larissa: Yeah, I- I can't blame you ... it was very much lost on me, but- But yeah, it feels a little bit embarrassing to admit that.

So there, I've just told the whole internet.

Misha: How little you know about football.

Larissa: Yes. But I wonder, like, as much fun as I had being an outsider watching it, how much more fun would it have been to be an insider?

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: Right? To be cheering for your team, to maybe people came from Argentina. I don't know.

Misha: I don't know. Well, and how great that there was an opportunity for people- Who might not be able to afford those big ticket sporting events. Like, I'm sure there were people there at that time who... Right? It was more open to lots of people if the price was so much lower while they were figuring everything out.

Larissa: You had to get to Qatar.

Misha: Yes, but I'm thinking local.

Larissa: Okay. Okay. Yeah.

Misha: Yeah, a, a flight across the world- ... not cheap.

[00:19:59] Qatar World Cup Announcement

Larissa: I do remember, like, we've said this was all in preparation 'cause they were bidding to host the FIFA World Cup. I remember the day it was announced.

Misha: Oh.

Larissa: When the, the chairman, I guess, of FIFA, you know, it was, it was broadcast...

They broadcast it, like, on really big screens in the parks. Yeah. The, the- Yeah ... revealing, the big reveal. Oh. And when they opened the thing and said, "Qatar," the country went wild. There were people, like, honking their horns and driving around and whooping and hollering. It was, it was very exciting.

Misha: That is exciting.

Yeah. I like that. It's fun, that feeling. When you're in a large group who are having this excitement- Mm-hmm ... about anything, that's always such a good feeling.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Yeah.

[00:20:39] Sports Bring People Together

Larissa: And sports are just so, such a great way to bring people together.

Misha: Absolutely. I

Larissa: think that's true. Especially international competition where all the- Mm-hmm

I mean, competition, you're a- against each other, but-

Misha: Respectfully so.

Larissa: Re- yes.

Misha: Right? Yeah. You're competing with respect. I think that's nice. Yeah.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Cool.

[00:20:55] Wrapping Up

Misha: Well, that's it. Those are our lifetime- ... sports experiences

Larissa: Oh, it's not true.

Misha: Summed up

Larissa: in 20 minutes. There's more.

Misha: There's more, but those are some of the

Larissa: highlights.

Misha: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was interesting to hear about.

Larissa: Yeah. Thanks for listening to another episode. Find us on Instagram or YouTube to join the conversation.