Podcasts about ballhalla

Golden State Valkyries standout Veronica Burton joins Sarah to talk about her breakout season last year, believing in herself during her lean years in the league, coach Natalie Nakase’s ‘no a-holes’ policy, and the magic of Ballhalla. Plus, a “well, duh” kind of statement, a 16-year streak continues, and an annoying reminder that we still have to consider the men. Our favorite women’s sports calendar is here Read Brian Hamilton’s story for The Athletic on the Valkyries’ success here Check out some of the shoes for the Seattle Storm’s Kicks for Equality event here, here, and here You can now WATCH Sarah’s interviews! Subscribe to @iHeartWomensSports on YouTube and check out the Good Game playlist here Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323 Follow producer Alex Azzi! Bluesky: @byalexazzi.bsky.social Instagram: @AzziArtwork Follow producer Bianca Hillier! Bluesky: @biancahillier.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Hosts Miko Lee & Guest Host Mia Nakano celebrate Bayanihan in Ballhalla. Bayanihan is a core Filipino cultural value of community unity, and Balhalla is the home arena of the Golden State Valkyries. Apex Express was invited to join Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries game. We speak with the community behind this cultural celebration. That includes Al Perez, artists Venazir Martinez and Kristian Kabuay, and coach Carolyn Sideco about the history of Philippines and basketball. Links for more information: More information on our guests: Golden State Valkyries Al Perez, President of the Filipino American Arts Exposition Artist Venazir Martinez DJ P-LO Cultural Practitioner Kristian Kabuay Carolyn Sideco Coaching Kapwa Raquel Redondiez SOMA Pilpinas     Show Transcript: [00:00:00] Opening: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express. [00:01:13] Miko Lee: Welcome to Apex Express. I'm your host, Miko Lee, and tonight is Bayanihan in Ballhalla. Bayanihan is a core Filipino cultural value of community unity, and Balhalla is the home arena of the Golden State Valkyries. Apex Express was invited to join Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries game. Tonight, please join me and my guest host, Mia Nakano, as we speak with the community behind this cultural celebration. That includes Al Perez, artists Venazir Martinez and Kristian Kabuay, and coach Carolyn Sideco about the history of Philippines and basketball. Join us. Today I have the honor of having my bestie with me who's gonna co-host Welcome to Apex, Mia Nakano.  [00:01:59] Mia Nakano: Hi, Miko. Thank you for having me.  [00:02:01] Miko Lee: I was invited to a Valkyries game, and I said, “Oh, my gosh, I need somebody with me that can speak basketball.” And so I thought of you.  [00:02:10] Mia Nakano: And here we are. And the Valkyries do put on a show. That's one of the things that makes them so great.  [00:02:15] Miko Lee: Yeah, it was super fun. It was Filipino Heritage Night, and so we got a chance to talk with the different artists that are there, what is the night about, what's the cultural celebration. What were some of the things that stood out to you?  [00:02:28] Mia Nakano: I think that it really got to the roots of, one, what a great sports city San Francisco and then just the broader Bay Area is, and two, the deep connections to the Filipino community that exists within the Bay Area. When you look at how historically the Warriors really came up and the fan shots from when they were at Oracle Arena, the huge fan base that was there initially was the Filipino community. To see that translate in a very different way as the Valkyries are coming up in the WNBA as this incredible team, second year, on their way to probably making the playoffs for the second year in a row, bringing that community back, particularly with all the connections of the artists, the activations, and even the food that they have in Chase Arena brings it full circle. [00:03:26] Miko Lee: Having Natalie Nakase as the coach there is so powerful and important representation for Asian Americans as well. The other thing that stood out to me was I did not know there was this history of basketball in the Philippines, and then to talk to the different guests on our show tonight about what that history represents, where it comes from, the connection to colonization, and then also how it's really developed into its own cultural phenomena in the Philippines. [00:03:55] Mia Nakano: I played basketball- All throughout junior high and high school and was very immersed in it in Southern California, but I had no idea that basketball was the national sport of the Philippines. After we came back from the game, I did a little a bit of a deep dive, and it was really wonderful to see that it actually started in the Philippines as a women's sport? And it was making sports more accessible to folks, and also very clearly connected to,, roots of colonization and religion. But to still have that anchor and connection there, and then this interesting juxtaposition where right now there has still never been a Filipina player in the WNBA. There are folks who people really thought were almost gonna make it. So there's still that one last phase that they need to break into this sport that is their national sport, but in the United States they're not quite there yet in terms of representation.  [00:04:55] Miko Lee: And talking with Coach Caroline, which people can hear later in the episode, about that history and how it was intended to be this women's sport in the Philippines because it was easier. They thought they'd give it to the women to play. But the men were watching going like, “Oh, this looks fun. This looks more fun than baseball. So it really just took off. I love that transition for that it went and across the country. A few of our guests talked about tenement basketball courts. It's just so wildly different from this country.  [00:05:25] Mia Nakano: I think that that is contextually just how sports are played in a lot of different countries in the world where they don't have access. When you think about people playing football, right, like soccer, in different areas where they are playing barefoot. They are playing in dirt or, like, fields that are not necessarily fields. I think that in the context of playing basketball differently in the Philippines versus the United States or even in European leagues, when the United States goes to play in the Olympics, even though you have the USA women's team, USA men's teams who are supposed to be the best of the best in the world, the way that the game is played at that particular level and arena is quite different. And so they all have to adjust to the physicality, to how calls are called just slightly differently. With smaller players in the WNBA what I find really incredible, and this is what Carolyn talks about a little bit, is like the layup packages? When you get close to the rim, you don't have a Filipino who just goes up and makes a regular layup. They do it with flair, right? There's a part of that maybe is a little bit of showmanship, but also it's a part of trying to sneak your way around bigger players so that you can get the basket. And anybody that you play against, even in a league that is familiar to you, you're gonna have to change your game up, and play to your strength, and also just know what you can't do in the game, and go to another person who has more of those strengths  [00:07:03] Miko Lee: One of the other things that stood out to me in talking with one of the artists, Christian, who was there in the outside, in the cultural area, and he was doing, pre-Filipino writing with folks, and we'll interview him later in the episode. He was saying how he does this activity at a lot of different games, but it was very different. That was the first time at the Valkyries, and he said the crowd was so different, that it felt like back in the day. It felt like community. There weren't tech bros. You feel like it, The audience was way more women, As someone that goes to Warriors' and Valkyries' games, do you notice a difference in the audience?    [00:07:41] Mia Nakano: The first Valkyries game that I had the opportunity to go to last year was their Pride Night, and that is the game that my wife and I always go to for the Warriors. It's a special feeling there. I noticed there was a whole parking lot area for strollers on different levels. There was such great energy, and people just talking about the game, people cheering or rooting for players on the other team. There was not a lot of negative energy going around. When Christian mentions, the tech bro energy, the people rolling around with Patagonia shirts, and sweatshirts, that is so true. You truly feel this family environment that's also very queer friendly. There's so many folks of color, and they're not just there because the team's winning, because last year we didn't know if the team was gonna win or not. They were just showing up. The Valkyries have really created such a strong culture that is team based. That's what you see with the Valkyries, but I also think that that's a testament to the coach, to the players, who really trust in one another, and to the community that we have in the Bay Area. I think even the players did not understand when they came here what they were stepping into, and they talk about talking to other players on opposing teams who are like, “Is it always like this? Is it every night?” They're like, “Every single night, this is how our fans are, and we love it.”  [00:09:14] Miko Lee: So it's in different WNBA hometowns it's not like that? [00:09:18] Mia Nakano: Absolutely not. The Valkyries have sold out every single game from day one. They are the first WNBA team, and I think the first women's professional sports team, to reach $100 billion in valuation. then you see other teams, like the Atlantic Dream, who are playing in arenas of 3,500, or the Dallas Wings, who are playing in much smaller arenas, even though they have all these franchise players like Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers and AZ Fudd. The Dallas Wings are actually moving to the same arena that the Mavericks are gonna play in next year. It's an interesting juxtaposition given where the context of our world is at, who's in office right now, the battles that we're having to fight to keep women's rights, queer rights, trans rights in the forefront and not have them stripped away. Yet on the other side of this, we have this huge, meteoric rise of women's sports, and it's not just basketball. It's baseball. It's hockey. It's all these different leagues that are starting to emerge and have huge fan bases where you can watch women's professional sports all year round. They're nationally televised games. [00:10:31] Miko Lee: Thank you for the history lesson and current events of women's sports. I love it. One of the other things that was really special for this Filipino heritage night was the halftime show where they had DJ P-Lo playing. And then they brought onto the court, the director of SOMA Pilipinas, Raquel Redondiez, and she runs San Francisco's Filipino Cultural Heritage District. She got her name on a Valkyries jersey, and was announced in the halftime moment as a big show. [00:11:05] Mia Nakano: I had a conversation with her said, ” the work that you are doing, particularly in this moment, bringing together the artists, the culture of Filipinos and Filipino history is so critical right now because so many of our communities, cultures, and stories are getting erased, that we are the culture bearers and culture keepers, and so thank you for doing that work.” [00:11:31] Miko Lee: SOMA Pilipinas, for those that don't know, was established as a Filipino cultural heritage district in 2016 and was one of the first in the state designated as an arts district by California Arts Council in 2017. So they do so much great work, they host great things from the, United States of Asian America Festival every year. Self-defense workshops for women. I've taken those in Kapwa Gardens that were amazing. They do mental health services for Filipino folks and provided groceries and COVID education and, Filipino language training, and then artists, as you were saying. They pulled together all these different folks, for this wonderful night to introduce a sense of heritage and a sense of pride that was really powerful. [00:12:19] Mia Nakano: , It's a really lovely connection back to the Filipinos banding together with Chinese American folks in Chinatown that really helped create the broader Asian American movement and what that word and power even means. [00:12:38] Miko Lee: From the I-Hotel to today [00:12:40] Mia Nakano: exactly, and all of that being really anchored and rooted in San Francisco, as well as everything that Larry Itliong did with union organizing that I think has just recently started to get recognized in the broader social justice movement.  [00:12:58] Miko Lee: I'll put links to past shows that we've done on the I-Hotel, on Larry Itliong, because folks, if they don't know about either of those movement le- leaders and huge moments in our Asian American history, they should. It's powerful part of our labor and housing rights history. Were there other things that stood out to you at this Valkyries game? [00:13:20] Mia Nakano: I know that this is probably not gonna be a surprise to you, but the fact that we honestly just got to go behind the scenes and see the inner workings of what the Valkyries, the tunnels and getting lost and trying to figure out where we're going. [00:13:34] Miko Lee: It was a maze down there, by the way. It was like, which direction? Go to this press room. No, this press room. This place. It was very much kind of, in theater-wise, it's like going backstage and seeing how the tech is done.  [00:13:46] Mia Nakano: The thing that was the most exciting about this unique experience was being able to see Natalie Nakase talk after the game, and the snippet in here is really incredible because it shed light into not just who she is as a coach and how she approached the game, but her investment in people, and the importance of seeing people for their full selves, and the importance of the whole WNBA as a league, as a business. They have a lot of money and power, so who are we gonna lift up? It's a always a very intentional choice of what is happening at Chase Arena, at the Valkyries nights, these heritage nights that really uplift so many wonderful communities that are doing incredible work.  [00:14:36] Miko Lee: We're gonna get a chance to do an interview with Coach Natalie in a different episode, so stay tuned for that. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience?  [00:14:45] Mia Nakano: Go see a Valkyries game. Go to Balhalla. It will change your life.  [00:14:50] Miko Lee: Experience Balhalla. Okay. Thank you for joining me, and hopefully you'll join me back when we do an interview with Coach Natalie too.  [00:14:59] Mia Nakano: Oh, absolutely.  [00:15:00] Miko Lee: To frame the conversation, we start with Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, the first Asian American woman to coach a WNBA team. Last year, she was named WNBA Coach of the Year, and at the post-game presser, a reporter asked her, “Tonight is Filipino National Heritage Night, so can you talk a little bit about what it means for fans to be seen around the league?” This is her response. [00:15:25] Natalie Nakase: Yeah. It's huge. I love the fact that we can celebrate and acknowledge different cultures. I'm really big on that. I think it gives people almost like a superpower or a confidence for, you know, the day to be recognized like that and to be celebrated for everything that their, their culture brings. it also, I think, educates people about different cultures. And so I love the fact that we're super intentional about that because I think we have to do that more than not. And, it's exciting. I think this world needs more celebration. I think this world needs more love, more care, especially when some people are not seen as much. [00:16:01] Miko Lee: In the very loud outdoor Chase Arena area, we spoke with several of the folks involved in Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries. Please note that the sound quality is due to the nature of being outside a really excited fan base at the game. First off, listen in as we hear from Al Perez, who helped to curate this community celebration. [00:16:23] Al Perez: Hello, my name is Al Perez. I am a community organizer. I'm serving as president of a nonprofit called the Filipino American Arts Exposition, and we partnered with the Valkyries to help curate their cultural activation for Filipino Heritage Night tonight. [00:16:41] Miko Lee: Since the Valkyries are named after women warriors, is there a Filipina version of a woman warrior? [00:16:48] Al Perez: Absolutely. We have one that's local. Her name is Victoria Manalo Draves. She was the first American woman to win two Olympic golds in the Olympics in nine- 1928. She happens to be Filipina-American. So yeah, she was born and raised here in, in San Francisco Bay Area, so we're very proud of her to be, to represent us and be the warrior and an inspiration for all of us.  [00:17:11] Miko Lee: Excellent. And since Valhalla or Valhalla is the space that we want to get to, what is the Filipino version of that place you want to see? [00:17:19] Al Perez: Wow. [00:17:20] Miko Lee: That perfect world you wanna get to. [00:17:21] Al Perez: I think for us, we have this tradition called bayanihan. That's when we help each other towards a common goal. Yes. No matter how Herculean that task is, it's just coming together to help each other. So it's not necessarily a destination. It's more like an attitude of, coming together as a community towards a common goal, towards a cultural pride and community empowerment. [00:17:46] Miko Lee: Great. And tell us what you're doing here today with all these groups. [00:17:47] Al Perez: So we have an outreach table here because we're part of the organizing committee to curate tonight's event. So we actually have an event next weekend called the Pistahan Parade and Festival. It's the largest Filipino cultural celebration in the country, happening August 8th and 9th at the Yerba Buena Gardens, so please come check us out. There's a big parade down Market Street on Saturday to kick off the festival weekend, and then the festival's at the Yerba Buena Gardens, 11 to 5. We're here to promote that event as well as all our other upcoming events in the fall. We're also curating the Filipino Heritage Night with the Golden State Warriors, with the Giants, San Jose Sharks, and San Jose Earthquakes. And then one more. October is Filipino American History Month in the country. So we also produce official celebration proclamation by the mayor at City Hall. So we have a reception, we have entertainment, and we light the City Hall building with Philippine flag colors.  [00:18:42] Miko Lee: And when folks are coming out to these Filipino nights, what should they expect? What's happening?  [00:18:47] Al Perez: Our goal is to be here to be in community, to help showcase our beautiful culture, our traditions. So when these events happen, we usually have, cultural performances, either a pre-game or a halftime. Tonight you're gonna see, P-Lo, a Filipino rapper and a hip hop singer. Here in the plaza we have some basketball hoops, because basketball is a big thing in the Philippines, our national sport. There's also, Sarap Shop is a concession inside. They have Filipino food there. Our goal is to get people a little taste of our Filipino culture, so hopefully they'll be inspired to, to learn more about our community and our culture. [00:19:29] Miko Lee: And what's your dream for the game tonight?  [00:19:31] Al Perez: Of course, to win, right? Number, yeah, number one, Valkyries to win. And also, I hope that people will come and learn about our culture, and to appreciate it more. Maybe it will inspire them to try some Filipino food, or even come to our Pistahan Festival next weekend. Also Señor Sisig is right here in the plaza. They also do fusion Filipino food. I'm hoping that, by being here, people can get to be a little bit more familiar and curious about Filipino culture and community. We have such a, vibrant and diverse culture, we love to be in community. Our food's delicious, and entertainment's fantastic. So come check us out wherever and whenever you can.  [00:20:14] Mia Nakano: I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit about the artists who are here and the community organizations that are here tonight.  [00:20:19] Al Perez: So there's several of us nonprofit organizations here. Our group's the Filipino American Arts Exposition, our mission is more about broadening awareness and deepening understanding of Filipino culture and traditions by doing these cultural events. There's another group here called Young Filipino Professionals Association, or YFPA. They're more about, , uplifting young entrepreneurs, young career-minded, individuals to help them on their path to being more successful. There's also SoMa Pilipinas Cultural District is here. That's a new, relatively new, neighborhood in San Francisco. You know, there's Chinatown, there's Japantown, there's North Beach, so now we also have a Filipino community. It's called SoMa Pilipinas, they're also celebrating their 10th anniversary this year as being, designated as a cultural district. There's also Venazir is a visual artist. She's doing live art mural here inspired by Filipino culture and the intersection of culture and basketball. So it's a great way for people to kind of learn about our fine arts, our visual arts, and our he- heritage. Kristian Cabuay is doing script writing of traditional pre-colonial Philippine script. You know, Chinese and Japanese have their own script writing. The Phi- Filipino community also did before we were colonized by Spain. It's kind of almost forgotten and almost wiped out, so there's a few people now that's trying to revive that, that old tradition of writing .. It's called Baybayin.    [00:21:42] Mia Nakano: Can you talk a little bit about the history or why basketball is the national sport of the Philippines?   [00:21:48] Al Perez: Yeah. It's interesting. Yeah, why is basketball the national sport? I'm not sure exactly, but I think it has to do when after the Philippines was colonized by Spain, and then it, the country became, a commonwealth of the United States, right? And during that time, a lot of Americans came to the Philippines, to establish educational institutions, and one of them is sports. It just got introduced to us, and somehow it clicked. Everybody loves basketball. No matter where you are in the Philippines, in every little barrio, every little town, there's always a game happening [00:22:21] Miko Lee: So are people playing in school, like they start in elementary school, or is it more community based?  [00:22:26] Al Perez: I think it's both. It's just kinda grow, ingrown when you're just a kid growing up in your community. There's always basketball around you, surrounded by basketball. And then of course in more, elementary, high school, it became more teams dynamic, and you got competitions , intramural games. Even between little neighborhoods and little towns, they also have competitions. It's really a big deal. In fact, they love NBA. All the American basketball players are so popular. Everybody knows who they are. [00:22:54] Miko Lee: Al mentioned artist Venazir Martinez, and we pulled her away from the beautiful mural she was creating to talk with us. Again, this is outside, so the sound is quite loud. Venazir is a muralist and a visual anthropreneur. She weaves a tapestry of narratives that explore the connections between human traditions and the ever-changing landscapes that shape them. Listen as she tells us about her work and how she utilizes a symbolic red thread [00:23:25] Venazir Martinez: I'm Venazir Martinez. I am a muralist and a visual entrepreneur, and I am invited to create a live painting for the Golden State Valkyries. [00:23:36] Miko Lee: What has inspired you to create this work of art? [00:23:39] Venazir Martinez: So first and foremost, of course, women empowerment, and we have a lot of very talented Filipino Americans who play basketball. In the Philippines, because I grew up in the Philippines, basketball is such a huge deal. Everywhere in the most promote areas in the Philippines, basketball is their way of enjoying themselves and just pretty much having a time of their life. Basketball tenements are everywhere in the most remote areas in the Philippines. There's this concept of Filipino resiliency that I wanted to incorporate in my work, there are basketball hoops that is made out of wood scraps and like discarded metals. I wanted to highlight that part of Philippine ingenuity. That's why I'm here is to just shed light on that beautiful concept of Filipino ingenuity that we have.  [00:24:40] Miko Lee: I love that. Thank you for sharing. Can you break down what a basketball tenement is?  [00:24:44] Venazir Martinez: Oh, basketball tenement. So tenement courts, these are,.. How do I say this? In America, there's basketball courts that is, like, roofed. Okay. With a roof, and-  [00:24:54] Miko Lee: Like in a gymnasium.  [00:24:56] Venazir Martinez: In a gymnasium, yes. But in the Philippines, anywhere can be a basketball tenement court. They'll just put up a basketball hoop in a pole, like an electricity pole, and they can already play basketball in that area. [00:25:12] Miko Lee: So their court's just made up anywhere. Yeah. Anywhere in the community.  [00:25:14] Venazir Martinez: Anywhere in the community, in the most remote areas in the Philippines, they do that all the time. I grew up in the Philippines, so, it's that really is an immersive experience of having to see basketball really change lives for young people in our community. [00:25:32] Miko Lee: So we're at a WNBA game, and I'm wondering if there was a woman basketball player that you looked up to when you were growing up.  [00:25:39] Venazir Martinez: Growing up, my dad plays basketball. That's the only experience I know that, remembering what basketball is like. ‘Cause I'm mostly in martial arts. But here I am trying to experience a different, like, more empowering way of sports. And it's when I came to America that I experienced this kind of really, it's kind of empowering.  [00:26:01] Miko Lee: And since the Valkyries are women warriors, is there a Filipina equivalent of the woman warrior? Is there a Filipina equivalent of a woman warrior? [00:26:01] Venazir Martinez: There's a lot. There's a lot of very empowering Filipina. First and foremost, it's the Filipina community leaders that I know of in the Bay Area. They are my women warriors. They helped me from the ground up. They created a home for me. They, you know, so they welcomed me. The filipina community in the Bay Area welcomed me. They're all women.  [00:26:31] Miko Lee: Who would you say are some of those folks, some of those women?  [00:26:34] Venazir Martinez: Sonia Villarin, she wears so many hats. She's president of Filipina Food Movement, founder of summer camp in the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in San Francisco. She was the, senior vice president for Bank of America Global Leasing, and she welcomed her home to me and, pretty much, helped me establish my life here as an artist. So those are my women warriors. [00:27:00] Miko Lee: And when people see your beautiful work, what do you want them to walk away with feeling? [00:27:05] Venazir Martinez: I want them to take a second look again in my work, because these, my work pretty much talks about Filipino immigrants, and immigration at large, and pretty much our contributions and the harvested hopes that we have contributed in this cultural landscape,  [00:27:28] Miko Lee: this show is a pop-up tonight, so where can folks find out more about your work or see your work in the community? [00:27:34] Venazir Martinez: I have a huge, huge mural, 2,500 square feet mural in 5th and Folsom in San Francisco, downtown San Francisco in SoMa. It's called Ani, meaning to harvest. There's one in downtown Santa Cruz. There is one in Yuba City. There are multiple murals in Michigan, in New York, mostly in Queens. It's pretty much everywhere, but if you follow the red thread, which is my signature, my artist signature, you'll know that it's my work.  [00:28:08] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. Thank you so very much. Appreciate you taking the time. Another artist presenting their work was Kristian Kabuay working on pre-Philippines calligraphy. His line was so long that we ended up interviewing him separately. Christian is an artist, entrepreneur, futurist who specializes in endangered writing systems and tattoos from the Philippines. Hello, and welcome to Apex Express. Can you tell me your name, your background and what you were doing at the Valkyries Filipino Heritage Night? [00:28:40] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. My name is Kristian Kabuay. I'm a cultural practitioner specializing in our old, uh, pre-colonial, I say pre-Philippine, writing system and tattooing traditions. I was at the Valkyries, Filipino Heritage Night to interact with the community. I've done a lot of work with the Warriors, you know, going back to Oracle for these cultural nights, the Giants, as well. So most of the teams in the Bay Area, but it was my first time with the Valkyries, and it was quite different. [00:29:16] Miko Lee: How was it different?  [00:29:17] Kristian Kabuay: The vibe was, um… I'm telling everybody that it was my first Valkyries game, too. So the vibe was different. It reminds me of the old Oracle, it wasn't full of, like, tech money that are, you know, Patagonia vests watching the game. It felt very homegrown and it just brought me back to those days in old Oakland A's and when the Warriors were in Oracle. [00:29:42] Miko Lee: What does that evoke for you? What is that feeling like?  [00:29:46] Kristian Kabuay: It gives me a stronger sense of community and the audience is different. The demographics is different. There isn't that toxic male energy. I don't have to worry about someone being drunk and going off and, it was very homey and welcoming. It brings back, as a kid, when I used to watch A's games in the bleachers, watching at Oracle, the community, and not everyone was there to be seen. They were really there for the team.  [00:30:15] Miko Lee: Oh, I love that. I actually do feel like it is, it's such a we're together community vibe. [00:30:20] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. They even had the wave. I know some snooty teams, they don't have the wave, so-  [00:30:26] Miko Lee: That wave went on for a long time, too.  [00:30:29] Kristian Kabuay: Exactly. I've been to a lot of games. They're, “Oh, I don't wanna look stupid,” or whatever? So that's a big part of my childhood.  [00:30:36] Miko Lee: So I was gonna try and talk with you at the game like I did the other artists, but you had a huge line waiting to see you and talk to you. Talk with me a little bit more about your art form and this pre-clo colonization form of writing.  [00:30:52] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. Most civilizations had a writing system. It was prior to the land alphabet when the Spanish came and colonized the Philippines in the 1500s. We have this writing. There's only one ethnolinguistic group left in the Philippines that writes it. I come from a background of calligraphy, graffiti and abstract art. When I started to practice it, I incorporated those things. Later I found that I had to become an educator. Then starting to do the cultural festivals. Then you make your parents proud. It wasn't until I started to interact with the community that, there was this responsibility. I didn't come from a highly academic background, but I was being invited to Stanford and Berkeley to give talks about this. So, you know, that imposter syndrome kicked in. Because of the efforts that I've started in, 2010s, the idea of education around this specific writing system, my service isn't really needed. It's out there. Wikipedia, even AI can do it now, and there's a lot of influencers on TikTok that are, building on the stuff that I did 10 years ago. It goes in line with my idea of putting myself out of business. ‘Cause if it's a cultural practice, then you shouldn't be this gatekeeper, this apex of this this knowledge or this practice. It needs to be spread  [00:32:15] Miko Lee: What is the writing system called?  [00:32:17] Kristian Kabuay: A couple names. One of the popular names is Baybayin, and that literally means to spell. It's an adverb, but then it became a noun. So there's many different names depending on the languages in the Philippines.  [00:32:30] Miko Lee: And you said that there's a village of folks that still utilize it. Have you been there?  [00:32:34] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, I was there in 2016 with a research trip. I stayed with them for a few days to learn, a bit about more about the culture and to donate some time and volunteer, 'cause there's the Mangyan Heritage Foundation. I did some technology work with them. But then also meet with the elders that were there. The village elder did an interview for a film project that I'm doing, but also met the heirs, the daughters in the family that ultimately inherited this practice. [00:33:02] Miko Lee: And so they know that you're teaching this cultural practice around the world, and what is their opinion of that? What do they think?  [00:33:09] Kristian Kabuay: They like it, because it's a different perspective, and a lot of questions. When I go home they go, “Oh, why are you interested in this?” It's a totally different perspective. ‘Cause out here, we have our identity, and the diaspora issues. But back home, because of circumstances, colonization, et cetera, then, the priority is to eat, to live, not to preserve these cultural practices. I've had some indigenous elders tell me that when People come over there, to do their dissertation and they need to figure out their paper to get their PhD. They ask them, “What are you doing to preserve this?” It's kind of extractive or, like, information gathering. Honestly, it really is you strip it down, it is, survival: food, clothing, and shelter.  [00:33:52] Miko Lee: When people were standing in line for you at the actual Valkyrie's game, what were they asking you to write? Were they asking you to write notes or their name, or what was the request?  [00:34:03] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. Yeah, the line… I was telling people I've never had a line that long when I've done the Warriors. So- … you know, it's kind of different.  [00:34:10] Miko Lee: That's interesting. Just saying [00:34:11] Kristian Kabuay: Yes. I was writing mainly people's names- Mm um, and some words. Maybe a, a good third were non-Filipino, some were there just curious and asking and cultural sharing. Someone knows a Filipino and they go, “Oh, can you write mahal kita?” Like, I love you. And so, we pick up things, just here in the Bay Area. I have conversations with people wanna hear a family name that I never heard about. I say, “Whoa, where's your family from?” Kids learn the stories on how they combine names and some of the origins. It's always interesting when I do this with folks. [00:34:44] Miko Lee: I love that. And you're also a tattoo artist. Do you use some of this writing in your tattoo artistry?  [00:34:51] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, I do. And that's where the separation between the art and the cultural practice is. Where the writing wasn't tattooed traditionally, but that's where I kind of balance the art. And I separate those two where art is my expression, my personal expression on paper or maybe even on a body, but a cultural practice is more about them and their lineage. So I have to be clear to make those two distinctions.  [00:35:20] Miko Lee: So a question I've asked all the different people that have been involved in this night is that the Valkyries are based on women warriors, and I wonder if there's a Filipina woman warrior that comes to mind to you? [00:35:32] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, there is. There's one that, part of the lore. Where my dad's from, in his area called Pangasinan, the land of the salt. There's a princess warrior named Princess Urduja that was thought of as a great warrior. This specific Princess Urduja has that Valkyrie's spirit. All the artwork that you see and Academics will say, “Oh, it's you're romanticizing,” and things like that. But you know what? We need a little romance in our lives, right? And romance leads to action.  [00:36:03] Miko Lee: Ah, we certainly do. I'm wondering, with all those people, the long line that stood waiting for you, and you're having these conversations, what would you like them to walk away with after interacting with you?  [00:36:14] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. That's why there was a sign, and I took a picture of it. It doesn't say, Philippine writing. So it says pre-Philippine calligraphy. I made that term up in 2007 as a way to jolt someone's idea of what pre-Hispanic, pre-colonial is. ‘Cause those things kinda just fly overhead. But if I said pre-Philippines, people, they take a step back and they, “What's that mean?” Or they try to have a smart comeback, “Well, what were we before then?” And my question's always then, “Well, I don't know. Let's talk about it.” That gray area, that being uncomfortable, leads to more curiosity, and ultimately, that's what I want folks to go ahead and, you know… oh, I have this banana leaf. I ran out of index cards. I brought 100 of them. I had these banana leaves that I just meant to decorate the table. I said, “You know what? Let me write on these banana leaves like how our ancestors did.” People are asking, “Oh, what, we wrote on banana leaves?” I'm all, “Yeah, we wrote on, organic materials.” So this thing is probably gonna wilt away in a few weeks or a month or so, but that's how it is. So it's a metaphor for our physical selves, but then also, the message. Maybe they can go ahead and learn how to write it themselves or until we reconnect again. [00:37:31] Miko Lee: Hmm. That's beautiful. And how can our audience find out more about you and your work?  [00:37:36] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, you can just search for me online. My last name's K-A-B-U-A-Y. First name's Kristian, both with a K. All over the internets and the socials, pretty easy to find.  [00:37:46] Miko Lee: Thank you. And we'll put links to your website in our show notes, so thank you so much for chatting with me today. [00:37:52] Kristian Kabuay: Thanks, Miko [00:37:54] Miko Lee: I honestly didn't know that basketball was such a revered sport in the Philippines. So wanting to find out more, I reached out to a bunch of community folks, and multiple people said, “Reach out to Coach Carolyn Sudeco. She's the one. She's in the know.” So talking to me from her vacation spot halfway around the world is Coaching Kapwa's Carolyn Sudeco. Welcome, Carolyn Sideco, to Apex Express. I'm so happy to have you here.  [00:38:19] Carolyn Sideco: Thank you for having me.  [00:38:21] Miko Lee: Can you first start by telling me who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? [00:38:27] Carolyn Sideco: Oh my gosh, my people are, collectively, folks who identify as, Philippinics, Filipina, Filipino, and American, and, migratory, and those who claim blood relation and those who I'm still looking for. I live in San Francisco, California, Ohlone land, and also in the land of Choctaw Bulbancha, which is New Orleans, Louisiana. Those are the two places I reside.  [00:39:04] Miko Lee: Can you share about your work with Coaching Kapwa?  [00:39:08] Carolyn Sideco: Coaching Kapwa is what I love to do, and my background professionally is as a certified athletic administrator. I'm a physical educator at the high school level by profession, by certification, by training. But really what I love to do, and so what I do in my consultancy, is I explore and I examine and I think about and learn about everything related to sports cultures and how the culture of sports in all its various ways affect our societies. Specifically, I geek out over learning about my own Filipino American histories and other peoples. Learning that through the concept or the constructs of culture and how sports really is, for me, the funnest way to investigate who I am and who we are to each other. I call myself a sports relationship coach. I am a sports cultures consultant. I also like to identify as a sports liberator. [00:40:16] Miko Lee: Ooh, can you break down what a sports liberator is? [00:40:20] Carolyn Sideco: Miko, I took that from a friend of mine, Danya Cabello, also from the East Bay. Played at Cal, played professionally, and when I first met her years ago, she identified as such, and I said, “That is exactly the kind of person that I wanna be, like, in sports.” I wanted sports to be a way that I could share with people who we are to one another. I wanted to teach young people that they can express themselves in a way that helps make them feel free. With my background in sports administration, I was feeling like the sports industrial complex was really the antithesis of that. And what a lot of people in my profession were striving for was this success that was not defined in the same way that I was defining what my liberation was, and what I felt through sports. So I adopted that. I asked Dania, “Can I call myself a sports liberator too?” And she said, “Girl, you call yourself whatever you want.” So that's what I go by.  [00:41:37] Miko Lee: Ooh, thank you for sharing. That's so interesting in the midst of our kind of capitalization of sports, how corporate it has become. Interesting. Thanks. I also wanted to thank you for sharing with me, Rafe Bartholomew's Hoop Nation and Cassidy Hubbard's, Hoop's Paradise. So those, along with your YouTubes, really gave me a grounding in the connection to between basketball and the Philippines. I'll put a link to those in the show notes for other people that like to do deep dives like me. But can you just give our audience a sense of why basketball is so popular in the Philippines?  [00:42:10] Carolyn Sideco: I learned about the history of basketball and Filipino culture in the Philippines through various people, Rafe Bartholomew one of them, and his book Pacific Rims. A friend of mine here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kevin Santos, was doing his master's thesis on the history of basketball in the Philippines, and putting an ethnic studies frame on it, so he was the one who actually, practiced his thesis and presentation with me, and I learned a lot through him, and through other people as I was learning about this myself, and how basketball when it was initially, or as we, the modern game of basketball was invented, by Dr. Naismith in Massachusetts with the peach tree basket. Most of us are familiar with that history, but also that was around the time of the Philippine-American War, and US colonization was at its beginning. And so what did the United States export, was its culture, and a lot of that was through sports, mainly baseball, 'cause baseball was already the national pastime. Basketball was relatively new, and basketball was taught in the Philippines also, like in conjunction with the American education system by teachers, by the Thomasites, and by others who were using that form of colonization. They gave basketball to the women and the girls, because it was the lesser sport. It was the newer sport, so it was the lesser sport. They gave it to the women. The men were supposed to play baseball. The Philippines is a collective society- Baseball is a spread out sport, and people aren't close to one another. You're out on a field, it's hella hot, and it's boring. [00:44:17] Miko Lee: Agree. Totally agree …  [00:44:19] Carolyn Sideco: it's easy, to make this assumption that these people playing baseball were watching the girls and women play basketball, and it's faster. Close to one another. It's easy to make a space. So they started playing basketball.  [00:44:39] Miko Lee: Also, you don't need all the things. You need a ball. [00:44:41] Carolyn Sideco: Exactly. In the early days, you didn't even need shoes. Yeah. So it took off in that way because basketball already itself was an activity that Filipino people, kinda took hold of already, and they made it their own. Trained teams started forming and the Philippines had national teams that were already very successful in Asian context, so Asian tournaments they were dominating. In 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association became the first men's, basketball league in Asia, and the first after the NBA in America. So the Philippines has had a long history of relationship with the sport of basketball, but because it's been so long, the sport itself was formed in response to all the cultural aspects that were already existing, right? a lot of town squares had basketball courts 'cause it was so easy to put there. So the same plazas, meeting spaces where people would have their town gatherings, social places, were also courts  [00:45:56] Miko Lee: And why do you think or just surmise that basketball has taken off more than, football or American term soccer, which is developed so much in other countries, which is also a little bit more communal? [00:46:08] Carolyn Sideco: My opinion is that American colonization, in the United States dictated, much more the United States cannot dictate because football or soccer is a more global sport, and the US didn't have as much stake in guiding that as a colonization tool as they did basketball. [00:46:29] Miko Lee: Hmm. Interesting. Speaking of the colonization and politics, I'm wondering about the connection between basketball and politics. In, Cassidy's podcast, they were talking about a politician who released their own basketball shoe, which is wild to me. Yes. So I wonder if there's other connections between basketball or politics, and if that's generally somebody who's more on the colonizer's viewpoint or more conservative viewpoint. Hmm.  [00:46:58] Carolyn Sideco: Hmm. Interesting. I, hmm, I go back and forth with this a lot, Miko, the colonizing tool that is sports, especially the capitalistic sort of, extraction, of sports, right? Of its players, who I like to think of as workers. They're also workers, right? The professional, Philippine Basketball Association is not much different than even professional sports in America with the way they're set up, right? You have owning groups or companies, and so you have these ways that exploitation and that workers' rights are… how do I say it? Because it's at the professional level, these concepts are very much at play, excuse the pun. The Philippines also has a governmental arm related to sports. So sports in and of itself is recognized, right? It doesn't have as much of this sort of altruistic thing as, as we say in the United States, like the sports is like the good of mankind, like that sort of thing. Like, I think, you know-  [00:48:08] Miko Lee: The kind of Olympic idea of unity, it brings us all together. [00:48:11] Carolyn Sideco: Right, like that, those conceptual sorts of virtues.  [00:48:15] Miko Lee: Mm-hmm.  [00:48:15] Carolyn Sideco: Yeah. So in the Philippines, I think it's so much more practical because it's fun, and you could get in a game anywhere, and it's accessible. Mm-hmm. It's accessible to all strata, economic strata, right? You see basketball courts everywhere, in rural areas in cities. Everywhere you'll see basketball courts. The Philippines itself as a country- I think that relationship to sports is something different than the American relationship to professional sports, where dominance and, winning and, beating others and making as much money as possible in that is at the forefront. In the United States even with youth sports now. I do some consulting work, especially in youth sports spaces, and the privatization and the extraction of the youth sports space is, is… We could go on all day about that. I think, this is obviously from a Filipino American perspective. For sure. I've never lived in the Philippines. I was born in the Philippines, but my relationship to the Philippines is also, being mitigated by how I experience American sports, right? So when I think about how I've experienced basketball when I've gone to the Philippines, , and it's the same as any aspect of that culture, right? It's warm, it's welcoming, it's friendly, and those are the cultural aspects that kind of, , supersede the fact that basketball… Basketball has its place, but it's in service to the cultural needs, right? To the need to be social, to participate in a town gathering. It's so sociopolitical.- And because it is, it's still a colonizing tool, right? But it's still mitigated in a way that I think just like Filipino basketball players are so, like, quick. They're known for quickness, agility, and finesse, and, like, drama, right? I used to joke around, like, you can always tell where a Filipino basketball player is in the United States 'cause no Filipino who has Filipino blood in them can do a regular layup. Like they have to make it all fancy. I think that, those sorts of aspects that are not tangible, that bring to light, the way a culture of people affect the sport. it enables a culture to push out through the boundaries of that sport what was given to them. What was given to them is, “This is how you play. These are the rules,” and all that kinda stuff, and that's great, but Filipino history of basketball is always, like, how do you integrate all the really cool things about your culture? It's something that's very different, and it emerges as something that's not quite American. [00:51:36] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. I'm wondering how our audience can find out more about you and your work.  [00:51:43] Carolyn Sideco: They can, follow me on Instagram at coachingkapwa, K-A-P-W-A. Kapwa is the Filipino word for the concept of interrelationship, interconnectedness. And so everything I learned about being, being a person really is through being a good teammate, and sports is the funnest way, like I've said before to practice being a good teammate  [00:52:12] Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Coach, for sharing with me about Sports Liberation and your work, and I'll put links to all that in our show notes. And I thank you so much for joining us on Apex Express.  [00:52:23] Carolyn Sideco: Thank you, Miko [00:52:25] Miko Lee: Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preti Mangala-Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night.    The post APEX Express – 8.13.26 – Bayanihan in Ballhalla appeared first on KPFA.

Send us Fan MailHoly shit, we're on location at one of the happiest places on earth (aka Ballhalla) for the Valkyries 2nd annual Filipino Heritage Night! The Valkyries are San Francisco's WNBA team who are winning their way to the playoffs, and in this episode we're celebrating Filipino style!We kick things off with Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (and 2025 WNBA coach of the year!) talking about inclusivity and the importance of being seen. Next you'll hear from Raquel Redondiez, director of SOMA Pilipinas, to discuss celebrating Filipino culture, and the exciting events we have to look forward to for SOMA Pilipinas' 10 year anniversary. Then it's all things music with one of the best DJs in San Francisco (and friend of the show) DJ Bitesize on the beauty and intersection of Filipino culture and the Ballhalla community. We wrap up our convos with Bay Area born and raised rapper/producer P-Lo on evolving as an artist and his focus on uplifting the next generation of Bay Area talent. And if all of that wasn't enough, we cap the episode off with a snippet of P-Lo's halftime performance. You're welcome.Follow the Valkyries on IGFollow SOMA Pilipinas on IGFollow Raquel Redondiez on IGFollow Coach Natalie Nakase on IGFollow DJ Bitesize on IGFollow rapper/producer P-Lo on IGSupport the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you!--Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. Fuck ice.--Support Bitch Talk here!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and SubstackListen every Monday at 7 am on BFF.FM

With a couple of handfuls of games left in the season, which teams are championship-trustworthy in the WNBA? Diving into that and much more with Cindy Brunson and Helen Williams.HerHoopStats.com: Unlocking better insight about the women's game.The Her Hoop Stats Newsletter: https://herhoopstats.substack.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In hour 1 of Steiny and Guru, Steiny and Evan (filling in for Guru) get into the Valkyries and them losing to the Washington Mystics at home last night at Ballhalla. What's been their identity? What is the next step for them going forward? How advanced have they become with only 2 years in existence? In hour 2 of Steiny and Guru, Steiny and Evan get into what draws the Valkyries in. Is it the gear? Ballhalla entertainment? OR the fact they're in 3rd place overall in the league. Plus, Giants lose again late, what has Vitello shown us as a far as emotion? Has he suppressed anything? In hour 3 of Steiny and Guru, Steiny and Evan get into the Giants and specifically where things have gone wrong. Has Vitello been hiding his emotions? Was Posey a great leader on the field and can't translate that in the front office? In hour 4 of Steiny and Guru, we wait for Lebron James to make a decision, the guys discuss what this young Warriors roster can do and how it all starts with not making any rash decisions from the front office.

In hour 2 of Steiny and Guru, Steiny and Evan get into what draws the Valkyries in. Is it the gear? Ballhalla entertainment? OR the fact they're in 3rd place overall in the league. Plus, Giants lose again late, what has Vitello shown us as a far as emotion? Has he suppressed anything?

In hour 1 of Steiny and Guru, Steiny and Evan (filling in for Guru) get into the Valkyries and them losing to the Washington Mystics at home last night at Ballhalla. What's been their identity? What is the next step for them going forward? How advanced have they become with only 2 years in existence?

Ja teniu nou programa! - Freaks and Beers. - Freaks and Kids. - Notas a Pau de pàgina: Sol ixent. - El Yelmo: La funeraria. - Pixel·lània: Road to Ballhalla. - Video-Jocs de Paraules. Esperem que us agradi! Ja teniu nou programa! - Freaks and Beers. - Freaks and Kids. - Notas a Pau de pàgina: Sol ixent. - El Yelmo: La funeraria. - Pixel·lània: Road to Ballhalla. - Video-Jocs de Paraules.

The tough stretch for the Valkyries now points toward Atlanta. The Valkyries play two games against Atlanta, one of the best teams in the league, and will have to contend with Angel Reese, who is feasting in the paint. One of biggest names in the WNBA comes to one of the best environments in the league. Marcus Thompson and Mercury News Valkyries beat writer Nathan Canilao bring on ESPN's Kendra Andrews to discuss Reese, this pivotal stretch for Golden State and more.

Valkyries sideline reporter and KPIX Channel 5 sports anchor Matt Lively joins The Roast ahead of the Valkyries big showdown against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever

We've got a West Coast vibe on today's episode as Cindy Brunson and Marisa Ingemi are here to prep us for the second matchup between the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries. We also get the latest update on Kelsey Plum's ankle injury, and more.HerHoopStats.com: Unlocking better insight about the women's game.The Her Hoop Stats Newsletter: https://herhoopstats.substack.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on Good Follow, Juju Gotti and Trysta Krick break down how Portland Fire secured their first-ever W. How did Bridget Carelton and Sarah Ashlee Barker make this happen? Do Golden State and Ballhalla need to watch their back? Next, what does it mean that Azzi Fudd isn't starting at this point in the season? Are there too many guards in Dallas? Why is Arike Ogunbowale starting? Then, they try to figure out what Los Angeles' plan for Cameron Brink is this season. Are the Sparks a championship team or a developmental team? Finally, Juju takes accountability for doubting Olivia Miles on the Minnesota Lynx. Let's take a second to imagine Olivia Miles on the Dallas Wings… Lastly, Good Follow makes their DraftKings Pick of the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pre-season (aka the Whose Line of the season) is here and the techs are already flying: the return of Chennedy Carter, the fear of the New York Liberty's new team, and the sweet little Mystics team.#NewYorkLiberty #LasVegasAces #SeattleStorm #IndianaFever #ConnecticutSun #PhoenixMercury #DallasWings #ChicagoSky #MinnesotaLynx #WashingtonMystics #LosAngelesSparks #AtlantaDream #TorontoTempo #GoldenStateValkyries #UConnHuskies #Paigebueckers #azzifudd

In Part 2, we pick up where we left off in Part 1. To get us caught up to what Lisa is doing these days, we go back to her arrival in The Bay. Her work at the prop shop led to some other jobs, but competition was fierce and she sought a way to integrate art into the labor she undertook. She found it when the production of James and the Giant Peach hired her to do puppet fabrication. The work took place in a warehouse in South of Market and it wasn't quite as glamorous as people think. In fact, it was grueling, but rewarding. Her boss on that job was a woman named Kat. That was 30 years ago, and the two are good friends today. In fact, Kat is shooting a documentary about Lisa's incredible life called Made of Iron. More on that below. Lisa wanted to stick with animation, but was never able to get an art director job. She considered moving to LA, but shut that down pretty quickly. And so she decided to learn a trade—something her dad did back in the day. She went to a job fair and asked what the hardest trade represented there that day was. Lisa's trade became ironwork. Her introduction to the folks who did ironwork was a little rough. She was required to visit job sites and get an ironworker to sponsor her. It took her six months to get hired. She met a guy named Danny Prince who helped her get work in The City making precasts (think parking garages). She'd work during the week and go to classes for ironworking on Saturdays. Ironwork has, quite possibly since its inception, been very much a “man's” world. Lisa ran head-first into bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination from the get-go. But a combination of her own drive and the advice of a few mentors helped her get through it. There might have even been some “Go fuck yourself”s along the way, too. That said, the highs were high and the lows were low. “I never cried on the job,” Lisa told me. But the tears would come once she was home in the evenings. Still, she persevered, and things got better and better for her. One of her early favorite jobs was on the then-new California Academy of Sciences. Besides it just being a really cool building, Lisa got to do many different jobs all around the place. She says it was incredible watching it all come together. Another job highlight was Lisa's work on the arena that came to be known as Chase Center (and for Valkyries fans, “Ballhalla”). Photos of Lisa helping build Chase can be seen in the gallery to the left here. Another was Marin General Hospital. And then there was the Golden Gate Bridge. After Chase Center and another, lesser job (and a divorce), Lisa got offered a job working on the Suicide Deterrent Net on my favorite bridge. But it wasn't just any job. She would be foreperson. She didn't think she could do it because she didn't know bridge work (despite working a little on the new Bay Bridge). After being told it was foreperson or nothing, she decided to take the job. Of course the crew she would oversee comprised all bridge-work veterans. Her approach was to be respectful of that. And her crew respected her back for it. The job entails taking out old pieces and beefing up the infrastructure of the bridge, which was finished back in 1933. Lisa talks at some length about a societal need for us all to have more respect for labor. I'm with her 100 percent. There's a lot that we take for granted every day, all over the place. Many people worked and still do work hard as hell so that we can have shit like roads and sidewalks, transit tunnels, housing, and so much more. We should recognize and respect that work. We end the episode with Lisa's thoughts about life, her work, and what she loves about San Francisco and the Bay Area. You can donate to help fund Kat's documentary at the Made of Iron website. And follow that adventure on Instagram @madeofirondocumentary.

The Golden State Warriors have increased their contract offer to Jonathan Kuminga, but the sides have not come to an agreement. Dalton Johnson and Monte Poole break down the contract negotiations as well as how it might impact the rest of the team, before giving flowers to the Golden State Valkyries for their success in their inaugural season.(02:00) - The Warriors have a new offer(s) on the table for Jonathan Kuminga while other free agents wait(07:00) - The Kuminga restricted free agency situation remains unresolved as Warriors Media Day approaches(08:30) - Could Draymond Green move into an Andre Iguodala type role to make room for Kuminga to start?(20:00) - Is Bob Myers' ability to connect with people and players missing in these negotiations?(26:45) - If Warriors flip "Team Option" to a "Player Option," Kuminga will sign contract(32:15) - The Valkyries are bringing the WNBA playoffs to the Bay, but will "Ballhalla" travel to SAP Center in San Jose?(38:30) - Veronica Burton named WNBA Most Improved Player. Which Warriors player could make same leap this season? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Golden State Valkyries' first season has been a huge success. Next week, they'll be the first WNBA expansion team to appear in the playoffs.  The Valkyries aren't just good; they're fun to watch. Part of their appeal is the community around the team, which embraces women and LGBTQ people. This is also reflected in the team's official DJs, whose job it is to set the mood at Chase Center, AKA Balhalla. Links: Meet the DJs Bringing the Pride and the Party to the Valkyries' Ballhalla Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Portland WNBA team has officially announced its name. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx earned a hard-fought win on the road in Chicago, and the Phoenix Mercury went into Ballhalla and came away victorious. Jamie Steyer Johnson and Brittany Carper break it all down.HerHoopStats.comUnlock better insight about the women's game.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ballhalla magic is fueling excitement around WNBA expansion. Who should headline this year's All-Star Skills Competition? Chelsea Leite and Coach Helen Williams have you covered on all this and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Phoenix Mercury notch a hard-fought win in New York, the Golden State Valkyries use grit, grind, and Ballhalla in a statement victory over the Indiana Fever, and the 2025 USA Women's AmeriCup roster is stacked! Jamie Steyer Johnson and Brittany Carper are on the mics and covering it all.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Valkyries hosted Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever last night, and turned a regular season game into a raucous, playoff like atmosphere.

In hour 1, Spadoni and Shasky discuss the Valkyries HUGE win at Ballhalla as they beat Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

6-9 Papa & Silver Show - Hour 4See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6-9 Papa & Silver Show - Hour 4See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle joins us to discuss the present and future of the new kids on the block, the Golden State Valkyries. We discuss the Nakase Plan, the surprising performance of Veronica Burton, why we love Janelle Salaun and believe in Carla Leite. Ballhalla, this one's for you!

Join Jordan, Commish, Pitt Girl, and special guest Ashtyn Butuso of Flagrant Mag, along with VP of Podcast Production Arthur. We talk about the Oregon State Beavers, cartoon Beavers, things that Oregon State has given the world, then we preview the WNBA, we talk about the Good, the Bad and the Sickos teams for the upcoming season, From Florida Gulf Coast to WNBA Head Coach, Liberty, Lynx, so many new coaches in the league, the Sun being sold, Commish Power Ranks the mascots, then Bert extension at Illinois, the convoluted path why Cincinnati is playing Nebraska in Kansas City, ESPN's new streaming app, Dallas Mavs getting the #1 pick, a death of a famous alligator and much much more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

WNBA Pre-Season is upon us and woooo baby it feels like we're in the regular season and we're covering it all! Paige Bueckers debut! A trip to Ballhalla! The WNBA's first Pope! And all these new WNBA fans will finally learn wtf the Wizard is (Marine Johannès)!#NewYorkLiberty #LasVegasAces #SeattleStorm #IndianaFever #ConnecticutSun #PhoenixMercury #DallasWings #ChicagoSky #MinnesotaLynx #WashingtonMystics #LosAngelesSparks #AtlantaDream #TorontoTempo #GoldenStateValkyries #caitlinclark #angelreese #ajawilson #paigebueckers

  Games, games, games are our focus today. The whole crew and a special guest take the mic and talk about a ton of games in this … Review Raid!!! We talk: Road to Ballhalla, Brawlout, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Super Dungeon Tactics, Airheart – Tales of Broken Wings, Socketeer, Tetra’s Escape, Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters, and Coffee Crisis. Phew, that’s a lot of games. Let’s get right on to the reviews (timestamps below) to see if you should add them to your tag today or avoid them with a ten foot pole! Road to Ballhalla - 4:37 Brawlout - 9:15 Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes - 17:20 Super Dungeon Tactics - 27:02 Airheart - Tales of Broken Wings - 35:53 Socketeer - 44:54 Tetra's Escape - 51:08 Drunk Fu: Wasted Masters - 56:00 Coffee Crisis - 1:06:28 Follow the show: Twitter-twitter.com/Achievements101 Mixer- mixer.com/TAH101

Too many Nindies! Levins and JV go through BOTH of the recent Nindies showcase videos, sharing their thoughts on almost 40 new game announcements, then delve into a super long episode filled with reviews of (deep breath): Donut County, The Messenger, Into The Breach, Iconoclasts, Salt and Sanctuary, Kero Blaster, Blade Strangers, Dead Cells, Flat Heroes, Road to Ballhalla, Code of Princess EX, Not A Hero, Crossing Souls, Semblance, Darkside Detective, Prison Architect, Golf Story and Pool Panic! Enjoy this insanely long episode!ALL THE SMALL GAMES ON FACEBOOKFOLLOW US ON TWITTERTWITTER: LEVINS / JONINSTAGRAM: LEVINS / JONEMAIL: ALLTHESMALLGAMES@GMAIL.COM-All The Small Games is a monthly podcast about indie games, hosted by Andrew Levins and Jon Valenzuela. Get in touch with the show by emailing us at allthesmallgames@gmail.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the Nindie Nation podcast Episode 8! In this weeks episode Jeff and Josh go in-depth with Dead Cells, Salt & Sanctuary, Flat Heroes, Operation Hardcore, Road to Ballhalla, and many other titles. Plus, eShop sales and new releases!

This week is packed full of game and accessory announcements with a plethora of new Gamecube controllers for Smash Bros. Ultimate and new Handheld Mode enabled Joy-Cons. We also have an update on Octopath Traveler availability, Online subscription pre-orders, and Reggie's Lip-Sync battle appearance. We take a look at this week's big releases including Titan Quest, Code of Princess EX, WarioWare Gold, Flat Heroes, Cycle 28, Road to Ballhalla, Not a Hero, and many more. We are also playing tons of games including our full on battle over Super Destronaut DX, Battle Chasers, Semblance, Elements, Paladins, and Rogue Trooper Redux! Follow Us Michael: Twitter, Instagram, Blog James: Twitter, Blog, YouTube Nintendo Dispatch: Twitter & Website Proudly recorded on Zencastr ⭐⭐ Review Us (http://www.nintendodispatch.com/review) ⭐⭐

This week is packed full of game and accessory announcements with a plethora of new Gamecube controllers for Smash Bros. Ultimate and new Handheld Mode enabled Joy-Cons. We also have an update on Octopath Traveler availability, Online subscription pre-orders, and Reggie's Lip-Sync battle appearance. We take a look at this week's big releases including Titan Quest, Code of Princess EX, WarioWare Gold, Flat Heroes, Cycle 28, Road to Ballhalla, Not a Hero, and many more. We are also playing tons of games including our full on battle over Super Destronaut DX, Battle Chasers, Semblance, Elements, Paladins, and Rogue Trooper Redux! Follow Us Michael: Twitter, Instagram, Blog James: Twitter, Blog, YouTube Nintendo Dispatch: Twitter & Website Proudly recorded on Zencastr ⭐⭐ Review Us (http://www.nintendodispatch.com/review) ⭐⭐

Thanks for watching Roundtable in 2016! Thanks to Madrinas, as well, for sponsoring all of our December episodes! Go to http://www.madrinascoffee.com/roundtable and enter to win free coffee for a year! 2:30 - The Witness (http://store.steampowered.com/app/210970/) 6:42 - Tharsis (http://store.steampowered.com/app/323060/) 9:26 - Golf With Your Friends (http://store.steampowered.com/app/431240/) 12:13 - Darkest Dungeon (http://store.steampowered.com/app/262060/) 17:17 - Pony Island (http://store.steampowered.com/app/405640/) 19:10 - Punch Club (http://store.steampowered.com/app/394310/) 22:55 - Move or Die (http://store.steampowered.com/app/323850/) 24:31 - The Westport Independent (http://store.steampowered.com/app/352240/) 26:20 - Dragon Quest Builders (https://store.na.square-enix.com/product/403978/dragon-quest-builders-day-one-edition-ps4 - this is not an indie game lol) 27:51 - XCOM 2 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/268500/) 28:20 - Firewatch (http://store.steampowered.com/app/383870/) 33:38 - Layers of Fear (http://store.steampowered.com/app/391720/) 37:28 - Stardew Valley (http://store.steampowered.com/app/413150/) 39:35 - SUPERHOT (http://store.steampowered.com/app/322500/) 42:35 - Devil Daggers (http://store.steampowered.com/app/322500/) 44:08 - Ultimate Chicken Horse (http://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/) 47:28 - Hyper Light Drifter (http://store.steampowered.com/app/257850/) 51:58 - The Guest (http://store.steampowered.com/app/402040/) 54:10 - Deadbolt (http://store.steampowered.com/app/394970/) 56:19 - Shellshock Live (http://store.steampowered.com/app/326460/) 1:01:46 - Space Food Truck (http://store.steampowered.com/app/397390/) 1:03:15 - Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight (http://store.steampowered.com/app/428550/) 1:04:35 - Block'hood (http://store.steampowered.com/app/416210/) 1:06:53 - ADR1FT (http://store.steampowered.com/app/300060/) 1:09:50 - FORCED SHOWDOWN (http://store.steampowered.com/app/265000/) 1:12:52 - Flamebreak (http://store.steampowered.com/app/399640/) 1:16:25 - Enter the Gungeon (http://store.steampowered.com/app/311690/) 1:21:08 - The Banner Saga 2 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/281640/) 1:22:20 - Collider 2 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/357010/) 1:25:35 - TASTEE: Lethal Tactics (http://store.steampowered.com/app/365190/) 1:27:37 - Youtubers Life (http://store.steampowered.com/app/428690/) 1:29:33 - Gladiabots (https://gfx47.itch.io/gladiabots) 1:32:37 - Dead by Daylight (http://store.steampowered.com/app/381210/) 1:34:12 - The Solus Project (http://store.steampowered.com/app/313630/) 1:36:26 - Space Run Galaxy (http://store.steampowered.com/app/355800/) 1:39:20 - INSIDE (http://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/) 1:39:41 - Rimworld (http://store.steampowered.com/app/294100/) 1:40:35 - Quadrilateral Cowboy (http://store.steampowered.com/app/240440/) 1:42:01 - NECROPOLIS (http://store.steampowered.com/app/384490/) 1:44:28 - Death Road to Canada (http://store.steampowered.com/app/252610/) 1:46:20 - Videoball (http://store.steampowered.com/app/277390/) 1:48:15 - Poly Bridge (http://store.steampowered.com/app/367450/) 1:50:01 - Abzu (http://store.steampowered.com/app/384190/) 1:52:22 - This is the Police 1:53:42 - Reigns 1:54:30 - Worms WMD 1:55:00 - Grow Up 1:56:04 - Kingdom: New Lands 1:56:15 - N++ 1:57:09 - Tricky Towers 1:58:06 - Okhlos 1:58:22 - Obduction 1:59:34 - Overcooked 2:01:02 - Redout 2:02:17 - Clustertruck 2:03:38 - Mother Russia Bleeds 2:04:50 - Jackbox Party Pack 3 2:06:22 - Shadow Warrior 2 2:06:39 - Atlas Reactor 2:08:05 - Thumper 2:09:12 - GoNNER 2:10:15 - Owlboy 2:11:02 - SHENZHEN I/O 2:13:41 - Road to Ballhalla 2:13:49 - Political Animals 2:14:28 - Beholder 2:15:39 - Ghostlords 2:16:24 - Kopanito All Stars Soccer 2:18:04 - Astroneer 2:20:04 - AM2R 2:20:32 - Thank you!

Today on the show, we continue the discussion about Miguel’s balls. We also discuss our favorite comics of the week. Justin tells some funny stories, and of course, we go over the week’s comics, movie and tv news. We also briefly discuss a couple of amazing podcasts that we’ve recently discovered: LIMETOWN, and the Black...Read more →

Today on the show, Miguel gives us too much info about his balls. We discuss our favorite comics of the week, as well as a really cool OGN that we just discovered. Miguel tells a couple of funny stories, and we go over the week’s comics, movie and tv news. We also briefly touch on...Read more →

Subscribe on iTunes ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/plug-and-play-podcast/id1111887508?mt=2 ) Subscribe via RSS ( http://66.147.242.93/~engagin6/plugandplaygamer/feed/podcast/plug-and-play-podcast ) This week on Plug and Play Podcast Tim has a crazy week while Zach hangs out at CCOM and preps for a yard sale. We talk a little more about Zelda Breathe of the Wild while Tim also explore the VR World on PlayStation. He grabs the last car out of Ballhalla and becomes the only Traitor to hopefully ever survive. *Email Questions To* mail@plugandplayproduction.com