Tiffany Toong’s award winning essay after meeting Team China. We congratulate Tiffany and thank her for sharing her experience!
Jook-sing, eh?
The term “jook-sing”, meaning hollow bamboo, is used to describe an American- or Canadian-born Chinese person who has grown up in a western environment, such that he or she is unable to, or has difficulty speaking, reading, or writing in Chinese. This description fits me pretty well.
I was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario; both my parents immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in the early 80’s in hopes of raising a family in a place that would offer better opportunities for their children. For me, one of these opportunities came in the form of hockey. At the rightful age of 5, I laced up my first pair of skates. Almost instantaneously, I became consumed in the Canadian hockey culture. This included waking up early for Saturday morning games, while my dad watched enthusiastically from the stands with, of course, a Tim Horton’s coffee in his hands.
Besides hockey, I had a pretty typical Canadian childhood. My parents sent me to daycare, summer camps and even swimming lessons at the YMCA. While I occupied myself with these numerous activities, many other Asian-Canadian parents sent their kids to Chinese school, after-school math classes (Kumon) in addition to piano lessons. At one point, my mom encouraged me to take piano lessons, but I gave up on that idea right away since my stubby fingers just weren’t meant to play. Overall, I enjoyed my childhood and didn’t seem bothered by the fact that I was often the only non-white girl at my countless activities.
As I grew older, I began resenting the fact that I was Chinese. If someone would ask me my ethnicity, I would hesitantly say that I was Chinese and would always add in that my parents spoke to me in English. Perhaps, I did this to differentiate myself from the many other Chinese kids that I went to elementary school with at North Agincourt (nicknamed North “Asiancourt”).
It wasn’t until middle school that I first experienced Chinese stereotypes and racist jokes. Luckily, I was never made fun of directly. Yet I was annoyed by the fact that there were many people that humorously tried to imitate what they thought a Chinese accent sounded like. Most of the time, I was strong enough to ignore it all, and make myself believe that I really wasn’t Chinese and therefore the remarks didn’t apply to or affect me.
This past October, our hockey coach informed us that we would be playing Team China as part of their Vancouver Olympic preparation. At the time, I didn’t really draw much importance to it - I didn’t even know China had a women’s hockey team let alone know that they qualified for the Olympics!
The big day came, and I prepared for it just like I would any other game. I remember one of my teammates, Jocelyn, cracking a joke, “Tiff, you’ll be playing right at home tonight,” I just laughed it off. Before the game, there was a player-meet-and-greet, however not much meeting and greeting went on as both teams sat at their respective tables. I felt a sense of security and pride sitting with my team, knowing that I was part of a group of Canadian girls that played hockey.
The game turned out to be a huge event; the stands were packed with little girls from our hockey league and other members of the community that had come out to support us. During the opening ceremonies, as their roster was being announced with such names as Jeng Fengling and Qi Xueting, I remember laughing inside my head. I thought to myself that “Toong (silent g)”, my last name that people constantly mispronounced didn’t seem that bad compared to theirs. I took the opening face-off, I’m sure this was no coincidence; my coach probably sensed a need to give me that opportunity. Right off the start, Team China swiftly moved the puck into our end, and nearly scored that very first shift. They quickly took control of the game with their crisp passing, fast puck movement and great speed. By the end of the game, they had skated off with a well deserved 3-0 win. I was amazed and pleasantly surprised at how good they were. I was most impressed with their work ethic; these girls never gave up and won every little battle on the ice.
After the game, dinner was provided to us by the Mandarin restaurant and consisted of North American style Chinese food. I then felt more comfortable sitting with these accomplished athletes, knowing that the game was over, and I could now begin to relax. I even got the opportunity to talk to their captain, Wang Linuo, who informed me that she grew up in a small village north of Harbin, China. Given the circumstances, she had to leave her family to pursue her dream of playing hockey at the Olympic level. Only at this point did I realize that their hard work and dedication got them to where they are. I started thinking of similar values that my parents tried to instill in me while growing up, and really began to feel a deeper connection to the talented Chinese National Women’s Team.
On the ride home, I remember discussing with my dad the possibility of me immigrating to China, obtaining my citizenship, and playing for their Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. At that moment, I realized my mindset had changed - I was now prouder than ever to be Chinese. There have been numerous times in my life that others have been quick to judge, stereotype and generalize the Chinese culture, myself included. Much of this ignorance may stem from the fact that, as a ‘jook-sing’ I was so consumed with the western culture growing up, that I never bothered trying to understand the Chinese culture. But in just one game, I quickly learned that regardless of our upbringing, these women and I were not that different at all. In fact, we had much more in common than I had ever imagined. When I came off the ice that game, I felt a sense of accomplishment being able to play against a team of that caliber. But most importantly I felt a sense of pride, that they too, were also Chinese.
Tiffany, born and raised in Scarborough, lives with her parents and older brother Tim. She’s currently competing at the highest level of women’s hockey, with the Etobicoke Jr. Dolphins. Tiffany has ranked 1st in her grade for the past 3 years, and has received numerous athletic and academic achievements awards. She looks to obtain a full hockey scholarship to a D-1 university in the States. Tiffany aspires to pursue her studies in the medical field. When not playing hockey, she enjoys hanging out with friends, travelling, and reading. She is grateful for the continued support of her family and friends. |
Ontario
Womens Hockey Association 
