Episode 29 - Larnie Boqurien
Episode 29 w/ Larnie Boqurien
In the midst of having so many of our plans disrupted I’m learning to be grateful for the times when rays of sunshine break through the darkness. The postponement of the Tokyo summer olympics made it possible for me to meet and have a conversation with Larnie Boquiren, the Sports Medicine Manager for the USA Women’s Water Polo team. We talked about her Filipino heritage and her path to becoming an athletic trainer as well as having perspective and gratitude for what we have. October is Filipino American History month. There’s so much most of us don’t know about Asian American history. For example, did you know the first Filipnos arrived in Northern California in October of 1587? The history and stories of AAPI’s is varied and are often unknown. I’m grateful for the privilege of interviewing and learning from leaders like Larnie.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LARNIE
Follow along the USA Women’s Water Polo team!
IG: @womenswp_usa
Larnie Boquiren, currently serves as the Sports Medicine Manager for USA Women's Water Polo. She earned her bachelor of sciences degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in athletic training at Cal State University, Fullerton, master's degree in Sports Health Care from A.T Still University in Mesa Arizona and completed an athletic training fellowship with the New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute in Manchester, New Hampshire. Prior to working with the Women's Water Polo team, Larnie was a middle school physical education teacher for 9 years, in addition to her athletic training responsibilities of caring for middle school and high school athletic programs. During her summers, Larnie served as a seasonal assistant athletic trainer for USA Men's and Women's Indoor Volleyball over 6 seasons. As an athletic trainer, Larnie is responsible for the day to day care of athletes from acute care, prevention, rehabilitation, manual therapy. But is a part of a greater village of multi disciplinary health care providers, coaches, and staff that serves to keep athletes healthy as they pursue their Olympic Dreams.
FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD
Chop Silog: Filipino garlic fried rice (sp?)
Pandesal: Filipino bread rolls
Bulalo: oxtail soup
Adobo & fried fish
Calamansi juice
LEADERSHIP LESSON
Prepare for the “what ifs”.
DID YOU KNOW?
And the Gold Medal Goes To...
Did you know Victoria Manalo Draves was the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal? Draves competed in the 1948 London olympics in both the springboard and platform events and won gold in both (1). Draves was born in the 1920s in Northern California when anti-miscegenation laws had been overturned but interracial marriages were still socially frowned upon (2). Because of that, Draves, being of both Filipino and English descent, faced prejudice for her mixed race identity in her swimming career. Growing up, she was only allowed to use the pool on either “International Days” or the one day out of the week when communities of color were allowed to swim, after which the pool would be drained and cleaned (3). The coach of the women’s team she applied to created a separate swimming club for her to represent as a woman of color (4). He also required her to change her last name from Manalo (her maiden name) to Taylor (her mother’s maiden name) in order to appear more white (5). When she competed for gold in London, her coach and future husband Lyle Draves was adamant about Victoria competing as Victoria Manalo (6). Manalo took home the gold the same year as Sammy Lee, the first Asian American man to win Olympic gold medals in diving (7). Draves was admitted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969 and in 2005 had a park in San Francisco named after her (8).
Works Cited
Draves, Victoria Manalo. Olympic Oral History Collection. By Margaret Costa. LA84 Foundation, December 1999.
Litsky, Frank. “Victoria Manalo Draves, Olympic Champion Diver, Dies at 85.” New York Times, April 29, 2010. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/sports/olympics/30draves.html.
Peng, Sherry. “The Golden Friendship Between the Two First Asian American Olympic Champions.” NBC News, May 22, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/golden-friendship-between-two-first-asian-american-olympic-champions-n100619.1.
Frank Litsky, “Victoria Manalo Draves, Olympic Champion Diver, Dies at 85,” New York Times (New York, NY), April 29, 2010, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/sports/olympics/30draves.html.
Litsky, “Victoria Manalo Draves…”
Sherry Peng, “The Golden Friendship Between the Two First Asian American Olympic Champions,” NBC News, May 22, 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/golden-friendship-between-two-first-asian-american-olympic-champions-n100619.1
Victoria Manalo Draves, interviewed by Margaret Costa, Olympic Oral History Collection, LA84 Foundation, December 1999.
Draves, interviewed by Costa.
Peng, “The Golden Friendship Between the Two First Asian American Olympic Champions.”
Peng, “The Golden Friendship…”
Litsky, “Victoria Manalo Draves, Olympic Champion Diver, Dies at 85.”