What's going on in Uusikaupunki

14 Lauantaina 29. helmikuuta 2020 W H A T , S G O I N G O N I N U U S I K AU P U Uusikaupunki is home Granger T. Simmons In the summer of 2019, it was officially announced that in- ternational hoops-man, Ge- rald Lee Jr. was hanging up his jersey and retiring from professional basketball. With an over ten year career, and lifelong experience in the game, this son of Uusi- kaupunki basketball legend, Gerald Lee Sr. , has become a legend himself. –I have been playing since I was 4 years old. I was about 5 or 6when I realized that this is what I want to do for a living. I usedtowatchallofdad’shome games and was so motivated byhim. I startedoffwithnum- ber 12. Itwasmydadsnumber also. At some point I went to a team that had a player who already had number 12 so I chose number 15. After that I have been number 15. On the Finnish national team I was number 8 because that is the number they gaveme. GERALD played for Kori- hait in the Finnish Korisliiga then left for college and had an amazing four years at Old Dominion University inNor- folk, Virginia playing for the Old Dominion Monarchs. As his value to the team increased, his sneakers and other items would be auc- tioned off at fundraisers for thousands of dollars. – One of my greatest ac- complishments while at O.D.U. is winning in the CAA (College Athletic Associa- tion) championship. Lee Jr.’s career path lan- ded him on various teams in various countries, climbing up the ladder of success. He played for Udine in Italy, Ve- roli in Italy, Buducnost in Montenegro, Asesoft Ploiesti inRomania, UCAMMurcia in Spain, Steaua Basket in Ro- mania, Helsinki Seagulls, Ashdod in Israel, Nesziona in Israel, and the Finnish na- tional team, Susijengi. –Winning the Romanian Championship and alsowin- ning my first game after nine months of recovering from anACL surgerywas amazing. LAST YEAR Gerald decided that it was time to hang up the jersey, come back to Fin- land to focus on family, and decide what to do next. –I have beenmarried since the summer of 2017. Cur- rently, my wife and I have two daughters and are enjo- ying being parents.The youn- gest was just recently born. I don’t yet have a clear picture of what I will be doing in the future, but it’s coming. For now, I am just enjoying life and exploring my options. Gerald and his family have settled in the Greater Hel- sinki area and are enjoying this new chapter of life. Now that they live close, they visit Uusikaupunki more often to spend time with Basketball legend and father, Gerald Lee Sr., mom, Ritva Lee and other family members who live here. – Uusikaupunki is home. A man can leave Uusikau- punki, but Uusikaupunki ne- ver leaves a man’s heart. ▼▼ A man can leave Uusikaupunki, but Uusikaupunki never leaves a man’s heart The Real Basketball Wives of Uusikaupunki Granger T. Simmons One of this years Korihait players has an American wife named Jade . She is from “the south” as we say in the U.S., from a warm and sunny place called Georgia. Jade’s husband Henri Ven- toniemi is #34 on the local basketball team, Korihait. – I’ve played basketball almost my whole life since I was 6 years old. I was blessed to be able to continue my bas- ketball career in college where I re- ceived an athletic scholarship. I went to the University of West Florida for 4 years and played basketball and that’s where I met Henri in my 3rd year. The first time we ever talked was at a Wal- mart and after that the rest was history. Even though I didn’t have a desire to play professional basketball, it’s been amazing supporting Henri through his journey and keeping my heart for bas- ketball alive. IN AMERICA , women who are mar- ried to professional basketball players are commonly called Basketball Wives. There is even is reality television show whichhas coined the term, and gives us an inside look at the daily lives of the la- dies who stand behind their husbands in support of their career and develop- ment, and also doing what makes them happy and reaching for their dreams. The show is full of drama, arguments and fights amongst other basketball wi- ves.The husbands are usually out of the picture, at work and staying away from the craziness. Fortunately, Jade’s life as a basketball wife in Finland, is a little bit different. Not much drama, and no other basket- ball wives to fight with. – As a basketball wife, I take pride in doing my part to make his experi- ence as stress-less as possible. I enjoy making him good meals that will give him energy throughout his physically demanding days. I also pride myself in being themost consistent fan, cheering Korihait on during games andmost es- pecially being my husbands personal cheerleader. I always say that as long as I’m with Henkka, I’ll be happy. I am 100% planning on traveling with Henri to whichever team he goes to throug- hout his career. I’ve always loved tra- veling and experiencing new cultures. With my work as an ESL teacher, I can work from home wherever we settle. THE LIFE of a professional basketball player is rather demanding, with va- rious practice games, weight training and exercise. Still everyone needs time to recharge and get their minds off of their work. –What a lot of people don’t know about Henri is that he is obsessed with the comedian Dave Chapelle and wat- ches his stand-up every day. He also enjoys doing sudoku and word puzz- les. Another aspect of of the demand on professional players is that you are playing to win. Wins and losses de- termine how far your team will go in the season and stats are of great im- portance to career development and forward movement. You can win one game, and lose the next, the pressure is on the players. –My biggest encouragement to my husband is to be confident in himself. There are so many people who dream of playing professional basketball, and he is getting the opportunity to do so. Something that I always remind him is, that one bad game or low performance does not define who he is as a player, nor does it define a team.The next play, the next game, or the next day is free for anyone to own. The Sports edition Good day readers! This is the Sports edition of “What’s going on in Uusikaupunki,” and it is very special to me. Not because I am a huge sports fan, or a guy who is all about fitness and being active. I am almost the complete opposite, I prefer lifting brownies, ice cream and waffles to my mouth, over lifting weights, thro- wing a ball around or even going for a walk. This edition is special to me because I get to high- light some amazing people in my life. One of which is my brother in-law who I am so proud of. He was born and raised right here in little Uusikaupunki and has re- cently retired from an inter- national basketball career. I consider him a Finnish sports icon and living le- gend. You will also be intro- duced to four professional basketball players from America, who live right here in Uusikaupunki and play for Korihait, the official bas- ketball team for this city. And if that wasn’t exciting enough we will get to know Jade, an American who is married to a Finnish profes- sional basketball player and also lives here in Uusikau- punki. So unlace your sisäken- gät, sit on the bench, take a time-out and find out “What’s going on in Uusi- kaupunki!” Words of the month ■■ Korisliiga – Basketball League ■■ Sisäkengät – Indoor shoes, sneakers ■■ Koripallo – Basketball ■■ Tuomari – Referee Gerald Lee Jr. retired his basketball career last summer. Henri and Jade met at the University of West Florida. Granger T. Simmons MIKAEL RYDENFELT