How Can Tiny Samoa Dominate The NFL?
When University of Washington Defensive Tackle Danny Shelton arrived for the NFL Draft in Chicago wearing traditional Samoan dress and almost choked the life out of Commissioner Goodell in an on-stage hug, it symbolized the amazing dominance that one tiny island and its’ Polynesian neighbors have in NFL football. Five Polynesian players were selected in the first 66 picks of the 2015 NFL Draft, the most ever for the first three rounds. Over 70 players in the NFL are of Polynesian descent. There are 30 players from American Samoa in the NFL and more than 200 play Division I NCAA Football. A Samoan male is 56 times more likely to play in the NFL than an American non-Samoan.
Super Bowl Champions Jesse Sapolu and Ma’a Tanuvassa along with Kevin Kaplan and his company Coaching Charities decided to pay recognition to the contributions by establishing a Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in 2013. It had its’ first group of inductees the next year including players like Junior Seau, Kevin Mawae and Jack Thompson (“The Throwing Samoan”).…more
Behind every great man.... is his cousin?! The Rock's Samoan Stuntman
The Man Behind The Rock’s Stunts For The Past 13 Years Is His Cousin.
In Hollywood, you’re only as good as the guy doing your stunts.
And in the case of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he might have the best damn stuntman in the entire business.
The same man has held DJ down and made him look good on camera since The Rock’s acting debut in “The Scorpion King” back in 2002.
But just like wrestling, it’s a family business and The Rock’s stuntman is none other than his cousin Tanoai Reed.
The Rock is the biggest action movie star in Hollywood right now.
So it’s only right he has the best stuntman in the game.
Thanks to his cousin, Tanoai Reed, he has exactly that.
For the past 13 years, their partnership has been a successful one, and they’ve starred in over a dozen films together.
It works really well because they have the same body type.
And they even wore the same number as football players.
They both clean up well when they have to.…more
Samoa 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games Kicks off
The 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games have kicked off featuring some of the highlights from Day 1
Director/Cam Op: Mario Faumui
Cam Op: Twayne Laumua
Tongan Fakaleiti finding their way in conservative country
While transgenders in Australia typically exist on the periphery of society, in the Kingdom of Tonga, they sit close to the king – or wait on his table, at least, writes Peter Munro.
"You've got to be strong to be a woman" â even when you're not
In Australia, transgenders are typically on the fringes of mainstream society. In Tonga, they sit close to the king â or wait on his table.
Perched within cooee of the king – at a long table topped with suckling pigs, lobsters, coconuts and big blocks of supermarket chocolate – is Joey Joleen Mataele. She's hard to find among the hundreds of nobles gathered on a grassed oval to celebrate the coronation, on a steamy day of singing, dancing and double desserts in the Kingdom of Tonga.
A local takes me to her table, past a handful of male waiters wearing white blouses and heavy make-up – their lips red, eyebrows plucked and chests waxed. "Some of them are more graceful than girls," my guide says. "They are reliable workers.…more
Scribe and family to sing redemption songs
The distant sound of a conch call is heard. As waves burble onto the shore, Lupepe or Pepe for short, with her hair in an immaculate bun, sings a moving Samoan hymn. Proud and strong, she strums her treasured white kikala. She wants to leave a life of slavery. Dreams are packed tight into banana boxes. She will take her children to New Zealand for a better life.
******
Fa'amoana Luafutu is a small shoeless boy at a New Zealand airport. Looking about curiously at the foreign sights and smells, he feels as if he has swallowed a rainbow.
On his first day at school in Auckland he is given his new name, John, as Fa'amoana is considered too difficult to pronounce. He feels dumb and lost. He looks up and sees the phrase "deeds not words" embossed in concrete on the main school building.…more
Malakai Fekitoa in Jockeys for NZ Fashion Week
No description needed. Just Enjoy!
Video footage courtesy: TVNZ
"The Jonah Lomu Machine"
What happens when you take one of rugby’s biggest legends and hide him inside a prize machine in a Dublin pub? To mark Heineken’s sponsorship of Rugby World Cup 2015.
Jonah Lomu surprises some unsuspecting Heineken drinkers in a local rugby pub.
Want to get closer to the action for #RWC2015? All you have to do is enjoy a Heineken in participating stores and bars, call it right and you could be at the coin-flip for an Irish game. #ITSYOURCALL
Meet Jeremy Dodson
Instagram Bio goes a lil' something like:
"Keeping my soul from the devil. Olympic & Field Sprinter. Black/Samoan (Mauala) Denver, CO > Phoenix, AZ
Born and raised in Denver, CO, Jeremy attended George Washington H.S. prior to the University of Arkansas, having then transferred to University of Colorado, where he earned a degree in Economics and Sociology with a minor in Neurophysiology and accepted into the CU School of Law. While competing collegiately, Jeremy was a four-time All-American (three at CU, one at UA) and set Colorado records in the indoor and outdoor 200 meters. Jeremy qualified for both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
The athlete is the son of Peggy Mauala, of Malie and Cyrus Dodson, of the United States. “I represented the United States for so many years but during all that time it just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I was just another person, another sprinter.” - Samoa Observer
He is currently representing Samoa at the IAAF World Championship with plans to go to next year's Rio Olympics. He has made it through to the Semi-finals.…more
10 Cool Things about Te Vaka
10 random cool things you should know about Te Vaka (if you didn't know...now ya know)
1. The group was founded by singer and songwriter Opetaia Foa'i in New Zealand. 1994 The beginnings of Te Vaka.
Full Band Biography here: Te Vaka
2. Opetaia Tavita Foa’i (Leader) was born in Alamagoto, a small village in Apia, Western Samoa. He even wrote a song about his hometown: "Alamagoto" (Album: Nukukehe)
3. Opetaia's father is from Tokelau his mother from Tuvalu. (Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu - we all cousins!)
Walt Disney Studios, California, USA (Moana's home) vs. Tuvalu (Opetaia's mum's home)
4. First Te Vaka album entitled "Te Vaka" released in over 80 countries to worldwide acclaim making the top 10 on several worldmusic charts , receiving rave reviews from the USA , UK , Europe and New Zealand and becoming one of ARC music's all time best selling albums.
5. Before joining Te Vaka, Male vocalist Doug Bernard A.K.A "D.…more
Let Kids Be Kids - The Icons
Watch some of New Zealand's most revered sportsman talk straight from the heart and remind us all to let kid be kids when they are playing sports #letkidsbekids
All Blacks Sonny Bill Williams and Liam Messam are some of the big names supporting this awesome cause!
Sport is an important part of life for most kiwi kids and it can have a really positive impact on a child’s self-esteem, physical health and social skills. Unfortunately most weekends our kids are being exposed to violence and aggressive behaviour from parents/ family members/ friends when they are supposed to be out there having fun. Our campaign aims to advocate the proper way to love and support children involved in contact sport and to remind adult supporters that they are role models and it is their responsibility to create a safe environment for kids to play in. Our message is simple: let kids be kids when they are participating in sport.…more