SKILLS FROM STRANGE SPORT HELP KNIGHT
Sepak takraw isn’t hockey.
By Ryan Pyette The London Free Press
Andreas Athanasiou’s eyes light up the same way they do when he’s on a short-handed breakaway.
But he isn’t talking OHL hockey right now. The speedy 16-year-old London Knights forward is laying out the rules and regulations for the game he fell in love with as a little kid in Woodbridge.
“Sepak takraw,” he said with a smile. “Wicked game. Awesome sport.”
For much of North America, it’s an unfamiliar physical pursuit. On the other side of the world, it’s popular — and if you’ve never seen it before, watch a video clip of it on the Internet.
Athanasiou and his pals learned the fundamentals at school from a teacher. They played it in gym, played at recess, played every chance they had.
He talked about it during Knights training camp, too.
So what is it?
The easiest taking-off point is formalized hacky sack, and if that’s still too vague, picture volleyball without using your hands. The easiest skill transfer set would be the solo soccer kids who can keep the ball in the air for hours on end.
Keep the ball up, pass it around, then get it back over the net.
“It’s not an easy game to learn but so much fun,” Athanasiou said. “When I wasn’t playing hockey, I was playing Sepak takraw.”
Now, for a Canadian kid of Greek descent, there’s little money-making future in the pastime unless you move to Bangkok and bang around the feathered “shuttlecock” ball in front of the enthusiastic crowds over there.
It isn’t on the Olympic front burner at the moment, but if handball’s in, why not this version of football played on a modified badminton court?
It’s athletic and requires not only a nimble, elastic body, but also a vertical jump to challenge Michael Jordan in his take-off-from-the-free-throw-line slamdunk days.
And maybe this is where hockey comes in.
Athanasiou is nimble, elastic and quick. His speed got him recent duty on the Knights’ penalty kill and he promptly scored two shorties, which led to even more ice.
“It’s an honour because 16-year-olds don’t usually get on special teams,” he said. “I know in this organization with the Hunters, you have to earn your ice time, nothing is handed to you and all I’ve tried to do is come in and make my mark.”
He spent the first month on the taxi squad, playing very little. But once he got his break, it’s been awfully tough for Dale Hunter to take him out.
“He’s getting a reputation around the league,” London assistant coach Jacques Beaulieu said, “that if there’s a loose puck and he’s out there, you better back off.”
He’s burning by the slow-footed guys. His top-shelf shortie against Ottawa was the highlight-reel goal of the year so far.
In Windsor on Wednesday, Athanasiou was jumped by Spitfires defenceman Stephen Trojanovic. He popped up out of the scrum like nothing happened, ready to go again.
“I’ve had to adjust to the strength in the league,” he said. “When you battle for the puck, you see it. Guys in this league are strong. I’m still young. It’ll come as I get older.”
That’s what the Knights see, too. They picked Athanasiou in the fourth round, grabbing him from the Toronto Titans major midget team on the advice of scout Dave Warren, who saw his potential.
“We’re always projecting players and what their place is going to be in our organization,” Beaulieu said. “With AA, we see someone who can score 10, 15 goals this year, maybe 25 next year.”
And down the road? Maybe 40, even 50. He has that kind of skill.
Athanasiou watched, with many of his teammates, the Canada-Russia Super Series game Thursday night at the John Labatt Centre. “I’d love to play in that game one day,” he said.
He’d also love to get a mean game of Sepak takraw going at school. He’s at Oakridge and there doesn’t appear to be a big market for the game: “No time.”
