• Registration is disabled due to constant spammers. Email [email protected] and we will temporarily re-enable registration for you.

Hachiko's Spirit of Leafa College Football Dynasty

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia



The Mystique Of The Chaser

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
November 24, 2077


The Chaser were an Australian satirical comedy group. They are known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. The group's motto is "Striving for Mediocrity in a World of Excellence".

The Chaser's earliest foundations were Charles Firth, Dominic Knight, and Chas Licciardello who went to Sydney Grammar School together and produced a small satirical school magazine The Tiger. Then Firth, Knight and Licciardello met Craig Reucassel, Andrew Hansen and Julian Morrow at the University of Sydney. Chris Taylor also attended the University of Sydney but never knew the others during that time. Licciardello, Knight, Reucassel and Morrow all studied law at the Sydney Law School and Firth, Taylor and Hansen all studied in the University of Sydney Faculty of Arts. Firth and Hansen featured in the ABC documentary called "Uni" by film-maker Simon Target. Firth and Hansen organised the University of Sydney Arts Revue and Firth, Knight, Reucassel and Morrow wrote for the University of Sydney student newspaper Honi Soit. In 1999 the four members began The Chaser and their first newspaper project entitled The Chaser.

The Chaser team gained notoriety and considerable media attention over "The Eulogy Song", written by Chris Taylor and performed by Andrew Hansen on 17 October 2007 episode of The Chaser's War On Everything. The song satirised the media's posthumous praise of deceased celebrities, regardless of their behaviour in life, and mentioned among others John Lennon, Peter Brock, Stan Zemanek, Princess Diana, Steve Irwin, Donald Bradman, and Kerry Packer. The song attracted comment from both the media and politicians including Kevin Rudd and John Howard, the latter of whom used reference to the song in remarks during a sketch later aired on the programme.

Morrow and Licciardello were arrested by NSW Police on 6 September 2007 outside the InterContinental Hotel after driving a fake motorcade through the Sydney central business district and breaching an APEC security zone. The Chaser crew entered a secure area by masquerading as the motorcade of the Canadian delegation to APEC. They were arrested by police after Licciardello emerged from the car dressed as Osama bin Laden, near the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush was staying. They were subsequently detained, taken to Surry Hills Police Station for questioning and charged with "entering a restricted area without special justification" under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007. Licciardello, Morrow and the nine other production members were released on bail to appear in court on 4 October 2007. If found guilty, they were liable to serve a maximum 6 months imprisonment, or a maximum 2 years imprisonment if they also had possession or control of a prohibited item with no special justification. The Chaser team issued a statement on 6 September that they had been given permission by police officers to enter the restricted area. Under section 37(2)(b) of the legislation a person has special justification to be in an area if "the person is required, authorised or permitted to be in the area by the Commissioner or a police officer". Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned until 5 December 2007 at the request of ABC lawyers. The charges were dropped near the end of April 2008.

The day after the APEC stunt, police questioned Craig Reucassel, Chris Taylor and Dominic Knight and a film crew from the Chaser after they were involved in a second stunt in central Sydney. The three were released by police after being briefly questioned for carrying around black cardboard boxes dressed up as limousines.
 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
proxy

Sara McFadden, the wife of Leafa Spirit linebacker Joe McFadden.

"I Wanted To Change My Name To Mojo But Sara Said No": Joe McFadden

By Reiko Bell
Special To The Spirit News
November 25, 2077


Joe McFadden is a first-year right outside linebacker, born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia and a dual computer science and engineering major. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of four, the young Joe, or "Joey" as he was referred to by his wife of 12 months, the former Sara Calistoga, the personification of the former USS ship Saratoga of World War II fame, was rendered a neighborhood bully by schoolboy peers before getting beaten up by the one person he would be forever in love with one fateful day, one fine day in April 2065.

proxy


"I was roughhoused by my woman after I bullied a few kids one grade below me in a street fight near my primary school in Glenelg," said McFadden, recalling younger times after practice at Fresno City College in Fresno, California, ahead of Leafa Gridiron's tilt with Fresno State. "At that time, Sara moved into town with her parents after her father got a job offer to worth in the Barossa Valley at a winemaker and sommelier for many local patrons. After I got beaten up, I was in the hospital and I was in a coma for three months, I had injuries all over me. When I woke up after my coma, Sara was next to me in tears and hugged me, crying.

proxy


"I had no idea what to think. I didn't even know I was alive because I had been in a fucking coma for three fucking months with a 1% chance of waking up. I was on life support. She could never injure me again; that was the last time she ever did that to me. She said, 'I could have been deported to America and placed in jail, and I may never live to regret it. I'm glad you are here with me, and I will never injure anyone again.' I said, 'You know, I have no idea what you just told me, but...I can assume you're glad I'm speaking with you. Maybe I should change my name to Mojo or something.'

"She said, "Don't change your name, because I'd have to call you an ape instead of 'Joey' and you are the one human being I need to now protect because if I did this to you, I need to make it up for it because if I lost you, I lose everything I ever did to be where I am now. I want you to be happy for me and for everyone that love you, because I love you.' She confessed. She actually confessed. And that was the very first time I chose to kiss her by the lips, and it healed me, and I then understood everything she said. As time passed, it would be me that would protect her and since 2076, we've been married.

proxy

Aoba Suzukaze, grandmother of Joe McFadden on mother's side with Princess Kako, taken in 2015.

"My grandmother is Japanese. Her name is Aoba Suzukaze, a longtime game character designer at Eagle Jump who was a peer to a lot of people and a longtime ally of the women of the Imperial Household of Japan. I admired my grandmother for being the one person outside of my wife that kept me in line while supporting the choices I made and showing praise for me managing my condition. She also is a Paris Saint-Germain supporter, and it's because of my grandmother that PSG are my favorite club in Europe, 10 time European champion, including this year! As the story goes, she wanted to be buried in Australia, and on occasions, I would stop by my grandmother's gravesite, have a seat and talk with her through telekinesis.

proxy


"I can actually feel her presence even though she has been gone since June of this year. I talk with Grandma about school, plans, Sara, and sports. I even perfect my Japanese, and now I can speak it fluently, alongside Korea. Ofter these chats take place for about an hour or two before I see Grandma Aoba off with a hug, a kiss and bow. Now that I am a student, I don't get to see Grandma anymore to talk with her but when I don't have classes or practice, I have to keep her updated so that her divine guidence along with my wife advice helps me do my part to do the right thing, like she always did when she was with me. Sara sometimes stops by my Grandma's grave to talk. Grandma may be dead, but she is still an active part of our family because her spirit is always alive. And if I'm doing the right thing, she gives me a rush of energy that allows me to be more close with Sara.

proxy


"Our parents want us to have kids, but we students, and when we're settled and we go through life's lessons, we can have kids. As a linebacker, I want to get playing time so I can spend a number of years serving the game of gridiron as a professional. I was too big and bulky to play AFL but Sara and I occasionally watched Sturt, and the Double Blues make plays in the winter, during my secondary school year.

proxy


"Nowadays, we are enjoying the best times of our lives at Leafa Town. It's a good college that loves its sports and academics and culture, and it's located in the capital of the country. If Leafa College loves me, I love it back a hundred fold, minimum, no questions asked. Their slogan is simply, 'Higher.' As in, 'Lift Your Spirit Higher.' At this place, when I make myself great again, it's because I am lifting the bar higher for me and my mates time and time again.

"But regardless, I still wanted to change my name to Mojo, but Sara still said no. Well, I'm from Adelaide, not Odessa, Texas, and she's from Saratoga, New York. I guess I won't complain, my name has a nice ring to it anyway. As Grandma Aoba once told me when I was a perfect 10, 'You don't mess with perfection.' Who said I would?"

 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
proxy

Tessi Rogel, the fiancee of Jaxton Segbrtecht.


"I Don't Need To Be Asked To Do Something; I Just Do It": Jaxton Segbrecht

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
November 25, 2077


The son of Olivie Segbrecht, first-year defencive tackle Jaxton Segbrecht moved to Australia and the heat of Darwin, North Australia, at a schoolboy age, where he was exposed to playing gridiron. Jaxton is a contraction of "Jacques-Gaston." Known as "Jacko" by his mates on the Leafa Spirit gridiron team and on campus, Jaxton is fluent in English, French and German. He has a fiancee, Pauline Therese Rogel, the personification of an obscure seaplane tender from the 1940's named the Commandant Teste. She calls him by his original name of Jacques, while he affectionately calls her Tessi.

proxy


"I don't need to be asked to do something by Tessi, I just do it and Tessi loves me for it," said Segbrecht. "My wife moved to Australia when she was in secondary school and ended up living with me in Darwin. I pick up languages easily, and my wife speaks English like a Montrealer and French like a Parisian. She's fluent in both languages, and she can cook, clean, provide knowledge that I didn't until she told me...basically a lot of the thing I do anyway out of feeling, vibration and necessity.

proxy


"Tessi was born and raised in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the same venue as the Parc des Princes. She liked going to beach, swimming and surfing, but she also liked to design clothes and fragrances. She had an apprenticeship for a few months at a few fashion houses and she used that experience to brainstorm setting up her own business and line of clothes, fragrances and handbags. Then she realized, she needed a degree and Australia was calling.

proxy


"You know, I didn't expect Tessi, with her highlighted hair and endowments to be an important part of my love life and self-worth as a gentleman. But when she moved it, it was a game changer and I had to adjust. Tessi has this big, grand stash of books on recipes for different ways to cook beef, pork, fish, poultry and vegetables. And she was working on ways to cook kangaroo and emu while remaining faithful to her style. I like to cook too, but I only do so at her request, because she loves to cook.

proxy

Mizuki Usami, Jaxton Segbrecht's grandmother on his father's side.


"When we enrolled at Leafa, we settled in off-campus housing. I got a driver's license and I own a pink Cadillac that was a hand-me-down from my grandmother on my father's side, Mizuki Usami. One thing I should note is that while my last name is Segbrecht, it's actually the last name of my mother, which my father, Koharu, chose to adapt because it sounded more Australian. It's a true story, believe me, this is nothing unusual, although it's not common out here. Anyway, it's a very old car but it's in astoundingly perfect shape for an antique. Tessi likes to drive it too while listening to some Italian rock music. Emma Marrone's one of her favorite singers in her day. All in all, we guard Caddi with our lives. That's the nickname for our car, Caddi, and we named it that because Cad's too masculine and make the car look like a two-timing shyster.

proxy


"To me, I live for the pass rush. Getting to a quarterback and wrestling him down triggers the most orgasmic feelings in the world that only sport can deliver. I want to work hard to get more time on the pitch and make plays but I also specialize in stopping the run and eluding blockers to slow progress down. I like to exhibit speed, agility and acceleration. The Houraisan Centre allows me to fine-tune my stance, diversify my tendencies when pass-rushing or run-stopping and also improve my speed and strength through weight training and proper nutrition.

proxy


"In the sport of gridiron at the level I play, you need to eat right, train right, sleep right so you can perform on the field. Coach Gil is our defencive line coach and also shared strength and conditioning coaching duties with Coach Irons. They tell us that this regimen is designed to simulate the rigorous, demanding conditions of playing professionally in the NFL, CFL, and other professional American Football leagues around the world like Japan's X League. To add the similarly rigorous curriculum of a college education makes it even more of a challenge but me and Tessi live for challenges.

proxy


"In our world, without the ability to critically think and analyze issues that face you, you cannot solve problems and make smart decisions that can improve your way of life. You see how the inability to emphasize and encourage critical thinking and analysis has crippled the education system in countries like Thailand and a ton of countries in Africa, where illiteracy rates are still high. A noble nation built on democracy allows its citizens to make decisions that the government puts into law to secure the happiness of its people. The Mitakihara University System has many graduates go on to become strong and efficient lawmakers while avoiding the temptation of corruption that has ruined the standings of so many countries.

"It's because of this that I am a political science major and after I am done playing professionally, I want to move from Darwin and live in Victoria and get involved in local and state government. Tessi also wants to settle in Melbourne, too. I may consider heading to the Top End once in a while, but fair dinkum mate, I reckon I've been there long enough!"


 
Last edited:

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
CoatOfArmsOrdinariateOfOurLadyOfSouthernCross.jpg

Leafa Town will be the new seat of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross starting January 2078.

Big Changes Coming To Leafa Town On Australia Day 2078

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
November 26, 2077


January 26, 2078 is Australia Day nationwide, but in Leafa Town, the college district of Canberra will become its own city. At midnight on January 26, Australia's newest city will be incorporated with a permanent population of 9,119: the Town of Leafa is its official name, but it will be referred de facto as Leafa Town, ACT, Australia.

On that same day, the country's newest soon-to-be-consecrated cathedral and minor basilica will be officially inaugurated by His Holiness, Pope Francis II (former Cardinal Francis James Lamontagna), a native of Melbourne and former cardinal of the Archdiocese of Melbourne elected in June 2076 and Australia's first-ever Pope, with Mass. The cathedral, when consecrated, will be called the "Cathedral Basilica Of Our Lady of the Southern Cross," and sits on 144 acres of previously-undeveloped land.

Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Canberra_and_Goulburn.svg.png

Leafa Town will also house the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, shared with the Ordinariate.

In addition to the cathedral (informally referred to as Leafa Cathedral), adjacent buildings for a men's seminary (Columbus Seminary, operated by the Knights of the Southern Cross in cooperation with the Society of Jesus), a women's seminary (MacKillop Abbey, operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart), a boarding school with enrollment capped at 1,500 (Our Lady Southern Cross Academy, or SCA Leafa), and recreational and athletic training grounds and facilities will be dedicated following mass. All will be connected by a looping footpath for easy walking.

SCA Leafa is one of the most selective boarding schools in the nation, integrating the curriculum of the first two years of Leafa College life into its base courses to go with voluntary religious vocations and service activities. Students, upon graduating, can matriculate into nearly Leafa College, whose gates are located 144 feet south from the cathedral, and become enrolled as second year students, or continue their pursuit of a degree elsewhere. A majority are expected to matriculate to Leafa, and all students are required to reside either on campus or off campus at the Leafa Dorms.

SCA Leafa's sports teams are called the Leafa Crusaders. Its colors combine that of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, and Leafa College: Green, Gold, Blue, Ochre and White, or Gee Gee Bow for short. While the athletic fields, gymnasium, aquatic centres and indoor athletic facilitis will no doubt be used by student-athletes, an agreement with Leafa College that will be renewed every 10 years will allow the Crusuaders to stage home games on campus at Leafa as a first option.

All of the teams that Leafa Spirit Athletics already has are replicated in SCA Leafa's athletics program, and promising athletes from across the country that possess the right mindset compatible with the Academy's stringent required are being aggressively recruited to be enrolled on scholarship, simular to IMG Academy of Florida, USA. The two seminaries will be isolated from the affairs of SCA Leafa though they are allowed to attend games and events free of charge. Some students of Columbus Seminary and MacKillop Abbey will be invited to provide service and moral support during events involving SCA Leafa and the Leafa Cathedral.

proxy

Collette Uesaka is the headmaster of Southern Cross Academy, effective January 26, 2078. Her contract is effective until December 31, 2082.

Appointed as SCA Leafa's headmaster is Collette Uesaka, a resident of Leafa Town who moved to the city after graduating from Monash. Maria Imari is the athletic director of the academy and oversees the recruiting operations locally, nationally and internationally. Imari possesses a bachelor's degree in physical education and a master's in sport management from Mitakihara University Main Campus in Canada. Both are good friends from their secondary school days in Japan and speak fluent English, Japanese and Korean. Both have big plans to make the Southern Cross Crusaders an academic and athletic powerhouse within five years, at which their contracts will be completed by mutual agreement and new leadership will be appointed by committee.

"With Leafa Town becoming the meeting point of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church, the time has come for this town to be the home of quality sports and academics at the secondary school level," said Uesaka. "I want our community and our church leaders to dream bigger while staying humble through each and every step. We already reached our cap of enrolled students and our athletic teams are also being formed and finalized. Before the entire area is consecrated and dedicated by His Holiness, our students will be moving in starting late December and all rooms will be co-ed. We already have our list of instructors and staff and the entire team is ready to serve our future SCA Leafa Class of 2081."

proxy

Maria Imari is the first athletic director at SCA Leafa and is contracted to December 31, 2082.

"At SCA Leafa, we have a universal rule, and it's that every male student be a gentleman and every female student be a lady," said Imari. "To this end, students who were accepted collaborated with staff and administrators on the Honor Code, combining Brigham Young's honor code, the honor codes at the American service academies, and the honor system of Washington and Lee University. No Crusader, man or won, student or instructor or administrator, will lie, cheat, or steal nor tolerate anyone who does. All cases of perceived violations will be brought to end-of-month meetings at the Administrative Hall, and a jury composed of equal amounts of students, teachers and administrators will made a decision as to whether the presumed innocent party is guilty or not. Anyone who is guilty of violating the Honor Code will need to voluntary dis-enroll if a student or step down from their post if an instructor or administrator. Staff at Leafa College are assigned to help with placement to other secondary schools for those who are expelled from SCA Leafa.

"At SCA Leafa, I believe that our students possess great talent. Those blessed with immense athletic ability will most likely do well on our teams. The one team I am personally excited for is the gridiron team, which will be coached by Flynn Azuma. Now Flynn is an interesting case. I listened to him about him regretting his decision to transfer to West Point. He believes that he wants to atone for his mistake by coming back here and coaching the Crusaders. Flynn already is finalizing his staff and the new players are training on the new surface, which replicated the Pleiades Stadium surface and environment but whose seating capacity is smaller and more intimate to allow players to focus on their performance and improving their skill set.

"So I decided to make Flynn our first gridiron coach of the Crusaders and so far, the first-years are very receptive to the regimen. They love the surface, the new place which is free from construction rubbish, and it's so beautiful. You've got one of Australia's largest cathedrals, two gender-separated seminaries, a footpath bedecked with flowers and statues...and the uniform of the students looks fashionable and cool while not being too restrictive. We wanted our students to embrace the school uniform trends in Japan and now, tourists might thing they are intentionally cosplaying, but this uniform, with miniskirts for the girls and khaki pants for the guys with ties and collared shirts...it's a getup that makes you want a piece of this beautiful place as a student. You want to be here because it's a privilege to be here."

"At SCA Leafa, when you are successful, you can't be stopped and you will overcome those who try to be in your way. We believe in those who will come through these halls and learn the dynamics of our modern-day society through classes, retreats, service projects, and church services, if they so wish. We welcome people of all religions and convictions, even though we align with our archdiocese and the Ordinariate, but we want young men and who possess quality, leadership, dedication, commitment, selflessness, sacrifice, and a continuous desire to improve and rethink the way they approach a problem to find a solution. That's what it takes to be a successful student at Southern Cross Leafa and we have found those who are ready to go on the greatest journey of their lives starting Australia Day 2078. Gee Gee Bow, Now You Know, Rah Crusaders, Go Go Go!"

 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
Leafa College To Face Air Force For The Mountain West Title

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
November 28, 2077

Dan Harding's Leafa College Spirit will look to defend their Mountain West Conference title in gridiron in two weeks after belting the Fresno State Bulldogs at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif. by the score of 136-20. Quarterback Shae Katou-Aki passed for 306 yards, rushed for 557 yards and 13 total touchdowns on offence. Right outside linebacker Geronimo Hikigaya had six tackles, a sack and two interceptions to lead the defence.

Halfback Brett Inohara ran for 229 yards and seven major scores, Ace Kurogane had 73 rushing yards and two touchdowns, wide receiver Jarryd Kaizuka had six catches for 80 yards, wideout Touma Yukihira had 10 pancake blocks and tight end Anthony Kagurazaka had seven pancake blocks to pace the offence in support.

Gilles Troyard led the defence in tackling with 13 tackles and two sacks. Rhys Miyazawa, Leafa's leading middle linebacker, also had 13 tackles and two sacks, while Vern Dahlgren had 11 tackles and a pick. All in all, Leafa's pass defence had six interceptions, adding to their gaudy takeaway margin, considered to be the best in college football.

Tickets for the 2077 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game are officially sold out. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. AEDT.

 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia



The Mystique of Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
November 30, 2077


Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs is an Australian snack food made by the Greens food company. Originally released in the 1970s, it is caramelised, ready-to-eat popcorn, similar to the American Cracker Jack. The concept was first floated by the head food technologist for Greens, Sir Shane McMaster, in the late 1960s, but the company delayed the product due to uncertainty of the market appeal. The popcorn is coated with toffee and rolled in crushed peanuts. Flavours include butterscotch and caramel.

Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs were known for their colourful packaging, which featured surreal psychedelic artwork, reminiscent of Peter Max, Robert Crumb or The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. The initial marketing was developed by Frank Margan, the creative director at John Singleton's SPASM agency. This packaging was varied in the late 1980s.

Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs are a popular snack at Leafa College and are designated as the Official Popcorn of the college and the soon to be incorporated Town of Leafa, ACT.
 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia



The Mystique Of The Tote Board

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 6, 2077


A tote board is a large numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each horse) or at a telethon (to display the total amount donated to the charitable organization sponsoring the event).

The term "tote board" comes from the colloquialism for "totalizator" (or "totalisator"), the name for the automated system which runs parimutuel betting, calculating payoff odds, displaying them, and producing tickets based on incoming bets. Parimutuel systems had used totalisator boards since the 1860s and they were often housed in substantial buildings. However the manual systems often resulted in substantial delays in calculations of better payouts.

The first all-mechanical totalisator was invented by George Julius. Julius was a consulting engineer, based in Sydney. There is some irony that his father, the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch (New Zealand) had campaigned, in the early years of the twentieth century, against the iniquities of gambling using totalisators and its damage upon New Zealand society. That attitude had changed by late 1907 when he argued that the totalisator removed much of the evil of gambling with bookmakers. Bishop Julius was himself a noted amateur mechanic with a reputation for fixing clocks and organs in parishes he visited.

The first all-mechanical machine was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand in 1913 (first used on the Easter Saturday races on 22 March 1913), and the second was installed at Gloucester Park Racetrack in Western Australia in 1917. George Julius founded Automatic Totalisators Limited (ATL) in 1917, which supplied the "Premier Totalisator: now including electrical components". The first totalisators installed in the United States were at Hialeah Park, Florida, in 1932 (by ATL), and at Arlington Park racecourse, Chicago, in 1933. The first entirely electronic totalisator was developed in 1966.

Totalisators have been superseded by general purpose computers running specialised wagering software such as Autotote. In many cases beyond older systems, telethon tote boards have either been replaced by LCD displays showing totals, or scoreboards adapted to display dollar amounts.

An automatic totalisator is a device to add up the bets in a pari-mutuel betting system. The whole of the pot (the stakes on all competitors) is divided pro rata to the stakes placed on the winning competitor and those tickets are paid out. Essentially it implements a system of starting price (SP) betting.

In particular it refers to the invention of George Julius, the English-born, New Zealand educated, Australian inventor, engineer and businessman, a leader of Australian engineering in the first half of the twentieth century, though there have been other claimants, notably engineer Joseph G. Nash.

The term automatic refers to the fact that the bets were automatically summed and a ticket issued when a bet was registered on the issuing machines, and it provided a safe and virtually fraud-free method of betting, replacing the earlier jam-pot totes, which used either paper transactions or some method of counting bets like steel ball bearings. The machine did not actually calculate the payout.

The method was widely used in the Australian, New Zealand and American horse-racing industries and for greyhound racing in the UK, although there were other installations in countries as diverse as France, Venezuela and Singapore.
 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
Leafa College Wins Mountain West Title Over Air Force

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 12, 2077


Dan Harding's Leafa College Spirit throttled the Air Force Falcons 113-14 at Subaru Pleiades Stadium in Leafa Town, ACT for its 13th victory of the season and another Mountain West Conference championship. A full overflow crowd of 20,000 were on hand for this momentous occassion which saw the Spirit put on a fantastic show and potentially give its ace quarterback, Shae Katou Aki, his long sought-after Heisman Trophy.

Katou Aki passed for 185 yards, ran for 424 yards and scored six total touchdowns on offence, while on defence, left end Steele Craftman had nine tackles and six sacks. Craftman is tipped to win the Nagurski Award for his work as a pass rusher and run stopper. Halback Brett Inohara had 274 rushing yards and five majors and Ace Kurogane had eight carries for 90 yards and three touchdowns.

Inohara caught nine pases for 72 yards, wide receiver Touma Yukihira had 76 receiving yards, wideout Jiji Petricca had 30 pancake blocks, middle linebacker and Bednarik Award finalist Rhys Miyazawa had 13 tackles to go with two sacks and an interception and Gilles Troyard had eight tackles and four sacks. Jim Thorpe Award favourite Lloy Auerbach sealed his case for his trophy with three interceptions.

"I like my chances this time of finally putting a large weight off my shoulders so I will look forward to visiting New York City and experiencing life in a big city like that," said Katou Aki. "It's deffo different than anything I'm used to here, so a change of scenery will give me an appreciation for what I do for my teammates, my coaches, everyone I work with and myself, as well as my family."

Leafa's season started against the Georgia Bulldogs and it will also end against Georgia, who won the SEC Championship. Georgia and Leafa will compete in the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. for the BCS Championship Game, scheduled for January 10, 2078 at 8 p.m. ET. (12 p.m. AEDT). The game will be televised by ESPN and ESPN Australia (the new broadcasters of Leafa Spirit Football effective January 1, 2078) while being broadcast nationally on radio through the Leafa Sports Radio Network of 1LF (One Life) in the ACT, 2TK in Sydney, 3TK in Melbourne, 4LF in Brisbane, 5AO in Adelaide, 6IX in Perth and Radio Sport in New Zealand and Oceania.


 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
"I Waited Three Bloody Years For This And Fair Dinkum Mate, It Feels Great": Shae Katou-Aki

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 18, 2077


When the president of the Downtown Athletic Club, Donald Trump IV, announced the name of the winner of the 2077 Heisman Memorial Trophy, Leafa Spirit Gridiron quarterback Shae Katou-Aki fell to his knees and roared at the heavens. A long, frustrating wait had finally come to an end. A signal caller and game manager that had been long overlooked in his first and second years with the team by the voters in America had finally paid his dues and earned the most coveted individual prize in college football. As he made his way up the stairs, there were tears of joy in his eyes to go with a wide smile.

"You know something, everybody?" asked Katou-Aki to the crowd at the MetroTech Theater in Times Square, New York City. "I waited three bloody years for this and fair dinkum mate, it feels great. It's a wonderful feeling and I own a lot of my patience to my fellow mates on the team, the coaches, Coach Harding, all the mates on campus over at the Town. To Jack, you keep yours eh? I reckon I got mine's.

"I never focused too much on the work I had to put in to get this far and take this weight off my shoulders. When I'm on the gridiron, I refresh myself on the rules of engagement and the strategy to win each battle. Every game is a battle, every season is a war. We're on a mission to win our sixth championship in American football and continue the dominating form that our mates in Canada had before they voluntarily dropped down to FCS level.

"I would like to request that the 2076 Heisman Trophy not be declared vacant as I realized that such a decision is not something we should set a precedent for. Take what you can give, get what you can while you're competing at this level. Coach Lachie (Lachlan Akai, quarterbacks coach) told me that.

"So hopefully that request to have the trophy vacant is overturned because it was a mess from the start and I think we can all move on from this. Our job's far from finished. The team we faced to start is the team we will finish the season against, and they have deffo improved from the last time we faced them. We'll be ready to keep our form against Georgia."

As a result of the outcome, the 2076 Heisman Trophy's status as vacant was overturned, and Jack Fukushina was reinstated as the rightful winner of the trophy.
 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
proxy

Kano Sazanami and Koyuki Himekawa, the designated father and biological mother of Ken Sazanami.

Young Leafa Recruit Ken Sazanami Aims To Be The Man Of The Town

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 23, 2077


A transfer student from Hoppers Crossing, Victoria, Kenneth Ken Sazanami is the son of two women who were once magical girls in their youth before leaving N-City in Japan to live in Australia, Koyuki Himekawa and Kano Sazanami, the designated father. Standing at a stout 1.9 metres and 100 kg, Sazanami plays quarterback and will be placed in the varsity gridiron list allocated to Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12-age students at the new Southern Cross Academy located next door from Leafa College. He will also be a Year 12 student, meaning that he will finish his high school diploma by the end of 2077.

The Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 students who wish to participate in gridiron are eligible for the junior varsity list. Leafa SCA is the only ACT institution to not follow the secondary college track used in the ACT and Tasmania, opting to go with a structure popular in New South Wales and Victoria.

proxy


A multitalented prospect, Sazanami is reported to be "a gun with a gun of an arm typical of a son of a gun." He is talented at playing the piano and electric bass, does a lot of running, surfs, writes poetry and composes music. His nickname is "The Wave Rider," after his father's nickname of Ripple to go with his love for surfing and surf music. Some people also call him "Kenno," a typical Australian sports abbreviation and a possible pun on his designated father's name. So why did he and his parents choose to move to the capital?

proxy


"Hoppers Crossing is too boring," said Sazanami, throwing a few footballs through holes in a blow-up designed to evaluate accuracy at his back yard. "There is certainly nothing to do in a place like that, even though I understand its a commuter place to the CBD in Melbourne. I wanted to show what I can do in a town known for academics and faith because I put my faith in God and my parents who raise me above all else.

proxy

"I was born 17 years ago in Melbourne and was engaged with AFL and NRL but when I turned three, Mama Kano and Mama Koyu decided to send me to Hawaii to watch a gridiron game involving the Rainbow Warriors when they were an FBS team. I was a lad back then, and watching the marching band, the tackling, the strategy, the camaraderie, I felt that I could do something in this sport.

proxy


"When I turned seven, I started playing two-hand touch. That's when I chose to try out being a quarterback. I was blessed with the discipline and maturity of Mama Kano and the humility and assertive of my Mama Koyu, who's a massive voice of reason in my decision making. They remain a guidance force in how I can better myself as an athlete and a man.

"As the story goes, I turned out to be very good as a passer but with the fact I could run, I could do more and that's when I developed into being a scrambler. That has been my style of playing the position since: a scrambling quarterback that can throw deep or keep for a long gain while possessing good field vision and a knowledge of whether to pitch, keep or throw. I have my own saying regarding my skill set, 'You throw for show, but you run for dough. The more you know, so let's go, go, go!'

proxy

Souta Kishibe, Ken Sazanami's biological father, with Koyuki Himekawa.

"That isn't all I can do. The next of kin of my Mama Koyu's deceased best friend and consequently my spiritual uncle, Souta Kishibe, donated a piano and an electric bass with amplifier as a way of thanking Mama Koyu for being a selfless contributor to the community she left with Mama Kano before departing for Japan. I have been playing both instruments since and gotten really good at it, even helping do session work for indie recordings and functions in Hoppers Crossing.

proxy


"I even named the bass after the handle of my spiritual uncle, La Pucelle. His soul is alive in the bass when I play it: deep, rich, resonating. A few years ago, Mama Koyu told me that while she was playing that game of life or death years ago, she had gotten pregnant, and as it turned out, my spiritual uncle was my biological father and Mama Kano chose to fill in. And that explains why I always want to protect the good name of my parents and make them proud for everything I do. It also explains why I want to choose wisely when finding a partner of my own.

proxy

Ayana Sakanagi, godmother of Ken Sazanami.

"Ayana Sakanagi, who moved from Japan and lived in Thomastown before moving as well, is my godmother. She is a marathon and distance swimmer, is very religious and taught me how to swim, which allowed me to learn how to surf. On occasional day trips, Mama Aya and I would pass by Geelong and Lara to check out the waves and see how high the tides would be. I like surfing because you get to talk to the ocean regarding the issues of the real world by traversing the coastline under our Southern Skies and shredding waves. The power of feeling the motion of the ocean, according to Mama Aya, emancipates the soul, exercises the mind and helps the individual appreciate the frailty of life. Because I'm settling inland, though, I would have to drive to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney or the Cronulla in the Shire to get my surfing fix.

proxy


"I don't want to focus solely on matriculating to Leafa and using SCA as a preparatory stepping stone. I've been getting offers from other places in the States, and I have to see what the incentives are for being there. However, I understand that the quarterbacks playing for the Spirit and third-year students and I would love to be one of the next men up. To be the man at Leafa Town would be a great feeling, but a role that requires responsibility, accountability and humility.

"And I don't want to let my mom and my dad down by not realizing my full potential. I have a plan: I want to be a film score composer or an author of novels after I complete my education and my gridiron career. I have a long road ahead of me but I'll be ready. Sometimes, being an adult is tough but once you get used to it, it's straightforward. I do this not only for my parents but for all those peers that my parents worked with in their younger days. Their collective spirits are in me and I'm gonna make them proud by being successful in gridiron and in life. I can't wait to ride this wave as far as it'll go. Fair dinkum mate, I'll be the man, cause I am the man with the plan to spread Leafa Love across the land!"

Leafa are scheduled to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 10, 2078 in the Rose Bowl for the BCS National Championship Game.
 
Last edited:

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia
proxy


Kano Sazanami, Tsubame Murota and Souta Kishibe, the designated father, designated surrogate aunt and biological father of Ken Sazanami. Emi Murota is Tsubame's daughter and Ken's adopted big sister. Murota and Kishibe passed away before both children were adopted/born.


The Story Of Ken Sazanami's (Adopted) Big Sister And Cheap Thrills

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 24, 2077


Leafa Spirit recruit Ken Sazanami, a quarterback coveted by the team for his arm and mobility, could have lost his adopted big sister, Amy Murota, due to the Elimination Games years ago involving his parents, Koyuki Himekawa and Kano Sazanami. But miraculously, the fetus survived thanks to some emergency procedures, allowing it to live and be available for adoption after being nurtured in the ICU. Koyuki's parents chose to adopt Amy (Japanese name Emi) while maintaining the original household name as a link to the past. The parents also raised Ken until they reached middle school age and moved to Australia.

"At my house," said Ken, "I have this jumbo broomstick that I use to sweep the floor and clean the floor on days when I don't have anything to do. It is said that this was the broomstick that my sister's biological mother, Auntie Tsu, used to possess before she died but I naturally doubt it and dismiss it as myth, but I don't hold that against her because she had the charm and maturity of Auntie Tsu. Mama Kano says that Ames sounds like Auntie Tsu but she speaks English really well that I don't detect any accent.

proxy


"I never disclosed this to you hack writers at the Spirit News but my big sis absolutely behaves likes Auntie Tsu; it's like I have two moms and an aunt doting on me. It gets embarrassing. Well, I have the spirit and personality of my uncle, or rather my real father, so it does feel like I have a, I don't know, harem or something. But the advice and presence of my big sister, even if she was adopted, is a sign that life it importance, and the essence of success at living life to the fullest is part of our DNA.

"So my sister is planning to also enroll at SCA, maybe play field hockey or field lacrosse. She has dreams of playing with one of the junior national teams and specializes as an attacker. Of all the people that encouraged me to take up gridiron, Amy is the one person that forecasts at least one Heisman Trophy to my credit. She is very bullish on me being the man with the plan to spread Leafa Love across the land. One time, Amy was bold enough to ask, 'Can I be your agent?' I said, 'Let an actual professional do that, and we're still high school students. Don't you have hockey practice or somewhere else to go to?' She says, 'Crap! I forgot! Bye~~~~!' Off the went, the rascal. Indeed, that discussion took place before practice over at our old school in Hoppers Crossing.

"There are times my big sister doesn't take her studies seriously and chooses to be a prankster. Amy likes to crack jokes and talk about the stories of fallen celebrities and people who like to show up deliberately intoxicated at functions, arguing that this is part of the essence of adulthood. Surreal storytelling, surreal tall tales about young turks who think they are all that and more, and that's just scratching the surface. When it comes to smack talk, my big sister delights in winning debates. She may not be a devout academic (au contraire, she is a freewheeling shyster), but she's as smart as Mama Aya when it comes to being resourceful, and that's fine and dandy.

proxy


"So one time, about several months ago, big sis and I were looking up university options and we looking up Mitakihara University, and the network of campuses. There are two campuses in Canada, one in Japan where my parents are from, and one in Australia. Furthermore, the information showed that the Australia campus, called Leafa College, had its own preparatory school located on the grounds of a cathedral. Amy told me, 'Kenny, let's ask mom and dad if we can have a go north because this place is not too flash!'

"Allegedly, Mama Koyu and Mama Kano were overhearing and told us they received job offers over in Canberra. As a prerequisite, Mama Kano needed to have her left arm and eye repaired so that she could work her new job. That was done, although with some scars remaining, and she said, 'Give it a go. I'm tired of this place. Koyuki, what do you think?' Mama Koyu said, 'Pack your bags, everyone.' And then the rest is history. We all moved to Leafa Town but since I was essentially the only male in the family (Mama Aya also moved but lives next door by herself), I did most of the heavy lifting.

"People tell me that it must be lonely for me to be the only man of the house. I say, is that really a problem? I can cook, I can clean, I can do yard work, I can do anything that needs to be done, you just have to ask. But I generally like to do athletic stuff, write and compose, and study. I can do stuff that women do, I can do stuff that men do. I can even crossdress and pretend that I'm my biological father as a woman. I've done that, um, 10 times already, and Mama Koyu knows I got his spirit in me so I am not affected by my mother doting on me and spoiling me and my sister. I don't get bored being the man of the house. It's an important role and I believe in playing my role.

proxy


"But I will tell you this, my sister is addicted to Halal Snack Packs. Ames believes that the Halal Snack Pack is the culinary gift of record to the world from the Muslim community, even though it's an Adelaide invention. One time, there was this massive tray of chips, garlic sauce, steak, cheese and so on, the whole shebang, only cost $12. Within 10 minutes, she ate it all. The whole thing. She doesn't get fat from eating this. Hours afterwards, her proportions are back to normal. Really. My big sister does not get fat from eating Halal Snack Packs. Just one of those big trays will keep her full for a full day. Rest in peace, dunny.

"In addition, she loves to sing. It is said that my sister sings like the late Dame Sia Furler, who, ironically, was an Adelaide native. Yes, Adelaide, the city that invented the Halal Snack Pack under the moniker of, even more ironic, the Abortion. Her favorite song, unsurprisingly, is 'Cheap Thrills,' and she sounds exactly like Sia. I even know the bass line by heart. It's that addicting of an old-school tune. I bet Auntie Tsu loved that song when she was still alive, too.

"One time at my old school, Amy belts out that bloody song and all the numpties in the classroom shake their fists and roar at the top of their lungs, 'I Want Cheap Thrills!' embarrassing me to no end as they jump up and down, spinning like mindless tops, some shirtless, causing the teacher to shake his head in amusement. It is Amy's official theme song, according to her and according to her friends and according to me, on good word. And I reckon I'll never get that song out of my head again, y'know? It all makes sense; Smartphone games: a cheap thrill that my parents, my godmother, and my deceased auntie and uncle lived for. How fitting is that? Thanks Top Speed-er, Auntie Tsu. I just realized something, I'm out of money. Damn you, big sister!"



Dan Harding's Leafa Spirit face Georgia in the 2078 BCS National Championship Game on 10 January.
 

Hachiko

The Akita on Utopia

Gabriel White Tenma, the mother of Jake Reynolds.

"I Love Jake Reynolds": Ken Sazanami's Prep Understudy Preps For Reps

By Reiko Bell
The Spirit News
December 26, 2077


The presumptive understudy to Ken Sazanami for Leafa SCA's inaugural varsity gridiron team is Jacob Reynolds White, a distant relative of current Leafa defender Kent Age Reynolds and the son of Gabriel White Tenma. Playing under the name of Jake Reynolds, he is also from Tasmania but was born in Hobart before moving to Queanbeyan, NSW at age 5. An adapt quarterback, Jake specializes in short to medium range passes while eschewing the big play in favor of sustained drives and down-and-distance management. Also, unlike Sazanami, Jake Reynolds has eyes for one school, and one school only: Leafa College, where his units will matriculate to.




"Funny story," said Jake while enjoying some tri-tip on the barbie with beans imported from California, garlic bread and tomato salsa, "You know how my great-great-grandaunt Sia sings, 'I Want Cheap Thrills?' I misheard that as 'I love Jake Reynolds.' I think my old great-great-grandauntie was looking into the future and I am like, all right, no problem. I may be a backup quarterback to Kenno, but if I have my base of people who keep their faith in me, it makes me confident that I'll get playing time and help my team win games.




"The big play gets people going crazy but I don't believe any good football team lives or dies by this. I believe that sustained drives, sustained tempo, down-and-distance is more important. Handling a long drive wears down the fitness and endurance on defenses and only then can we go ahead and throw it deep, but only as a changeup. That's completely different from Kenno's mindset. He believes that a strong, accurate arm can open a game up and set the foundation for everything elese to fall into place.




"Big plays are gambles because either a receiver catches it, a secondary player catches it, or the pass is incomplete. So it is a one-in-three chance of dialing in and a two-in-three chance of the long pass backfiring. That's why I prefer to go short and mid-range, and time the connections so that I put more faith in the yards after catch. It is said, according to my new coach, Coach Flynn, that we have some good receivers, good skills players making up our varsity list, guys who can catch ball and gain yards after the catch through speed, elusiveness and acceleration.




"You know what they say: football is a team sport, and when it comes to team, no one believes it any more than me. If I have guys that can help me out on offence, I will help them out as well. Gridiron invokes brotherhood and selflessness. We're student-athletes that put our bodies on the line for our families, friends, loved ones, our community. So through the power of teamwork, we'll all win and lose as one complete unit. If you love Jake Reynolds, Jake Reynolds loves you back even more. I'll pay you off in spades, because I was born to be an ace of spades. I am Jake Reynolds!"

 
Top