20 Questions with Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc: Women’s World Cup, being bullied as a child and rivalry with ‘big brother’ U.S.
Sean Fitz-Gerald (National Post).
TORONTO – Karina LeBlanc had a cough, and the sniffles, and a raspy voice. It was a cold, and it was a bad time for a cold. She had appointments in the morning, soccer practice in the afternoon and the final international tournament of her career only a few days away.
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The cold had already taken a toll. In a quiet moment, in the courtyard of an upscale hotel in downtown Toronto, LeBlanc pulled out her mobile phone to show video footage from a television interview she had done earlier, in which she tried to sing through the cold.
“I should never have done that,” she said, smiling wearily. “Never, ever.”
Earlier in the trip, LeBlanc had announced she would retire from the Canadian women’s team after the World Cup, which begins this weekend. At 35, she has spent almost all of her adult life wearing the jersey of her adopted home, having moved to British Columbia from Dominica with her family when she was eight.
The veteran goalkeeper is a charter member of the generation of women who transformed the program, from a team playing for friends and family into one playing in front of sold-out stadiums, with national name recognition and a laudable trophy case. She was on the team that won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, and she made the saves in penalties to help give Canada the gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.
This will be her fifth World Cup appearance. In retirement, she will almost certainly land somewhere in television, where she has seemed nearly as comfortable as she has in goal.
“It’s been the best job ever,” LeBlanc said. “The toughest part will be walking away from these ladies.”
Before she walked away from the hotel, LeBlanc (KL) took time to answer 20 Questions from National Post, talking about Celine Dion, being bullied as a new Canadian, and the possibility of transferring her goaltending skills onto the ice.
1. The Power of Love?KL: Oh boy. How did The Power of Love come about? You know, it’s just one of those things, after every game, you always play a slower song. We love Celine Dion. And that’s a song that everybody seemed to know. It caught on. And I think it’s a combination of loving Celine Dion and a song that everybody knew. And we love each other.
2. What did the team play after winning bronze at the 2012 Olympics?KL: The Power of Love.
3. What is the strangest autograph request you’ve gotten since that win?KL: Oh my god. Different body parts. That would be the best way to say that. Certain body parts, I go, ‘ah, no, no thanks.’
4. You are known for your varied hairstyles: How long does it take to prepare?KL: [coughs, sniffles] I’ve mastered it a bit, now. So I can probably do my hair in about 15 minutes, which is pretty cool. Or, sometimes, people think I plan it, and it’s just not combed. [laughs]
5. Goalies are generally known for their quirks and superstitions. What are yours?KL: Hm. I like to listen to a little bit of gospel and reggae before a game to just chill me out, because I have a lot of energy. Then, right around game time, just start getting with the team and dancing and being loud. But I like to visualize when I’m back in the hotel, and write a little note of who I’m going to be that day. I also have to have something pink on, as well, for breast cancer awareness.
6. Give me the best place in Canada for Dominican food.KL: Oh, geez. I’m probably going to have to say one of my aunts’ houses. It’s tough to find. There’s no actual restaurant.
7. What is a good Dominican dish?KL: A good Dominican dish? People are not going to like this: They do their mac and cheese different. It’s a little fattier than the Canadian way of doing it, but it tastes amazing. I think Dominican food is similar to Jamaican food. Very spicy. You season your food at least the night before, before you cook it.
8. What did your parents give up when they left Dominica?KL: Oh, my parents gave up everything. My dad had a great job. He was the GM of a bank, and he was also on a couple of boards. My mother was a grammar teacher and a mentor to so many people … they sacrificed everything for us, to give us the opportunity to be able to come to Canada so that we could have opportunity.
9. You studied English at a high level in Dominica, and you were eight when your family moved to Canada. So why did your school send you to ESL classes?KL: I was this shy, quiet kid, so you barely got me to speak. And then, my accent was so thick. People didn’t quite understand me. You have to understand, there weren’t many people coming from the Caribbean to live in Maple Ridge. So when I did speak, it just didn’t come across correct. I would have to say that’s why.
10. I’ve read you were bullied in those early days.KL: Yes. I didn’t fit in. I was taller than other kids. Obviously, there were only a few — not in my class — but in my school, there were maybe two or three black kids. So I was different. I didn’t speak. I had a firecracker put in my hand in the first couple days I was at school. The kids laughed. I mean, I’d never seen a firecracker before, so it went off in my hand and all the kids laughed at me. I was an outsider. I actually hated it. I remember going home and telling my mom how much I hated them for bringing us here. Because my dad worked five hours away, so we only saw him on the weekends. That was the only job he could get. And my mother, because her accent was so thick, she couldn’t even get a good substitute-teaching job. So it was a struggle. We had our home in the city in Dominica, which was on one acre of land, and then our country home, which was on 10 acres of land. And then we were living in two-bedroom apartment. We went from comfortable to uncomfortable very quickly.
11. For people who know you now, how surprising is it for them to hear you were shy as a child?KL: [laughs] Everyone just says ‘yeah, right.’ Every single person … I don’t know why it was. I think I was just observing the world, and I hadn’t found myself quite yet. I hadn’t found my place in the world yet. I think that’s where sports stepped in for me and made a huge difference. Because it made me feel like I belonged, and it gave me a connection to something where I was comfortable.
12. Why does Christine Sinclair, one of the best players in the world, shun the spotlight?KL: It’s just who she is. She’s a humble, strong, intelligent woman. I think that’s just who she is. Even when we’re all hanging out, she’s not the loud one — surprise, surprise, probably because I’m the one who’s a little loud. I mean, I’ve known Sincy for 12 or 14 years now, and the best way to describe her is, she’s Sincy. I think it should be a new term. She’s Sincy.
13. You have posted a series of behind-the-scenes videos online — under the banner of KK Cam — has she always been a willing co-star?KL: Nope. [coughs] Not at all. You can see it in the KK Cam, she’s just rolling her eyes at me saying, ‘what are you doing now?’ Unfortunately, I think my teammates have come to expect that from me. [smiles] … I know Sincy knows if I come around the corner with a camera, she’s like, ‘what now?’ But she’ll still do the stuff because she knows it’s out of complete innocence. It’s just about people getting to know who we are. And that’s why the KK Cam started. I was like, ‘you guys, people really want to know who we are, this is what people connect with.’ Sincy only does stuff when she wants to do it.
14. Given the success of the team, why don’t we see players associated with more brands and starring in more television commercials in Canada?KL: Hm. That’s a good question. I’m hoping it’s just a matter of time, at this point. With the World Cup in this country, people are starting to truly see what women’s soccer is, how it’s grown. When I started, there were like 46 people in the stands, family and friends. Now, we’re selling out stadiums. When we flew into Toronto, the kids are waiting and freaking out and they can’t even get the words out. It’s people our age now, it’s mothers and fathers and CEOs. I get to go out and do some motivational talks to companies, and they care to listen. So I think that market is starting to understand the influence we can have. And that’s what this World Cup is about, that we’re driven by inspiring a nation.
15. Is it fair that the women have to compete on artificial turf this summer?KL: For us as a team, we knew that was the situation coming in, so it was more so an issue that other people were making. It was almost like we knew that was what it was, so it was onto the next task. John Herdman was always saying, ‘focus on the next task, don’t get overwhelmed with what everybody else is doing.’ For us, obviously, we’d love grass. I mean, our entire team would by lying if we said we didn’t love playing on grass. But the issue at hand is being successful and winning a World Cup at home.
16. What is the one thing you cannot travel without?KL: My music. Absolutely.
17. While training in Beijing, in 2007, you said the air was so bad “you find it’s almost like there’s phlegm in your throat.” What’s the most challenging destination you’ve had to visit while playing for Canada?KL: [sniffles] It just felt like you always had a cold. You know, there’s beauty in every place we’ve been. But I’d have to say it was either that, or when it’s, like, 40 degrees, and we’re doing fitness.
18. Ottawa Senators fans gave you a standing ovation during a game in February: How good of a goalie are you on the ice?KL: Um, Sean, I don’t know if I’d be a good goalie on ice. I can skate, but I can’t stop. So I’d probably push off, and you’d see me hit the side of the rink. I don’t think I would be very good. Maybe if you put me in runners, that would be good. I think my reaction time would be great, whenever I was actually in the frame of the goal.
19. The Canadian women brawled with the Americans before Sochi. Is the rivalry with the U.S. as intense on the field?KL: [coughs into right sleeve, sniffles] I’m going to have to say yes. Canada and the U.S.A.; it’s like the U.S. is the big brother that continues to beat you, you know? Women’s hockey has had success in beating them, so there’s a bit of a difference there. When we watch those hockey games, the Canada/U.S. games, it’s almost like we connect so well with the teams. It’s like, ‘come on!’ And when they won, it’s almost like, ‘Yeah! We can do it now.’ It becomes personal. There’s a story there. Obviously, the Olympics made it an even bigger story. I think a Canada/U.S.A. final would be fantastic for this World Cup.
20. Complete the following sentence: Old goalkeepers never die, they just …KL: Get wiser.
