Surprises aplenty at inaugural HSPC Awards

The prestigious HSPC Awards extravaganza was held at the posh setting of the Dubliners Shinjuku on Dec. 29 and a gala mix of "athletes" and celebrities came out to support one of the premiere events on the Tokyo social calendar ... er, not quite, but we had a great night.



The first prize up for grabs was the "Fashion Statement of the Year Award." The "Man in Black" was a hot favorite to scoop the prize over the models sporting their latest HSPC T-shirt designs but late entries by "Rodeo Raj" and "Rob DJ Wokmer" added interest to the event and in a photo finish Rob stole the award with a toe-tapping version of "We Will Wok You" which stirred up the Dubliners crowd.

The "Appreciation Award" was next up on the agenda and there were two nominees. Kawamura san from MPC for his endless generosity -- designing the logo for our T-shirts, supplying photos of our team in action and, best of all, the supplier of countless cans of Sapporo beer of late due to his poor performances on the piste!

The other contender was Brother Don of sandbag boule fame who's selflessness extended to supplying every member of the team with his own set of cushonettes, color coordinated for any occasion. The Don got the nod for the prize and we hope to see him at Myoshoji in the near future. Thanks again guys.


The "Party of the Year Award" was a hotly contested affair with many memorable performances including the all night BBQ at Greg's following our win over Aoyama in the league (Anyone need any chicken???). But the standout live performance by "The Seahawks" with Charlie on bass and Bob on guest harp got the boys groovin’ and was one of the most memorable nights of the year.

The final prize on offer was the "Man of the Year Award." This prize, not strictly limited to HSPC members, is given to a player whose actions go beyond the call of duty, a player who puts the game and the team ahead of anything else. There were many honorable efforts ranging from Bob bringing extra boules to the park every week to Albert regularly making the trek across Tokyo for a game with the boys. But one player topped these acts when he checked himself out of hospital to play in the league decider. This great competitor also refused to sit on the sidelines when he broke his ankle and played with a crutch in one hand, boules in the other.


The HSP Man of the Year is Charlie!

Well done mate, drinks on us on Sunday!

Happy New Year to all!

Keep 'em in front!