30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Monday, September 13, 2010

I love the 80's #4: Kristi Yamaguchi & Tamlyn Tomita

Last year, some teachers and I were talking about who our childhood crushes were. The first people who popped into my head were Kristi Yamaguchi and the Japanese girl from Karate Kid II. That's right... I didn't know her name, but I knew that she was my dream girl.


Eventually, I looked her up on IMDB.com and discovered that Kumiko was played by Tamlyn Tomita. She's been on several television shows like Stargate, Monk, Criminal Minds, Heroes, CSI: Miami, and General Hospital. I also learned that she had been in two movies I've watched within the past few years: Only the Brave & The Day After Tomorrow. However, I never put the pieces together and figured out that she was the girl me and Daniel-san fell in love with.

Last week, I bid on her autograph and won (paid $.99 + $2.50 shipping).


Later on down the road, another girl caught my eye. This time it was different because she wasn't only a crush, she was a hero. I've mentioned before that I didn't have a lot of Japanese athletes to look up to while growing up. Well, Kristi Yamaguchi was the diamond in the rough. Whenever I went to Japantown in San Jose, I'd see posters and autographed pictures of her. In fact, a few shops still have her pictures up almost 20 years later.


When she won the gold medal during the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, I remember how excited my family was for Kristi. Now before you accuse me of being a fraud... let me say that I (along with the rest of my family) have been following Kristi since the mid 80's when she was skating with Rudy Galindo. In fact, I hated that guy because I thought he was her boyfriend.

These days Kristi Yamaguchi is married to Bret Hedican, a former NHL player. They still live in the Bay Area where they are raising two kids. A couple of years ago she was crowned the Dancing with the Stars champion... but I wouldn't know anything about that.

It set me back a pretty penny, but earlier this year I added this card to my collection:


Now for today's question of the day: What famous people did you have a childhood crush on?

Have a good evening!

10 comments:

Martyn said...

Okay, Natalie Imbruglia, When she played Beth Brennan in Neighbours, I also love her first 3 albums, Gone off her music but yeah, Also her Younger sister Laura (more my age) is a musician and I like her music.

I also liked Lita from WWF/WWE man she made wrestling. Sandra Bullock, And Drew Barrymore, I saw her in a movie I can't remember the title but she looked good in jeans.

SpastikMooss said...

Anna Kournikova, but that was a given.

Also Rachel Stevens of S Club 7, which makes no sense, but she was cute.

Martyn said...

I liked Hannah & Jo from Sclub, Rachel was fit but that was a given, I did see Jo at my local nightclub, my mate asked her out it was so funny. I just had a few tequilla slammers with her.

Hairylemon said...

To stay on Fuji's ice skating theme, Katarina Witt was my crush.Also had a massive crush on Winona Ryder.Now I am a grown up I have a crush on Mariel Rodriguez a Filipino Actress/Presenter.

Offy said...

Soleil Moon Frye

Tony Mc said...

The pink power ranger from way back when was pretty hot.

Charles @ Hoopography said...

hahaha, I'm totally with Martyn on Natalie Imbruglia, but I was and still am a fan of Monica Bellucci.

Fuji said...

Okay guys... this is how bored I am. I just Googled every one of these ladies you listed... and ranked them... along with Yamaguchi & Tomita

#1 Rachel Stevens
#2 Mariel Rodriguez
#3 Soleil Moon Frye
#4 Natalie Imbruglia
#5 Tamlyn Tomita
#6 (tie) Monica Bellucci
#6 (tie) Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Power Ranger)
#8 Anna Kournikova
#9 Kristi Yamaguchi
#10 Katarina Witt
#11 (tie) Drew Barrymore
#11 (tie) Winona Ryder
#13 Sandra Bullock
#14/15 Hannah & Jo
#16 Lita

C'mon... you know you want to do it... Go ahead... google all of these ladies and show us your rankings.

adam_12_76444@yahoo.com said...

I've got 3: 1. Tamilyn Tomita(whom I donm't know if she's now single/div-orced/has a BF), If not, I'd give all that I could, to her favorite charitry, just to be able to have a weekend date with her. When I saw her as Kumikko, in KK2 I had a deffinate crush on her, especially, when I saw her on Stargate, as well as other TV shows/movies as well. Not to mention that she'd been perfect for the movie: "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," if the prod-ucerd would've considered here for one of the parts. I'm not say'n that the other younger actresses(like Ming Na Wen, for example), are not only good, they deffinately are, especially, when she was also on Stargate: Universe(I think that the Stargate show she was on).

Lita is good too, especially, as a WWE Wrestler.

Also, 4 other stars that are possiblty still in movies/retired: Asia Carrera-Retired porn star, Tia carrera-TV/Movies, Nia Peeples-Walker, Texas, Ranger, as Sydney, Christine Nguen-porn star-Retired/still in movies?

Wynonna Ryder is cool too. I just wonder if she's date anyone else that is not in they entertainment industry?

Sandra Bullock-Same ? WHould she go out w/someone, that NOT ONLY isn't in
the intertainment industry, but, is originally, from the same state that he was born in, though he lives, in the former state that she DID live, and, not to fate from the city that she DID live in, but towards the Dallas area?

Lisa Welchel-I'm from not too far from the Dallas, Texas area, maybe not too far from where U used to live. All U gotta do is to inquire as to where I am. Hint: My name is the same as the 49er football player, but no relation, that is if Ur into sports, meaning football, but I have other sports I like to watch as well.

Anna Kornikova? The same ?, but, who doesn't play tennis?

Not only stars, what about singers? Too bad Leann Rimes remarried, becoz it was outta sin that she did that. If she's a christian, she should've known that mess'n around on her 1st hubby, was a sin against God, as well as divorcing him,as well, so that she could be with him...permamately-2nd sin against God, and the 3rd sin was to have be with
another man that was still married(meaning her present hubby), thus, pos-sibly coz'n a divorce from his wife, and, the 4th sin, against God, was to marry the guy, that she had premarital sex, meaning an af-fair. And, here I thought she was a devout Christian. YEAH RIGHT!

Jessica Simpson, who used to be married to Nick Lache', who's now married to another woman. Q ? Who committed the 1st sin in this marriage? Even though, it was probably call "IRRECONSILABLE DIFFERENCES:": NIck or Jessica? I know for one thing, Hav'n a child, outta wedlock, is a sin against God's word, but, she's hav'n a 2nd One, w/the same guy?
OMG(oodness!) What is religion coming to? I know that the Catholic belief,
doesn't believe in what the Bible says(RE: The 10 Commandments), Doing pre-marital sexual intercourse, Taking God's name in vain, +, the other violations of the 9 other commandments, as well).

In my Christian belief, we do exactly the opposite, and, that is why, we are sound believers in God's word, Unlike, Leanne Rimes and Jessica Simp-son. Those two, deffinately need to start to read their Bibles, regular-ily, so that they'll understand as to what I'm tlk'n about.

If U still don't understand, as to what I'm gett'n @, Just ask Ur minister/pastor/reverend/(sorry, not a priest-catholic-disregard him)/ or, if U wanna try a new belief, check out the Church of Christ(we call ourselves Christians, not Church of Christ-we say that we are members of the local Church of Christ. U might ask as to why we don't call ourselves
"Church of Christ?"

Here's the explaination: If I were a membe of the local Fire Department, I can't say that I'm a Fire Department, I'd haveta say that I'm a fireman,that's a member of the local(or, whichever department I'm with)Fire Department.



Dwight Clark said...

/The only thing U forgot was the show that Lita was on...Angel(I think that's the name of the show, w/Jessica Alba/).