Lewis and Clark's state football
championship was amazing in itself – the first
in school history and the fourth in Greater
Spokane League history.
But Rene Miller got so much more
out of the Tigers' postseason run.
In addition to seeing her son,
junior defensive back Logan Miller, do his part
– and avenging her husband, Mike Miller, a
player in 1978 when Snohomish beat LC 3-0 in the
semifinals – she received an e-mailed picture
showing the breadth of LC's reach: three Chinese
friends holding a large sign that said, "Lewis
and Clark Tiger Football has fans in Beijing,
China!"
"With Mao's picture behind them.
Tiananmen Square. Whew," Miller exclaimed. "Is
that a hoot?"
Just outside the frame of the
photo, an armed soldier stood nearby.
Leonard Wang, Tony Zhao and
Louie Niu were guests of the Millers during the
playoff run.
The three work with Miller, who
is president of Global Reach Institute for
International Education.
She develops short-term
professional and cultural programs
internationally, working with organizations such
as Project Hope.
Wang, Zhao and Niu were in the
States for meetings, where in addition to
enjoying malls and grocery stores, they got a
large dose of American life.
Miller said it was the
activities of her two children at home that
really captivated the men.
Combined with the intensity of
the playoff run, there were music lessons and
church group.
"They were just floored by how
many things our kids have going on," she said.
It's not that way in China,
where couples are allowed to have just one child
and the pressure to succeed academically is
immense.
"They spend all their time
studying; there is no time for extracurricular
activities," Miller said. "They got to see how
much they're missing out on."
Obviously it didn't take them
long to get caught up in the excitement.
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 |
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From left, Leonard
Wang, Tony Zhao and Louie Niu hold a
banner supporting Lewis and Clark
football in Tiananmen Square, China.
Photo courtesy of Rene Miller (Photo
courtesy of Rene Miller) |
