HOW TOUGH IS HE? WAS LOCAL TEACHER 'SURVIVOR' WINNER?Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - Bruce Kanegai holds a fifth-degree black belt in karate. He sometimes jogs barefoot in the hills to keep in shape. And for more than three decades, he has braved the minefield that is a high school campus, teaching teen-agers art. But recently, the 58-year-old Simi Valley man finished what might have been his toughest endeavor - an appearance on ``Survivor.'' While he is contractually obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. not to speak about his performance, and nobody but a few insiders knows how he did, the town is buzzing. ``Bruce is a survivor in any environment that you put him in,'' said Simi Valley City Councilman Glen Becerra, who met Kanegai as a Simi Valley High School Simi Valley High School is a secondary school located in Simi Valley, California which was established in 1920 as the first high school in the valley. It nestles in the Santa Susana Mountains and is adjacent to the San Fernando Valley, part of the city and county of Ventura. student in the early 1980s. ``He can adapt in any kind of environment. ... I would put him up against anybody mentally and physically.'' The latest installment of the show - ``Survivor: Panama - Exile Island'' - is scheduled to begin airing Thursday on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . The winner will be revealed in the final episode in May. Most of the show was filmed in the fall. Kanegai is one of 16 castaways competing for a $1 million prize in the up-to-39-day contest known for its grueling physical challenges, bland and skimpy skimp·y adj. skimp·i·er, skimp·i·est 1. Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting: a skimpy meal. 2. Unduly thrifty; niggardly. diets, and unseemly back-stabbing. Nobody knows when or if Kanegai received the fatal words from host Jeff Probst Jeffrey Lee Probst (born November 4, 1962) is a six-time Emmy Award-nominated American television personality, acting as a game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known for his role as the host of the U.S. - ``the tribe has spoken'' - but those who know him are confident he did well. ``Everybody's reaction is, 'Wow, that's so Bruce,''' said Arleigh Kidd, who heads the California Teachers Association The California Teachers Association (CTA), initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California. for the Simi Valley, Moorpark and Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by region. ``He has always been a survivor, out testing his physical limits and mental limits.'' On campus, Kanegai is all the rave. Linsey Mead, 18, the student body president who took karate lessons from Kanegai: ``He's, like, way intense. He's like the Jackie Chan Jackie Chan SBS, (born April 7, 1954), also known as Sing Lung in Cantonese (Traditional Chinese: 成龍; Simplified Chinese: 成龙 of Simi Valley.'' Nicole Bernabe, 16, junior class president: ``He's like a cat. He has nine lives, and when he falls, it's on all fours.'' Sophomore Meghan Allen, 16: ``I think he has the best chance of anyone because he's the toughest.'' Kidd also was a student at Simi Valley High when he first met Kanegai, who has been teaching art there for 32 years and is a master of the traditional Japanese school Japanese School may mean
Because of his high ethical standards, it's unlikely he advanced on the show by lying, cheating or breaking ``Survivor's'' so-called alliances, Kidd said. ``If he goes all the way, it's not going to be because he stabbed anybody in the back, but because he is so respected, nobody wants to stab him in the back,'' he said. ``He's just the kind of guy you want to have around.'' Kanegai is this season's oldest competitor. The next oldest is 52. Initially, the show will split the competitors into groups of four, with the older men competing against the older women and the younger men against the younger women. While Kanegai can't talk about his appearance, he was quoted on CBS.com as saying he wants to be like Mr. Miyagi, the Japanese-American karate expert from ``The Karate Kid'' movies. He also told other teachers at Simi Valley High that his competition on ``Survivor'' was one of the hardest things he has ever done, and people who have seen him since the show was filmed say he appears proud of his performance. Neighbors say they have seen him regularly jogging through the streets, sometimes barefoot, and into the hills around his Simi Valley home. Kanegai is a third-generation Japanese-American who grew up in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , where he was an Eagle Scout, according to his biography on the CBS.com ``Survivor'' link. The graduate of California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , has taught more than 10,000 students and has received Teacher of the Year awards from various organizations, according to the bio. He also has taught more than 7,000 students over about 40 years in the martial arts, has assisted in teaching police instructors arrest and control techniques and was a police survival training instructor from 1978 to 1992. In the 1970s and early 1980s, he was a backpacking instructor at Moorpark College and the Yosemite Institute, and once ran the entire 220-mile John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, running 211 miles (340 km) from the from Mount Whitney to Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park (yōsĕm`ĭtē), 761,266 acres (308,205 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of conservationist John Muir. Located in the Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. , the bio says. He lives in Simi Valley with his wife of 27 years, Nancy. They have two children, Alexander and Danielle. Tom Heyman, a fourth-degree black belt in Shotokan karate and a leader of the Santa Barbara dojo do·jo n. pl. do·jos A school for training in Japanese arts of self-defense, such as judo and karate. [Japanese d , said Kanegai is a hero to him. ``Bruce is the most honest and mentally strong person I've ever met. If anyone can win 'Survivor,' I believe it's Bruce,'' Heyman said. ``He still goes to special training and just blows away all the young guys.'' Teachers and students recalled how Kanegai fell gravely ill three years ago when he was bitten by a large rattlesnake rattlesnake, poisonous New World snake of the pit viper family, distinguished by a rattle at the end of the tail. The head is triangular, being widened at the base. The rattle is a series of dried, hollow segments of skin, which, when shaken, make a whirring sound. while golfing. ``If he can survive a snake bite,'' 15-year-old sophomore Lana Taylor said, ``he can survive on 'Survivor.''' Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com The contestants on ``Survivor: Panama - Exile Island'' listed by name, age, hometown and profession: Dan Barry: 52, South Hadley, Mass., retired astronaut. Aras Baskauskas: 24, Santa Monica, yoga instructor. Austin Carty: 24, High Point, N.C., author. Terry Deitz: 46, Simsbury, Ct., airline pilot/retired Navy fighter pilot. Danielle DiLorenzo: 24, Pompano Beach, Fla., medical sales representative. Cirie Fields: 35, Walterboro, S.C., registered nurse. Misty Giles: 24, Dallas, Texas, engineer. Melinda Hyder: 32, Sevierville, Tenn.; singer. Bruce Kanegai: 58, Simi Valley, karate instructor/high school art teacher. Courtney Marit: 31, Los Angeles, performance artist. Bobby Mason: 32, Los Angeles, attorney. Ruth Marie Millima: 48, Greenville, S.C., director of retail leasing. Shane Powers: 35, Los Angeles, owner, entertainment marketing company. Tina Scheer: 45, Hayward, Wis., logging sports promoter/performer. Sally Schumann: 27, Chicago, Ill., social worker. Nick Stanbury: 25, Tempe, Ariz., financial sales. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color in Simi SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative edition only) Bruce Kanegai a Simi Valley high school teacher and a fifth-degree black belt in karate, is featured in the latest episodes of ``Survivor: Panama - Exile Island,'' which begins airing Thursday on CBS. (2 -- color -- ran in Simi edition only) The cast of ``Survivor: Panama - Exile Island'' poses together. Simi Valley teacher Bruce Kanegai is in the middle of the back row in a flowered shirt. Box: (ran in Simi edition only) no caption (Survivor: Panama - Exile Island) |
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