Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Dalat Junior Carnival
Those who are playing this Saturday (7/11/2009) will be required to be a Dalat International Gymnasium at 11.00am sharp. Attire for the matches will be the black jersey and black t-shirt for those who do not have one.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
wanna see the national players in action??
FLOORBALL CARNIVAL
Date : SUNDAY (18th October) – That’s tomorrow!
Time: 10am-2pm
Venue: Shang Wu primary school (opposite the State Mosque next to SXI primary school)
need a map? click here
Organized by Sik Aun Baptist Church, the floorball events will be from 10am-12pm followed by a “makan” time from 12-2pm.(There will be stalls selling food)
And here’s the best part! There is going to be an exhibition match featuring the National Players right there at 10am in the school hall!!!! (featuring our very own Sam and Deswyn in match action with Linken as the match referee!).There will also be mini competition taken part by SXI , MBS and floorball teams from SIK AUN BC
2 minutes may or may not be given to Sam or Deswyn by Linken tomorrow (highly doubtful) but I can guarantee you that many more minutes of AWESOME FLOORBALL ACTION IS GUARANTEED for ya’ll tomorrow!
Need I say more?
See you all there=)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Day We Rose Again
List of Players.
#20 Deswyn Wan (Keeper)
#9 Ephraim Teh (Captain)
#6 Rooban Chand
#8 Lee Chester
#10 Joshua Yam
#11 Jason Chew
#13 Andrew Yeap
#23 Darien Loh
#86 Nicholes Ong
Everyone reached the Balik Pulau Stadium on time, except for Andrew Yeap. ( He had things to do. No worries, he didn’t get the venue wrong. ) Nicholes Ong was the most high spirited Innebandien at 8 a.m. I could barely keep my eyes open. Captain E instructed us to suit up and we were off doing warm-ups. Everyone was tired from jumping sideways, the grand finale in our warming up. After that, we stretched and had a little team talk. Mr. Kao Lin Ken (#31) gave us a few words of wisdom to get us pumped up. We went in and watched a few interesting matches. Time passed by so fast since all the matches were nice to watch.
Qualifying Round
We were up next. We went down to the playing area and sat outside the rink, anxiously waiting for our turn. Our goal keeper, Deswyn Wan (#20) looked good in his attire. The sight of him with the keeper pants on was very ‘cute’. We were up against Contact Army. The tension was high as Innebandy was meeting one of our arch-nemesis’ really early on. We ended the game with a 2-0 win, thanks to two goals from Jason ‘the Superstar’ Chew. The players heaved a relieved sigh after the final whistle; it hadn’t been an easy match, to say the least.
We had a LONG break before the next game was up. What did we do? Watch more floorball! (and eat a little, of course.) The next game was against Frontliners Fusion. The game ended with a 2-1 win. Clearly, we didn’t have our heads in the game yet. We were still warming up. Without Nicholes’ brace, victory would have been doubtful, at best. Later, the same player was disqualified from partaking from the tournament on grounds that he had previously represented Malaysia in a friendly against India. What a huge blow to us, and to Nic himself, it was. After all, this was his first appearance in competitive floorball since the horrific accident, which rendered him incapable to play the game he loved best, several months earlier.
But, no time to mourn the past, the present was fast catching up on us. The third, and final, match was up. Innebandy!Co took on Firebrands Bak Kua. Ironically, is was without our most senior forward in which we managed to rack up our biggest score. A comfortable 5-0 win saw the Innebandien skipper leading the charge with a well crafted hat-trick. This result ensured a place in the quarter-finals as well as guaranteeing Innebandy to be paired off with a “weaker” team.
So, the diagnosis so far? Looking good, Innebandy getting all 3 wins out of 3 and netting in 9 whilst conceding only a single goal so far. However, I don’t think these statistics really sank in to our tired heads as we all knew that we still had 3 tough games more to go before even hoping to win the Gold. After taking a well deserved rest, we got ready for our next encounter, against the SXI Kamikazes.
Quarter Finals
At first glance, this group of mostly small boys were not thought to be of any threat to us. Little did we know that they were not to be underestimated… The Saints played well, taking into account the short duration they have played the beautiful game, but conceded defeat to an overwhelming Innebandy side. In the end, the scoreline showed that size(and experience) really does matter as we took the quarter-finals 7-1. Still, it was a very good effort on their part for scoring against the much senior Innebandy team. Kudos to you guys if you’re reading this.
Semi Finals
The tension was building up. After coming so far, defeat was simply unacceptable. We were all a little worried just in case we haven’t started our ‘engines’ up yet. The game was up against team Ztec 2011. Many spectators would agree that this was the match to watch in this particular tournament. Both teams have a rich history against each other since the latters foundation; it wasn’t only about going to the next round, this was personal. Whoever won would not only be guaranteed a medal, but would have bragging rights till the next showdown.
Back to the game. Both Innebandy! Co. and Ztec 2011 showed high levels of energy and gave tremendous amounts of pressure. As you all know, it only takes a split second to net a ball in the goalpost in the game of floorball. We kept our game tight and focused on stopping their waves of attacks, one shot at a time. The camp we had definitely played a role in strengthening our teamwork and bonding, enabling us to play as better Innebandiens. The “holy trinity” of Innebandy, comprising of Lin Ken, Sam and Nicholes, combined to coach us and giving morale support by screaming their lungs out at us. It worked, with Captain E taking full advantage of a defensive error on Ztec’s part. The ball went through a practically non-existent free hit wall and into the net for the only goal of the game. Final score, Innebandy 1 : Ztec 0. Credit to the brilliant defensive teamwork of the ENTIRE team which played a vital part in making sure no goals were conceded. The three IC’s, particularly Insane Courage, were fully put into practice in this exhilarating match-up.
This is it. The moment you’ve all been waiting for. The Finals. Need I say more?
The Finals
Innebandy faced-off with a physical Minden Titanium team. Hearts pounding, we stepped on court for the final challenge in our pursuit for Gold. Win, and we make History once again. Lose, and be condemned to mediocrity for eternity(or at least another year). Right, here we go.
It was a somewhat diminished performance from both sides as it had been a long day. Nevertheless, the teams put in their best with all they had and set up a worthy finale for this prestigious competition. Solid defender, Rooban Chand, put an unstoppable shot in the back of the net, from not far off the half way line, to open the scoring. Minden Titanium were able to pull one back, but Innebandy proved just too hot to handle with a final scoreline of 3-1.
The feeling we got when the referee blew the final whistle was simply…
Indescribable.
Prize Giving
Mr. Christopher Koh gave a short speech before the top three (3) teams received their medals. Team Innebandy! Co. gave Ztec 2011 a “Whoosh!” as they were receiving their medals. Ztec 2011 then returned the favour by singing a part of the Innebandy! Co. cheer. We were all estatic when we heard the few words that go, “And the champions are……Team Innebandy! Co. !” We then marched to Mr. Edward Lim and received our medals. Each Innebandien walked up to him with great joy and pride. The smile on our faces told the whole story. After that, the all star team picks.
Goal keeper : Dawn Tan from Minden Titanium
Defender: Rooban Chand from Innebandy! Co.
Defender: Khoo Gim Hoong from Ztec 2011
Forward : Rish Van from Minden Titanium
Forward : Ephraim Teh from Innebandy! Co.
The day came to an end. We kept the boards, chairs, and tables back. After that, we headed home, weary from our exploits but well satisfied with the results.
Thank You very much..
Many thanks to Sam, Lin Ken, Deswyn and, to an extent, Nicholes, for each putting their heart and soul into coaching us week in, week out for umpteen years. Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to you guys for really sacrificing time and your own personal training by building us up individually as players and collectively as a team. Also, not forgetting our sole supporter on the day of the tournament, Previn, for bearing with us throughout the entire duration. I know we must have bored you terribly but we hope to make up for it by welcoming you with open arms into our big happy family, Innebandy! Co.
This section wouldn’t be complete without a proper appreciation for the Innebandy! Co. team which overcame the odds to claim the very first Rising Star Challenge Trophy. All of you guys(and girl) played an integral role in the road to glory. I fervently hope that we keep this momentum going and reach out for greater exploits to go down in our very own Hall of Fame (otherwise known as the Innebandy blog). Without every single player, the Inner Circle of Innebandy just wouldn’t have been complete. Well done, guys (and girl).
Lasty, and definitely not least, I would like to thank God for His abundant grace and mercy upon us even as we played in the Rising Star 2009 Challenge. It is truly by God’s protective hand upon each and every one of us that none of us sustained any serious injuries. And without His infinite grace, tempers would have surely been lost in the completion of the tournament. Thank you Jesus, for Your never ending Love for us.
And so…
As a conclusion, the Rising Star 2009 Challenge saw many Innebandiens realize their full potential as we took home the top honours. It is indeed true when they say that “With Great Teamwork comes Great Victories”. Many would say this was a fluke result, that it was a one-in-a-million thing. However, I can see this team rising up to even loftier heights in the not too distant future. Use this achievement as a stepping stone for times to come. Just keep on working towards the goal as a team and in your own Independent Culture. Lets prove the critics wrong and just go for it. Who knows where our next trophy would come from?
The Penang Floorball League 2010 anyone?
Special Olympics Motto-Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.
One Team, One Way.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
It Was....A Splendid Night
The End
.......................
.....................
..................
................
..............
............
.........
.......
.....
...
..
.
Not at all dear readers. This is in fact just the beginning of many more achievements, victories and success to come. Therefore, the formula that can be deduced from this story is: Inner Circle + Independent Culture + Insane Courage = Gold Medals and a…….
CELEBRATORY POTLUCK!!!
Which was held on the 18th of September to not only celebrate our recent success as Rising Star Champions but also to grow tighter as a team, to makan as a team and most importantly, to have fun as a team!
The potluck was held in Deswyn’s apartment and was initially meant to be held at the poolside. However, as the weather did not permit and it started to pour heavily, the potluck was held inside Deswyn’s apartment. Nothing is going to deter us Innebandiens from makan time!
By the stroke of 7.30 pm, everyone was all there eager and waiting to begin makan time. All except Joshua who ‘cleverly’ went to the poolside of the wrong apartment and got stuck there due to the heavy rain. As Deswyn mentioned to Joshua that his apartment is 20 storeys high and white in color with a brown top, Joshua went to another apartment nearby with “deceivingly” the exact same characteristics!! Finding out that he was at the wrong apartment from a resident there, Joshua kept his teammates waiting and starving while waiting for the rain to stop.
The team was however very kind and gracious and waited for Joshua to arrive before beginning the potluck. In the meantime, everyone huddled up in Deswyn’s living room to watch the World Floorball Championships Final Match between Sweden and Finland. GOOD STUFF.
Everyone quickly gathered around the potluck table eagerly waiting to sample the many dishes prepared by the Innebandy members. After praying for the food by Captain E, the potluck began! Everyone was happily chomping away as the food was really good indeed. Who would have known that Innebandiens had a secret talent for cooking other than floorball ! Amongst the food brought were ·
- Chicken ala “Chick Flick” (Rooban) [as named by Rooban himself]
- TESCO’s “Kenny Rogers” Chicken (Deswyn)
- Cream Puffs (Win Shern)
- Nuggets (Chester)
- Pudding (Valerie)
- Sago Dessert (Andrew)
- Fried Bee Hoon (Jason)
- Mashed Potatoes (Darien)
- Banana Cake (Lin Ken)
- Curry Sandwiches (Previn)
- Pork Curry (Ephraim)
- Soft Drinks (Sam)
Every item brought was indeed scrumptious as all Innebandiens began attacking the potluck table round after round. Sam told us not to worry if they gain any weight cause he will make sure we all lose it again in training on Sunday by doing 2 rounds of Shuttle Runs!
The officiating of this ceremony began with Captain E really giving his best in trying to pop the bottle. After numerous tries, finally only was Captain E able to “merasmikan” the ceremony by producing a well rounded OOMPH filled POP!! Sparkling Juice was then distributed all around by the captain himself. The team then gathered in a circle and toasted to their recent success by singing the Innebandy song together followed by everyone BOTTOMING UP! Although sparkling juice was used instead of wine, Jason “the superstar” still did not dare to partake of the drink as he felt it safe to not drink from any wine shaped bottle for fear of being drunk.
After rounds and rounds of killing, the night finally came to an end with everyone satisfied both in their stomachs as well as their hearts. We certainly bonded as a team and believe that our tighter Inner Circle will bring us to greater heights than ever. The team would like to thank the coaches for their dedication and undying “love” and sacrifice in constantly training, motivating us and pushing us to achieve more than what we already are. Most importantly, we would like to give all the glory to God!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Only one word...
1st period
We were invited for a friendly match on the 24th of August, Monday night, by the Penang women’s state team. It was a win-win situation for both parties with the Penang side looking to build on their team chemistry and strategies while Innebandy hoped to gain some valuable experience for the junior players by facing them off against the much seasoned Penang women’s team.
The atmosphere that night was pretty quiet with both teams starting off with their respective warm-up drills. Sam Teoh and Deswyn Wan both refrained from participating and coached the team instead as the objective of that night’s game was more towards helping the team get use to coping without two of Innebandy’s main players rather than winning. On top of that, Innebandy had to play without Cuilin and Valerie Tan, who were called up for State duty. However, with the return of the much missed forward, Nicholes Ong, and the ever solid keeper, Lin Ken, in goal, things looked to be leaning slightly towards Innebandy’s side.
Preeeeet!
And we’re off.
The first period started off with the women’s team putting on an aggressive mind-set. Their quick passes and constant pressuring nearly paid off for them. Quite contrary to the oppsition’s strategy, Innebandy played a calm and collected game. Our forwards were having difficulties getting past the women’s first line of defence. That combined with Sharron in goal proved to be a difficult wall to break down. Furthermore, the female forwards were playing well for about half the period by pressuring the Innebandy defenders. Fortunately for us, they did not keep up their starting momentum and soon Innebandy drew first blood with Captain E setting up Jason “the Superstar” Chew followed by Joshua Yam.
Nevertheless, at the break, the two coaches were not happy with our game play thus far. Sam demanded a more solid performance from us Innebandiens especially the back two. He also challenged us to net in another five more goals by the end of the second period.
In the second half, things didn’t exactly go to plan. The women weren’t improving, Innebandy was counter attacking well from defence to forward in a blink of an eye. However, the players couldn’t finish off the opportunities and blew a number of one-on-one chances against the Penang goalie. More than once, the cutting edge of Deswyn was sorely missed by Innebandy as they came close on more than one occasion. But as we all know, in floorball, coming close is just not good enough. As for the women, they lacked the speed and dynamicism to penetrate our back line, the forwards did not chase down each ball and soon their game play grew stagnant. The period ended unexpectedly with not only a clean sheet for the state team but a late goal as well! The Ng sisters, Sarah and Sheryn, combined to catch the defense ball-watching which left Innebandy in shock and Lin Ken on his feet screaming profanities at his defense who left him wide open.
Wow. Not only did we NOT meet Uncle Sam’s target, but we let in a goal too. Things were looking bad. With the score at 2-1, the women’s team could easily turn the tables on us in the next 20 minutes of the 3rd ,and final, period. Once again, we were told to go out there and grab five goals while keeping the opponent’s at bay. After a invigorating team talk, Innebandy marched back into the court again to do battle with the Penang women’s state team for one final period.
The third period saw a transformed women’s team coming on court. They played with a burning determination to win and pushed up high with good fore checking. In the goalkeeping aspect Sharron was replaced by Suleen at the other end. Suleen managed to pull off many fine saves that would have done Lin Ken proud. Her quick reflexes proved to be a difficult obstacle for Innebandien forwards to overcome. However, with Insane Courage, we successfully netted in three more thanks to the Captain and Nicholes getting one goal each and Joshua finding the net for the second time of the night. The final score : Penang Women’s State Team 1 : 5 Innebandy! Co.
After the match, our coaches gathered us round in our Inner Circle for the customary team talk. Although we succeeded in getting a win, the scoreline did not reflect the real story. Our players squandered a host of chances while our defense was penetrated time and time again by the women’s team. Sam asked us to describe our game using only one word. The answers varied from player to player, some calling it “Messy” and “Rusty” while others thought the play was “Good” and “Okay”. In the end, Sam told us only one word “Gai”. I could understand how he felt like sitting on the sidelines, unable to do anything to help a struggling Innebandy side which he felt deeply about.
So, I strongly encourage each and every Innebandien to start or build on your Independent Culture. It is vital to have personal training sessions to improve on our physical condition and also our floorballing skills. Do it for yourself, do it for your coaches who place their trust in you by coming week in week out to train us, do it for the feeling of ecstasy of lifting up the 2010 Penang Floorball League Trophy and knowing you deserve every bit of it, and most of all, do it for Innebandy.
One Team, One Way.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
One Team, One Way, One Malaysia
The venue for the camp which was initially supposed to be held at Pantai Keracut but was later changed to Penang Watersports Centre. All the ‘campers’ gathered at T.O.P. somewhere around noon and had their ‘mee hun’ lunch. Oh boy, what a nice plate of mee that was!
Later on, we were all briefed on who’s following who to the camp site. The seniors drove us there. The lucky few who followed Nicholes managed to watch the chef at work, marinating the pieces of chicken which were going to be our dinner. The sight of the chicken being marinated made the observers drool.
When everyone reached the campsite, the campers were briefed on the groups they would be in for the camp. We were split into three groups of four. The three teams were named after each training philosophy : Inner Circle, Independent Culture, and Insane Courage. The seniors were all split into each team, except for Deswyn. He was the one who acted as the judge in our tasks and observed our every move. We then went to set up our tents. Each group had one except Deswyn and Sam, having their own tent. The girls had their own tent also. After that, were given a task. To write down what the philosophy of our team name meant to us and how we could apply it in everyday life. When it was complete, the paper we wrote on was stuck onto the tents respectively. However, for team Independent Culture, the crows ‘attacked’ their tent by bombarding a series of ‘poop grenades’. The paper merely lasted 5 minutes before being decorated with droppings of the crows.
Next up was the Amazing Race. Each team had to complete four tasks.
1) Answer a series of questions
2) Cook an egg
3) Roll the ball only using our stomach from one end to the other
4) Covering a floorball stick entirely and vertically in the sand without burying it.
The team started last at the final task but finished first thanks to the idea of Nicholes. All teams showed such teamwork in this challenge. After that, Deswyn told us that each team had to execute a morning exercise the next day. Each team was given the task of instructing either abs, upper body or lower body exercise Then, we were given free time to mingle around or take a shower. Soon after that, everyone chipped in to help prepare dinner. We had salad, BBQ Chicken and BBQ Sausage. The salad looked like it was prepared in a restaurant. The chicken pieces were simply magnificent and tender. The sausages were soft and well cooked.
As we were drinking orange juice, the guys sat around a big table. Each person shared their most embarrassing moment when it came to their turn, except for a few that decided to just listen. It could have gone on for rounds and rounds. We took a group photo, each holding the Malaysia flag as we were counting down for our National Day. Chester brought his beautiful camera to be used to snap photos throughout the camp. Sam then called all of us to play a card game called ‘Mafia’. He became the narrator at first. Many of us played the game until about 3 am in the morning. Kao Lin Ken succeeded as the only one that night to be the last killer standing. Kudos!
After that, chocolates were distributed among the campers who wanted some. Those who could not sleep went to shower. Some continued to playe ‘cho-tai-tee’ and others talked. As for me, I was talking to a team member of Innebandy! Co. who would be leaving Malaysia soon. We will miss her and we all wish her all the best in her pursuit. Her presence on court had always been noted.
Anyway, most of us slept at 5 am or so. Joshua Yam was the earliest to go to bed, but had difficulties sleeping because he heard the constant arguing of ‘My Bait Your Bait’ between Darien and Jason who were fishing alongside Nicholes. Nicholes was the last one to hit the sack. I woke up at about 8 am or so, from the morning alarm of nature, clucking of roosters and the chirping of crows. Yes , crows too. Lin Ken’s voice gave me the final push I needed to wake up. He was the earliest one ready (as usual) and standing in the middle of the camp site, waiting for everyone else. Everyone washed up and brushed their teeth, changed their clothes and met on the sandy, stone covered ground.
We had our morning devotion which was related to sports. I’m sure many of us learnt a couple of things besides reinforcing whatever we have already known. We were finally awoken by warming up with a game of dodge ball. The winners of the dodge ball game started their task last. Joshua Yam who did abs had such enthusiasm and showed such charisma in delegating the exercise for his team. His team was said to be the most ‘well-executed’. Then, Ephraim Teh took on the lower body. The song he chose to play along with the exercise was something to do with The Pink Panther and a soundtrack from Spongebob Squarepants. His team was awarded ‘most fun’ exercise. Then, team leader Cui Lin requested Nicholes to lead the upper body exercise. His team was awarded ‘most challenging’ exercise.
We then were told to pack up before having breakfast. Team Independent Culture were the last to finish packing up. Two of them washed the tent covered with crow droppings. After washing, they ran around the field trying to dry the layer. What a physical exercise! Then, we went kayaking. We were split into groups of two. The instructor briefed us on choosing the proper oar, rowing the kayak and staying safe. Four of the kayaks had a little race from one end to the other. After that, each team took a photo. Valerie Yentl Tan however wanted to be in every team’s photo. Sam was the photographer. Thus, he did not participate in the kayaking.
After that, everyone took their bath before they headed home. A few of the guys went for the group bath since the individual bathrooms were occupied. The few who went there (names not to be mentioned) really bonded after coming out of the bathroom. I wonder what might have happened in there.
A few of us then went to Fatty Loh Chicken Rice shop to have our lunch. I went to bed the moment I reached home. What a wonderful camp! Everyone had fun and made great team bonding. I can’t wait for the next outdoor activity!
p/s:photo will be updated soon
Friday, August 28, 2009
Reminder for Campers
Things to bring:
- Bible
- Toiletries
- Enough clothes for wet/dry activities
- BBQ utensils (if possible)
- Inne's jersey
- Merdeka spirit
- Yourself
For more more enquiries please contact Deswyn @ 012.5515.205
See you at TOP this Sunday. Meet at 12.45 sharp. Lunch and transport will be provided to our camp site! Get excited for a great time of fellowship and fun. Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians!Merdeka!Merdeka!Merdeka!











