NOVEMBER - TOURNAMENT MONTH

November had seen another record of 25 training days which averaged just below 6 times a week. This was almost like a full time occupation largely due to the school holidays and more significantly the encouragement by the MBA coaches.

As expected, it was a bustling month for the boys, having completed three tournaments with mixed results but more importantly, it had given the boys some valuable experiences to learn from. They were also unexpectedly plagued with the sinister stomach flu. The convalescence had put a slight dent on their tight training schedules but that did not dampen their spirits to focus on preparation for their tournaments.

The intensity of training had taken its toll on Ryan as his thigh muscles began to sore. Despite the discomfort, he put up with it bravely and was very absorbed in his trainings, on and off the court. Although he faired reasonably well in the Tournaments, his footwork remained painfully slow. I am convinced, if that part of his game could be sorted, it will release the shackles from his feet and raise his game a few notches higher.

Aaron was like a dark horse which could make or break a game in a tournament. The fragile state of Aaron’s management faculty, still required lots of therapy. We were hopeful to steer him in the right direction and gradually turn him into a champion material when he matures with his badminton.

As December approached, there was an air of excitement because the boys were anticipating their early Christmas presents from the UK when mummy returns from her holidays together with little Kiera whom we missed so much. 

Bt Jalil Golf & Country Club Junior Badminton Championship 2012

Ryan taking a breather with his No.1 fan Nenita

This is the first tournament at our home club. The boys will have to vie in the under-12 boy’s singles category which had only eighteen contestants.

Aaron had an easy passage in the first round against Zhung Long but in his second round, he faced a formidable player in an 11 year old Koh Sian Hern. Sian Hern is a regular tournament player which Aaron could not match in all departments. Disappointingly, Aaron just broke down and threw his second set away. I lectured him for hours on end on his defeatist behavior. This was not the first time he had done it and it Iooked like I have much to work on his mental fragility.

Ryan on the other hand had a more difficult first round with Wong Hong Yuan as both players were evenly matched. However, I could see that Ryan was fitter than his opponent. During the break, I advised him to put more pace in his game and the strategy worked as he won his game comfortably. In his second round, Ryan also managed to play at his best to breeze past Felix Choo in straight sets to enter semi-finals. His next opponent, Baush Koh in the semi-finals was the tournament favorite and overpowered Ryan. He went on to beat Aaron’s victor, Koh Sian Hern in the final to become champion eventually.

Ryan had one more match to play for 3^rd and 4^th placing. Unfortunately he could not match the strong Titan Teau and lost again to take 4^th placing. Despite his defeat, I had all praise for Ryan as his performance was the best I have seen in all his tournaments. This is despite a slight groin pull he was carrying with him. As reward, he took home a consolation prize, a tube of shuttle cock sponsored by Dunlop.

Results Boys Singles Under-12

1^st Round :             Aaron Wong vs Zhung Long              21-5, 21-6

2^nd Round :            Aaron Wong vs Koh Sian Hern          4-21, 0-21

1^st Round :             Ryan Wong vs Wong Hong Yuan    23-21, 21-13

2^nd Round :            Ryan Wong vs Felix Choo              21-10, 21-14

Semi-Finals :          Ryan Wong vs Baush Koh                 5-21, 8-21

3^rd/4^th Placing :      Ryan Wong vs Titan Teau                 5-21, 10-21

HOOI YEE SPORT

HYS Junior Badminton Championship was held in Sports Affair Badminton Hall in Taman Segar Perdana, Cheras. It has 16 new teraflex rubber courts. This year, the tournament attracted many contestants from other states as well as badminton academies and schools teams. In the under 10yo category in which both the boys will be competing in, there were 82 entries.

Aaron’s misfortune took for the worst this week. As if his injured toe was not enough, he was stricken by a bout of stomach flu at the eve of the tournament. Having vomited twice after dinner on Thursday evening, he was sent to the clinic on Friday morning to be treated. Just when we thought he could make it for his match in the late afternoon, he vomited again just before his game. Sadly, it was not to be for poor Aaron as he was forced to concede a walkover.

Ryan managed to play his second round match after receiving a bye in the first round. His opponent was a bulky Tay Kar Heng. In the first half of the match, both were equally matched with Ryan leading narrowly 15 – 14. After the break, Tay played strongly executing base line smashes. Ryan had no answer to his strong smashes and bowed out tamely 19 – 30. Ryan could have played with more varied strokes to move that mass of a boy but unfortunately he was not experienced enough to size up his opponent.

A day after his match – on Saturday afternoon, the viral attack unleashed its fury on Ryan, with severe vomiting just as Aaron had suffered a day earlier. Everything he took just came right out. The boys had to abandon all training until they fully regained their strength again. I remained the last man standing since all three of us had dinner from the same ill-fated restaurant. Honestly, if I had a choice, I would gladly trade places with them and free them from their inopportune misery.

Results Boys Singles Under-10

1^st Round :             Aaron Wong (Bye)

2^nd Round :            Aaron Wong vs Ervin Tan                 Walk Over

1^st Round :             Ryan Wong (Bye)

2^nd Round :            Ryan Wong vs Tay Kar Heng           19-30

 

SPONSORSHIP INVITATION

We would like to invite sponsors to fund the boy's training programs and to upgrade their rackets (4 pcs), peripherals, shoes etc. An approximate basic training expenses for the boys will run into the region of USD12,000 per year. This excludes outbound trips for friendly matches and tournaments. All contributions will be 100% invested into both Ryan & Aaron's badminton journey for 2013. Therefore, your kind generosity in any way will be much appreciated. 

Kindly e-mail to colinwongkl@gmail.com for further information about the boy's training requirements.


The boy's School Team Jersey has arrived courtesy of  IOI Group's Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng Foundation. 



Superstition Bug

Aaron's Right Toe - why oh why?

The old wife’s superstition bug had bitten me or shall I say “beaten” me.  Have you ever encountered a paradoxical situation where the more you don’t want it to happen, the more it will happen?

I was cautioning Aaron to be mindful of keeping himself free from injuries. He is such a slapdash player,  I became paranoid of his welfare knowing that he is in the middle of a tournament month. Guess what? My worst fear came true. Today (Monday) he was limping out of the tuition centre with his toe skin torn. I went into overdrive! I cornered him demanding an answer how on earth he got such a freak injury? I realised later, no matter how I reprimanded him, I resigned to the fact that this week, he will lose some  training hours and worst of all, he may have to skip Hooi Yee Junior Tournament this Friday.  

If only I didn’t mention this at all, it would not have happened. Then again, it could have been worse? It really is beyond me to dwell into the powers of the unknown but here and now, it’s a race against time.

KEJOHANAN BADMINTON TERBUKA REMAJA BAKTI/MSSKL 2012



Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras

The BAKTI/MSSKL Junior Open Badminton Championship is an annual event jointly organised by the Association of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (BAKTI) and the Kuala Lumpur School Sports Council (MSSKL) sponsored by Li Ning and MILO. This year, the tourney has attracted about 1,400 boys and girls from all over Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak from age group 8 to 16 years old. This is an excellent barometer to measure where the boys stand in terms of ranking at national level.



Ryan in action during his third round match

Aaron was among the 92 boys in the under-9 singles category. He made it to third round where he faced a strong Alvin Chia Wei Ler. Unfortunately, he scraped his knee early in the match while retrieving a drop. After the interval, a teary Aaron was emotionally broken and threw the remaining of the match away 6 - 30. Alvin went on to win another 3 rounds to enter the finals but lost.
 

Ryan’s under-10 singles category had a total of 108 participants. He had an easy first and second rounds winning convincingly. In this third round he faced a formidable Wah Jia Wei who was technically stronger. Ryan succumbed to his superior strokes and lost the match 17 – 30. 



Coach Andre giving some pointers during the break

In the under-10 doubles, both Ryan & Aaron lost in their first round to Aqil Zaqwan & Muhd Hariz. Both pairs were fighting point for point with the score 14 - 15 in favour of the malay pair before the interval. Unfortunately, they could not get their act together in the second half of the game when the jazzed up opponent played aggressively to wrap up the game 30 – 21.  


Despite finishing in the top 32 in the singles categories respectively, the gap between the top players and where they are at now were miles apart. So much for reality check but I think the result was fair. They could have bowed out earlier if they had been drawn with seeded players. The ones that made it to semi-finals were National Grand Prix Circuit junior players whom were registered with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Coach Budi told the boys to work hard so as in one year’s time, they too can bridge the gap with the top junior players.   


Results Boys Singles Under 9
1st Round :  Aaron Wong vs Harroshan Singh     30 - 22
2nd Round : Aaron Wong vs Ng E Hern              30 - 21
3rd Round : Aaron Wong vs Alvin Chia Wei Ler     6 - 30

Results Boys Singles Under 10
1st Round :  Ryan Wong vs Ng Zhen Yang         30 - 23
2nd Round : Ryan Wong vs Ivan Loo                  30 - 10
3rd Round :  Ryan Wong vs Wah Jia Wei           17 - 30

Results Boys Doubles Under 10

1st Round : Ryan Wong/Aaron Wong vs Aqil Zaqwan/Muhd Hariz    21 - 30