7 days till the start of the Under 15's National Championship

Dear readers, friends, parents, players and supporters,

7 days to the start of the competition. I can see the anxiety in the player's faces. There is even more anxiety in the parents' faces. With each passing week I can see the players improving .

On Monday, Tyz and Jaz trained with Paul Kong at Wesley.  It is great that Tyz has his brother training with him as they can push each other along. Paul was also training Eunice and Dennis at Wesley. The kids were able to play a few doubles matches against each other.

Wednesday was spent at the Next Generation Club with Paul again pushing Tyz and Jaz to the limit.

Thursday saw the family trouping to Balcatta for some training with Ailing and ChangJie. They are great coaches for footwork training. Which brought me to this question: How many parents actually turn up like Annie and myself to see their children training in any sport.

I mean, I cannot see my parents even paying the sort of money that Annie and I spend on the boy's training. We both did not come from rich families and sports is a luxury. So, even if my parents could afford to send me for badminton training , would both mum and dad always be there to see us training?

Give me your comments. By the way, any one can comment on this blog.  Just go to the bottom of the page and make your contribution. I would like to hear your comments and your experience as to whether your parents turned up every time to watch you train in any sport.


As usual Jaz, Tyz and myself went to Samson to play on Friday. I enjoy playing at Samson as the players there are very competitive yet friendly. Andrew and Gillian do a great job of allocating players their games.

Saturday morning was again spent at Wesley training with Paul. This Saturday, Paul and I arranged for quite a few players from the State team to turn up for training at matchplay.

Paul arranged for some good adult players to give the kids their matchplay experience.

We are all grateful to the following players who turned up on a Saturday morning to help the Under 15s team:

Ed Bitao and Gwen who came with their girls Sasha and Ashley, Tony, Donald, Ronald, Darren, Aaron, Chee Kang, Jimmy, Alfonsus and Andik.

The adult players gave all the Under 15s a good fight. Some adult players went down fighting. We will not mention names. They were all good sports for giving the Under 15s team a chance to learn from the adult's experience.

The best advice for all the team members from Paul Kong  is to stay fit and eat well.

The Under 15s team with their guest players and parents plus Paul Kong

Different perspective but same great players and supporters plus may have missed Tony's good side

After the matchplay training, the boys went for their tuition again before returning to play with the uncles and aunties at their usual Wesley Saturday games. We were joined by Titus Tan who is Tyzton's doubles partner for the individual event. Titus is playing for the regional team in the championship and we wish him and the regional team all their best.

Tomorrow, the family has to get to Balcatta for the state training. So I better sign off and go to bed. Goodnight.

Sunday training at Balcatta with coach AiLing

Dear readers

Just after straining all their bodies on Saturday, the team was back for training at Balcatta.

This time, Ailing arranged for some strong players to give the team a challenge. We need to thank Mina from Iran, Kush and Alfonsos for coming in to challenge the team. Kush and Alfonsus teamed up to give the Under 15 boy's doubles teams a good match.

Meanwhile Mina from Iran was giving the mixed doubles team a run for their money. Mina has only recently migrated to Perth from Iran. I understand Iranians love their badminton too. She promises to be another up and coming badminton star in WA. She also played a few single games with Eunice despite not playing singles for a few years after a leg injury. She did well.

Meanwhile back to the team. Today's challenge was well received. The boys also played some single matches to build up their fortitute.

Unfortunately I forgot to take some pictures of the players training with the guest players.

However, here are some pictures taken for the day.

The president of BAWA Judy Cousins presenting the team uniforms to the State team.

Coach Ailing getting her uniform

This year the team uniform is sponsored by Lining. The uniforms were handed to the proud team players today. I still remember when I had to pay for the uniforms for Tyz and Jaz when they played in the Under 15s last year. It was expensive.

Thank god for sponsors. One note though, all the uniforms had to be placed in Victor bags as there was no Lining bags. I believe Andrew Chai and Victor are minor sponsors as we play with their shuttles.

The Badminton Association of WA is now looking at getting approval for donations to BAWA to be tax deductible. This is so that we can promote badminton to more juniors especially girls. Am waiting for Judy to revert with her game plan. Till the next blog, good night.

Extra Saturday training with Paul Kong at Wesley College

Dear readers,

Friday was spent with my 2 boys playing badminton at Samson which is the club operated by Andrew Chai.

The boys got quite a few games and I was especially pleased that Tyzton and Xiang were able to pair up to beat most of the adult players.

I guess I did not do too badly too as I won most of my games.

On Saturday morning, it was back to Wesley College for a special training organised by Paul Kong for his students namely Amos, Dennis, Eunice and Tyzton. Paul arranged for some Div B and A players to give his students some extra training. For this weekend, Xiang was also invited to make up the numbers.

We are thankful to Donald, Tony, Alex and Michael for giving the players some match experience. I am thankful for Paul Kong taking such an interest in his students. All he asks for is coffee and some dessert and he is happy:). After the training from 10 - 12 , it was time for the kid's maths tuition before returning to Wesley for their afternoon games with the uncles. Yes, the kids grew up playing badminton with their uncles and aunties namely Al, Ed, Irawan, Gwen and all the other uncles who have since lost to the boys.
  

Tony and Donald playing against Dennis and Eunice

Tyz playing a singles game against Donald

Amos and Jaz playing against Michael and Alex

Paul closely watching his players to make sure the adults stay in line.

Special mention must be made of the mums who help out.  They have made it an art of making sure the floors are not slippery.

TouKrei and Xiang's mum Wendy cleaning the floors.

 

  

Annie, my wife, checking out the floors. They say in China, this is the first step to a badminton scholarship.

The 2011 Under 15 WA State Badminton team

2011 Badminton WA State Under 15s team
being presented at the Silver Cup Tournament on 11 Sept 2011

Dear readers,

Yes, it has started again. Preparations are taking place for the next Under 15 Australian Badminton Championship.

This year it is taking place in Perth, WA.

Well, when I say preparations have started, I lie as in fact nomination's were submitted in August 2011. My son Tyzton Tan was selected and that is why I am on this merry go round again.

The team members for WA are:

1.   Amos Yi

2.   Ying Xiang Ling

3.  Dennis Zhao

4. Tyzton Tan.

5. Phing Teo

6. Eunice Lee

7. Olivia Fianita

8. Silvi Botha.

All the team members have been training hard under coach Zhang Ai Ling from China. In 1978 Zhang won the rival "world championship" that was run by the short-lived World Badminton Federation prior to China's entry into the International Badminton Federation (now Badminton World Federation). She was also the dominant international singles player right after China joined the IBF in 1981, winning the multi-sport World Games in 1981, the Asian Games in 1982, and the prestigious All-England Championships in both 1982 and 1983, as well as a host of other significant titles.

The team is also assisted by Chen Changjie.
 
Chen Changjie is a former badminton player from China who rated among the world's leading singles players for a short period of time after China joined the International Badminton Federation (now Badminton World Federation) in 1981. The powerful Changjie won the first major IBF sanctioned event in which China participated, the 1981 World Games in Santa Clara, California by beating Prakash Padukone and Morten Frost successively in the semifinal and final rounds. He helped China to win the 1982 Thomas Cup (world men's team championship) by winning three of his four matches in the last two rounds against Denmark and Indonesia. In 1983 Changjie won the Asian Championships in a grueling duel with Indonesia's Eddy Kurniawan .


So we know the children are in good hands.

On top of the State Training, the parents have asked the children's personal coaches to assist as much as possible. Tyzton's personal coach is Paul Kong from Malaysia. Paul represented Australia at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and is well known as a coach with his heart in serving the badminton gods.

Tyzton also trains twice a week with Nick Kidd at All Saints College at Nick's Group training camp.  Nick is currently Australia's no. 1 Men's player as he just won the Australian Championship. Nick is also assisted by Himanshu Thacker who is Australia's No. 2 player as he just lost to Nick Kidd in the Australian Senior's championship held at Tasmania last month.

There is also 3 regional teams that will be competing in the Regionals Championship. Kim Rodgers and Himanshu have been training the Regional teams on their own time and should be thanked for their selfless contribution.

Stephen Teo is the manager this year and he has been doing a splendid job of organising all the organising that is needed for such a competition  :)


So, what is this merry go round I speak about?

My time is spent driving Tyzton and Jazton to training and their competitions. My older son Jazton at 15 years of age represented WA at the Under 19 Australian championship. The WA team got Bronze.

So, the pressure is on Tyzton to get a medal for the Under 15 team.

So much pressure that we place on our children.

Is it good pressure? Will it help them in their adult life? Are we doing the right thing by encouraging them to take part in these high pressure events?

The jury is still out but I think we are on the right track. What is the alternative? Video games and slacking off?

I thank all the coaches who have instilled their skills, their sportsmanship and their morals on their students. Without the coaches, the children will be lost.

Oh, by the way, my wife Annie was announced as the Umpire for the WA team. Annie and I decided to take the Umpire course after Annie experienced some unfair comments from a Victorian umpire at the last Under 15 championship. We both then decided that we needed to be Umpires so that our kids will not be disadvantaged.

So, we both took the Umpire course together with another 2 students. There was a 50% pass rate of the group. I managed to pass although I am still upset that Annie got higher marks than myself. I am still thinking of appealing the results.


Taking the umpire course has opened my eyes to the many facets of badminton. I am keeping my eyes on John Dewitt and his crocodile serve which is illegal.

I will keep everyone updated as often as possible. Good night.

Last day at the Competition

Yes, we have survived to the last day of the competition. The only players left with a game are:

Phing with her Singles semi final;
Olivia with her plate singles
Olivia and Tyz with the  mixed doubles plate.

The day started out with Phing feeling very flat. She was unable to garnish enough energy to fight off a strong challenge from Tammy  who is no. 2. Phing lost in 2 straight set. She was not able to find the inspiration that made her beat the no. 1.

Of course she was visibly upset after the game.

Next on the line was Tyz and Olivia in their mixed doubles plate. Olivia told her dad that she did not want to play as she was hungry. She complained that she had not had enough rice the last few days and especially the night before as she had Italian for dinner.

Olivia just could not find the energy to garnish a fight. That affected Tyz and they both proceeded to lose 2 sets straight.

After the loss, Tyz was so upset that he wanted to be alone. I sat with him with his back to me to let him know that I was there to comfort him if he wanted me. We sat together for about 20 minutes both not talking to each other before he turned around and asked me what was for lunch.

I then held him and we both had a good cry over his loss. Why do I feel every bit of pain and sorrow my both sons goes through. We both promised that we would do better next year.


Meanwhile, Andik had gone all round town on foot to get food for Olivia who had a singles plate final. Irma also ended up with Mcdonalds for Olivia and the kids.

Olivia was suitably replenished for her final singles game. She proceeded to demolish her opposition in 2 sets. My god, what a difference there was in her play. Lesson learnt! Always give Olivia food or she will go on strike.

Olivia receiving her plate prize. The next time it will be a gold medal.

Based on the performance for the event, Phing was awarded a 3rd place ranking Australia wide and Olivia a 10th place ranking Australiawide. Not bad for 2 young girls with non funding other than  MFF (Mother Father Fund).

Phing being awarded 3rd ranking and Olivia being awarded 10th ranking.

 Jazton was awarded a 9th place ranking. Not bad for a kid with no formal training other than for the last 3 months since his selection into the State team.

That means he is the 9th best player in Australia after having beaten his uncles and aunties. The Wesley Badminton group should be proud of him.

After the games, there was a disco for the kids. Here are some photos:

The girls and boys dancing

A congo line started by Phing and Grace

Pretty girls and good looking guys

Jaz and Edmund trying to impress the girls

Phing, Grace, Edmund and Jaz

Phing and Grace looking cool

The games have drawn to a close and kids have experienced high and low points. All parents should be proud of what these kids lay on the courts. They lay bare their emotions, their fears, their love for the game, their character and most importantly their hearts. I wish all these kids the best in their future and I am sure they will all excel in whatever they wish to achieve. God bless all of them. Good bye from the blog for now till the next competition.

Day 2 Individual Events

The kids are still recovering from the excitement of the BBQ and chatting to members of the opposite sex.

The day's breakfast was made up of left overs from the BBQ.

Andik, our assistant coach is down with a sore throat from too much shouting.

The morning started out well. Jazton had an easy run against Budisiletio in the 3rd round of the BS.  Jaz is now in the quarter finals for the BS which means his ranking is at least 7/8. He easily won 21-9, 21-15. For once, he did not give his mum any stress.

Titus lost to Matthew Tan 17-21, 21-23. The last game was so close but Titus could not make it.

Edmund won easily against A Yuen in the plate at 21-10, 21-6.

Tyzton was unable to beat K Patil in the singles despite fighting hard. His temperament to kill instantly makes it harder for him to play singles.

Edmund easily won Benjamin Han 21-5, 21-3 in the BS Plate.

Olivia won Siobhan Dang 21-8, 21-14 in the GS Plate.

Alexandra also won her plate event easily at 21-9, 21-4.

Phing Teo beat  Joanne Au 21-18, 21-18 after a hard fight.

Olivia beat N Rattan 21-14, 18-21 and finally 21-7.

Tyz and Olivia survived a 3 setter against Enoch Chu and Wynne Chen. It was a close fight and they came in from behind. This was despite Tyz accidentally hitting the shuttle against Olivia's forehead. They lost the 1st game at 21-19. They came back on the 2nd at 21-12. The last game went to the wire at 21-23.

Their 2nd doubles game against Calvin Lai and Claudia Lam was easier. They won in 2 sets without any drama at 21-14 and 21-12. They outplayed the team with easy drops and positioning. Their partnership seems to be getting stronger despite Olivia being the quiet one.

There was then a photo break where the following great pics were shot.

Some of the top players of the competition. They are all good looking too.

The boys trying to squeeze as many heads as possible on a pillow.

Jaz Edmund and Guda

Whose bum is that? $20 to the winning guess.

Could this 2 pretty girls be tomorrow's top 1 and 2 seed?

Phing and Jaz played Mitchell Gervasoni and Alice Lorincz for the mixed doubles. They were good at 21-12 and 21-17.

The epic game for the day was Phing against the Victorian No. 1 player Joy Lai. The 1st game was won by Joy. Phing fought back with great courage to win the 2nd set. The final game was a thriller that got the crowd cheering for Phing and WA. Phing came from behind 18 to get to the lead which then see sawed till Phing finally close the deal. I could see Suzanne her mum, pacing the court with her heart beating rapidly. She might get high blood pressure like my wife.

Jaz's quarter final was also a thriller. He won the 1st set after coming from behind. The 2nd set went to deuce so many times, my heart gave up. Austin from NSW finally won the point to get to a 3rd set. Despite all Jaz gave, he was not able to get the 3rd set.He did me proud with the way he fought all the way. One of the NSW coaches commented to me that Jaz had great fighting spirit.

Jaz and Phing then played their mixed doubles  game. Unfortunately they lost in 2 sets. Jaz was visibly upset as he expected to do better.

I got upset seeing him upset. 

The quiet achiever has been Olivia. She won her game in a three setter with no ceremony. She is now playing for the plate.

Alexandra gave her best to fight against a stronger player but had to concede.  She was upset but has shown strength of character in all her games. Her mum should be proud of her.

Olivia and Tyz are playing well and were at 11-4 at midpoint in their mixed doubles when I was blogging.

I was sitting beside the girl  opponent's mother and she was giving all sorts of advice. You can feel all the nervous energy from the mother.

 Tyz and Olivia won the 1st set 21-13. Why do parents go through what we do, feeling every pain and joy of our children from just a game?

These kids have made me so proud in how they have played every day.

The game was finally won by Tyz and Olivia at 21-11.

After the game, we went to an Italian restaurant to celebrate. The meals were expensive but the kids deserved it for all the true grit they have shown. Courage and determination, much more than what one would expect from children their age.

They have endured pain, tears, all of them, including the parents and especially myself.
They have also enjoyed friendship, laughter, comraderie, joy and sorrow. All part of growing up but packaged in a 1 week box.

You ask yourself why we make the these kids go through all these emotions. I believe it is character building, it builds up their respect for sportsmanship and their abilities. It brings the parents and children closer in a bond, having shared the ups and downs of competitive or social sporting challenges.



Tomorrow, Phing will be playing in the semi finals of the GS. She had to get some cupping from Annie to prepare for tomorrow.

Can you hear Phing screammmmming

Tomorrow will see Tyz and Oliviia fighting for the plate. They have grown up so much this week facing all these challenges. Edmund also has a chance to win the plate. Let's wish them all the best.