RECORD ATTENDANCE !!!

This week, the FRONTLINERS FLOORBALL Club has achieve a milestone with a record 23 people attendance. This is the all-time highest attendance in the history of the club. With 7 newcomers(including long lost players that decided to pick up floorball again) joining us, the club is expanding in its number. Frontliners now re-combined the boys and girls together.

We want to welcome newcomer, Tania Loke, Aaron Raj, Kar Liang, Aaron Gan, Pr Thomas Barnabas. We also welcome our long lost players such as Tabitha, Elisha. This week's training was also further lifted up with visitors such as Christopher(team USM), Wai Wai(ContactSports). Another very special person that came to watch us train is the mercurial Deswynn Wan(Salibandy).

As the Frontliners Floorball Club strives towards professionalism, reinforcements was brought into the club to beef up the squad. The club has secured the services of former Technical Advisor, Khor Kuan Yang as the Chief Coach of the Frontliners. To add to the new reinforcement package, the club has also brought in, Special Goalkeeping Coach, Kao Lin Ken. With these two experienced and knowledgeable personnels, we believe that they will be able to impart floorball know-hows into our players.

This week was their first time in operation. Coach Kuan Yang did some physical suicides to keep all of us fit. In addition to that coach Kuan Yang made the players do sneak shots, 2 circuit drills, and a one-on-one. Finally he separated the guys into 2 lines and girls into 2 lines and played a game of 4 minutes each. Coach Kuan Yang's quote of the day was "guys... stay calm, stay calm."

The players were also lifted with the pressence of the flamboyant special goalkeeper coach, Kao Lin Ken. His movements mesmerized many of the players. Most importantly the charisma that he possesses, brought up the atmosphere in the training. Unfortunately there was no other goalkeeper for him to train. The club is now hunting for the "chosen one" out there to safeguard the goalpost. Anybody interested in goalkeeping?

Wai Wai praised the special goalkeeper coach " Having Lin Ken in training is so exciting. He is just so semangat in his goalkeeping !!!. He is also very encouraging to the players. "

Finally the time was passed back to the CEO of the club, Jason Chan. CEO Jason explained to the players regarding the new reinforcements brought into the club. He also explained about the new PFA registration ruling. The vision of the club was also shared to the players on the club's direction.

"After discussing with chief coach Kuan Yang, we have identified 3 major drawbacks amongst our players. We are relatively weak in our individual technical skills relatively to the other clubs. We also lack organisation in our play as a team. Finally the most obvious thing is our lack of match and competition experience." explained CEO Jason.

The players were then urged to sign up for the club. Those whom are committed and willing to go the distance signed up. These players are then registered under Frontliners for the new PFA ruling.

CEO Jason explained the post-YouthWave plans ahead, "We have a long term development plan solve those 3 problems. It is a 2-year plan. This will include a series of tournaments and friendly matches. It is obvious that the club has many weaknesses. What we are trying to do is to tackle 20% of the problem that will give us 80% yield. This will probably increase our productivity by approximately 30%. That is our aim as far as we can see. "

Asked on how was the training, Sarah Ng said"Its really encouraging to see many people coming today."

Coach Kuan Yang shared "It is really good to see many people coming this week. The energy level is also different now. All of us are more excited and full of energy. Keep it up."

The club is now expanding. The new changes will be the key elements that will propel us forward into the future. We believe in our players. THE FUTURE IS OURS !!!!

Frontliners+Roses=Champions

*this post is written by fellow Frontliners Roses, Kew Pei Li, on her personal experience in YouthWave 2007.

A goal to savour and a gold to keep. Could it get any better?

Welcome to the 4th Youthwave Floorball Tournament. Welcome to this place where months (or days, for some) of hard training should pay off. Welcome to this place were dreams are born and legends made.

Welcome to my world.

My first inkling that this tournament would be different was when I first heard of my team's name: Frontliners 'Roses'. Sure, when I mentioned my disbelief at the name to Mr. Jason, he said the England rugby team were called the Roses, but has anyone ever noticed that anything to do with English sports just isn't successful?

Anyway.

The Roses walked through the entrance with high expectations by Mr. Jason (if you could call "having fun and showing the Frontliners' Spirit" expectations) and, I believe, each of our eyes (at least mine!) set on the ultimate prize.

*I know, Mr. Jason, there is no 'i' in 'team', but since this is my personal experience report... I'll just leave that principle out this time.*

Adrenaline pumping, I chose my spot at 8.30 only to be told that our first match would be sometime around eleven. What an anticlimax...

Come the first game... finally. Uni loyalties were thrown aside for a moment (not I, I'm only fourteen) as we faced off against the USM team of Minden Underdawgs. Still warming up (perhaps it's just me, I take some time to get going), the whole team seemed to be rather asleep (except, of course, for Ms. Reliable Sarah Ng) and we were lucky to get away with a win and not a draw.

With Sharron Tan defending the goal, Rosalyn and Alice helping her out, Sara Aida contesting strongly for every ball, Sarah the balancing fulcrum and creativity tap and me, Pei Li, pressuring and harassing (it's not as harsh as it sounds, believe me) our opponents, we blazed our way through to the fourth game (in the second one I scored!!!).
Confidence brimming, only the Innebabes were left unharmed by us. I decided the Roses would just pass by so fast that they wouldn't even notice we were gone.
But really, that didn't happen. The Roses matched the Babes stick for stick, and a goalless draw, I suppose, was more deserving.

And next... came the lunch break. Haha.

The semis game wasn't much; the only thing to watch out for was overconfidence. The real action was going on over the other court where the MGS Dashes were playing against the Innebabes. Wish I'd watched the full game...
Drawn with Innebabes again, this time in the finals (I won't go into details about how they got there). We had a second chance to prove to them that the lovely Roses did indeed have thorns. Before the game, our coach and Captain Marvel Sarah Ng eyeballed each of us and said:

'Do you wanna win? [Pauses for effect] I want to. We already came this far, so let's get the gold (although silver would still be okay). I want that gold.'
It worked. We stepped into the court and knew the gold was ours for the taking.
It was all pretty much of a blur, really. All I can vividly remember were the goals and the final whistle (coming to that later). The first goal, to me, was the most important as it relieved the huge tension hanging over us (we didn't want to go into penalties with a flat 0% conversion rate and the semis drama between the Dashes and the Babes) and caused some smiles at the striking simpleness of the strike by Sarah. The second goal by Sara Aida, sealed the game and we had only to wait for...

The final whistle! In the court I dropped my stick and rushed to the already-hugging Sarah and Rosalyn. Sharon and Sara Aida joined in soon afterward and we all just stood there, exhilarated that the Frontliners Roses were the champions of the tournament.

...Now all I want is the overdue nasi kandar water promised by Mr. Jason if we won. Oh, and of course, another gold next year... and the next... and so on.

Youthwave 2007

The much anticipated Youthwave Floorball tournament 2007 has finally been over. The Frontliners Floorball Club sent in 4 teams(2 boys team and 2 girls team) to represent them in the tournament.

The Frontliners contingent consist of team

Frontliners Genesis [Jason(c), Kuan Yang, Kai Yann, Daniel, Kannan, San Jeevan]

Frontliners Exodus [Joshua(c), Mekananth, Christopher, Chin Guan, Nareen, Ilaya]

Frontliners Roses [Sarah Ng(c), Sarah Aida, Roselyn, Alice Ong, Sharron Tan, Pei Li]

Frontliners Carnations [Shafiqah(c), Yi Lin, June Kew, Zi Yin, Tabitha]

Coach Jason has set the target this year, "GUYS... lets be realistic. Even if we sent our best team in, man for man... we can't match the big teams around. So lets set a realistic target. This year, we will aim to be the 4th in the group league out of 7 teams. That is all that is expected."

Team Frontliners Genesis achieved the target of 4th in group league, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 lost. Unfortunately Frontliners Exodus, didn't manage to hit the target. They only won 1 game and lost the rest.

Asked on how he felt about the whole tournament, Kai Yann answered," quite syiok because i got to score 2 goals". Technical Advisor showed the everyone why he was appointed the technical Advisor. He was the engine behind team Genesis. The creative force that penetrates the defenses. He scored some important goals and made a lot of assists.

Coach Jason comments,"I think(refering to team Exodus) its got something to do with inexperience. We've got lots of inexperienced players. But overall, Im glad that everyone had fun. Though the price for experience can be painful. I believe that the boys will get wiser after this. "

"Team Exodus seem to be quite down. But I think such experience is important to make them humble. One day when they become better, they will remember where they started."says coach Jason.

Team Frontliners Carnations which consists of totally new players in the game(except for Shafiqah, the rest are very very raw in floorball) did well above expectations. They miraculously won the first game, drew 2 games and lost only 1 game in their group games.

The captain scored one of the nicest goals in the tournament. She did a "Beckham" style lobbing the ball from the defense line all the way, passing through the opponents and went into the goal.

Asked on whether last year was better or this year, Yi Lin answered " Hmm... this year lah. Cause this year I managed to score a goal. "

Team Frontliners Roses emerged as the girls category CHAMPIONS. Congratulations to the girls. Thanks to the wonderful display by captain marvel, Sarah Ng. Looks like the hard work finally paid off.

"I have to say, Im very proud of the girls. A blend of experience and youth made this victory possible. Thanks to the decision to separate the girls and guys, we are now able to see new and interesting girls representing us in the tournament. It was worth the try. "says coach Jason.

At the end of the day, coach Jason finally announce that he will step down from being the Frontliners coach. Some of the players were shocked to hear his announcement.

"Its been a joy to coach all of you" said Jason to all the players with an emotional tone.

Asked by several players to explain his decision, coach Jason answered,

" All of you that are here, have lots of potential. You may not good now, but I know you can go the distance. That potential needs to be challenged or else it will lie dormant. It is time for a better coach with more specialized knowledge, skills and experience in floorball to bring all of you to the next level."

"I will still be around. I will still be amongst all of you. Playing and fighting on the courts with you. If you need my help on floorball, you can always contact me. Im always willing to help. I love this club very much, and if I have to make way for a better candidate, I will do it for the good of the team. "

Jason however will still be managing the club. Kuan Yang, the technical advisor has been promoted as the next coach for the Frontliners floorball club. We believe that with his accumulated experiences in the State-level circuit, the Frontliners will benefit under his tutelage. Asked to give a speech, newly appointed Coach Kuan Yang merely uttered with a shy tone "JUST COME FOR TRAINING LAH !!! "

Penang Open Challenge will be up next in 19th and 20th May 2007. We will be looking forward to the future. OOOOOOOO FRONTLINERS !!!!!!!!!!!!

Contact taming FRONTLINERS 8-3 in Balik Pulau Friendly!!

This week is a special week. With the PBSM court not available, Coach Jason decided to organize a friendly match with Contact Sports at the always ‘Far Far Away’ Balik Pulau Indoor Stadium which is situated at the outskirt of Penang Island.

It was 2.30 pm, a hot and boiling Sunday afternoon, but the excitement and anticipation that awaits both teams was unrivaled as compared to the heat of the mighty sun.. The friendly match was a 3 x 20 minutes, 5 aside (excluding goalie) on a full international size court with fiber boards. Frontliners fielded 2 boy lines and 2 girl lines whereas Contact fielded 3 lines ups with a few girls.

As players arrived at the arena, suited up and warmed up, Coach Jason gathered all the players for briefing. “Today this match, is not about winning and I have no strategy. Today, everyone will play, boys and girls, no matter what.” Said the Coach, “but I have 2 missions today.
One, is to have FUN! And second is to see the FRONTLINERS SPRIT!!” Coach goes on and explained that most of us are new to the game, if not being the first time playing in an actual size court or playing with 5 aside. Furthermore, the opponents are technically and experience wise more superior than us with a few State Players in their ranks. Therefore, giving the new fellas opportunity to gain more match experience was what the Coach had in mind.

After the briefing, players were split into the following line-ups:

Goalie: Sharron

Line 1: Jason(c), Kuan Yang, Kai Yann, Joshua , Mekananth

Line 2: San Jeevan(c), Ilaya Pumaren, Christopher Anand, Nareenthiran, Kannan

Line 3: Serene Tan(c), Sheryn Ng, Sarah Aida, Pei Li, Roselyn

Line 4: Shafiqah(c), Koay Yi Lin, Seow Zi Yin, Seow Kai Liang, June Kew


At 3pm, the referee, Steven Teh whistled to signal both teams to get on the court. Face off, game on!!

1st Period

With everyone’s energy bar at full, it was a end to end game in the first. Players were going for every ball, pushing for every attack. With the Pastor Edward, Henry Chiang and little Bryant forming Contact’s attacks, it was not surprise as they drew first blood within first 5 minutes.

However, with the passionate captain cum coach leading Frontliners’ 1st line, Contacts lead was cancelled from Kuan Yang’s shot.
2nd line did fare as well as the 1st as they conceded another goal from Contact’s counter-attack. With all the forwards going Gung Ho, the defense was left vulnerable and was meant to be breach more than once if not for goalie Sharron’s super efforts. End of 1st period, Frontliners down by 1-2.


2nd Period

2nd period was not any better for Frontliners. Although the 1st and 2nd line press forward, they struggle to break through a defense marshaled by Kenny, James and Penny. Kenny as one of the most experience around gave a solid performance on that day, keeping experience players like Kuan Yang and Jason quiet. He even stunned the Reds with a striking goal from a powerful drag shot.

The 2 girls’ lines being physically inferior compared to the almost all guys line up of Contact, was under pressure for most of the time. Being held in their half, it was nail-biting watching them held on as they kept tight and kept out shots which seemed to beat the goalie. Sharron the goalie was equally superb with some great saves preventing Frontliners from falling further behind.

At the end of 2nd period, Frontliners fell further behind 1-5, with Contact having a 4 goal cushion.

Everyone was demoralize but Coach Jason encouraged the players on and said, “We’re only 4 goals down. Lets try and back the 4 goals.” And to salvaged The Frontliners’ pride in the last period, the Coach made bold move by forming 2 strongest line, being

Line 1: Jason, Kuan Yang, Joshua, Mekananth, San Jeevan

Line 2
Serene Tan, Christopher, Pei Li/ Ilaya, Kai Yann, Kannan

leaving less experience players out. “I’m sorry to those newcomers but you may not have the chance to play in the 3rd period because we want to play our strongest line to try and get something back from the game.” The coach added. All of the players did not object seemingly that it was the best way for a last throw of dice.

3rd Period

The decision took effect as Frontliners crawled a goal back from Mekananth’s finish. The crowd roars as thought they had won and the players celebrated but the joy did not last long as Contact silenced Frontliners with another goal. An instant reply!

Frontliners continue to fought hard and was rewarded with another goal, this time it was the captain, Jason that coverted.

Fatigue has now take troll as Frontliners seem unable to catch their breaths, and all the hard work to no avail Contact over ran the defense twice in the 3rd period and seal the game with 8 goals. Final Score: Frontliners 3 – Contact Sports 8.
After exchanging hand shakes between both teams, the Coach gathered the players and asked for their comments on the match. Most of them reply it was fun.

Can you feel the heat?

This week the players proved that heat was no barrier to training for the upcoming Youthwave Floorball Tournament. Training was held especially to 'mix and match' (to quote Coach Jason) the players to choose the right lines for the tournament.
Held in an open basketball court (due to unavailability of other courts), the team welcomed a new player... June Kew!

After some light banter (Coach Jason's usual orange socks were sorely missed), the team got down to serious business and started out with two-on-ones. A few pitiful rounds later, the coach called a timeout and delivered a scathing diatribe.

"...I do know the heat is killing you, but you know, I'm also feeling it! You people are playing like you have no soul. I want you to put a bit of your soul into every ball you play!" ...were some of his words.

The team immediately responded and lifted their game. Shouts of encouragement sounded from the sides as Coach Jason demanded three goals before he ended the two-on-ones. Zi Yin, coming for her second training, did reasonably well and scored a good goal.

Training continued with a practice match (ladies v ladies, guys v guys). As usual, as attendance for the ladies has not been consistent, they have yet to gel with each other and use teamwork to their advantage. The guys are quite regular, and this could be seen in the match where they passed fluidly and played evenly. However, the ladies still managed to do quite well (go, girls!).

After training, asked on how her first training was, June Kew responded: "It was fun... It wasn't the heat that got to me, my legs just got tired fast."

Quizzed on how her sister (June) did, Pei Li replied grudgingly: "She did fine..."

The players have overcome the heat and are (or should be...) ready for anything else that may stand in their way!

A Breath of Fresh Air-different environment,different coach

Back to basics? How nostalgic =) The team Frontliners were found at Japanese Garden(where it all started) for the their first training together, men and ladies after Coach Jason's decision to split the team according to gender to facilitate better training sessions.

This week however, due to unavailability of the courts in the entire Penang state, the initial plan of the coach to have friendly matches with the other teams were upset but nevertheless floorball training was still on. 3 cheers for the commitment of the team!

The team was up for a surprise as the day's coach was none other than their very own most senior female player, Sarah Ng.

The team was tested in their ability to handle the ball while on the move and challenged in their mental ability to give their 100% in completing the drills however tired or bored they felt. The initiative lies on the players themselves to improve on their skills every time they do the drill and the discipline of the mind is primary to the technicalities of the drill.

Coach Jason, who was not coaching on that day, chose to train with the other players and was a source of encouragement to the team by cheering them on to complete the "5 goals in a row" drill.

He was not the only source of encouragement but even Pei Li cheered, “Come on, Steven!!" Mekanath was heard cheering, "Go, girls!!"

And when Kai Yann was expected to be the one to deliver the 5th goal, oh how the team was so expectant that they paused to watch the shot taken but it missed the cones. They threw their heads back in disbelief that they had to start from scratch but they still maintained the team spirit. There were many other attempts before finally, Kai Yann was given a second chance to rewrite history and he delivered the 5th goal, receiving smiles and cheers from his teammates for his effort. The atmosphere was filled with relief as finally the drill WAS OVER!! Hooray!!

The playing session was taken over by Coach Jason where he assigned the players to their teams. Both the men's teams have basically found their ground in the strategy that was taught by Coach Jason but the ladies were having some minor problems arranging themselves and getting their act together. As time passed, the ladies regained their composure and managed to play well in the final round against the men.

All in all, the training this week was lighter and not so challenging in the physical sense.