Ladies, buckle up yours shoes, tie your hair, get your stick and let's hit the court! :)

The Z'Liners-PFA Floorball challenge 2008, a joint effort by team Ztec, Frontliners and Penang Floorball Associate, will kick off tomorrow, 12 September 2008, with the women's challenge at Dalat International School Indoor Hall from 12pm to 6pm.

The adrenaline's pumping...
The excitement's rising...
The jitter's building...

Who shall emerge as the strongest, the fittest and the most fearsome team?

You know, there's a saying that goes "hell has no fury like a woman's scorned"... :)


All the best, girls!
Play your hearts out.
Have fun!

Note:
A special thanks to team Ztec, Frontliners and PFA for putting in the effort to get this competition going. Keep up the great work guys!

Hidup Floorball!

I can still recall vividly the very first time I held a floorball stick at our first training site, Cahaya Gemilang court, while being trained under the watchful eyes of my first floorball coach, Sarah Ng.
That was almost 2 years back.

Fast forward 2 years later.

Here I am, still holding a floorball stick and on top of that, had the privilege to put on the national jersey for the 2nd time.

I recently participated with a few others in the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship 2008, better known as APAC, in Perth, Australia.
Having been to last year's APAC in Singapore, I knew what I was getting myself into -
High-level competition, nothing compared to what we have been playing in Malaysia.
Nonetheless, I knew I wanted to go from the very beginning.
Let me explain.

Initially, what drew me to floorball was the idea and fascination of representing our country.
Being coached by a national player at my first ever training session, I was truly inspired.
After playing and fooling around with floorball for a couple of months, I felt I had a knack for the sport and decided to take it seriously.
I then set a goal for myself to get into the Penang state team first, then work my way into the national.
It wasn't much about the glory and the idea of winning medals.
I never really was driven by medals anyway.
I was driven more by the virtues behind a team.
I guess you can say that that is partially why I decided to stick around in Penang for a little longer.

APAC 2008 opened my eyes to several things.
Firstly, my own personal vision of floorball.

Like I said, initially, getting into the national team was a goal, a target set by me and for me to achieve.
But it was not a vision.
I do, however, share a common vision with my club of course.
That's more of a "corporate" vision.
On a more personal aspect of what I want to see floorball happening in Malaysia,
I was left standing clueless.

The simple fact is this;
We got whooped in Perth. Big time.
We just could not compete with other teams.
To put it simply, we were outclassed.

So, the question I asked myself now is,

"What now?"

I mean, yea, I have achieved my goal in representing our country.
Twice.
But to what purpose? To what avail?
Was there any purpose in the first place?
I don't really know.
As I evaluated myself as a player and as a person, I knew that there must be something far greater, a vision or a mission that is driving me to the addiction of this sport.
I admit, it was embarrassing getting thrashed and painful to see people giving disappointing head shake all around the arena.
It was not a nice feeling being the underdog each time we stepped into the court.
People have asked me,


I pondered and hesitated to answer for a little while.
Recollection of what happened before, during and after APAC 2008 came flooding into my head.
I paused, smiled and answered,


In that brief hesitation, I recalled a friend who once told me;


I knew there and then,
what my vision was.

There will be a tournament coming up soon so guys & gals, lets try get as much people as we can to join =)

Z'Liners-PFA Floorball Challenge 2008

[Women]
Date: 13th September 2008, Saturday
Venue: Dalat International School (Indoor Hall)
Estimated Time: 12.00 pm - 6.00 pm

[Open] - Men & Women
Date: 20th September 2008, Saturday
Venue: Dalat International School (Indoor Hall)
Estimated Time: 8.30 am - 5.00 pm

• Woman players can play in both categories.
• RM 70 per team.
• Minimum 5 and maximum 7 players in a team (goalkeeper included).
• 4v4 challenge with a goalkeeper on each side.
• Please inform Wai Wai (for the alumni) and Gary (for the USM students) by 5th September 2008, if you are interested. Please specify, if you want to play in both categories (only applies to the women).

Two of our Unihawks, a.k.a Christopher and Mervin will be going for the APAC 08' Games this year!! They will be flying down to Australia this weekend so lets give them our support and starting crossing fingers, toes eyes, etc.

More updates will be coming soon =)

As training is gradually picking up its pace, the number of players are slowly multiplying as well.
Being present at the training session for the first time since the semester re-opened (and this time not as a student but rather as an outsider looking in), I had mixed feelings.
Peaceful yet... Weird.


Yes, peaceful.

Being the first few batch of players when this club first started off, it was really relieving to know and to see that this club is still blooming.
More importantly so, to know that it is moving towards the direction we envisioned it to be.
Having said that, it felt rather odd though - being an outsider this time around.
Being there at the training but yet not quite there.
Weird.

Wai Wai, our Team Manager highlighted three important aspects, or should I say three important core values in which our club will be moulding our players to be;

• Character
• Competence
• Commitment

Well, it's self-explanatory.
Three simple words but yet difficult actions to execute consistently.

As I stood there at the all-too-familiar-basketball court in my working attire and seeing the juniors training their hearts out, they reminded me of a greater purpose beyond that of the game itself.
In them, I saw the Vision that drove me to this passion.

So long as Underdawgs are growing, the vision will be realised...
Sooner or later...
It will.


Written by,
Christopher Koh

Our very first official floorball training went pretty well. We actually have Coach Edward coaching us!! It was super super cool as we did different drills compared to the last time. Coach took things easy on us this week since there were quite a number of newbies *yay yay yay!!* who joined us. We also got a bunch of exchange students from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and also the Netherlands to join us. Hopefully they will be coming regularly =)

Heya guys!! After a nice long break, floorball practice is gonna start soon!! Excited? Things are gonna be a lil different starting this semester since our dear captain, Sarah has graduated.. no worries though because she still will be with us as our Unihawks captain!! Our new captain for the Underdawgs this semester will be *drummroll* Gary for the guys and Yunn Yee for the gals!!

ok.. enough of my ramblings =) for those who have been waiting for our trainings to start, it will be on the 24th July 2008 (week 3) same time same place (Bakti Basketball Court).. Be there!!

Floorball has never been so individualistic in its nature until last weekend.

Play in a Team, Play for Yourself (PTPY)

What's that?
Well, trust Contact Sports in coming up with such funky names for a competition and an approach to floorball no one would ever of in this lifetime. *wink*

The concept is rather simple but the layout is a whole different story.
Players are placed into several groups, 6 in each group.
The 6 players in each group are then divided into 2 teams.
However, the catch is that players will not remain with the same team mates through out the competition.
After each match, players will be swapped around with other players in the same group to form a whole new team.

Faham?

That's basically how the competition goes.
The point system, well, that's a whole different story.

The objectives that were set for PTPY was simple:

• To train a player to play with different team mates as well as to play in different positions on court.

• To score as many goals as possible for your team and thus, enables you to proceed to the following round.

Some managed to fulfill the first objective but couldn't fulfill the next, in turn, couldn't proceed to the next round.
There are others who scored like crazy but yet lack the capacity to play with different players in different positions.
And there are some who, well, just whack the ball with no real direction.

It was a really good experience for all of us especially since the competition was the first of its kind.

The older boys strutted out their stuff on court.



And it was really refreshing to see all the young guns locking and loading their sticks on court too! Needless to say how loud all the parents were screaming and cheering for them!
They rocked the house - literally! :)



Alike all other competition, there will always be one who emerges out as the Champ.

In the inaugural Men's PTPY, Bryan Looi stood out amongst the rest and became the winner.



In the women's PTPY, Pei Li from Frontliners, claimed her position as the Champ.



1st or not, we have our very own Hawk that has made us proud!
JJ from Minden UniHawk, managed to bag in the silver medal!



Congratulations to all!
Winners or not, we all had fun in the good name of floorball.....

Even if we pulled a hamstring! ;)

Hey peeps!

Up for another floorball competition again? :)
Yes, Contact Sports has once again organized yet another floorball competition that has an interesting twist to it...
To know more and to participate in this competition, just click the participation form below.
Save it and read through the instructions.
If you do decide to join, please contact either me (Chris), Wai Wai or better still, Penny as soon as possible! The closing date has been gracefully extended for you!
QUICK!
You're just a click away! :)

Hey guys!!!

The Dalat Training is finally back on again!
Every Tuesday and Saturday night, 7pm-9pm.
For now, the training will still be open to all avid floorball players.
Come June, Tuesday's training will be catered solely for state players.
So, make sure you guys come while you can!!!
Squeeze every little juice of knowledge you can get before the door closes ;)

To all USM'ers who are in Penang, we hope to see you people there tomorrow night!

And so, the competition has ended.
Both the men and women's team came back without any medals.
Still, we stood with our heads up high.

Indeed, the Hawks have improved in tremendous form as compared to last year's performance.
It was obvious - the women's team especially.
The Hawks sent two women's team, respectively captained by Suleen and Wai Wai.
Despite having many new kids on the block, the women definitely proved to be a deadly threat.
Their pace were much quicker, they were much more physical, their composure pulled through and their team spirit were on a high.
Suleen's team actually managed to get into the semi-finals, whereas Wai Wai team lost just by a slight goal difference.
Even though they lost in the semis, they showed great determination.
With Suleen's injured ankle, they were practically down to three men.
It was tough.
They lost...
But really, it didn't matter that much.
There was improvement and that proved something about our team.


The men's team did great as well.
The Hawks sent two men's team, led by Gary and another by Christopher.
Christopher's team somehow got themselves into the group of "death".
Moreover, it was their first time playing together as a team since Alumnis, Andrew Ng and Sadat Foster, only came back the night before the competition and therefore, had no prior training together.
Although they lost all 3, it was a well spent RM70 with good fun and team spirit.
Gary's team, on the other hand, made it far.
They surprised themselves by making it through into the quarter-finals!
The UniHawks Zirconium managed to hold down the Frontliners Revolution to a 0-0 draw.
However, they lost by penalty shoot-outs in the end which was, somewhat controversial.
Nonetheless, great job guys!!

As fun as the competition was, it was somewhat poignant as well.
For many of the senior players, it was their last competitive floorball competition as an official Minden Underdawgs/UniHawks player.
As the semester closes in, many would be leaving back to their respective hometown by the end of this week.
The competition was definitely memorable in more ways than one.

A special tribute to Mervin Menon #12 - It was an inspiring performance from the senior player wearing the unmistakable number 12 jersey as he played his last competitive floorball match here in Penang. All the best in your future undertakings!
Once a hawk, always a Hawk!

After a week long of anticipation, we, the USM Alumni finally met the Ztecs.
The friendly ended up with slight agitation amongst the players, but nothing more, no worries.
As expected, tension will be there in a game.
However, good sportsmanship were displayed in both teams.

The match started off at 2.15pm.
R.C, being a rather small venue for a proper floorball match, we had to settle for 5 on 5 (including goalkeeper). We had fun nonetheless!

The final score stood 5-7, the Hawks lost.

For the UniHawks, it was more of the significant mark in the club's history that mattered - the birth of the USM Alumni team.
It's yet another step towards the development of the Minden UniHawks as a whole as well as the growth of the sports.

Keep it up Hawks!!!

P/S: To the Ztecs, thanks for the great game! We should have another friendly in the future! ;)















The Ztecs






















Suleen, all set to be unstoppable.















Face-off!















Kevin Ho, hot in the action.















Sarah Ng giving full pressure.















To the Ztecs, thanks again!!















To the USM Alumni...

Our journey has just begun.

As mentioned in Dalat's blog, there's a new site in town that's truly amazing.

Go check it out here.
It's called Floorball for all.

The birth of floorball in many other parts of the world can really be jaw-dropping.
In places like Brazil, Djibouti (yes, it's an existing country), Nepal and Bosnia-Herzegovina this fast-pace sport is spreading like wild fire.
I was browsing through the site and it made me appreciate the privileges that we have here in Malaysia...
Even if it means practising weekend and week out on an uneven basketball court ;)

You wanna talk about passion for floorball?

These people are a testament to that passion.

































Hidup Floorball!!

Everything is set for the friendly this coming weekend.
4 on 4 against the Ztecs.

DATE: 13 April 2008, Sunday
TIME: 2pm sharp
VENUE: Red Crescent (R.C)

Game on!

With the closing of Penang League 2008 last Saturday night, it seems like the whole floorball craze has cooled down after a long and intense 6 weeks of total floorball mania.
Moreover with the announcement that the usual Tuesdays and Saturdays training at Dalat International School will be off until the 26th, what else is in store for us??

No more floorball for another 2 weeks??? Can die lar....

Fret not!

The UniHawks will be having a friendly match against Silver team of Division two, Ztec 8cers this Sunday afternoon 2pm.
The venue is yet to be confirm.

The significance of this match will see the official opening of the Minden UniHawks/USM alumni floorball team. (Finally, there's a place for all the old folks of USM!) ;)

Not forgetting, YouthWave 2008 is just around the corner. In fact, it's just 10 days away!
The 'wave' of excitement is heatin' up!

For us, the UniHawks, it will be our second time round participating in this tournament.
Last year's experience was simply awesome.
How many teams will the Hawks be sending this time around?

2 from the men's team & 2 from the women's team.

Our goal?

To spring as many surprises as possible ;)
But for now... the focus is on the friendly this Sunday.

We did it guys!
Although it was our ONLY win, it meant more than just a win.
It showed sheer determination, discipline and dedication!
We were playing floorball and displayed what I loved most about our team - Team spirit.
And the weirdest thing was, the prediction of the score actually came true!
How bizarre...
Oh well, we can't complain can we? ;)
Great job, guys!

The Hawks are soaring indeed!

The Spartans played for the silver that would be theirs should they win and the UniHawks played to salvage their pride. Different objectives, same goal. Game on.

Notable change in the UniHawk camp was the fact that their usual keeper was unable to attend and therefore #14 Christopher had to stand in again.

Whistle was blown and they exchanged blows. With apparently nothing to lose, the Hawks attempted great floorball moves and should have taken the lead but for the solid pair of hands of the Spartans kungfu goalie. Right after that, the Hawks were stunned by 2 quick goals taken in swift succession. Thoughts of defeat would surely be running through their minds but it did not show in the game which they have gradually gained control of by then. Just before the break, Hawks levelled through good team play finished by #5 JJ and the teams went in tied at 2-2.

The Hawks came out blazing and slaughtered the Spartans with lots of counter-attacks and opportunist-goal poachings to fully capitalize on the many Spartans' blunders, scoring three without reply to cap a remarkable comeback from 2 goals down. The Spartans pulled a goal back towards the end but it was not Sparta. The night belonged to the victorious Hawks who, IMHO, thoroughly deserved their win.

Final score 5-3, which amazingly was what they wanted to play for before the match. And now that the UniHawks had finally won, they would thirst for more.

Indeed, it was the best chance for UniHawks to win a game in the league given the opposing team just starting with one line and them more than two. However, all did not look too well for them as Innebandy opened the scoring with a goal courtesy of a central defensive mistake.

Earlier on, captain Sarah Ng made several notable changes to their usual lineup with #27 Sukri, #6 Kevin playing as a center and defender respectively while the iron lady herself took charge as a forward instead of her usual role as a playmaker.

UniHawks pressed on for an equalizer and they got it from #27 Sukri. Game on. Innebandy had known before the game that only a win is good enough to keep pace with league leader Contact and it is predicted that they would apply full pressure during the 1st half which they did and it got them another goal to bring into the second.

The UniHawks came out firing on all cylinders but to the wrong sides as they continued to display the lack of finishing which has worked so well against them all season, with Innebandy being content on lying low defensively and letting the Hawks flew all over them. A quick counter by an Innebandy forward resulted in a goal and some Contacts did not look too pleased.

It was all UniHawks towards the end of the game as they rallied around a goal by #6 Kevin but they, as the title implied, were just too eager and content to smell. A final score of 3-2 condemned them to the bottom of the standings which shall see them play in the second division the coming year.

Bottom line - with only pride to play for now, the UniHawks will try to score their maiden win against the Spartans this coming Saturday, which turns out to be the closing match for the league. Depending on the outcome of the Contact-Innebandy match, the Spartans will either treat it as a must-win game or a ceremonial one.

As hyped up as the Penang League 2008 is right now, there is another event that's coming up that should and will be as exciting as the Penang League.

YOUTHWAVE TOURNAMENT
This year's event will be held in 19-20 April. So keep this day free, drop by and join us! Further details coming your way soon.

Be ready for more floorball events for the rest of 2008 and keep logging on to this website -
Penang Floorball Association

Calling all UniHawks, juniors/seniors/alumni/EVERYONE, do make yourself available for the competition.
Trust me, it will be loads of fun.

Even as you're focussing all your energy on Penang League, bear in mind that there's more to come in April.

So, are you guys ready to be M.A.D?!

This Saturday the Hawks will be facing Innebandy! Co. for the 2nd leg match.

2 more games left in hand...

Will the Hawks be able to come up with a win?

Come support us, this Saturday 7.15pm at Dalat International School!