Finally the Year Book 2008 is out, now I can release my "master piece". haha. *Kembang*
Great food and superb year book by the way people!! Keep it up!!!
It is the time of the year. The time of the year where floorball training is force to cancel. The time of the year where Pei Li (this time around Tania also) will keep pester about my opinion for year end reviews of certain players. This is also the time where I have to crack my heard amidst of all the work and club issues for this article.
Year 2008. Looking back at it, a lot had happened. Well, it is expected in floorball anyway, because it is happening! People come people go. Games won games lost. Issues aroused issues solved. So many things to talk about, I am seriously in trouble deciding on what to start with!
We need to start somewhere anyways. OK. Let’s start with some review of all the tournaments.
We started of the year with a 3-on-3 Floorball Challenge organized by Contact Sports in January. It was sort of an appetizer on how yummy and exciting floorball will be for the rest of the year. We decided to go easy on this by sending as many teams as possible, including some first timers for a taste of competitive floorball. All didn’t fare really well except for the ladies team, (FH)² which went all the way but stumbled in the final. At the end of the day, everybody had fun and it was a good experience for the beginners. Personally it was a good platform and opportunity for me as a coach to obverse all my players at the start of the year and evaluate what we can do in the coming months to improved as a team.
Then came the most prestigious and important event of the year. The newly reformatted Penang Floorball League (PFL) 2008. This year, for the first time it was divided into 2 divisions with Frontliners sending one team each for both divisions, Spartans for D1 and Torjans for D2. Final standings, 3rd place out of 4 teams for Spartans who blew up the chance of securing sliver by gifting Minden Unihawks their first and only win of the season. Torjans ended up last out of 4 teams with a lot of positive points considering competing with very strong opponents.
Spartans proved to be rather fit playing with a hit and run style by outpacing the opponents in counter attacks which on another point of view indicates a lack of overall floorball sense and tactical awareness which will need a lot of work to improve. Trojans who were relatively new to the game performed with tremendous effort and really boils my blood imagining how good they will be in the future if they continue training with consistency!
The biggest revelation of the league for me was the Spartan “What is your profession” cheer which really send chills down through my spines. Creepy but intimidating and adrenaline pumping. We should register it as our trademark!
Followed up was the biggest event of the year, Youthwave Floorball Challenge. I rate it the biggest because it is the biggest, with the amount of participants overwhelming PFL, especially after a change in format to a 4 aside game excluding goalkeepers to encourage participation. 4 teams participated and I supposed everybody had fun as the “no-pressure-go-have-fun” policy was implied. Both men’s team qualified through the knock out stages. Renegades lost in the Quarters while Revelution’s run ended in the Semis. Inferno ladies fought all the way but failed to qualified whereas Fury went all the way and emerged victorious as champions retaining the Crown in the ladies category won by Frontliners as well in the previous year. Well yet again, floorball movement was lacking but the positive point is that our ladies are quite competitive and should be further expanded to retain the dominance in Penang Floorball scene. More recruitment girls!!
June we had a one of its kind tournament organized by Contact Sports, “Play in a Team, Play for Yourself” (PTPY). Pei Li took gold for the ladies with her usual tough play amongst the girls while another player that really shined on that weekend was Kenny. Although ended up empty handed, Kenny banged in a bag full of goals, including a hattrick on way. And since then has became part of the core for the senior team. Bright future ahead my friend.
The last competitive outing of the year was in September where Frontliners participated in the Z’Liners-PFA Floorball Challenge 2008. The tournament was a joint venture event organized by Frontliners & Ztec 8cers under the support and assistance of Penang Floorball Association (PFA). On the management level, it was a great experience for Jason and I as it really gave a taste of the hardship and headaches as organizers and also the satisfaction that comes with it.
Participation wise, Frontliners push for all fronts, F-Jr. for the juniors, Fury & Inferno (again) for the ladies and Spartan & 300 for the mens. F-Jr. ended up 6th out of 8 teams and it was a first time for the juniors playing together as a team. Pretty messy but energetic plays, rather encouraging as it was a first step to establish a full juniors team for the club. More recruitment and practice is definitely needed. As for debutant team manager Tania, observe and learn from the best, our CEO Mr. Jason, and be prepared for more opportunities in the future!
The ladies, some last minutes pull out was a real draw back as both Fury and Inferno struggled to qualify from the group stage, which in the end led to a small derby fighting for 5th placing. That encounter Fury with the more experience players came out top. Pei Li and Sonia did pretty well leading their teams respectively with Pei Li bagging 5 goals while Sonia’s rise just shown how much she has progressed since joining us. In Sonia’s case, it was just too bad her team mates were not regulars although I though some have pretty good potential. Can ajak them come Sonia, form full girls team is in the club’s book as well.
The Open was held the week after the Juniors cum Ladies, participated by Spartans and 300, our rename Frontliners Junior team. Spartans although expected to qualify, unexpectedly went all the way to the final until a penalty shoot-out lose halted their journey in a slight sour note, a sliver. Some good plays although still much more to the hit and run style, undermining the failure to turn the team around yet. The highlight was the superb goalkeeping of our “Kungfu Spartaness”, Sharron who saved numerous penalties and a wonder shot by Sanjeevan against the Henri-Toivoneime-Wannabe Linken which was dubbed unsavable by the man himself. 300 teamed up with Juniors, were sent merely for more competitive exposure came really close to qualifying but stumble at the last hurdle in a thought –to-be-won match.
Final verdict, both teams did well without the guidance of senior/regular leaders like myself and Jason, but there are definitely still a lot of room for improvements. As the game for 300, it shows that mental strength is still largely lacking amongst the players. Well, next time next try I guess.
Along came the problems and the problem came along. Having such diverse group of players, the club overall progress was and still is hindered by the constant turnover of personnel. Some just vanished into thin air; some just go “Chipsmore-ing”, deciding to show up whenever they please; some due to unavoidable circumstances.
Some of the most notable lost of personnel during the year include Lavinia, leaving for Sabah for studies. What bad luck of us for her not getting USM. A lost of not only a rising, tough defender but also a lost of a young adult to be part of the management team. Just imaging how many extra people I can avoid fetch with her car! Now an establish star in across the South China Sea with Nomads. Keep it up!
Brought in by Nick, Kenny who has rapidly moved up the ranks and recently secured a trail in the state team will be leaving us to further his studies in KL. A huge blow to our plans. Nick although preferably not, might follow his good friend’s footsteps next June/July.
Whereas old guards like Megan and Sanjeevan was a real disappointment as the duo constantly went MIA for various and no reason. The hopes of building up from beginning of the year’s PFL were severely affected!
People come, people go. The encouraging point from all this was to be grateful and encourage to see new blood joining like Lawren and gang, which I hope their relationship will help out in the progress and definitely to watch out in the future. Su Rong who was random recruit by Jason has also shown signs of a deadly fox in the box and has attracted favourable comments from the state coach himself. Juniors like Kyle and Gabriel looks bright and will provide Julian some competition and peer pressure. Definitely good to add numbers to the Junior team.
It is frustrating at times with all the turnover as progressive training program can not be conduct as the players keep renewing and so does the drills which constantly have to be kept to the basic. But life goes on, no point whining, we will just have to make due of what we have and keep who ever we have. The club will have to keep educating the players the importance of retention and that to help the club to help improve them is a must for all to progress.
Training wise, the focus have been constantly revolving around Passing, Movement and Shooting since I was handed the Senior Coach role as the team play was severely lacking and obvious during our run in PFL. Thus a lot of passing has been done; drills involving PMS was always on the menu and the drills were rather repetitive because the progress was slow. Certain issues was noted after looking back at the year, notably the constant limited space due to players of different levels training together and limit spaces for drills while we split. The availability of the indoor venue was also a drawback but unavoidable.
As to counter the issues, the coming year, well more like this coming week, the training will be split and with much hope, I am looking forward to the split. With the availability of a whole court, both groups will gain more from the drills and the peers of similar level. As for the venue, the club has been and will continue to look out for possible indoor alternative and also to get innovative in training means while force to go outdoors. So, look forward for 2009’s training people!!
In a nut shell, the year had been filled with new experience and old problems. Turnover problems is of priority but will be a tough nut to crack because it consist of unavoidable and uncontrollable factors, the best we can hope for is for all to unite as a family, keep ourselves tight and committee. With a cohesive unit, progress will definitely come as the experience will be cumulative where new experience and knowledge are build on older ones. Therefore, to all Frontliners, like look forward for a better year ahead and savior every second of floorball you can get!!! Eat, breath and live floorball!!!
*Walao. This is super long. Like SPM essay. Haha.
