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Panties stomp home with Wooden
Spoon
Tuesday night’s match practice for the Pattaya
Panties, following the Bangkok mixed Touch Rugby tournament on the 2nd of
April, was a true testament to the strength and skill of the female
players. The practice boasted the stamina and motivation of the women,
after a grueling, yet outstanding performance at the previous Sunday’s
mixed- touch tournament.
Clearly the strongest female contingent at the
tournament both in numbers attending and ability shown on the field, the
women played alongside the brave and hardy Panthers, who narrowly missed
victory at Saturday’s 10s tournament in Bangkok.
In a premier mixed touch performance, the Delaney’s
Pattaya sponsored club made up 2 true teams - ‘The Panthers’ and
‘The Panties’ (no player swapping, unlike most of our opposition!).
Kick-off was at 11, but Rob Oldfield’s sense of direction, which is as
questionable as his mathematical ability, nearly cost the first team to
play - The Panties - an instant handicap. Despite travelling in convoy to
the stadium, a sight-seeing tour of Bangkok appeared more appealing, with
several players only just arriving in time for the first game as a result.
The Panties first game yielded defeat. In true male
Panthers team style, the men’s team had celebrated Saturday’s narrow
defeat well past their usual bedtimes (except for Boy Band Paul of
course), leaving them shell-shocked, due to the need for co-ordination and
agility, under the merciless Bangkok sun.
Following the noble direction of Barry Daniels, The
Panties engineered themselves into position for the final of the Wooden
Spoon competition, having woken up and warmed-up by 2 p.m. The Panties
showed what they were made of at the 11th hour, to stomp home with the
trophy.
Woman of the team went to Staci ‘Animal’ Mc Master
who has patented a new ‘touch’ bear-hug-tackle. War paint was the only
thing missing from this new game plan.
The Panther team, skillfully coordinated by Steve
‘Coach’ Turner, took an easy victory in their first game against the
Bangkok Japanese, who appeared even less awake than the Panties.
After a second, less dynamic game, which ended in a
very narrow Panties Victory, the Panthers managed to squeeze into the
championship pool for the semi-finals.
Game play kept apace, despite a baking sun, little
shade and flagging energy levels on all sides going into the semi-final
round which did not deter Panther Heart. The opposition was tough, but
some dodgy handi-work by certain opposing team members, and inconsistent
refereeing, gave the Panthers a valiant position at 5th of the 6 in their
division.
Runner of the match was awarded to Dave ‘black
sheep’ Garred, who, with selfless effort, chased the opposition to the
try-line, making a legendary dive to touch the player being pursued, only
to have the effort thwarted by a questionable refereeing decision thus
going on to award a try for the opposition.
Garred, in another selfless act towards the end of the
tournament and despite earlier claims from him that he was ‘finished’,
was awarded ‘scab’ of the tournament, due to him donning the
distinctive blue shirt of the Bangkok British Club. The Pattaya Club may
well have to seek alternative sponsorship as a result of such
selflessness.
Special thanks go to Karen Pennock, Adrian ‘Deadleg’ Sparrow, and
Dave ‘Black Sheep’ Garred for their tireless energy and effort in
organising the club players for the weekend’s tournaments, leaving us
with a truly memorable set of red noses, sunburned heads, bruised bodies
and hangovers of galactic proportions in true rugby style.
Thailand 10’s Rugby tournament in
Pattaya this weekend
Dateline Pattaya, the Thailand International 10’s has
found a new host club and a new home. The Pattaya Panthers, upon hearing the
postponement of the Annual Thailand 10’s in Bangkok, have taken up the
ball and run uncontested across the try line. Pattaya this year will see
teams from all over the globe that will travel to visit our fine city and
play in what is rapidly becoming one of the greatest amateur sporting
tournaments in Asia. The clubs participating this year are: Les Piliers
D’anchor - Cambodia, DeA 3 - Hong Kong, Irian Jaya Kotekas - Indonesia,
Vientiane Buffaloes - Lao, Jock Tiernan’s U.K. Barbarians, Candy Yiew’s
10’s Tourists - Hong Kong, Manila Nomads - Philippines. Thailand based
clubs are Bangkok Japanese, Bangkok Southerners, Phuket Gazettes and your
host team Pattaya Panthers.
 Panthers
bust through the line in Phuket
The local corporate community have thrown their support
behind the Panthers with gusto. Delaney’s Pattaya, the Panthers permanent
sponsor, of course are again playing that role. Other sponsors who have
shown wonderful and rapid support are Foster Wheeler, Maconnell Dowell, CR
Industrial Services, ACS Asia, Mermaid’s Dive Center, Global Silverhawk
and Dusit Resort Sports Club.
With what is arguably the best rugby pitch in Thailand,
International School of the Regents and the support of the community,
Pattaya Panthers will be putting on the best show in Rugby for the Asian
region over the two day period.
Matches start at 10:00 a.m. Saturday 22nd April and 9:00 a.m. Sunday
23rd. There will be constant Rugby action both days until around 4:00 p.m.
Saturday then culminating with the tournament final which will be held at
2:00 p.m. on Sunday. Other highlights include the ladies touch football
final at 1:00 p.m. Sunday and the 100 meter sprint challenge race at 2:00
p.m. on Saturday. Of course not to forget the tournament parties on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday nights at Delaney’s Pattaya. Come along and be a part
of the spectacle. Car parking, food, refreshments and tournament souvenirs
will all be available.
The Path of Transcendence and Immortality
by Patrick Stahl,
NRG Center
In the spiritual traditions of China, Taoism,
Confucianism and Buddhism, practices and disciplines for refinement of the
spirit are common. Chi Gong is a primary system for spiritual attainment.
The practice of Chi Gong, in this context, is aimed at the evolution and
development of the inner being. The body is seen as a local representative
of the entire universe. As in the hologram of modern science, the individual
is, in a special sort of way, the whole cosmos.
One description of Chi Gong is as a discipline to
“refine the body of pure energy”. The acupuncture centers on the front
and back primary channels of the “microcosmic orbit” are like energy
gates. When the gates are open the Chi develops and circulates. It spills
out into all of the channels and circuits. This is called the circulation of
the light. When the light is circulating to all of the organs, glands,
limbs, tissues and cells the practitioner is filled with, acknowledges and
celebrates the light. As the practitioner’s attention is fixed on the body
of light the dense body of substance becomes secondary. Rather than a
physical body with a resonating energy field, the individual, from this
perspective, is an energy field that has a small dense body of flesh at its
center.
Thousands of years ago Chuang Tzu asked, “Is it Chuang
Tzu asleep dreaming he is a butterfly? Or is it the butterfly dreaming he is
Chuang Tzu.” In the Chi Gong of transcendence it is asked, “Is the
practitioner in the deep Chi Gong state a person in a moment of transcendent
energetic experience, or is manifestation in a physical body actually a
brief exploration into substance by an entity whose normal state is one of
highly refined, resonating light energy?” The post Einsteinium physics of
the unified field has revealed that our world is composed of dynamic
relationships of energy. Therefore, it is not that strange that the practice
of transcendence should be as much a part of the Chi Gong tradition as
callisthenics and breathing exercises that lower blood pressure.
Richard Wilhelm’s translation of “The Secret of the
Golden Flower” is a translation of a beautiful Chinese classic of
transcendence that focuses on the “circulation of the light and the
backward flowing breath. Compared to the great Way, heaven and earth are
like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature
overcome time and space. The energy of the seed, like heaven and earth, is
transitory, but the primal spirit is beyond polar differences. Here is the
place where heaven and earth derive their being. When students understand
how to grasp to the primal spirit they overcome the polar opposites of light
and darkness and tarry no longer in the three worlds. Only the seeker who
has envisioned human nature’s original face is able to do this.”
Scheske Cup 2000 this weekend
The Scheske Cup 2000 will be sailed this weekend, 22-23
April, from the Royal Varuna Yacht Club.
All members of the RVYC and their invited guests, and all
classes recognized by the RVYC are eligible. A minimum of 5 boats is
required to race as a separate class.
On Saturday, races will get underway at 2:00 p.m. The
course will be Olympic with two races back-to-back. Time limit 70 minutes.
Briefing 1:00 p.m.
On Sunday, the regatta gets underway at 10:00 a.m. for
monohulls and 11:00 a.m. for multihulls. Course: start at RVYC flagpole,
south mark to starboard, Koh Krok to starboard, Koh Sak to port, Koh Krok to
starboard, north mark to starboard, finish at RVYC flagpole. Time limit 4
hours. Briefing 9:00 a.m.
The race officer for this regatta is Neil Semple.
Handicap to be announced, and the low point scoring
system will be in effect.
Prizes for each class: 1 prize for every 5 boats.
Rules: Racing Rules of Sailing (1997-2000), Current Class Rules of
Participating Yacht, RVYC Sailing Instructions & Notice of Race, Race
Category B.
George Meigh back to form
PSC Pattaya Golf Society from the Bunker
Tuesday, 11 April - Sriracha
Sriracha International Golf Club is always a nice
course to visit, although getting there via the back route is getting
tricky with the new road progress. On Tuesday 11th April when the
“Bunker Boys” made the trip to Sriracha, in the morning the drive was
as per usual, but coming home later they had opened up the Pattaya bound
carriageway causing a few problems. Luckily, no accidents occurred -
others take care!
As for the Sriracha course, although always a treat to
play, the fairways needed a cut as well as the greens.
In A Flight, these distractions did not worry George
Meigh who returned to form after having been in the doldrums for a few
months. After seeing his handicap go from 17 to 20, he said, “Thank you
very much” and shot a net 67. Maybe his handicap will go back to 18 next
week.
Close on George’s heels came Ken Lill, forever steady
off his no mean handicap of 15 to shoot a net 68. Ken was followed in 3rd
place by the ever consistent Bill Hewitt, playing off 13 to shoot a net
70. Two other players who had sub-par rounds are worth a mention, Anders
Karlsson and Wilf Latham both shot net 70.
B Flight was a walkover for Jim “The Slim” Baxter,
who has been playing with the Bunker Boys for only a few weeks but has
finished in the frame three times already. Well Jim, the scribe has news
for you - shooting 44 Stableford points off your 33 handicap, your
handicap will be seriously cut next week, so relish this moment for now.
John Preddy was also in the frame when he again shot 38
points, maintaining his steady progress off his 32 handicap. And oh!, not
again - Les Winch crept into 3rd place with a meager 33 points; enough
said.
Near pins were nothing special until the 17th. At the
crocodile hole No. 3, Les Winch (Oh! Not Again) edged out Bill Jones, well
at least they missed the crocs. Number 8 was won by Gary Hammill and No.
12 by Keith Fortt. Now, the 17th green is under repair, attending bunkers
were too, and a meter of green fringe turf had been dug up for renewal.
Oh! Please give us a local rule Sriracha. All this caused a problem,
especially for Gary Hammill. Gary’s ball landed in the fated area and by
the time Gary got to the green his caddie had picked up and dropped the
ball on the green. Only about 15 people saw this incident - we forgive you
Gary but No. 17 near pin was declared null and void.
In all, 29 players took part.
A Flight
1st: George Meigh, net 67
2nd: Ken Lill, net 68
3rd: Bill Hewitt, net 70
B Flight
1st: Jim Baxter, 44 points
2nd: John Preddy, 38
3rd: Les Winch, 33
PSC Splinter Golf Group
The PSC Splinter golf group would like it to be known
that they have officially pulled out of the PSC golf “umbrella”, but not
the Pattaya Sports Club Association of which we are all members.
We are now a members only group consisting of 80 golfers
at the present time. The competition fee will increase to 150 baht for
members but remain at 200 baht for members’ guests; this will help us to
provide two free tournaments a year for Splinter members which will consist
of green and caddy fee, a genuine quality golf shirt, buffet and trophies.
All Splinter members who wish to play with other “PSC
Umbrella” groups can still do so. We will still accept their CONGU
handicap the PSC golf committee decided they should have. All members
wanting a USGA handicap of which the Pattaya Sports Club has been affiliated
with for many years can again receive one but will have to check with the
PSC golf committee on its conditions of use within PSC golf competitions.
Other than that it’s business as usual, we are still sponsored by the
Diana Group, we still meet at the Diana Inn Mon., Wed., and Fri. for golf,
and the Green bottle as often as possible for drink.
San Marino GP - Ross Brawn beats Ron Dennis!
Using Michael Schumacher as the perfect instrument, the
superb race tactician Ross Brawn won the San Marino GP for the Ferrari
team. Under his strategy, he turned a deficit of 4 seconds into a lead of
4 seconds - a master stroke that caught McLaren Mercedes napping.
 Michael
Schumacher raises a toast to his and his team’s victory at San Marino.
From the start of the race, Hakkinen from pole position
maintained a lead over Schumacher. A long way behind them were the
battling duo of Rubens Barichello (Ferrari) and David Coulthard (McLaren
Mercedes). The rest of the field were nowhere, with the leading pair soon
lapping almost every other race car.
When the McLaren Mercedes Team, under Ron Dennis,
brought in race leader Mika Hakkinen for his final pit stop on lap 44 out
of 62, he was maintaining a good buffer of between 2 and 4 seconds over
Schumacher’s Ferrari in second place. At that point, Brawn called
Schumacher and told him to put the hammer down. For the next four laps
Schumacher poured it on, lapping around 1.5 seconds a lap quicker that
Hakkinen and when Brawn called Schumacher in on lap 48 he was in and out
for the fastest pit stop of the race. With just enough fuel for the final
14 laps, Schumacher rejoined the race now 4 seconds in front of Hakkinen
to the surprise of the McLarens. The lead was one he was not to lose,
cruising to an easy victory over Hakkinen, making it three out of three
for the German driver.
In 3rd position was David Coulthard, having got by 4th
placed Barichello in the pits. 5th was the BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve
from Mika Salo in the Sauber. Neither of the Jordans (Frentzen and Trulli)
made it to the finish, nor did the BMW Williams cars of Ralf Schumacher
and Jenson Button; however, both Jaguars came home with Irvine 7th and
Herbert 10th, both Benettons (Wurz 9th, Fisichella 11th) and the second
cars of Sauber (Diniz 8th) and BAR’s Zonta in 12th.
The World Championship standings are now M. Schumacher
30 points, Barichello (9), Fisichella (8), R. Schumacher and Hakkinen (6),
Villeneuve (5), Coulthard and Frentzen (4).
The next round of the F1 championship will be the British GP at
Silverstone on the 23rd of this month.
Fitness Tips: A ‘pot
belly’ could be making you tired
by David Garred
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club
G’Day Pattaya,
It’s commonly thought that fat people are always
tired. To some extent, this may be true.
Being fat is known to cause sleep apnea. Sleep apnea,
and the snoring it causes can lead to daytime sleepiness. Thus, fatness
can lead to tiredness. Why should this be so?
According to one expert, it’s the changes that occur
in the mechanical properties of the chest and diaphragm with increases in
body fat that cause increases in sleepiness and the inability to sleep
well.
Dr Peter Kopelman is a Physician and Professor of
Medicine at St. Bartholomew’s hospital in the U.K. He claims that extra
weight on the diaphragm in the sleeping position of a big person (more
usually a man) causes stiffness in the airway function which can lead to a
decrease in oxygen passing through the lungs to supply the body with
energy.
Muscles in the upper part of the airway and tongue
relax; this results in the tongue blocking the windpipe. There is also a
decrease in the oxygen supplied to the muscles around the top of the
windpipe and this causes a collapse in the tone of these muscles. The end
result is a smaller hole for air to pass through into the lungs, to then
provide oxygen to the body during sleep. When this happens, a survival
signal is sent to the respiratory center in the brain, which then results
in a wakening to consciously open the airways. Several hundred wakenings
like this during the night (called sleep apnea) result in increased
tiredness during the day.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include restlessness during
sleep, loud snoring and daytime tiredness. These should be recognised as
an early warning signal to reduce body weight. If this reduction in weight
doesn’t happen, the heart has to work harder to get oxygen and this can
lead to an increase in blood volume to get more blood to cell tissues. To
accommodate this extra load on the heart, this requires more work by the
heart, which in time can lead to thickening of the heart muscle wall and
eventually to heart failure. Because being overweight can lead to heart
problems on it’s own, this can accentuate the problem of heart
complications.
So being fat can make you tired. It can also be a
signal of more serious things to come. Fortunately, reducing weight can
reduce not only tiredness, but it can also reduce the risks associated
with heart disease complications. Finally, it will also help reduce
snoring.
Carpe’ Diem
Copyright 2000 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri
Suansuk. |
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