Aussie-Thai duo sweeps the Royal Garden Classic

by Peter Cummins

Champion Royal Varuna Nacra sailor, Aussie Gary Baguley and fleet-footed Thai runner Khun Urupong, won the 2001 Royal Garden Resorts Koh Larn Classic, held off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club on Saturday, February 17. This was the second successive time that these two have shown that they are the fastest sail-run team around Pattaya, finishing the combined two sailing legs and the run, with a time of 2:40:06 (Nacra 5.8).

Which way did you say Koh Larn is?

Second team overall were John Stall/John Quarmby (Nacra 6.0,) with a combined total time of 2:48:22, while Simon Prattley/Tom Ellis (Hobie Cat 16, 2:49:27), were some six minutes ahead of Alex Skaria/P.Fischer (Hobie Cat 16, 2:55:10) in fourth place. Only keelboat in this year’s event was David Bell’s “Graffiti” back in 13th place on 3:15:04.

Urupong also won the Karl Schmid Memorial Trophy for the fastest runner, finishing that sector - some nine km across the spine of Koh Larn - in 36 min 10 secs, well outside Jay Cooley’s 1995 record-breaking run of 33 minutes. Nevertheless, it is somewhat difficult to keep records of this, for the distance may not always be exactly the same and weather conditions are also inclined to skew times.

Second runner, with a time of 38 minutes, 20 seconds, was consistent performer John Quarmby, followed by Tom Ellis (38:38), Charlie Schulz (39:52) and P. Fische (41:20). Only lady to challenge the machos, Marie, crewing aboard David Bell’s keelboat “Graffiti”, was 16th runner, with a very credible time of 1:02:02.

Joining principal sponsor the Royal Garden Resorts again this time were Schenker International and Technilink who always support the Bangkok Hash House Harriers - and, of course Harriettes - who come to Pattaya to join the Classic and stage an out-station run.

John French (right) from the Royal Garden presents Gary Baguley with his winning trophy.

First organized by John Stall in 1991, the 1999 Royal Garden Classic comprises two legs of a yacht race and a cross-country north-south run over Koh Larn. The Bangkok Hash join the Royal Varuna sailors for the very popular event, sponsored by the Royal Garden Resorts since its inception.

The course comprised a start from Royal Varuna at mid-day, north to round Koh Chun (Lighthouse Island) off Pattaya Bay to port, then west across the Gulf, leaving Koh Krok to port, to the runner’s drop-off point at the northern tip of Koh Larn. The runners followed the traditional HHH trail-markers to the southern end of Koh Larn to rendezvous with their respective skippers - who sailed single-handedly along the western coast of the island - leaped aboard and raced back to Royal Varuna.

Gilbert Leemann (right) presents Urupong with the Karl Schmid Memorial Trophy for being the fastest runner.

Race officers Dick van den Heuvel, David Wales, Gilbert Leemann and their team of race marshals and timekeepers did their work well to guarantee a fair, competitive and safe event. Their responsibilities were lightened somewhat by the perfect conditions prevailing, with clear skies, slight seas and a moderate 10-knot southerly.

When entrepreneur John Stall designed the Koh Larn Classic, it became the third such race of its kind. It joined the exulted company of the Four Peaks Race, a 36-hour endurance test of sailing 76 nautical miles, 20 miles of overland running and scaling four peaks, first organized by Hong Kong’s Aberdeen Boat Club in 1985.

The other is the Australian Three Peaks Race, a most gruelling test of man and machine around the island state of Tasmania which, for the slower yachts - and runners - can be a four-day marathon. Initiated in 1988, one run alone in the 1998 event took an incredible 18 hours when a team was lost in the fog and rain of one of Tasmania’s formidable mountain ranges.

Fortunately, the Koh Larn Classic is much more “user-friendly” than either of these, as the runners from previous events witnessed again this time, followed by Royal Garden hospitality at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club and the usual hilarious party afterwards.

Bull Ring Bar scores with a nice king mackerel

The Bull Ring Bar, fishing in the Pattaya Sports Club February fishing tournament, checked in with a nice 25 pound king mackerel and a 5 pound queen fish.

Fishing out of Pattaya on February 9 the Bull Ring fishing team consisted of Selwyn Leightly (Bull Ring Bill), Dennis Geordy who landed the king fish, John Cumberland who landed the queen fish, and Jeff Corkny. The team was fishing on Captain Dangs’ boat near Ko Lin. A good day was had by all.

The Bull Ring Bar fishing team with their catch.

The Pattaya Sports Club organizes a fishing tournament each month open to all who enjoy the sport of deep sea fishing. For more information contact Carl Engel PSC fishing chairman at phone 038-410228, fax 038-426121, or e-mail [email protected]

Go by one of the psc fishing venues at the Local Fish & Trips, J & M Bar, Bull Ring Bar, Pacific Brass & Copper all on Soi Yodsak, Rosie O’ Gradys on Soi 7, Wonderful Bar on Soi Yamoto, or Cafe Kronborg on Soi Diana Inn and talk some fishing.

The Square Ring

by Howie Reed

As the sun rises over the Bay of Siam on Sunday morning with Pattaya ready to welcome another day in Paradise, the sun maybe setting in more ways than one at the Mandalay Bay. This would be the Mandalay Bay located in Las Vegas Nevada. That will be the appointed hour when Evander Holyfield (37-1-4) will defend his meaningless Heavyweight Title against John Ruiz (36-0-4) for maybe the last time. The two met in August in a contest that ended in a draw.

The winner will be the WBA Heavyweight Champion and get a trip to China for a defense of the crown. Certainly not Disneyland but then again it’s not Manila either which is the bright side of the story. If by some fluke Holyfield were to lose it would probably be the end to any further “meaningful” fights. Holyfield has been one of the most accomplished fighters of the last 20 years. He came along when the sport was looking for a hero and they found it in the ex Olympian from Atlanta Georgia.

Evander’s been around so long that few casual boxing fans truly appreciate what he’s done in a career that is remarkable for his accomplishments and the time he’s spent on top of the ladder. He started out as a cruiserweight. He held that title until he moved up to heavyweight against James “Quick” Tillis in 1990 at Nevada’s Lake Tahoe. James “Buster” Douglas coming off the whipping of Mike Tyson in Japan foolishly agree to defend against Holyfield later that year. It was no contest as Douglas was counted out in the third round. Gone were the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles.

Holyfield’s next three defenses were successful against George Foreman (decision), Bert Cooper (TKO 7) and Larry Holmes (decision). Riddock Bowe took the title in November of 1992. Holyfield would regain the crown in November of 1993 only to lose it five months later to Michael Moorer. In the next year and a half Evander would fight three times, beating Ray Mercer (decision) and Bobby Czyz (TKO 5) but losing in the “heart” rematch to Bowe. Holyfield explained the 8 round TKO on a heart problem. Cured by prayer he met Mike Tyson in November of 1996 in unquestionably one of the most brutal fights since Ali-Frazer. Tyson was knocked colder than a Phil Mickelson wedge shot. “The Real Deal” was champion of the world again.

Tyson was back for another shot in June of 97 in the bout that became known as “La Buffet de Holyfield”. In November of the same year Holyfield reversed his loss to Moorer. He would have a decision over Vaughn Bean prior to his two 1999 matches with Lennox Lewis. They would draw in the first bout thanks to some “unique” scoring by one judge Eugene Williams. Lewis won the Vegas rematch in November of 99. Thanks to some creative work on the part of the WBA Holyfield would win that title against Ruiz in August of 2000. They fight again Sunday morning. It’s not just a fight but may be the last chance to see one of the great fighters of the last 20 years. Regardless of the outcome Holyfield has stood the test of time. He is a true warrior.

PH3 Run 885

Apparently this was the very pretty run! And being from Alaska I am used to having wet feet. Lots of pink paper and much confusion, cattle everywhere, dogs snakes chickens villages full of over helpful Thais! People kept disappearing on different trails looking confused, and reappearing on the same trail looking even more confused. Bacon sandwiches! No truth in the rumour of a separate circle for the Brits, but maybe the Belgians have started their own and nobody has noticed yet!

On to the circle then, a great job is being done by C and Chicken in the Boys absence! Twiggy did the raffle, and I did not win anything again! A really great circle the highlight of which was Chicken F’s rendition of The Music Man, which included a spouting whale that brought tears to Free Willy’s eyes.

Spunk Bubble enjoyed some ice while Sir Airhead gave names to some more of his staff. One of his staff (evil something or other) went home with a supposedly pink bottom (note: not another Hashers name). On to the Scandi Bar for some (as always) great food in abundance, thanks Peg Leg! And please do not forget to ice A Marine Called Mary at every opportunity! See you all in November!

On On Steamy Lump

Pleasure Dome sweeping darts leagues

PSC Darts summer season first round ends

The end of the first round of the Pattaya Sports Club Darts League sees Pleasure Dome and Cafe Kronborg tied for first place. They are due to meet next week to see if they tie again or one comes out with a slender margin, which may prove enough down the track to produce a clear winner for the current season. That is, of course, unless another team starts to sweep all before them.

Before the season finishes, there are a number of other events related to the international and national seasons.

April 6-8: Thailand International Open is a World Dart Federation event, with a maximum of 500 entries (inc. 56 countries). A venue is still to be announced, but it will be in Pattaya. Formats will be: 1) Teams of 4, 2) Doubles, 3) Men’s Singles, 4) Ladies’ Singles, 5) Lucky Draw.

May 5-6: Pattaya Open is a Thai Dart Association event, with a maximum of 300 entries available to members of a Thai association, such as PSC. The Pattaya venue is still unknown. The events are identical o the Thai International listed above.

July 7-8: The Thailand Cup is a Thai Dart Association event which appears to be restricted to Thai nationals. The events are similar to the Pattaya and Chiang Mai Opens, except that they replace doubles with cricket.

December 8-10: The Chiang Mai Open is planned to duplicate the conditions of the Pattaya Open.

For more information, contact Len Banfield, PSC Darts chairman.

Week 7

	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
Cafe Kronborg Pleasure Dome Ding Dong Bar Mick’s Place Thistle Londoner Kennel Dogs	6 6 4 4 3 2 1	1 1 - - - 1 1	- - 3 3 4 4 5	13 13 8 8 6 5 3

Fitness Tips

by David Garred
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club

G’day Readers,

Last Monday in the Lifestyles section of the Bangkok Post the Smart Shopper column gave a few tips on how to select a fitness centre/gymnasium to serve your health wants, needs and desires. As you would expect there are several things that people are looking for but it is the staff’s interpersonal skills that sets one place apart from another. Are you getting the level of personalised service that you require?

If you are thinking about a good deal on a membership, take a look at our ad in this edition, exclusive to Pattaya Mail readers only.

Do Great Athletes Have Big Hearts?

Vigorous, prolonged exercise can result in an enlarged heart, but a new study by a German research team suggests the enlargement may not necessarily be a cause for concern. The researchers find that there is no consistent relationship between an enlarged heart, or an “athlete’s heart,” and levels of exercise and fitness.

Although previous studies have reported an increase in the size of the heart due to weight training, the German researchers do not entirely agree with this observation. Only bodybuilders using anabolic steroids exhibited a distinctly different hypertrophic index (a measure of heart thickness) compared with all other groups of endurance or strength athletes.

The primary issues reviewed by the investigators included whether heart enlargement is an indication of significant heart disease, called pathological enlargement, or related to exercise, called physiological enlargement, and how to distinguish between the two.

One way to distinguish between exercise-related enlargement of the athlete’s heart from disease-related enlargement is to examine the relationship between the size of the heart and how the heart functions and reacts to stress, or its ergometric performance. Assessing how much blood the heart pumps each time it beats, how much oxygen is getting pumped into tissues, and the thickness of the heart muscle walls themselves must be done to determine if the heart is getting bigger due to disease or to exercise.

Although there is a very small risk of sudden death due to heart enlargement among athletes, the researchers point out that this is usually not due to the heart enlargement itself, but rather due to some other disease process.

Debate Surrounds Use of Muscle Supplement Creatine

In a quest for bigger muscles, tens of thousands of people are gobbling down creatine, a controversial supplement promoted as a miracle muscle builder. An amino acid that occurs naturally in the body, creatine is sold over the counter, much the same as any other health food product. However, there have been numerous reports of a variety of side effects, including diarrhoea, nausea, dizziness, and muscle cramping.

A study led by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., of the Laboratory for Sports Medicine at Pennsylvania State University, reports that a 12-week trial of creatine in 19 men showed that the men on creatine had their body mass and fat-free mass increase nearly twice as much as the group on placebo. They also were able to perform about 25% more bench presses and a third more squats than the others were. The creatine users could also lift more. No negative side effects to the supplementation were reported.

Not so fast, says Mark S. Juhn, DO, a sports physician at the University of Washington. The study “did not demonstrate consistent improvement in strength gains over training alone,” writes Juhn. He noted that the creatine group only performed better in two of 14 strength tests. Water retention accounts for at least part of the increased gain in fat free mass. Juhn also questions conclusions based on a small study group (19 subjects overall) and the fact that the research design allowed for the group taking creatine to train more than those who didn’t take the supplement. “There are too many unanswered questions for us to even begin getting behind the product,” said David Lightsey of the National Council against Health Fraud, a consumer advocacy group, in a prepared statement.

All your choice on this one...

Carpe’ Diem

Beth finds her Treasure Trove

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society from the Bunker

On Tuesday, 20th February, the Bunker boys and girls found themselves tackling the ever difficult Treasure Hills course. The field of thirty-seven included a “guest” appearance by George “One-Ball” Jackson, who managed to play half a dozen holes before the occasion, and the course, got the better of him!

Playing off the white tees, the course seemed longer than off the black tees, and the format was Stableford for both divisions. Once again the course won on the day but the Bunker’s favourite first lady was the only one to turn in a sub-par round. In division two Beth Lill scored a splendid 38 points, beating Mike Parsons with 33 and David Johnson with 31 points.

Division one saw Bill Hewitt, Bruce Lawrence and Michael Dige all share second place with 33 points, but the winner was Ken “Exocet” Lill on 34 points. Ken and Beth were last seen heading for the Lobster Pot to celebrate with a meal and champagne.

Nearest-the-pin awards went to Bruce Lawrence, Bill Jones, Beth and the Guru, Mick Jones. Catch up with the Bunker Boys at http://www.thebunkerboys.com

Kostela drinks for free

PSC Golf from Cafe Kronborg

Monday February 19 - Treasure Hills (Stableford)

Thirty-five PSC golfers went to Treasure Hills C.C. on Monday, February 19 for a Stableford match.

Rob Brown took the A flight with 43 points, Dave Richardson came 2nd with 37, Rick Sommer 3rd with 36 and Alan Winch 4th with 35.

John Cahill won B flight with 36 points, Charlie Scott came 2nd with 33, Soren Linkerst 3rd with 32 and Robin Keating 4th with 31.

Near pins: #2 Rob Brown, #6 Colin Hannan, #13 Frank Funney, and #17 Kris Helgasson

Long putts: #9 and #18 Pete Wilson

Thursday February 22 - Phoenix Country Club (Monthly Mug)

Phoenix was the venue for the Kronborg Monthly Mug - 37 golfers played in 2 flights plus the winner of the mug.

Hannu Kostela took the mug with a net 68.

Ebrahim took the A flight with a net 71, Mike Dige came 2nd with 72, Rob Brown 3rd with net 73 and Dave Richardson 4th with net 73.

Pete Galle won the B flight with a net 68, Roland Pietochi came 2nd with net 71, Harald Gruber 3rd with net 72 and Ann Sterling 4th with net 74.

Near pins: M4 Hanna Kostela, M8 Mike Dige, O5 Colin Hannam, O7 Dave Richardson.

Long putts: M9 Svend Berthelson, O9 Robin Keating.

Bob Moberg leads quietly trailing Ed to the podium

In a Mystery Pairs Stableford competition you never know until the end how lucky you can be. Lucky it was for Ed Trayling, returning a modest 32 points, to be drawn with Shenanigans newcomer Bob Moberg who added a very creditable 41 points to produce the winning total of 73. Close behind were Doug Campbell with 37 points which, with Cecil Williams’ excellent 34, gave the runner-up total of 71.

Barry Winton and Lars Schackt returned 36 and 34 points respectively to take third place with a combined 70.

Near pins were claimed by Mike Franklin, Bob Moberg, Billy Fain and Mam Trayling; with the long putts sunk by Usa Chaiyusit and Billy Fain.

It was also heard through the grapevine that Dream Teamer Jack Levy actually broke his (36) handicap for the first time, scoring 38 points, second most on the day. Unfortunately for Jack, his “mystery pair” turned out to be, ahem, Kim, who didn’t have quite as good a day on the course. Never mind, Jack figures he’s way ahead of schedule. It seems Jimmy Little predicted on these sports pages that it would take another 4 years for Jack to reach his handicap.

A field of twenty-four turned out to enjoy a well presented Eastern Star course on a hot, dry and windy day.

Next fortnightly outing is on Tuesday March 6th for a Pairs Scramble.

Free swinging Don Antonio wins bragging rights

PSC Golf - Three Sisters

On the 20th of February, golfers from the Three Sisters met at Siam Country Club. The oldster of the group put everyone to shame. Don Antonio at eighty plus years old struck terror into the group with his shocking 45 points.

Free swinging Don Antonio still hit his drives far and straight down the fairways. Although he doesn’t seem to see so good at times, he got down the fairways and made his putts (good going Antonio).

Bobby Clark came in with a strong 43 points to place second. With Bobby improving every week, he will soon win the bragging rights without fail. We figured he was rested up from his time at work and thereby played better golf.

Right behind Bobby was a charging Paul Kraft with 42 points followed closely by Billy Thompson. With Paul on the wagon getting fit and trim, the rest of us had better watch.

Billy Thompson played an extremely good game - he shot 77 off the stick and had a 37 back nine. His 41 Stableford points was not enough to catch the front runners but it was the best golf played by the group for the day.

Some of the others did not have such a good day. Jim Tully, who needed a cart, did not get to share one as he had planned. Old Jim walked the course and was really hurting by the 18th (sorry Jim, we will try to get you hooked up with someone with a cart the next time). Although Jim was hurting, he missed holding up the rest of the golfers. This week the bottom was held up by Archie Nicholson with 24 points, with Gerry Carpenter a close second with 25.

We all met after at our new drinking venue - an announcement was made that the Three Sisters Golf will be playing at Sattahip next Monday. We all hope that this will turn out well and hope that our regulars will be there.

Copyright 2001  Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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