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Chiang Mai Pool League Roundup
by Dave Lister
With the kind help of Rock Hard, December, Outback and No Name Bars and Good
Morning Chiang Mai News
Outback move from rock bottom
Outback 3 - 6 Rock Harder
Outback moved off the bottom of the pool league table
despite losing this week to an impressive Rock Harder line-up. With Home to
Roost out of action, the home side needed only 2 game points to lose their
tag of “current worst team in the league”.
 Julian
holds his nerve on the black yet again. (Photo by Marie-Odile Kernoa)
Rock Harder put their three Thai girls into action first
in an attempt to fluster the boys and Em impressively dispatched opposing
captain Nick in a tight black ball opener. Julian, however, refused to be
phased, despite a re-rack after he jumped the gun to break out of turn. He
continued his unbeatable form in a losing side by disposing of Ning. Neither
Aun nor the lucky frog mascot in her pocket could stop Paul’s unbeaten six
game run, her black ball ending up agonisingly in the wrong pocket.
With “next to bottom” place in the table secured,
however, Outback went to pieces. Richard beat Dave comfortably by three
balls and Rama annihilated Graham, leaving him shamefully staring at six
spots left on the table. Kolor made it three in a row in a controversial
final singles match. Coasting three balls ahead, Ric, in his last appearance
before a long spell down under, potted an early black. Kolor’s victory was
hotly disputed but, upon consulting the rulebook, the law clearly lay in
Rock Harder’s court.
The controversy continued as Dave potted the white in a
black ball game in the first of the doubles. Once again the local rulebook
dealt the struggling home side another unfortunate blow. With the match
over, Julian salvaged some pride for the hosts with an impressive four ball
clear up, leaving Ric with a chance to go out on a high. In an incident
packed closing game Ric attempted to fuse his golf skills with pool by
chipping the white off the green. With his emotions clearly getting the
better of him he then missed an easy black to set Ning up for a superb
double finish.
Rock Harder had edged the game on the night but, despite
moving off the foot of the table, Outback remain without a home win.
Man of the Match - Julian (Outback) - Continues to
show form in an inconsistent side.
Rock Hard maintain
pressure on league leaders
Rock Hard 7 - 2 Viking Bar
Rock Hard maintained the pressure on O’Malley’s at
the top of the table with a systematic thrashing of the visiting Vikings.
The home team were like a greyhound out of the blocks as they rocked Viking
Bar with an opening hat-trick of frames. Mon, looking comfortable on the
table he has practised on for five years, swept aside Dylan. John, keen to
improve his season’s average before his imminent departure for Ireland,
calmly dealt with Et’s threat, leaving Chris to continue the bulldozing
start with a steady victory over Matt.
At this point Viking finally woke up and realised the
significance of the game, with the two teams tied on five points near the
top of the table. Captain Em stopped the rot by Rock Hard’s calm and
collected owner, Jo. No mean feat against ten years of experience in the
same bar. Then Dan, attempting to give himself an early present ahead of his
birthday next week, blundered to hand Noo victory, closing the game to a
respectable 3-2.
Tao, seemingly unbeatable on his home turf, avenged his
mother’s defeat with a whirlwind win over Bing and from this point on
there was no stopping the home side. The Vikings were outclassed and
whitewashed in the doubles with Mon and John beating Matt and Et, Chris and
Dan disposing of Dylan and Bing. Finally the mother and son combination of
Jo and Tao proved too strong for Dang and Mem. Despite their defeat, Viking
Bar remain within striking distance of the league leaders but it will surely
be Rock Hard that O’Malley’s are starting to look out for over their
shoulder.
Man of the Match - Tao (Rock Hard) - Looking
invincible at home - If you fancy a challenge pop along to Rock Hard - Good
luck!
O’Malley’s keep Irish
eyes smiling
December Bar 4 - 5 O’Malley’s
Last year’s lacklustre lads from December Bar have
looked a much improved outfit in the current campaign but were not relishing
their home game with league leaders, O’Malley’s. Not only was their star
man, the ever reliable Martin Chappell, back in UK, but also neither of
their tame Thai policemen were available. This put paid to their tactic of
handcuffing any O’Malley’s man who might look like winning.
Shaun, December’s best farang, opened against fellow
Brit Mark and they rapidly went down to the black in a quality, thoughtful
game. Shaun held his nerve and sank the eight ball to make it nine
individual game wins in a row. An astonishing personal achievement in a
league with such quality in depth as Chiang Mai’s. O’Malley’s Gary
turned the tables on relative newcomer David, although lady luck was shining
on him as he potted the black at his last opportunity. Visiting team
captain, Scot, watched with glee as waiter Dang was vastly unfortunate to
see his black ball followed into the pocket by the white, following a
deservedly game winning sequence.
Suddenly, O’Malley’s were on their customary roll and
Lee beat the lovely Sa with a truly great black. Kawan then comfortably
dealt with the challenge of Toni, who was left with an embarrassing three
balls on the table. Noi then phased December captain, Graham, with her
intense attitude and after a long game during which five people fell asleep
the December Bar were looking down the barrel of an embarrassing mauling.
O’Malley’s already had the requisite five wins and,
fortunately for the home side, seemed to take their foot off the pedal. (Or
could it be put down to their state of inebriety.) December took advantage
of the league leaders’ lax attitude and gloriously won a hat-trick of
relatively easily doubles games.
This Friday (Sept 5th) all police leave has been
cancelled to enable December to put the Rock Hard Bistro boys to shame, or
into the cells, or both.
Man of the Match - Shaun (December) - Nine
personal wins in a row a testament to his quality.
Montfort College wins the
Youth Football final
Golden Goal penalty shoot-out decides title
Metinee Chaikuna
Montfort College, San Kamphaeng School, Chiang Mai
Kanawit School, and Payap Technology Institute were all initially in the
running for honours at the Chiang Mai Youth Football tournament.
 In
the final match, Montfort College (white T-shirt) and San Kamphaeng School
played to a 1-all draw at the end of regulation time.
After the semi-finals, it was Montfort College and San
Kamphaeng School through to the final round, while Payap Technology
Institute and Chiang Mai Kanawit School met each other to compete for third
place.
In the preliminary final Payap Technology Institute
scored twice in the first half, while Chiang Mai Kanawit School was yet to
score. In the second half, both teams scored once, leaving the final score
at 4-1 in Payap Technology Institute’s favour, to gain 3rd spot in the
tournament.
 The
Golden Goal concept was applied, with Montfort scoring 2 penalty goals to
San Kamphaeng’s 1, making the final score 3-2 in Montfort’s favour.
The final between Montfort College and San Kamphaeng
School looked good on paper, both teams scoring well on the run-up through
the field. After the first half, the teams were still dead-locked without
either side scoring.
In the second half, each team scored one goal, leaving it
as a one-all draw at full time. However, the final had to have a result, so
the Golden Goal concept was applied, with Montfort scoring 2 penalty goals
to San Kamphaeng’s 1, making the final score 3-2 in Montfort’s favour.
Other awards went to individual players, with the best
behaved football player being Watcharapong Intapan from Mae Taeng School and
the best center forward player was Panudej Boochoo from Payap Technology
Institute. The best midfield player was Tapanut Sappayanurat from Montfort
College. The best defender was Ajshariya Pitchawong from San Kamphaeng
School. The best goalkeeper was Chaiwat Seehawong from San Kamphaeng School.
The best coach was Satien Changngern from Montfort College. The best
scorer/striker was Teerapat Teparak from Montfort College, who scored 3
goals.
The association will now select the football players from
all 16 teams participating in the Chiang Mai Youth Football tournament to
make up 60 players to play in the National Youth Football, Region 5 in Nan
province. The most outstanding players in Nan will be able to play in the
National Youth Football, Bangkok with the chance of being the
representatives of the Thailand national team to compete in the
international youth tournament.
Fitness Tips: Lifting weights to lower sugars
G’day Readers,
Fitness tips this week looks further into diabetes
management, and if possible, prevention.
There was a time when weightlifting was thought to be the
reserve of the body beautiful classes. But with the decline in lifting and
strength-type activities in modern life, this is rapidly changing. Restoring
strength functions to replace the actions of technology is becoming as
important for health as restoring aerobic activities. Strength, or
resistance training, is now being tried with the frail and elderly, with
positive outcomes even in the 9th and 10th decade of life, particularly in
reducing falls and musculoskeletal damage.
Weight training also helps to slow down the rate of
sarcopenia, or muscle wastage in the ageing, which can lead to a decrease of
up to 40% muscle mass in 60 year-olds and older. Maintaining muscle mass
also helps in weight control as a greater muscle mass results in higher
metabolic rate and hence greater energy expenditure.
Weightlifting and diabetes
Of even more interest to clinical practice is the role of
weight training for diabetes control in older people. Type 2 diabetes
requires increasing medication over time, making it an expensive drain on
the community. However, new research by scientists in Australia and the US
has shown that using muscles against resistance helps ‘soak up’ blood
sugars and reduce the need for medication to do this in patients with
diabetes.
Researchers at Tufts University in the US for example,
have found that a group of diabetic patients given high intensity weight
training three times a week for 16 weeks was able to decrease medication use
by 72%, whereas a control group who did not do weight training actually
increased their medication by 42% in that time. Similar results have been
found in research at the International Diabetes Institute in Australia.
What type of training?
Indications to date suggest that progressive
weightlifting, with increasing intensity, is best for blood glucose control.
This should be done 2-3 times a week using 8-10 exercises for 1-2 sets of
8-10 repetitions at speeds slower than 6 seconds per repetition of the
movements full range of motion. The best types of movements are
‘compound’ exercises using the large muscles of the body to help
stimulate blood sugar disposal.
Compound exercises, essentially, mean more than one bone
moving at a time; i.e., a squat for the legs or press style exercise for the
chest as opposed to an isolation exercise when you have only 1 bone moving
like in a bicep curl exercise.
Think about making as many of the big muscles move at one
time and you’ll have it right. If you can’t sort this out for yourself
then drop into your local gym and get them to teach you, but please check
the qualifications first, someone that has been training people for a long
period of time does not necessarily have any biomechanical training so they
are likely to teach you something that will damage you in the long run.
Take home message: Weight lifting is an effective form of
treatment for diabetes in older people.
For reference: Castaneda C, and others: A randomised
controlled trial of resistance exercise training to improve glycemic control
in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2002. Dec. 25 (12) :
2335-41.
Trail Hungry
Hooked on Mountain Biking
Don Lee
How do you know when you are addicted to something? Well,
I think one sign is that you will spend the last money you have on the
object of your desire, before you are sure of how you will buy food and pay
rent.
I know I’ve got it bad, because I did that not long
ago. I needed a part for my bike so I could ride early the next morning, and
spent the last 500 baht in my wallet on parts and an energy bar; had to make
that trail ride.
 We
are extraordinarily lucky here in Chiang Mai to have many kilometers of
cycling roads and great mountain bike trails so close to the city. (photo by
Jon Malnick)
So what’s so great about mountain biking? If you have
to get addicted to something, it’s probably healthier, less dangerous, and
less expensive than some other things that people get hooked on. In fact, it
might help you to keep away from more destructive habits.
I like the exercise, and the clean, clear, cool mountain
air. Even right here in Chiang Mai, up in Doi Suthep - Doi Pui National
Park, when you get above Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep the traffic is less, the
air is better, the forest is denser; you can really breathe and enjoy it, it
energizes you and makes you want more. We are extraordinarily lucky here in
Chiang Mai, to have many kilometers of cycling roads and great mountain bike
trails so close to the city.
Mountain biking is good exercise - with a view. Sure,
hiking is good too, but on a bike you can really cover some ground and
experience a variety of terrain and visual experiences. Just on one of the
many trails on Doi Pui, a two to three hour ride will take you along a
forested dirt road, winding down the hillside, with occasional views of the
city and valley below. Then the trail drops down into a deep jungle canyon
with beautiful wooded stream crossings and waterfalls. Now you get to pump -
pedals, legs, heart and lungs that is - climbing out of the canyon through
hill tribe farms and villages. You may encounter hill-people on the trail,
harvesting and transporting their forest and orchard products, lamyai and
lychee orchards, stands of giant timber bamboo, kids, dogs, chickens and
pigs. At the top of the ridge amazing views open up of hills and valleys,
terraced hillside farms, lakes and mountains beyond.
You have to work your way up to that kind of trail
though. It takes some experience and conditioning to be able to take on any
and all off road trails. But that’s another beautiful thing about mountain
biking: you don’t have to kill yourself first time out, you can choose a
flat track, road or trail that suits you, and build up your ability and
confidence before venturing into the mountains.
It’s good ‘low-impact’ exercise; low-impact if you
don’t get carried away on a downhill speed thrill and crash your bike on
the rocks that is. It is possible to ride safe and not get hurt, although
you shouldn’t be afraid of taking a tumble now and then. That’s where
another challenge and joy of mountain biking comes in. It requires
development of full awareness, looking ahead, staying present in the moment,
knowing your strengths and your limitations, and riding accordingly.
Some experienced riders push it on the edge - between the
thrill of speed and technical handling, balanced with caution and fear of
falling. In other words, it’s fun to fly downhill, but too fast and you
may not be able to stop when you need to. And it’s totally up to you to
cultivate your judgment on what you and your bike can do.
It helps to have a good bike. A lot of trails you can
ride on any bike with good tires and brakes, if you take it slow and easy. I
started out on a six-speed bike, with knobby tires. But within a few rides I
knew it wasn’t enough and I wanted to upgrade to a real mountain bike.
Your initial investment in a good bike is well
worthwhile. Ease of pedaling, smooth shifting, controlled handling and
braking, and durability are all related to the engineering and construction
of a well-made bike. 24 to 27 speeds (gear combinations) is the standard,
with a well-designed lightweight frame, front shock absorbers, V-brakes, and
shifter components of at least, for example, Shimano brand, Acera or Deore
model as minimum quality requirements. Anticipate spending 10,000 to 25,000
baht for a basic high quality mountain bike.
Higher-end bikes can cost 40,000 to 100,000 baht or more.
Ultra lightweight and strong magnesium, titanium and carbon frames are the
ultimate, with disc brakes, high tech shocks and shifters being some of the
components options available when you really get into it.
Where can you get started riding? Any relatively flat
road or trail will do, while you get to know your bike and condition your
body. Huay Tung Tao park (at the base of Doi Pui, west of the irrigation
canal road, 7 km north of Huay Keaw Road) has a variety of roads around the
lake, a 5 km paved track, and trails at the base of the mountain. In fact,
from behind the 700 yr Sports Complex, to just north of Huay Tung Tao lake,
is where the mountain bike events were held for the Chiang Mai Games last
year. Some of the arrows and ribbons are still there that mark the
cross-country course. There is a fantastic 15 km downhill course, starting
from near the Doi Pui summit that ends up at Huay Tung Tao lake - when
you’re ready!
Open darts competition this month
There will be a darts competition held on
Saturday September 20 at “A & D’s Corner”. Free entry with 10,000 baht
for prizes. Sponsored by Expatriot Financial Services. Free buffet. Please
register your name at A&D’s before the event in person, or call 07 1783780
for details and location.
Chiang Mai HHH
Corner - “On On!”
CH3, the oldest hash club (males) in Chiang Mai is picked
up from the “ONON” pub (Moon Mueng Soi 1) at 16.00 once every 2 weeks.
Pick up can be arranged from Fish and Chips shop as well.
CSH3 is a mixed Saturday hash which is picked up from the
H3 Pub on Moon Mueng Road every Saturday at 15.30. Pick up can be arranged
from Fish and Chips shop as well.
CUMH3 is a male hash which runs from the “ONON” Pub
every consecutive (from CH3) Tuesday. Pick up is at 16.00.
BH3 is a female hash (Harriettes) that runs once a month
on the last Sunday of the month.
All information either from Fish and Chips, H3 or
“ONON” Pub. Or look at the websites at: http://www.thai-american.com/hhh/
It’s great fun and you surely get value for your money
plus you get to meet all the long-time expats here!
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