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Prem basketball star makes it to the big leagues
David Michaels
Charmaine Ferguson, a teaching assistant at the Prem
Tinsulanonda International School, will be entering university in the United
States on a basketball scholarship. She will be attending and playing for
Southeast Community College Nebraska and has been offered a spot at
Jacksonville State University in Alabama for the fall of 2006.
 Charmaine
Ferguson overshadows her opponents in some slam-dunk practice at the Prem
Gym.
Charmaine came to Prem in January after having graduated
from school in Geelong, Australia. She played on the Geelong Representative
Basketball team as well the Country Victoria team. With the former, she won
a tournament in Canada a year and a half ago.
At Prem, Charmaine works as a teaching assistant with both kindergarten
and senior physical education classes. She has been playing for seven years
already and is extremely excited to go to the United States. She will play
at a more competitive level and is looking forward to the concomitant
improvement in her skills. Moving from Australia to Thailand and now to the
United States, Charmaine commented, “It is another country and another
adventure. I just can’t wait!”
Bike Rally campaign for reduced energy use
Preeyanoot Jittawong
A Bike Rally to campaign for the use of bicycles on the
university’s compound was held on June 19 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting
from Ang Kaew Hall, and riding around the university and the foot of the
hill. The rally was run in sections, including general residents, Chiang Mai
University students and youths not over 15 years old. Each champion received
3,000 baht and a trophy.
Green
University Project, Bike Rally at Chiang Mai University.
This activity aimed to reduce air pollution and energy
usage as one of the policies to manage the physical environment of the
university and to campaign for energy saving by replacing cars with bicycles
as a method to reduce both air and noise pollution and to follow the Green
University Project.
The Bike Rally was organized by Chiang Mai University’s Green University
Project of the alumni and student association at Chiang Mai University.
Campus Crusade for Christ and Competitive Edge softball for Chiang Mai youth
Preeyanoot Jittawong
Payap University joined with Athletes in Action project
of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) and Competitive Edge, USA, to train
interested youngsters in softball on June 15-18 at the softball field of
Payap University.
Bethel
University team practicing softball.
The aim was to gain softball experience and skills from
overseas professional softball players, encouraging students to concentrate
on sports and keeping away from drugs.
The opening ceremony of the training took place on June
17 and was presided over by Dr. Boonthong Poojareun, president of Payap
University.
Students from various schools joined the training while Bethel University
students from USA helped to train them. This team was scheduled to travel to
Chonburi on June 23.
No footy pools to be played, but a pool of money to be played for
Government approves 43.8 million baht funding
for football competition
Nopniwat Krailerg
To encourage people in 876 districts throughout the
country to play football and compete for a trophy presented by the PM, the
Ministry approved a budget of 50,000 baht per district to organize football
competitions.
It’s
time for local football players to receive support from the government.
The budget would allow 15,000 baht for the champion,
10,000 baht for first runner-up, 5,000 baht for second runner-up and the
remaining 20,000 baht would be spent on trophies, competition supplies and
judge’s fees. The budget would be sent to the Office of Sports and
Recreation Development of each province, to be directly transferred to all
districts of that province.
Players must be a district resident for at least one year and national,
regional and provincial players are able to attend the competition. It will
start in August 2005, and more information can be obtained from the district
office that will receive details from each province Office of Sports and
Recreation Development.
It’s Baxter time for the Farangutans FC
“It’s backs-to-the-wall, chaps!”
Rick Mann
Another week and another ride on the Farangutan FC
football roller coaster! The previous week had seen a friendly match played
out with goals aplenty; surely a confidence booster for this week’s
daunting fixture against league leaders and form side, Mae Rim? Striker Ano
had banged in a hat trick in that game, so was particularly keen to
proverbially “stick one up ‘em”! Indeed there would have been a
growing belief throughout the side, as the beers flowed on Saturday night,
that the following morning’s game could indeed be won.
Alas, as the bleary-eyed troops assembled the next day,
we were soon to realize what a gargantuan task faced us. A late cry-off
reduced our numbers to a paltry nine players - and any hopes of getting
anything from the game were surely gone. But wait! Could any of the team’s
girlfriends be called upon to slip into the left midfield berth, or to
provide the attacking menace up front? Well, not really. We would have to
face the top team with our diminished, yet resolute, squad.
Captain Lee spent the entire journey to the ground toying
with different formations in his mind- should we play a 4-3-1? Maybe a
5-2-1? Even a 6-1-1? Hey, why not just an 8-0-0 and to hell with it!
Whatever formation we were to use though, the intention would be clear for
all to see: men behind the ball and no-nonsense defending.
Now back to reality. The game did start of according to
plan - wave after wave of Mae Rim attack were repelled by a stalwart
Farangutan defense. Well-organized and committed, we were proving a hard nut
to crack. The possession stats wouldn’t have made pleasant reading; mind
you, out of the five percent of the time that we did have the ball we carved
a couple of half chances of our own. Yet that elusive goal proved to be,
well, just too elusive. Mae Rim, meanwhile, continued to pour forward and it
was within moments of the half-time whistle that the Farang resolve was
dealt a hammer blow. The ball found its way to a Mae Rim striker who
proceeded to tuck the chance away. And despite appearing to be yards
off-side, the flag stayed down. As the ball was booted in the direction of
the guilty referee’s “assistant”, right-back Tim did concede that he
was probably “playing him on” after all (whoops, sorry linesman)!
The second half continued much in the same vein - heroic
defending notably by centre-backs Warren and Lee, as well as the deserved
man-of-the-match, Rory. A lunge here, a blocked shot there, and the game
remained in the balance. Indeed the game could have changed on one rare
Farangutan foray into the Mae Rim penalty area. Veteran
striker-cum-midfielder-cum-talisman-cum-Scotsman Hinsh found himself with
the ball at his feet and the goal at his mercy. But whether it was from
tired limbs or an opponent’s saving tackle, the ball went wayward and the
Scotsman went downward.
After the game Chris was adamant that “from where I
stood, that was a cast iron penalty!” Being our goalkeeper though, and
from where he was standing, he may have not had the clearest view! Anyway,
the referee waved away any appeals we made and our best chance was gone. Mae
Rim’s second was of course soon coming - a desperate, full-length dive by
Chris couldn’t prevent the inevitable. His heroics had to end sooner or
later. And when the third went in, the Farangs knew the game was up. This
was tough on us though, having battled so bravely for so long.
There was just time for yours truly to pick up two late
yellow cards and an early bath; thankfully the remaining “eight” held on
to keep, at least, the score respectable. It may have been a loss, but
undoubtedly a performance from which we can take a lot of heart, a real
backs-to-the-wall display that showed huge character. There’s plenty the
team can work on at training, meanwhile, I’m off to see my Anger
Management Counselor.
Final Score: Mae Rim 3, Farangutans 0. Men of the match:
Rory, Chris, Warren.
Chiang Mai Pool league
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