IA Community Bowling Tournament 2008
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IA Community Bowling Tournament 2008 |
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The IA-Community Bowling Tournament 2008, was held on the 13th of August, 2008, at the Pyramid Mega Lanes, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Centre, Bandar Sunway. It started off as a low key affair, with a light meal provided for all participants and their supporters after the registration process. Emotions……….This rather tranquil scene changed, however, once the action got underway. And then, the onlooker was transported to the world where all the human emotions were on display. From exhilaration one moment, to the depths of despair the next. From excitement at the falling pins, to fear of the difficult angle necessary for the next shot. From the heat of battle to the calm of defeat. The list could go on and on. Perhaps, in a compressed time-frame, these are the emotions that the participants and their supporters go through on a daily basis in their working lives. But there were some enlightening moments when, for example, the team leader from one of the participating Companies, informed IA News, that his Company felt that participation was more important than actually winning ! A reflection of the ethos of the on-going Beijing Olympics Games, perhaps ? 2007 Champion……….Before the IA-Community Bowling Tournament 2008 got underway, IA News managed to talk to the winners from the previous year. Yong Sim Min from the Sales and Marketing Department of Omron, the 2007 Champion, was not so confident of repeating her success this year because, being a winner previously, she had lost the advantage of the handicap she enjoyed in 2007. She had, however, trained hard for this event, after being selected to represent her Company during an internal selection process. The prize-money she won last year had been put to good use, with her family, including her mother, being taken on a local holiday. The balance was put away for a rainy day. 2007 Runners-Up……….William Lim, from Ozak, was the first runner-up, but wanted to become the Champion this year. “Win, yes ! But with humility, not arrogance !”, was how he put it. He stated that if it had not been for the handicap in place in 2007, he would have been the winner ! His compatriot from Ozak, Wun Chen Hon, the second runner-up last year, was not so confident of winning, as he felt that he had not trained enough for the event, mainly because of time constraints. Still, he considered that being present and participating in the event, was in itself a reward. Prizes……….IA-Community Bowling Tournament 2008, offered some great prizes for the winners, and tasteful souvenirs for all participants. The Champion took away a trophy and RM5,000/- in cash, whilst the first and second runners-up took away RM2,000/- and RM1,000/- respectively. But that was not all. Those who occupied positions four to ten, received cash prizes, whilst everyone present had a chance of winning handsome gifts through the Lucky Draw. Tournament Launch……….The tournament proper was officially launched by Mr. Tiong Khe Hock, the Chairman of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers – Automation Technology Industry Group, after an introduction by Mr. Benny Yeo, the Chairman of IA-Community (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Thirty-three teams from various Companies took part, with each team consisting of two players. The Battle Commences……….Most of the players started tentatively, but this very quickly changed, as they got into “war” mode. Then could be seen beads of perspiration on furrowed brows, with eyes locked on their targets, the pins ! The first few deliveries may not have been executed very well, but this, too, changed as the tournament progressed. Soon, even an onlooker could tell whether the bowl delivered, was going knock all the pins down. First Round……….At the end of the first round, the Leader Board showed Dennis Chia (ABB), Wun Chen Hon (Ozak) and Samsuddin (FlexLink) in the first three positions. Kinnson Yap (Ozak), Erwan (Genetec) and Mohd. Hadafi (ABB) were in 7th, 9th and 13th positions respectively. Second Round……….By the end of the second round, the positions had changed around a bit. The leaders were Samsuddin, Dennis Chia and Azhar (IA-Community), whilst Kinnson, Mohd. Hadafi and Erwan were 5th, 10th and 17th respectively. Corporate Standings……….The final corporate standings had been settled in this round, with the results as follows :
1. FlexLink
Individual Competition……….Now, the battle for individual honours began in earnest. The third round, which would see the field narrow down to sixteen competitors, saw heated action, as participants fought for the right to be in the final round. Third Round……..After a short break, the tournament really got going, with all players intent on the task ahead. During the course of this third round, there were many changes to the Leader Board, with some galloping to the front ranks, only to fade badly as lack of confidence or training wore them down. It was very exciting for an impartial onlooker, but must have been hell for some team supporters, who had to watch their heroes and heroines suffer the ignominy of defeat. Still, for those who had trained well, and who retained their concentration, the action was worth it, with cheers ringing out from different sections of the bowling arena. At the end of this penultimate round, the first three positions were occupied by Samsuddin, Dennis Chia and Kinnson Yap, whilst Mohd. Hadafi was 6th and Erwan was 12th.
Final Round……….In the final round, it was Kinnson Yap (Ozak), the dark horse from the middle of the pack, who prevailed with a very strong finish. But he did not have it all his own way. Mohd. Hadafi, sixth after the previous round, came to within four pins of Kinnson, and almost wrested the crown away from him. The most impressive performance, however, must surely be that of Erwan, who at one point in the competition, was seventeenth! For him to fight his way to third position, must be a lesson to all of us. The lesson is to NEVER GIVE UP, no matter how hard the going, or how insurmountable the odds against us. IA News salutes the three winners, and commiserates with Samsudin and Dennis Chia, both of whom shone for a long time in the tournament, only to fade out to fourth and fifth positions respectively. Still, Samsudin had the consolation of winning the prize for the highest score. Better luck next time, Samsuddin and Dennis. TOP TEN POSITIONS
1. Kinnson Yap (Ozak)
The Winners……….Kinnson was ecstatic to be the IA-Community Bowling Tournament 2008 Champion. So much so, that his excitement made him breathless. Still, IA News managed to get a few words out of him ! “I am happy to be the Champion”, “Yes, I did train very hard”, and “I’ll do my best again next year”, were all the words we could get out of him ! As for Mohd. Hadafi, he was happy to have done well, saying that he had had regular training and relaxed throughout the tournament by chewing gum as opposed to smoking cigarettes ! As for Erwan, “Shiok”, was the word he used to describe his emotions at the time. He attributed his success to regular playing sessions with his family, who were present to cheer him on during the competition. Erwan will definitely be back next year, judging from his elated expression ! Last Words……….IA News caught up with Mr. Tiong Khe Hock, Chairman, FMM-ATIG, for a few last words on the IA-Community Bowling Tournament 2008. Firstly, he expressed his pleasure at the well-organized event, congratulating IA-Community for its’ efforts, and thanked all participants for making the event a success. He then went on to say that FMM-ATIG was going to take a more proactive role in events such as these, because of the networking opportunities available to all in the industry by participating in such events. In particular, he mentioned forthcoming events also organized by IA-Community, such as the IA Summit and IA Nite. Finally, he thanked Benny Yeo, the Chairman of IA-Community, for taking the initiative and organizing events for the betterment of all involved in Industrial Automation. IA News thanks Mr. Tiong in turn, for taking the time to grace this event. Thank you, Mr. Tiong Khe Hock. Next Year……….IA-Community hopes to be able to hold this event again next year, and invites everyone in the industry to make this event an even bigger success than it was this year. If anyone out there has any suggestions on the improvement of all our events, please do not hesitate to let us, at IA-Community, know of your proposal. After all, IA News considers all of you out there, as members of the IA-COMMUNITY.
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Courtesy of IA-Community |
