La Fleche

We were invited to the opening of the LA FLECHE PROSHOP at Gorordo Ave. (beside EPCIB) on Thursday, Sept 8. The store is the exclusive Philippine distributor of the LA FLECHE brand of athletic gears most especially badminton rackets and other equipment. They also sell Yonex rackets and shoes, Mizuno shoes, and a wide variety of shuttlecocks.

The owner and manufacturer of LA FLECHE Mr. Ng Ki Sze together with his wife and sister and two other companions flew all the way from Hong Kong to grace the affair and cut the ceremonial ribbon.

In order to promote the LA FLECHE brand here in the Philippines, the owner sponsored the LA FLECHE Smash-off 2005 at the Portside from Sept. 9 to 11. Together with major sponsors, The Freeman, University of the Visayas, and PAGCOR, the event is the grandest and the most generous in terms of prizes being given away.

Up for grabs for all the events in the men's, women's, and mixed doubles in levels A, B, C, D, & E (for beginners) are more than P10,000 worth of badminton gears both for the champions and runners-up.

A total of more than 250 pairs participated the tournament not only from Cebu but nearby provinces as well owing to the prizes at stake.

The highlight of the opening ceremonies last Friday was an exhibition match between Mr. Ng Ki Sze ( who is already 35 yrs. old) and the no. 1 singles player in Cebu, Ian Mendez. Ki Sze is an accomplished badminton player and coach himself while Ian is the runner-up in the elite class in the recent JVC Cup in Manila.

Ki Sze beat Ian in two straight sets although Ian gave a good fight all throughout the match.

After the match, I was able to interview Mr. Ng Ki Sze through the help of his sister as interpreter. One of my friends and playmate Sally Dy who is eloquent in Mandarin also assisted in the interview. Among the highlights of the interview are :

What made you get into badminton and at what age ? used to play table-tennis since I was young. But after high school, I lost touch with my playmates. The only friend I had left was into badminton at that time so that's how I got in the game. I was actually 13 yrs. old when I started playing the sport.

What training regime do you have if any? Do you have any coach or formal training? do not have any coach. What I did was join badminton camps every now and then given by coaches from mainland China. What I do now is to play as often as I can. When preparing for a tournament, I play 2 to 3 hrs. per day with different partners and opponents. We discuss each other's strategies, weaknesses, and strengths after every game. I always try to improve my game by studying my opponent's style and targeting his weakness. Every point matters in the game so I try not to waste any point.

What are the highlights of your career as player and coach? have reached grade B in singles and grade A in doubles. Grade A for singles in HK are already the ones who play professionally and go to international matches. I have more than 10 championships already since I started joining tournaments. I became district champion many times and became champion once all over HK in singles. As coach, I put up a badminton team in one of the elementary schools in our district. After 2 years, we garnered 2nd place in our district.

Which do you prefer to play ? Singles or doubles? wing to the very busy lifestyle of people in HK, it's very hard to get a quorum of 4 people to play doubles. That is why I always play singles since you only need another person to play with you. People in HK well into their 50's still play singles.

From the exhibition match that you played against Ian Mendez, can you give any tips to badminton players? always try to exploit the weakness of my opponent. Ian was very good and very strong so I always go for net play and clears to the baseline where he cannot easily smash the ball. Efficiency is the key more than power. You do not have to always smash the ball in order to gain a point. That way, you conserve your energy especially in playing singles.

(To be continued next week where Mr. Ng Ki Sze will discuss about his La Fleche brand of rackets) MINT PROSHOP (Mizuno exclusive distributor)

My very good friend and constant playmate Coleen Villasin with the full support of her husband Wendell recently had a soft opening of their MINT PROSHOP at the north side of the Banilad Town Center. It is the exclusive distributor of MIZUNO brand of athletic gear and equipment. I have always been partial to Mizuno for my badminton and volleyball shoes that I immediately bought a new pair at their store. They offer most if not all of Mizuno line of gears for different sports apart from badminton like soccer, baseball, volleyball, golf, tennis, and basketball. Try to check out their shop if you happen to be in the Banilad area. ([email protected])