WMSO Bersatu 2008 Intro
News and Announcement
July 2nd
By: Nur Izzaty Pawancheek
Even though sepak takraw games were held on the last day of Bersatu Games this year, but we still can see the sportsmanship among the players and of course, from the supporters as well!! Only seven out of ten teams played for this game. (We wished if WUMA, LMSS and PETUNIA can join us in this very competitive match!!). We also wanted to thank for the supporters (yes, MUMSA has a very energetic group of supporters. You guys made the game more exciting and alive!). And this could be one of the reason why MUMSA became the champion for this game.
“We don’t underestimate our opponents. What we do is trying our best to win in this game. Harap2 dapat gold lah…Best! Game yang best! “ – Faizul, MUMSA
“Maybe we are over confident towards the end of the game, so that’s why we lose. We should start our training earlier if we want to win during the next Bersatu Games.” – Kay, WMSO.
"Bestla..I don't expect sepak takraw would be as exciting as this.Maybe sbb sengit kot.."- S.H.E, Wellington.
Something from Lennon, our sports event manager.
“Saya rasa sangat lega semua dah abes. Tak sabar nak tunggu Bersatu next year.”
(Good job, man!!)
June 30th
of Flying Discs...
By : Syafiqah Johan & Rasyiqah
Hello all you Malaysians out there. Since this is the first edition of Bersatu Games where Ultimate Frisbee is contested, we thought you might like little snippets of info on the game. So here goes.
Basically, Ultimate is a game that is easily adaptable according to the situation in which it is played. For example, due to Wellington's famous wind and rain, we play indoor Ultimate at the Bersatu Games, using a basketball court as the arena. As the court is significantly smaller than an outdoor field, the number of players per team is reduced to either 4 or 5 from the usual 7. The aim is to goal the 175g flying disc (popularly called a Frisbee) by catching a pass from one's teammate in the opponent team's "endzone". If using a basketball court, then the endzone is the trapezium directly beneath the goal post in the D area.
The game starts with the defensive tossing the disc into the arena, which is called a "pull". One of the rules of the game is that you have to complete a pass: if a member of Team A threw the disc but his teammate failed to catch it and it fell to the floor, the disc immediately becomes Team B's possession. A player should not move while holding the disc, and he must only pivot around his pivot foot. Unlike netball, where the pivot foot is the first foot that touches the floor after receiving the ball, a right-hander's pivot foot is always his left and vice-versa. The game restarts with a pull after every score, with the scoring team staying where they scored. Ultimate is usually played until a certain score is achieved (usually 17) with half-times at half the winning score (if the winning score was 17, half-time is after a team scored 9 points). However, due to time constraints, in the Bersatu edition playing time is limited to only 10 minutes per match.
What is most interesting about Ultimate is that it is a very friendly game with no "official" referees. The game is actually self-refereeing, which means the players are their own referees. If a player thinks he has been fouled, it is his prerogative to call out a foul. If it was agreed that he has been offended, he gets the disc: If he was contested by the supposedly offending team, the disc is simply returned to the previous play, and the game picks up from there again. This highlights the spirit behind the game - it values competitive but honest sportsmanship. Perhaps it is also worth noting that traditionally, it is customary for supporters to cheer for the opposing team towards the end of the game to show the good spirits of both parties.
So that’s the very basic info for the game. Hope you all enjoy the final between CMSA and UMNO NZ today!
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June 29th
Give all, leave none
By 'Izzati
Weather plays crucial part in determining the success of a game especially if it is an outdoor match. In this case, playing netball in an indoor court on a summer day might be a breeze for most of the players around. However for the Bersatu 2008 Netball tournament which was held on Sunday, 29th of June in Netball Wellington Center the players had to play in a weather condition much less than what was expected. Most of the players and supporters had to brave through cold weather, strong wind and heavy rain from start till finish of the tournament. This is an amazing feat considering the fact that the majority of the players just reached Wellington, the day before and they had to adjust themselves to the notorious Wellington weather; sudden wind and constant rain. It is a fact that bad weather may affect their stamina and concentration thus change the flow of the game. However, things are not as bad as it seems since the players gave everything that they got and more. The netball team captain of UMSA, Sher Mayne Chan, 20 believed that although they did not have ample time to practice due to examinations, teamwork and constructive criticism helped them to improve the game. Determination and strong fighting spirit are also the main reasons that helped the team to continue fighting according to Nur Afiqah Talib, the netball team captain of Petunia. Both UMSA and PETUNIA reached the finals with UMSA scoring the champion title. CMSA managed to grab the third seating while UMNO NZ finished fourth. Report by Nurul ‘Izzati Md Fuad.
SEMIFINALS
UMNO NZ vs UMSA : 3 – 8
CMSA vs PETUNIA : 4 – 6
FINAL
UMSA vs PETUNIA : 7 – 3
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Change of venue for Football and Touch on 29th
Due to bad weather forecast, the venue for touch matches has been changed to Victoria University Recreation Centre (indoor) while football matches postponed to Wednesday. We are sorry for the inconvenience. It is out of our control. Thank you
June 28th
Bersatu Opening Ceremony
By Syafiqah Johan
Rain. Wind. The temperature outside was 9°C, but inside the hall of Wellington High School, the atmosphere was almost bursting with heat and excitement as throngs of athletes and hundreds of supporters pour in from all over New Zealand to attend the opening ceremony of Bersatu Games 2008. The event kicked off with the arrival of Dato’ Sopian Ahmad, the High Commissioner of New Zealand. The high spirits of athletes and supporters is evident from the roof-raising volume of the singing of our national anthem, ‘Negaraku’. After a short speech from the President of WMSO, Wan Mohd Dazriq Wan Zulkiflee, followed by a speech from the High Commissioner, during which he reminded the audience of the concept of ‘heroism’, Bersatu Games 2008 was officially launched. The event was followed by the reciting of the sports pledge led by Ungku Ilya, Vice President of Bersatu Games 2008. Next, contingent captains were introduced to the High Commissioner, and the audience was invited to a light dinner. Dinner was an animated slot with the audience grabbing the opportunity to greet friends from other parts from New Zealand and even Australia, the MC cracking jokes and keeping the mood light and friendly, and the Education Attaché, more fondly known as Aunty Rose reminding everybody to take good care of themselves.
When everyone finally settled down again, they were treated with a dance, ‘Arus’, performed by WMSO’s dance troupe, Bahtera Budaya. The audience was also given a chance to feast their eyes on presentations from the 10 competing contingents, namely UMSA, Petunia, UMNO NZ, WUMA, MUMSA, WMSO, CMSA, Petsoc, LMSS and Otago. As a testimony to our multicultural roots, and to show our appreciation for cultural diversity, the wonderful evening was concluded with a fiery Hakka performance.
P/S – Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow in Hataitai. Best of luck to all the contingents, have fun and don’t forget – Malaysia Boleh!
click links below to download Bersatu Games 2008 official digest (right click, save as)
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