There were many families that turned up with their children. The cheers and laughter from the children could be heard as I walked into the games village. Though it was a hot day, everyone was excited and in high spirits.

Miss Junko Mikano, a tourist from Japan, shared with me her experience. She was here with her 5 year old daughter, Sakura, who was having a fun time driving the Kart. Miss Mikano had decided to bring her daughter this year after coming for last year’s tournament.

“I think its fantastic and very nice that’s why I decided to bring my daughter here this year” said Ms Mikano.

Looking around, I saw that the place was visibly more packed than on Thursday, which is probably due to the fact that the children do not have schools on weekends. Also, to combat the hot weather, there were plenty of cooling fans around to ensure that the people around remained cool. Another plus point was the abundance of refreshments and ice-creams which are available for purchase.

Organizing such mega international events is definitely no easy feat. It takes a lot of preparations beforehand and meticulous planning in order to make it run as smoothly as possible. I managed to catch up with Miss Winnie Heng, the Events Director from IMG, the organization that planned this event, to ask about the challenges faced while preparing for this event.

What are some of the challenges you faced while preparing for such events?

As part of my job, I have to liaise with many parties such as the host venue, Tanah Merah Country Club, the Sponsors, the Association such as the LPGA. As far as challenges go, well one of it is to make it better than last year. We want to make sure that we raise the bar for our spectators, the media, the players, volunteers, and everybody.

When you talk about the field quality, we’ve got the best of the best, we have 38 out of the 40 top players. This golf course is one of the best, so in terms of what we want to do is to really provide an even better experience.

When did the planning all start?

This is a long term event. It gets more hectic from the 6 months mark, there are more work and more issues to tackle. It is a year long project, so we have to plan our marketing and promotions plan very early.

This event has been acknowledged as a world-class golf event. What are your thoughts on this?

We have had positive feedback from both spectators and also, the players themselves. They have given us 5 out of 5 in our surveys. This is very important to us as they are the ones who are playing the tournament. The feedback given to us includes that everything is going smoothly, everything is fabulous, and that we have provided them with great facilities and hospitality.

This is a true testament of being world class when it’s acknowledged by the players. This event has the biggest prize money in Asia: $2 Million. Most importantly, a lot of players have said that this event could become a major in the very near future

There you have it, Day 3 of the HSBC Women’s Champions. If you are still interested, there is still a chance left to come down to catch your favorite women golfer. Tomorrow, is the last round of the tournament and your last chance to have a fun time.

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“It’s mini but still a test of endurance.”

By Vinod Sundram

Singapore, 22^nd February 2009 - Singapore Sprint Series 2009 - Aquathlon, instilled entertainment and enjoyment as more than 800 participants took part in this endurance event. The place was packed by 8.30pm and the atmosphere was spectacular. This year’s challenge was held in Tanjong Beach, in Sentosa and proudly sponsored by Tribob.

I met up with Kim-Joo Schoch, Sales and Marketing manager of Tribob and she just told me to have fun and enjoy! I came to realize there were altogether four waves which include Men, Women, Youth and Team challenge. The reception was massive and people were smiling and cheering any participant who crosses the finishing line. It was tough to track down the participants with the huge crowd but I manage to get hold of three participants for a quick chat.

Jonathan Leonard Pereira, 33, came in 23^rd for the Men’s challenge. He is taking this event as a practice for upcoming triathlon events. “The event was a mini one but still a test to a human’s endurance. I would say the toughest was the 750m Swim and I could have done better in it. The 5km run was a breeze though.” He wasn’t bragging at the last sentence but it shows how much effort he had put in his training which goes to say hard work pays.

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By: Dexter Tay

An intense fight for prestige, honor and attractive cash prizes. That just about sums up the description of the Sling HD Netball Super League 2009. With a top cash prize of $10,000 and a chance for selection to the National team, it’s no wonder that these girls are giving it their all.

The Sling HD Netball Super League is an annual event, featuring 5 teams vying for top honours to be the best local team. It has over $30,000 worth of cash prizes to be won and is considered as one of the most competitive and exciting league in Asia.

The competition is usually held in the Toa Payoh Sports and Recreation Centre but it is being held in the Jurong East Sports Recreation Centre this year as the former is currently undergoing renovation for the Asian Youth Games and Youth Olympic Games.

This year, the 5 teams that are fighting it out amongst themselves are the Mannas, Marlins, Sharks, Stingrays and the Vipers. Each team comprises of at least 4 National Opens Team players, with the exception of the Sharks which featured players from the National Under 21 squad.

I had the opportunity to interview 3 teams: the Mannas, the Sharks and the Stingrays before the opening ceremony.

Q: What are some of the challenges that you guys faced while preparing for the competition?

Mannas: As a team, we have had only about 1 and a half months of training together and that is insufficient time for the girls to adapt to each other’s style of play.

Sharks: All the girls are pretty young compared to the other teams as we are from the under-21 Squad. Age and experience will be a factor that determines which team wins.

Stingrays: Every year, the composition of the team changes and the greatest challenge is having to learn to play and adapt to different style and players.

The Sling HD Netball Super League 2009 will run from 28^th of February to the 25^th of April at the Jurong East Sports and Recreation Centre. This reporter had the privilege of catching the opening ceremony and the first match and it was truly an eye-opener.

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Well, head on down to the HSBC Women’s Champions and you will definitely be proved wrong. There, you will be able to experience the true enjoyment of golf, while making it a fun filled family experience as well. Besides just watching the players go at it from the tee, there are many other activities that you and your family can participate in.

First off, there is the HSBC Children’s Zone, where your children can enjoy riding a kart. If they can play golf, they can also take part in a chipping game. Some kids however, prefer to spend their time playing computer games. For such cases, the HSBC Wii Zone fits the bill. Amateurs and even people of all ages can turn pro for a brief , when playing the Wii.

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