Category

Sports

Category

FB_IMG_1447834449906

 

I have never been one to publicly mourn the loss of a celebrity or someone famous who I never really met or knew much about. However after learning the passing of Jonah Lomu, I felt I needed to make an exception.

As an asian kid studying in a predominantly non-asian school, picking up rugby was akin to an American playing cricket. Jonah’s entrance onto the rugby scene only cemented my love for the game as well as my unflinching support for the All Blacks.

I got to meet this legend once and I was equally star struck and mystified by this giant with astonishing bursts of speed. I could go on and on about the impact he had on the game for me and the Rugby World as a whole but for those who had the pleasure of watching him play, no other reminders are really needed.

Thank you for the memories Jonah.

Rest In Peace.

FB_IMG_1447834916519

How Rugby Changed My Life

rugby changed my life

I remember my first attempt at rugby was at the age of 12 in 1993.

Not having much knowledge of the game, I sprinted down the field and threw the ball down in a mock American Football style. The shrill whistle and the unamused looks of the coach and my classmates made me understand that that was not what I should have done. A few tips/lessons later I was hooked and carried on playing for another 7 years.

So what do I mean when I say rugby changed my life? Well here are 3 reasons how:

1. Teamwork

I am probably going to get a lot of grief for this, but rugby is probably one of the few team sports where all the players involved are needed 90% of the time to score a try (a try being equal to scoring a goal in football).

If you are unfamiliar with rugby then check out the video below:

[youtube id=”FOJejnPI0p0″ align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no” grow=”yes”]

Because in rugby the only way to pass a ball is backwards you have to trust the person behind you to be there to catch it.

It also thought me that sometimes you have to look back to get ahead.

2. Fitness

Being an Asian teenager in the 90’s didn’t bring in a high importance to fitness. Fact is that empty lots and public parks proved to be our gym of mischief. While a bike and an empty road gave us all the cardiovascular exercise we needed. Nowadays the story is much different. In fact at my gym (InnerFight) they even have a special rugby programme – how things have changed.

I loved sports in general. In school I would try out for everything. But playing rugby made the sphere of fitness more acute. You could be fast or you could be big but being both was a deadly combination in rugby.

Playing the game and during the dormant years, I appreciated the positive impact a sport can have on your body and on your mind. This brings me nicely to my next point, mental fitness.

3. Mental strength

The more the game got physical the stronger you had to be mentally. Tackling someone is one thing, however knowing that was going to happen to you sooner or later was a whole other story.

When I first started playing I would avoid getting hit at any cost. But as I got older and tactics became more important, I had to take a hit more often then not. But every time I had to push myself to get back up again and keep taking the hits. I had my share of injuries. It only made me stronger.

This help me understand that sometimes when you get hit you just need to get back up again otherwise you are going to miss all the action.

For those who’ve played the game, you can probably relate.

I still love watching the game and the thrill of how it made me feel back then still keeps creeping back.

I have new goals. I have new aspirations. I also have a new passion. I like to think that what I learnt in those seven years – I will keep taking forward.

Eddie Jordan’s bombshell that Hamilton was in the verge of signing over to Mercedes has left us all in a state of distraction. This distraction could not have come at a worse time.

Despite some teams now becoming more established as the front runners (McLaren and Ferrari) the season has not yet disappointed in being a mind blowing roller coaster ride that has left us on the edge of our seats. Any mistake (forced or unforced) is magnified now more than ever. We also have the likes of Perez and Raikkonen who are proving to be quite the conjurors of upsets and enthralment in equal measures.

I’m a huge fan of McLaren and as I discussed with a friend of mine (also a fellow McLaren fan) about how we felt about the possibility of Hamilton leaving. Both were in agreement that our loyalty would still be with McLaren, however we would be able empathise with the Schumacher fans that saw their hero make a comeback but that to with Mercedes.

All said and done, the amount of coverage behind a possible move has proven to be an unwelcome distraction from probably one of the best seasons I have ever watched.

I do hope Hamilton stays at McLaren but would not entirely blame him to make a switch to a team that has the ambition (and means) to go places. Whether they will succeed is a big if even if they do manage to secure one of the best drivers in F1. It’s funny that in 2009, a couple of F1 forums went with the headline that Hamilton was to switch to Brawn as an April fool’s joke:

Who’s laughing now…?