In Search of Freestylist 2008 winner Lam Wei Ken (2nd right) showcasing his ball spinning skills as Ossia World of Golf divisional manager Ong Sai Ping (right), 2005 winner Choong Wai Kit (middle) and early bird registrants Tan Jue Hang (left) and Tan Soon Chern (2nd left) look on.
SPECTATORS of the AND1 Streetball Challenge’s fourth leg at the Esplanade on Aug 9 will have more than scintillating hoop-shooting to look forward to as the event will also feature many interesting side events, among them the ‘In Search of Freestylist’ competition.
Freestyling is a creative and artistic form of basketball, where players show off their talents and stunts, and requires excellent ball-handling skills.
Among the few early birds who turned up to register for the competition at the Han Chiang High School over the weekend were close pals Tan Soon Chern and Tan Jue Hang, who both picked up freestyling on their own through Internet sites like Youtube.
“Although I do play normal basketball, it can be quite boring at times so I started freestyling, which is more flexible in terms of steps. It has since become my passion over the past four years,” Soon Chern said.
“At first I thought it was cool, so I started training myself at home,” Jue Hang added.
Soon Chern and Jue Hang were joined by Choong Wai Kit (2005 winner) and Lam Wei Ken (2008 winner) in displaying their unique skills in a special 10-minute cameo during the half time interval of the National Basketball League 2009 game between Segamat Basketball Association and Bintulu Rainbow, held at the school’s indoor stadium.
Due to work commitments, Choong won’t be joining this year’s freestylist search, while Lam will be among the judging panel. But they both had three solid words of advice: practice makes perfect.
Competition organiser Ossia World of Golf divisional manager Ong Sai Ping said that freestyling is rapidly gaining popularity mainly due to its creative and showmanship elements, and as a result, is an ever-present side event for the AND1 Streetball Challenge.
Held for the sixth consecutive year, the streetball challenge is open to teams of three in five categories - Boys’ Under-13 (born in or after 1996), Under-15 (born in or after 1994) and Under-18, Girls’ Under-18 (born in or after 1991) and Men’s Under-23 (born in or after 1986).
The registration fee for each team is RM90. Entry forms must be submitted by Aug 6 and is limited to the first 200 teams on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each team will receive an AND1 basketball on the event day along with a free AND1 jersey for each player. AND1 basketball shoes and other goodies will also be given away to the winners of each category.
There will also be a lucky draw where the winner will walk away with a AND1 Limited Edition NBA & MIXTAPE Signature shoe.
The Penang leg, to be played out in front of in front of the historic City Hall and Town Hall buildings in George Town, follows earlier legs held in Subang, Johor Baru and Klang. The final leg will be held at the Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 4.
Entry forms can be submitted to any of the following locations – Penang Basketball Association (04-3700813), World of Sports (2nd floor Gurney Plaza, 04-2279672), Echo Park (7th floor Gurney Plaza, 04-2297422), Syarikat Lee Hoe (ground floor Komtar, 04-2614273), Studio Life Habitat (ground floor Megamall Pinang, 04-3905711), E & E Marketing (Quah, 019-4474863) and Loh Choon Lim (012-4216219).
For details, news and entry forms download, click: www.and1malaysia.blogspot.com.
The challenge is organised by Ossia World of Golf, the distributors of AND1 brand in Malaysia, and supported by Milo as the official beverage. StarMetro is the official media for the event, Fly FM the official radio station while WCT is the official venue sponsor.
MABA has sanctioned the challenge. For details, call Ong at 012-2392171 or Loh at 012-9779147.
