Stephan The Man

Song of the Week Michael Jackson Billy Jean

This week’s song of the week is Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. I thought I should make a tribute to the King of Pop since he has unfortunately passed away just recently. His music has been touching millions for a long time and I know his music has been a big part of my life. This song has been my trademark song since I made a fool of myself 10 years ago in Winnipeg,Canada, trying to dance like MJ. Since then I have attempted his dancing many times to the delight of laughing spectators.
I believe that this concert version of Billy Jean is just awesome! He is just kicking butt in this concert and, I, like the fans watching are just mesmorized….and I am also getting emotional when he is lighting up the dance floor:)
Hope you like it!

Birthday at Europa Park!

IF any of you out there ever wonders what a professional badminton player does on his spare time….well here is a video to show you It was my birthday yesterday and my friend Andrew Dabeka and his girlfriend took me to Europa Park in Germany. We started in Zurich,Switzerland,and drove an hour and a half to get to this incredible theme park.
The video that you are about to watch is Andrew and Me on a ride called The Mir in the Russian Quarter of the park. It was pretty scary considering we were facing the back of the rollercoaster and could never see what was coming up next! I sometimes felt that my eyes were going to jump out of my sockets!
There is another video of us on a different rollercoaster of legendary proportions. But that one will have to surface in good time.
Enjoy the ride!

Song of the Week Summer Of 69 -Bryan Adams

Well tomorrow is my birthday and I thought it best to have an upbeat song that makes you think of summer…..and what better song can do that than Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams to just that. This song can only bring good times and right now I do believe that these are the best days of my life:)
Also I always love hearing Canadians bringing good music to the world
Enjoy!

Lee Chong Wei Stops Taufik Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

I really believed this match was going to be a 50/50 match. On Taufik’s (Indonesia) side I could not ignore that he had won 7 Indonesian Opens which basically means he is unstopable on his home turf. On the other side Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), he is number one on the road and he was just mashing up his oppenents along the way to the finals.
I was not able to witness the match since I was on a plane back to Europe but I can imagine how it went down. Taufik needs a few combinations to happen in order to win. First he needs quick points, he is unlikely to beat the big boys with his fitness. He wants to be the one attacking, since it is his biggest strength. Lastly he needs to win the net, this allows him to attack and get cheap points.
I believe that Chong Wei was able to stay away from all of this by always pushing the shuttle in the court and not allowing Taufik to play tight net. I also think that Chong Wei’s pace was probably always a little too high and kept Taufik under pressure which does not allow him to attack.
If this is more or less what happened then I am not surprised to see that Chong Wei trounced Taufik in the finals 21-9 21-14.
So this is the end of an awsome tournament I will be off to the U.S Open in a few weeks but before that I will be heading to Winnipeg,Canada, for a national training camp. I look forward to training over in Canada with the boys and having a blast.
See you all on another continent

Taufik Going for 8 at Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) claimed his spot in the Indonesia Open by beating his compatriot Soni Dwi Kuncoro in two straight sets 21-17 21-14. It seems that Taufik is the absolut KING of this tournament…from what i can see he has won 7 Indonesia Open titles which makes him the player who has won this tournament the most.
But this year Taufik will be facing a formidable foe in the finals…Chong Wei LEE (Malaysia), he is the number one ranked player in the world and he has been just dusting players all tournament. Perhaps its because he lost early last week and has something to prove, whatever it is, its working.
I look forward to Todays match between the two…both players have their work cut out for them.. Taufik has to face a man of fire and Chong Wei has to face the man who is unable to lose Indonesia Open…even if he tried.

To follow the match please click on the link below
DRAW

Incredible Quarter Final Matches Indonesian Open Super Series 2009

I have to say I had an AMAZING time watching the quarter finals yesterday. Three out of the 4 matches were incredible, but the most exciting ones were Soni Dwi Kuncoro (Indonesia) vs Yan Kit CHAN (Hong Kong) and Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) vs Peter Gade (Denmark). These two matches made the crowd E lectric.. it was almost deafening every time an Indonesian player won a point.
The first of the two matches was Soni Dwi and Yan Kit. These two players are so strong physically and are like bulls on the court. It was one diving save after the other and incredible attacking strokes. Yan Kit showed a lot of strength in the first game by staying with Soni as much as possible and then pulling away in the end to take it 21-18. However in the next two games Soni Dwi was just getting one too many over the net and was lethal with his cross court forehand smash. Which means that Soni Dwi won the match 18-21 21-17 21-10.
The second match between Taufik and Peter Gade was even more breath taking. I was able to speak with Peter Gade hours before his match and I asked him to make sure that he makes it a crowd pleasing game…He did not disappoint This was a battle of owning the net and flats, flats and more flats. Taufik took the first game 21-19, it was very close all the way through. The second game Peter took quite a big lead and then it looked like Taufik saved his energy for the third and final game. He sure needed it. The third game was tight all the way through. It was sooo nerve wrecking, Taufik had two match points at 20-18 which Peter Gade managed to save. But then Taufik took the next two points with the final rally being one of the best rallies of the match. The crowd went crazy and you could see that Taufik was VERY happy and relieved

I am leaving back for Europe today so I will not be able to watch the semi finals and finals, but I will be watching online I have also taken some video footage of the crowd and will upload it as soon as i have time.
To follow the matches please click on the link below
DRAW

2 Day Catch Up For Indonesian Open Super Series 2009

I have to apologize for not being able to write the last few days. I unfortunately ate a hot pepper a few nights ago and it was the worst choice of my life. I got food poisoning and was in bed to almost two days! That means I was not able to watch any matches…however since I am in Indonesia and Indonesians love badminton I was able to catch Taufik HIDAYAT (Indonesia) and Boonsak Ponsana (Thailand) on the television. Now if you read my updates from last week you will know that I am a Boonsak fan, however since we are in Indonesia and the crowds LOVE cheering for their own I have to admit I was hoping for Taufik to go through. Indonesian players have basically owned this tournament for the past twenty years and the crowd goes nuts when they win. I would like to see that.
The match between Taufik and Boonsak was three sets and from what I could see it was Taukif trying to always win the net and get Boonsak to lift. By doing this Taufik is using his biggest weapon…his smash….and also his net. It seemed like Boonsak’s tactic was to neutralize Taufik as much as possible and then counter whenever he got the chance. In the end it was Taufik who took the match 21-17 19-21 21-10.
I will be watching the quarter finals today and hoping to see the Indonesian players please the crowd by winning.
I will also stay away from the hot peppers…
To follow the draw please click on the link below
DRAW

No More Sridhar For Me Indonesia Open Super Series 2009

That’s it I am through playing this guy! This “3rd time is a charm” expression is none sense. So once again I played Anup Sridhar (India) and once again he punished me once again. He is VERY difficult to play and it seems the more he plays me the more comfortable he is with me….unfortunately its not the other way around. So I am giving credit where credit is due, he is a formidable opponent and I have to go back to the workshop and sharpen my skills if I am to big this guy.
There are going to be a lot of great first round matches and as always I look forward to watching and writing about them:)

To follow the draw please click on the link below
DRAW

Bao Wins Singapore Super Series 2009

My boy Boonsak Ponsana was SOOO close to taking the title this year of the Singapore Super Series 2009. It was Bao Chunlai (China) who ruled this day. Bao if fast and very precise. His ability to take the net and the use his steep smashes with incredible precision is a deadly combination. Boonsak did his best to fight the chinese player off but it was Bao who was simply too good. However I must say both players gave us quite a show, 3 sets, 1 hour match, all guts and one man to take the glory.
I have to say congratulations to the man of the week…Bao Chunlai.

Lets see what happens in next weeks Indonesian Open Super Series 2009. Can the same players reign supreme or will the top seeds make it past the second round. We shall see!
To view the Indonesian Open Super Series 2009 Draw please click on the link below.
DRAW

Semi Finals Singapore Super Series 2009

The magic continues in Singapore as Boonsak Ponsana makes his way into the finals! Like I said I am a Boonsak (what a name) fan:) Today he faced off against Sung Hwan PARK (Korea) and I have to admit I was worried. Boonsak lost the first game 21-19 and was down at the start of the second…the way Park was been playing I was sure that he would also take the second game. But my man Boonsak was tough as nails and was just playing every little trick in the book to either sucker some mistakes out of Park or wait for a good opportunity to win the rally. Whatever it was it worked because Boonsak then came roaring back and took the second game 21-18 and left Park in the dust while claiming the third game 21-13. At a boy Boonsak.
The other semi finals was two chinese, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin. Normaly I would say that it should be an exciting game but I am never sure whether the outcome of the matches are decided before hand or not. So I rather just say that Bao Chunlai beat Chen Jin in two straight 21-19 21-18 and leave it at that.

Tomorrow I will be pulling for my Boonsak all the way. It should be great and let the best man win!