Monday January 28, 2013
Rashid and Seu Bock put free time to good use
Spick and span: (from left) Rashid Sidek, T.Y. Tan, Eddy Tan and Tey Seu Bock at the Pro One Badminton Centre in Cheras yesterday. KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei is not the only popular national badminton icon – his coaches are too.
Yesterday, posters of Tey Seu Bock and Rashid Sidek greeted young aspiring shuttlers as they entered the newly-built 32-court Pro One Badminton Centre in Cheras.
While most coaches would have taken a break during Sunday, Seu Bock and Rashid had turned up for the final day of action in the inaugural Pro One Badminton Championships at the new centre.
Their presence, however, was not a surprise as both are the centre’s consultants.
The centre is co-owned by Seu Bock’s old friend Eddy Tan and T.Y Tan. The brothers are passionate about the sport and the centre in Cheras is their third. Their other centres are in Wangsa Maju and Johor Baru.
Eddy is also the owner of the Q Thai restaurant chains and Rashid is the brand ambassador for all his nine restaurants.
Seu Bock and Rashid said the voluntary work during their free time gave them extra satisfaction.
“During the weekdays, we work with the top players in the country. Here at the centre, we get a chance to see the younger players. We do not coach them but we work together with the owner as far as giving advice and ideas are concerned,” said Seu Bock.
“We do not get paid for it but it is a joy to be able to help my friend and see the growth of badminton centres in the country,” he said.
The Pro One Badminton Centre currently gives regimented training for 70 school children. In their first tournament, which ended yesterday, a total of 160 players took part in the age-group and Open categories.
The Open categories saw former players like Yeoh Kay Bin, K. Yogendran, Mohd Roslin Hashim, Chow Pak Chuu, Tan Zhao Rong and Au Kok Liang taking part.
“Many centres are blooming here in the Klang Valley. This is really good for badminton. We need to encourage more youngsters to take up the sport. With a wider base, the probability of finding a big star is higher,” said Seu Bock.
Seu Bock should know. His blue-eyed boy Chong Wei has been dominating the local scene for the last 10 years and Malaysia have yet to see new emerging stars, especially in the men’s singles event.
There is also a huge shortfall in the number of women shuttlers taking up the sport.
Hopefully, with the birth of more centres like Pro One Badminton more youngsters will take up the game and Malaysia may one day produce a world or Olympic champion.
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