A Cut above the peers

May 19, 2012, 1:46 pm

by Chathura Pinnawala

Danushka Ranjan is a name that is reverberating in the Sri Lankan rugby set-up these days.

The St. Peter’s College captain ran in six tries in a magnificent display of fast and open rugby in their first match of the season against Kingswood College, in 69-5 decimation. Unfortunately, in the second game he suffered an injury.

His performances were so advanced for his age and thus he was selected to tour Hong Kong for the Junior Rugby Asiad. He’s sure to induce fear among opponents with the dancing shoes on this season.

The Sunday Island-Sportstar caught up with him for an interview recently and here he talks about how he took to rugby, the influence Sanath Martis has had during his short career so far and his ambitions.

Question: Tell us about how you took to rugby? What made you develop a love for it?

Answer: My first school was Piliyandala Central. I can’t specifically say this was the reason behind me investing in rugby, but since childhood, I had a liking for the sport. Probably that’s why I began playing the game from grade seven onwards. From then on, I played for every age-group and it was in 2009 that I joined St. Peter’s.

Q: Did you have a special liking for the center position that you are currently playing at? What’s the reason behind choosing center as your role in the side?

A: No, there’s nothing special. When I was young, I was mainly the team’s fullback or on occasions, I played in the wing. It was after I moved to St. Peter’s that I was entrusted with the position. Sanath Martis sir is the one who called on me to take on the center role.

Q: What kind of impact did former St. Peter’s coach Sanath Martis and current coach Colin Denish have in your progression as a ruggerite?

A: Martis sir is the one who first saw me and identified me as prospect. I played under his tutelage for three years. He left the coaching job this year, but we didn’t feel the effects of it that much because the new coach is not a stranger. Colin sir was the assistant coach during all these years, so it was a smooth transition. They have been very helpful. Their guidance has made us better players as well as personalities. We owe them a lot.

Q: You were a standout performer last season. But after a brilliant start, it tailed off at the end. What’s your outlook about the previous season and from the way you see it, what made St. Peter’s fade during that latter part of the league?

A: Last year, we were the defending champions, so there was a lot riding on it and there were expectations. We lived up to it in the first five matches where we were unbeaten, but as you rightly said, we couldn’t keep up the momentum. What set us back was a sudden rash of injuries that depleted our squad. Matches came thick and fast and we weren’t able to fight with injuries. That really hurt us badly during the business end of that season.

Q:  Who’s your rugby idol?

A: When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of Jonah Lomu. Lomu was a sensation those days and his artistry and originality was so markedly evident. Of the current players, I would say All Blacks center Ma’a Nonu.

Q: After sitting out the first week, everybody was eager to study the St. Peter’s side going into this year. And the performance against Kingswood certainly caught many eyes. You scored six tries in a dominant day. Your thoughts about the match?

A: One thing is, we like to think there are better teams than us. That eases us from unwanted pressure and it’s easier to execute our plans. Our mindset was always to climb the ladder, step by step, which means taking one match at a time. Our forte is our pace. We have eight senior players and the spirit within the camp is sky high. We know if we get into our game, we are hard to stop. That day, it all clicked cohesively. That’s why the performance was so satisfying.

Q: Though the team won matches last year, there were some loopholes in your defence. Admittedly, you lacked some muscle compared to others. Now, that part of your game was not tested at all in the Kingswood game, but there’ll be times that it will be put to the test. As the captain, how highly do you rate your forwards this year?

A: We are attack minded. We don’t go into a match with a defensive attitude. But having said that, there are times when you have to defend. Our forward weight is light and we know that. We have been hard at practice drills working on our angles. When the team is on the back foot, it’s the responsibility of the backline to work according to what’s in front of us. As a unit, I know that we are capable of coming up with a strong show, when it’s required.

Q:  What is your team’s target in terms of the league this year?

A: This is not being over-confident or anything, but our target is to be the unbeaten league champions.

Q: You were part of the National side that took wing to Hong Kong for the Junior Asiad last year. We don’t have happy memories, since we lost all matches. As a player, what did you see as the reasons behind the debacle?

A: The physical aspect of the game. We are skills-wise well ahead of others, but physically, we have a long road ahead to travel. Even then, I still feel we could have beaten Hong Kong and Thailand. Those were very close matches, but mistakes at crucial junctures made the difference.

Q: Personally you had a great tour. How much did that experience help you as a player?

A: It was a great learning curve. How to prepare for a tour, how to keep fitness levels, all these things were a welcome addition into my life.

Q: Finally, do you plan to continue playing rugby and if so what is your personal goal?

A: Yes, and representing the National team one day is every ruggerite’s dream and mine is no different. 

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In pics: Part of the Great Wall of China most tourists never see

THE GREAT WALL of China, stretching 5,500 miles from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Lake in the west, is one of the great marvels of the world.

Most tourists visit Badaling, a section near Beijing that has been heavily restored and and built up as a tourist destination.

But some adventurous tourists venture to the sections of the wall that are less travelled and unrestored. In many cases these sections are difficult to reach and crumbling.

BusinessInsider.com readers Rindge Leaphart and Nataki Goodall visited one of these sections in 2008 and shared their photos and story with us. The section they hiked, between Jinshanling and Simitai, was closed in 2010 for safety reasons, and tourists have not been allowed there since.

All images courtesy of Rindge Leaphart.

Blown away

<!–enpproperty 2012-05-18 11:11:36.0Xu JingxiBlown awayKenny G, sax,fan, music1811048895Celebrities2@usa/enpproperty–>

Kenny G’s China tour appeals to middle-aged nostalgia and youthful curiosity, and shows some things never change. Xu Jingxi reports in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

There were no flashing lights, smoke, bubbles or other special effects as Kenny G strode down the aisle, bowed to fans and demonstrated his ability to play the longest single sax note in the world – lasting about five minutes at the Shenzhen show, compared to the 45 minutes and 47 seconds that won him a Guinness World Records award.

Honestly, the siren-like blare wasn’t exactly pleasant on the ears. But he mixed the sonic monotony by waving to, and shaking hands with audience members, with his free hand.

It was the same way he started his Shanghai concert four years ago.

Most people at this year’s tour, from May 11-13, were in their 30s and 40s, and fell head-over-heels when they first saw the US musician.

“I fell in love with the bright and resounding tone of the soprano saxophone the first time I heard Kenny G play in 1996,” 30-year-old Li Renjie, who attended his Shenzhen show on Sunday, says.

Going Home was the first Kenny G song Li heard. It’s perhaps the saxophonist’s most popular song in China and is often played in public places, such as schools and shopping malls.

“I even spent several thousand yuan to buy a soprano saxophone when I was in college and dreamed I could someday also play romantic melodies like Kenny G onstage,” Li recalls.

Li became a businessman and is too busy to play the sax. But he relishes the memories of his youthful dreams.

Kenny G doesn’t need to change to appeal to Chinese fans. They want more of the same – the same as what they fell in love with years ago, including Kenny G’s curly long hairstyle.

Kenny G emphasizes his music is “romantic” in an exclusive interview with China Daily before his Shenzhen concert.

Chinese audience members at the show closed their eyes and opened their ears. There was no whistling. Nobody did the wave. Many reclined in their seats and put their feet up.

The most crowd action came from those who bobbed their heads and swayed while sitting.

I must admit, that’s what I did.

I consider Kenny G romantic because he’s happy and free onstage. His performances are unconstrained, and feature free movements and a great deal of improvisation. His cheerfulness is infectious, indeed.

The ability to translate any pop song into smooth sax jazz is what has made Kenny G the world’s best-selling instrumentalist.

I hadn’t been excited when I saw Moonlight Represents My Heart and My Heart Will Go On on the concert’s set list. But these otherwise tired classics were given new vitality by Kenny G’s adlibs.

That ability to reinterpret pop into sax jazz has popularized the instrument and holds potential for winning younger Kenny G fans.

Kuang Renji, 11, has been studying sax for a year.

He danced for joy after Kenny G gave the boy an autograph at the album signing following the Guangzhou show.

Kuang had been growing bored with the tedious basic exercises but rekindled his passion after Kenny G’s live performance of My Heart Will Go On.

“Kenny G charms different generations,” the boy’s father, Kuang Weiwen, says.

He has been a fan since he attended Kenny G’s concert in the US 24 years ago.

“His love of his career and family has inspired middle-aged people like me for years,” the 46-year-old businessman says.

“And his kindness to the audience, especially the young kids, has promoted saxophone music worldwide.”

The saxophone is no longer a novelty in China, like it was in the 1990s.

But when I heard people playing Kenny G in their cars on their way home after the concert and saw kids enjoyed the concert as much as their parents, I came to believe the 56-year-old saxophonist is – and will continue to be – popular in China.

Q+A | Kenny G

More from Kenny G’s exclusive interview with China Daily before his Shenzhen concert on May 13.

Q: It’s been 10 years since your debut concert in China. How do you find Chinese audiences?

A: I think I have been coming to China at least once a year. Lots of the people coming to my concerts in China are young people, while the audience for my concerts back in the US is older. It’s nice that both older generations and younger generations here in China love my music.

You are successful in recomposing Chinese songs, including Jasmine Flower and Moonlight Represents My Heart. Do you have any plans to reinterpret other Chinese songs?

I do want to do my versions of more Chinese songs. They don’t have many notes, and that makes the music pure. It goes well with my musical style.

Making my saxophone version of Chinese songs will be easy and enjoyable. And it will be a good idea to make an album of exclusively Chinese songs. But I need to listen to more Chinese songs and pick the really famous ones.

You cooperated with an Indian artist and released an album last year in which you mixed saxophone music and music played by a traditional Indian string instrument called the santoor. Do you know any traditional Chinese instruments?

I’m interested in a traditional Chinese musical instrument, which looks like a guitar with two strings. (He may be referring to the erhu.) I want to learn more about Chinese folk arts and do an album on that.

In fact, I want to try to combine saxophone music with folk music from all kinds of cultures around the world. It will be interesting.

What type of songs will you choose to reinterpret to make a saxophone version?

The song should be melodic and really famous. I will make my version of the famous song. It can be a song from any culture in the world, and I will play it with saxophone. That’s why the saxophone is the best musical instrument in the world.

You are the holder of the Guinness World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. It’s 45 minutes and 47 seconds. Are you still able to play such a long note? Are you going to break your own record?

Definitely, yes I can. I have an idea of breaking the record again. And I’m waiting for the opportunity.

Blind Chinese activist arrives in US from Beijing

Almost a month since his dramatic escape from house arrest — and subsequent refuge inside the U.S. Embassy— sparked a diplomatic tussle between Washington and Beijing, Chen arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport Saturday evening with his wife and two children. He had been hurriedly taken from a Beijing hospital earlier in the day and put on a plane after authorities told him to prepare to leave.

Dressed in a white shirt and khaki pants and using crutches, his right leg in a cast, Chen was greeted with cheers when he arrived at the apartment in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village where he will live with his family. The complex houses faculty and graduate students of New York University, where Chen is expected to attend law school.

• STORY: One on one with Hillary Clinton

• STORY: Departure followed one month of intrigue

“For the past seven years, I have never had a day’s rest,” he said through a translator. “So I have come here for reparation in body and spirit.”

Chen urged the crowd to fight for injustice, and thanked the U.S. and Chinese governments, and also the embassies of Switzerland, Canada and France.

“After much turbulence, I have come out of Shandong,” he said, referring to the Chinese province where he was under house arrest. He spoke briefly and didn’t take questions from reporters.

His arrival in the USA starts a new phase in an already remarkable life, and closes another troubled chapter in the often volatile U.S.-China relationship.

The family’s departure cheered supporters and friends in Beijing who have been anxious about their safety, but it also left mixed feelings that China today remains too repressive for people like Chen to live and work freely.

Until his escape April 22, Chen suffered almost 19 months of illegal house arrest in his home village in east China’s Shandong province. That often-abusive detention followed a four-year jail term that his lawyers say authorities trumped up to stop him pursuing cases such as the thousands of local women forced to have abortions and sterilizations to meet China’s one child policy.

After moving between safe houses in Beijing, Chen was smuggled into the U.S. Embassy. He left after six days for a hospital, hoping China would meet a promise to allow him to study law, and his family to be protected, within China. He soon changed his mind after learning of threats to his family.

While the issue spotlighted human rights abuses in China, and the continuing lack of rule of law, Beijing and Washington continued with scheduled high-level talks on economic and strategic matters. Just before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Beijing, a face-saving deal emerged: Chen could leave to study in the USA.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, said: “We welcome this development and the fact that he’ll be able to pursue a course of study here in the United States upon his arrival.”

The high drama of the past month extended to the final moments as Chen and family were suddenly removed Saturday afternoon from their well-guarded hospital room in central Beijing. That morning, Chen appeared unaware of any imminent travel plans in interviews with Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

“Thousands of thoughts are surging to my mind,” Chen told the Associated Press from Beijing airport, where U.S. officials handed them their Chinese passports shortly before departure. “I am requesting a leave of absence, and I hope that they will understand,” he said of his supporters.

Of course we do, said a delighted He Peirong on Saturday. An English teacher in the city of Nanjing, He played a crucial part in Chen’s escape as she met him with a car outside his village of Dongshigu, which he had fled despite high walls and many guards, and drove him to Beijing.

“Wherever Mr. Chen goes, he and his whole family need time to recuperate. His wife has been beaten and his son’s arm was broken and remains a little deformed,” He said. “Although he is blind, he is intelligent and incredible. He can do things that most healthy people can’t, and he is very resilient; he can stick to his ideals.”

Effective government censorship means most Chinese have still never heard Chen’s name, but He insists his message will spread. “Every person can learn from Chen what this era most needs — hope, and the persistence to follow one’s ideals,” she said. “When we pay attention to his rights, it’s also an awakening process of the awareness of civil rights for our whole society. Only by paying close attention to other people’s interests, and protecting their rights, can we guarantee a fair and righteous society.”

He says she has no regrets about her role in rescuing Chen, despite visits to her home from officials of China’s ministry of state security. She said Saturday she too will take time to recuperate after the pressures of Chen’s escape.

Lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was beaten by Chinese security officials when he tried to visit Chen in the hospital this month, shared He’s joy that Chen “will get freedom at last.” But Jiang also regrets Chen’s departure. “It’s a great pity that such a person cannot be allowed to live freely in China today,” he said.

As China’s Communist-led government preserves a long memory of those it dislikes, Chen may face years of separation from family members including his 80-year old mother, who remains in Dongshigu.

On Friday, Tiananmen Square activist Wu’er Kaixi, whose parents are not allowed to leave China to see him, failed in an attempt to turn himself in to the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

Before Chen is permitted to return to China, significant changes must take place, Jiang said. “There doesn’t need to be complete rule of law, democracy or liberalization, but major changes towards a more tolerant China, more freedom of speech and less repression of civil society,” he said.

Although censors are quick to delete discussion of Chen’s fate, some Chinese expressed their opinions Saturday on the nation’s booming microblogs. Lawyer Liao Rui, in southwest Sichuan province, echoed Jiang’s despair. “A Chinese citizen must go to America to get a safe life. As a Chinese citizen, I am deeply sad for this country and myself,” he wrote.

Contributing: Associated Press

Great Wall walk intrepid fund-raiser’s fourth charity challenge in four years

Girish Shivanand is about to take part in his fourth gruelling charity challenge in as many years.

The 37-year-old, a research and development manager for Unilever, is on his way to Beijing where he will raise money for blind orphans in Beijing by walking the length of the Great Wall of China.

Girish left for China on Thursday, along with 22 other participants from 12 nations who are taking part in the eight-day Wild Wall Challenge, during which they will walk for up to seven hours each day.

Organised by the UAE charity Gulf For Good, their aim is to raise money to pay for a water-therapy pool for the Beijing-based charity Bethel China, which helps visually impaired orphans.

Gulf For Good has already managed to raise more than Dh280,000 for the project.

Girish, an Indian national who lives in Dubai, said that since his first Gulf For Good challenge, a hike to Peru’s Machu Picchu in 2009, he likes to “give back to a new country every year”.

Since then, he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and last year, he trekked through Borneo. All the trips raised vital funding for aid projects in those venues.

He chose to join the China trip because of the important work carried out by the charity.

“When a blind child is born in rural areas of China, they often outcast them and they get neglected,” he said. “I feel I need to contribute to this and bring awareness.”

Bethel’s 60 blind orphans will be given therapeutic swimming lessons in the new pool, along with 200 other children from nearby orphanages

Patricia Anderson, Gulf For Good’s head of communications, said the pool was one of the main things on the charity’s wish list.

“This was a defined item on the list that they really needed,” she said.

Also taking part in the challenge are the Emirati mother and daughter Naila Al Mahmood and Sara Kazim.

For Ms Al Mahmood, a mother of five, the trip is the culmination of a lifelong dream to visit China’s Great Wall and to get in shape.

Ms Al Mahmood said she has been training five to six times a week to prepare.

“I used to be overweight,” she said, but has lost 50 kilograms in three years. “Going on this challenge is a reward for myself to see how fit I am.”

Ms Al Mahmood, who teaches Muslims and non-Muslims how to recite the Quran, also convinced her daughter Sara, 24, to join her.

Both were inspired by Sara’s older sister, Butheina, 28, who trekked Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit in 2009 to raise money to help build an orphanage.

“She has planted a seed in the family,” Ms Al Mahmood said, “and it’s growing.”

molson@thenational.ae

Hitching his Starwood to China

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Frits van Paasschen says the scale of China’s internal travel market provides growth opportunities for hoteliers. Mark Graham / For China Daily

CEO of one of world’s biggest five-star chains says future ‘is written in Chinese’

When Frits van Paasschen first visited China as a backpacker, staying in basic accommodation and traveling on crowded buses and trains, little did he imagine that two decades later, he would be returning as the boss of a five-star hotel chain.

The senior executive retains vivid memories of those days, traveling the length and breadth of the country and leaving via the Karakoram Highway from China to Pakistan, clinging precariously to the roof of a pick-up truck.

Nowadays, van Paasschen flies business class on regular visits to China from his New York head office – and stays in the luxury properties of the St Regis, Westin, Sheraton and Le Mridien hotels that make up the Starwood portfolio.

Van Paasschen is president and CEO of Starwood, one of the largest hotel management groups in the world which is adding to its China portfolio at a phenomenal rate: this year alone will see 23 new properties open – roughly one every fortnight – bringing the total to 100.

The country is considered to be so important that last year the boss flew the entire senior management team to China for a month’s visit; executive meetings were held wherever they happened to be on their grand China tour.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a visit is worth ten thousand,” says van Paasschen. “I could have got the statistics and stayed behind at my PC in New York but it is important to build relationships; almost all the hotels, 95 percent, are owned by someone else so it is more like a marriage than a transaction.

“Owners and developers have grown with our team here and they don’t need my assistance or advice, but the ability to bring the leadership of the company and show that the market in China matters is an important part of the relationship. We can talk about whether a location makes sense and look at opportunities.

“Take the W brand for example: we are opening them around the world and we are on the verge of a great growth episode for that brand here in China. You want to have it in a specific type of location and an owner who has the right appreciation for what that brand is about.”

There were a number of whimsical moments on the trip when van Paasschen went back to specific sites that he took in during the mid-1980s visit to China. He recalls going to the Sheraton Great Wall hotel in Beijing to take advantage of the air-conditioning: back then, dining in its high-end restaurants was not feasible on a backpacker budget. Also memorable was looking at the soaring skyscrapers of Pudong in Shanghai, built on land that van Paasschen remembers as derelict warehouses and paddy fields.

“Literally one of the high points was being on the top floor of what will be the St Regis in Shenzhen on the 100th floor of that building, looking out and toward Hong Kong and seeing that the Shenzhen side looks snazzier and more well developed than the New Territories of Hong Kong.

“When I am asked about the future I say ‘I can’t read it, it is written in Chinese!’ There are many good years ahead there, not without their fits and starts, but the appetite for growth and the openness of this economy and the absolute scale of just the internal market are all amazing drivers for growth.

“We talk quite a bit about globalization and this is probably the biggest single growth opportunity for our industry. Never at any time in human history have so many people come into prosperity at once. A lot of us feel so lucky to participate in what is going on here and visit these amazing hotels; you have a better idea of the way the world works.

“The next phase here is the internal travel market. The latest figure for us is 58 percent Chinese (mainland) nationals in our hotels and that figure does not include Chinese from Hong Kong and Taiwan and the diaspora.

“When I first came to China with Starwood three years ago, we had a discussion that our loyalty program did not have collateral in Chinese and the name for Starwood for guests in Chinese was somewhat awkward. I thought this is one of the most obvious things I have ever heard. We were a US company operating hotels in China and we were so focused on signing up English speaking guests that we had lagged with the opportunity. I said ‘how about changing it tomorrow’ and the local team were very energized by that.

“In the hotel business we live with decisions that are frozen in time. I was recently in the beer business and you can change a marketing campaign, or packaging design, and you don’t live with stuff that you had many years ago. The old product vanishes off the shelf. Here, we have a 20-year contract and you see things that might have been a good idea five years ago but make no sense today. You need to explore the nuances and implications for the future.”

Van Paasschen is a relative newcomer to an industry where most executives generally rise gradually through the hotel ranks to senior, strategy-formulating positions.

Before joining Starwood, van Paasschen, 50, was president and CEO of Coors Brewing Company, where he successfully turned around market share and profitability by marketing and selling an array of iconic brands.

Earlier in his career, the Netherlands-born, American-educated father of three spent seven years with the sports giant Nike, overseeing business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He has also worked for Disney Consumer Products, served as chairman of the European-American Industrial Council, lectured in economics at Harvard College and has been a guest host on the CNBC show Squawk Box. That broad range of experience – and fluency in five languages – has helped to shape a management style he describes as informal and accessible.

He says: “I try to be direct and make sure there is something that is not unspoken but in a business as complicated and big as ours, all decisions should not come to me. I am not in the business of walking into a room and deciding we need a different lampshade because whoever picked the lampshade will think that their job is not very interesting and we will suddenly be in the business of ordering a lot of new lampshades.

“But I do want to be in the business of putting a culture and strategy and a way of working in place where we are going to end up with the best lampshades, metaphorically speaking. The balance between global consistency of our brands, local relevance and the operational challenges are appropriately reflected where people can be open and direct and held accountable.”

When not jetting around the globe to visit the Starwood portfolio, the CEO can be found at home in the east-coast state of Massachusetts. He is a fitness fanatic who has taken part in marathons, ultra-marathons and triathlons; but since recent knee surgery, he has scales back a little, focusing more on swimming and gym-based exercise.

The executive’s diet is strictly vegan, meaning he has to say no to many of the gourmet restaurant dishes at five-star hotels in China and elsewhere. Chefs in the properties generally take up the challenge to rustle up a special non-meat dish for the visiting boss.

China Daily

(China Daily 05/18/2012 page24)

DOT reports losses from China travel advisory

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) confirmed that many trips to the Philippines have been cancelled because of a recent travel advisory issued by the Chinese government as a result of the standoff that started at the Scarborough Shoal.

In an interview with radio dzMM, Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation and Coordination Maria Victoria Jasmin said that as of May 11, there were around 10 group trips which had been called off.

Due to cancelled chartered flights, around 1,500 to 2,000 passengers were lost for the month of May. The undersecretary also estimated that around $90-200 is spent by a tourist per day, which now accounts for revenue losses because of China’s travel advisory.

Many hotels and resorts from Manila, Boracay, Cebu, and Bohol are reporting a decrease in the bookings from China. Many airlines also suspended their charter services to and from several destinations in China.

China earlier issued an advisory due to safety concerns for their nationals, arising from the protests last Friday against China regarding the Scarborough Shoal dispute.

The undersecretary assured that no one was hurt and the demonstration was rather peaceful. She further stated, “The rally is an expression of opinion by the citizenry. Diyan tayo kilala, sa ating freedom of expression.”

She is very positive that if the travel ban is lifted, tourism will flourish again. “There is a chance for a peaceful correlation, but top-level discussions should occur,” she adds.

The DOT is still positive that despite the strain in the Philippine-China relations, it would still meet its targeted 4.6-million visitor arrivals in 2012.
 

Beach volleyballers spike offer of help

Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney are beach volleyball’s piranhas, as the Toronto twosome looks for prey in the last two world tournaments. They want to raise their standing on the Swatch World Tour from to 16th from 19th – a standing that will put them directly into the field for the 2012 London Olympics.

They can envision playing on the Horse Guard Parade ground near the door of British Prime Minister David Cameron. They’ll make the calf-stressing jumps in the sand specially trucked in for the women’s tournament, from July 28 to Aug. 8. They’ll even abide the women’s requisite skimpy swimwear of the sport.

But they draw the line, Bansley says, at being indebted to the national federation of Volleyball Canada for lending money to cover ticket expenses to get to qualifying events.

She said in an interview that she will turn down the national body’s late offers to lend money to players while Volleyball Canada has tied up federal assistance for all beach volleyball players – called carding money – during its appeal of an arbitrator’s decision to evaluate seven-year national team regular Rich VanHuizen.

“I’ve got zero dollars from Volleyball Canada this year,” Bansley said in an interview. She said she and Maloney have spent about $25,000 each out of their own pockets in coaching expenses, to attend Olympic qualifying events, hotels and food in six months since getting a Sport Canada carding cheque. They’re broke and turning to friends and the banks for borrowed money, she said. They reject a loan from the federation.

“They don’t have to take the offer of an interest-free loan,” said Mark Eckert, executive director of Volleyball Canada.

Ed Drakich, a former beach volleyball player at the 1996 Olympics and Volleyball Canada’s high-performance director for the sport, said he could not give details of the appeal.

A Volleyball Canada source said the body held back funding of all carded beach volleyball players, because it was the way to make certain that the carding money of developmental players would be protected in any judgment – players such as former world junior champion Garret May, VanHuizen’s playing partner. Developmental athletes playing with Canadian university teams get their school fees paid, the source said.

“They’re not a white knight,” Bansley said of Volleyball Canada. “I’m already in debt and they’re offering to put us in more debt. I’d rather try to do it on my own. I don’t want to owe Volleyball Canada any money. They need to do a better job of giving athletes travel support.”

Bansley said the women made ends meet this season by coaching school teams and club teams, baby sitting and taking a retail job. They flew a coach to the Shanghai tour stop by using points on a customer loyalty card, Bansley said.

On Wednesday, Volleyball Canada said it would use its credit to purchase tickets for the remaining tournaments on the World Tour – three for men and two for women. The men start next week in Prague. Bansley and Maloney have Grand Slam events remaining in Moscow (June 6 to 12) and Rome (June 12 to 17) The women have a good chance to qualify for the Olympics by making the top-16 ranking. Canada’s men’s team of Martin Reader of Comox, B.C., and John Binstock of Toronto has a better chance of making the Olympic field by winning June’s regional Continental Cup – which Reader won last year with a different partner – in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Reader says he probably will use the Volleyball Canada loan, but “the reality is our federation hasn’t provided us any financial support in the most important year of our careers to date. I have been training for six years for this opportunity and I am a day from an essential flight towards making my Olympic dream … and I haven’t been able to purchase it.”

Jane Roos, founder of the independent athlete fundraising body, Canadian Athletes Now, started an emergency appeal for the cash-strapped athletes. By Thursday afternoon the fund received pledges of almost $22,000.

Mouha/Gielen upset Talita/Antonelli to make top 16 at Beijing Grand Slam

Mouha/Gielen rallied from one set down to score the 19-21, 21-17, 15-8 victory over Talita/Antonelli, who have had three consecutive podium finishes including one gold and two silvers in the last three events, and finished top of pool B with three straight wins.

We are so happy to win, they are one of the best teams in the world, we did not expect it, said Mouha. Last time when we played against them we lost, this time we just tried our best. Hopefully well do better and better, and well see what happens next.

Currently placed 20th in the Olympic Qualification Ranking, Mouha/Gielen are striving to get a ticket to this summers London Olympic Games. We need to fight with other teams and this win can bring us a lot of points, its very good for us, Mouha added.

Later on Thursday, Talita/Antonelli ousted Lauren Fendrick/Brooke Hanson of the United States 2-0 to stay in contention.

Top seeds Xue Chen/Zhang Xi of China, third seeds Larissa France/Juliana Felisberta Da Silva from Brazil, sixth seeds Sanne Keizer/Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands, Germanys eighth seeds Sara Goller/Laura Ludwig, 21st seeds Katrin Holtwick/Ilka Semmler and Italys 10th seeds Greta Cicolari/Marta Menegatti also qualified for the top 16 round with unbeaten records.

Having captured two gold medals in the Brasilia Open and Shanghai Grand Slam, Xue/Zhang marched on towards their third title of the season after sweeping Spains 16th seeds Liliana Fernandez Steiner/Elsa Baquerizo Mcmillan 21-14 and 21-12 to claim the first place of pool A and a bye in the first round of the knockout stage.

Its not as easy as it looked like, said Zhang Xi. We will concentrate on our game and hopefully continue to play like this in the rest of the tournament.

Playing their 100th FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour event together, Larissa/Juliana whitewashed Austrian sisters Stefanie and Doris Schwaiger 21-15 and 21-17 to clinch the first place of pool C with a 3-0 win-loss record.

100 events together, its amazing! said Juliana. We really like to play well and have good performance here. Its my best (start) in Beijing of my life, we really like to go to the final in Beijing, we dont have good memories here and we want to change that this time.

Larissa/Juliana, who had collected 42 FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour titles as a team, are seeking their first championship of this season following a second finish in the Sanya Open and a third in the Shanghai Grand Slam last week.

Its really important to win this tournament, said Juliana. I know its not my best now, but I have to play any way, I have to improve a lot of things. We dont think about other teams, we will keep our concentration 100 percent.

Two-time defending Olympic champions and event title holders Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor of the United States defeated 13th seeds Nadine Zumkehr/Simone Kuhn of Switzerland 21-13, 22-20 Thursday morning to share a 2-1 record with Natalie Cook/Tamsin Hinchley of Australia in pool D, but Walsh/May-Treanor went to the top 16 round directly thanks to their triumph in the head-to-head clash of the two teams on Wednesday.

Other teams reaching the womens top 16 after Thursday afternoons first elimination round matches include fifth seeds Jennifer Kessy/April Ross of the United States, seventh seeds Kristyna Kolocova/Marketa Slukova of Czech Republic and 20th seeds Natalie Cook/Tamsin Hinchley from Australia.

The womens Main Draw action of the US$600,000 Beijing Grand Slam will continue on Friday with the finale set for Sunday. The gold medal teams will split US$43,000, the silver US$29,500 and the bronze US$23,000. The mens round robin will finish on Friday with the third and last round matches.

The Chinese capital is hosting international beach volleyball events for the second straight year since the 2008 Olympic Games and the Beijing Grand Slam is the fourth event on the 2012 FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour for both men and women.

The Seven Man-Made Wonders of California

Discover all of The Golden State’s marvels in this year’s Travel Issue

From the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Great Wall of China; from Stonehenge to the Grand Canyon, there are marvels from around the world that scientists, anthropologists, archeologists and mere travelers still look back on in awe. And sure, you can save your dough and travel across the country and world to see some of these wonders, but if you look closely there are some amazing places right here, in your backyard. This year, we’ve compiled our list of the seven most compelling man-made wonders—often just a short trip away from the Inland Empire. Join us as we travel across California and explore some of man’s greatest creations . . .

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Rising out of the dense fog of the San Francisco Bay are the sensuous, majestic, Art Deco towers of the iconic Golden Gate, a nearly two-mile suspension bridge connecting the San Francisco peninsula to Marin County with sweeping views of the Bay Area and the Pacific and whose coloring and construction historian Kevin Starr has called “engineering as high art and high art as engineering.” Built at the height of the Great Depression in just four short years, the Golden Gate Bridge fused art with nature, defied nature’s tempestuous gusts and stood as a triumph of American labor and imagination. Drive it from end-to-end; observe the city skyline and panorama from above at the Marin headlands or from the vantage point of the sea as you approach the Pacific at Fort Point. A favorite spot to view the immensity of the bridge, go down to Kirby Cove from the northwest edge of the Marin Headlands. Hike it the pedestrian walkway and you will notice sign posts along the way that inform the desperate onlooker that “there is help. Make the call” (a testament to the bridge as one of the world’s most popular suicide destinations, where 20 to 30 people manage to make the dive annually). The bridge sways up to 27.7 feet and withstands winds of up to 100 miles per hour and happens to be the safest place to be standing once the Big One hits. In fact, this year’s May 27 birthday will be a special one—it’s the occasion for the almost year-long, 75^th anniversary of this Northern California landmark. When you’re done ogling the Golden Gate, hike down to Fort Point at the foot of the bridge and revel in its Civil War history. (N. Powell)

Shelter: Spaciousness and easy accessibility to Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf and North Beach make Nob Hill Motor Inn a good lodging choice. Nob Hill Motor Inn, 1630 Pacific Ave., San Francisco, (415) 775-8160; www.nobhillmotorinn.com.

Golden Gate Bridge, Lincoln Blvd. near Doyle Drive and Fort Point, San Francisco, (415) 921-5858; www.goldengatebridge.org.

HEARST CASTLE

If he could spend a month anywhere, William Randolph Hearst wrote to his mother while at Harvard, “It would be on the hills of San Simeon,” a sanctuary of fond childhood. Camp Hill was the site of family camping trips, it had spectacular views, and it was fairly private. Designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947, Hearst Castle is the quintessential monument to decadent living, a dream home awash in 22,000 historical as well as architectural artifacts spanning time and globe and with views of up to 75 miles in any direction on a clear day. If the drive up and the Neptune Pool don’t already have you at hello, then its portrait of the unspoiled beauty of the Central California Coast as it has stood for centuries definitely will. At 60,645 square feet, the castle ranks 11th on the list of largest houses in the United States and tops of any house in the Western United States. When Hearst Castle became a state park in 1957, guided tours provided the only means to experiencing the estate for 50-plus years until recently, when visitors were granted more autonomy to explore the grounds on their own and personalize their trips. Today, an evening tour provides glimpses into the living history of the rich and wealthy during the 1920s and 1930s, where you can imagine how A-listers like Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks and the Barrymores enjoyed Hearst’s hospitality, and just last month the visitor’s center hosted its first screening of Citizen Kane (a movie abhorred by Hearst). If time and energy permit, check out the Coastal Discovery Center at the beach, where admission is free. (N. Powell)

Shelter: San Simeon has lodging, but make the five-mile drive down Highway 1 to the charming town of Cambria for picture-perfect beaches, art galleries and great eats. Fogcatcher Inn, 6400 Moonstone Beach Dr., Cambria, (805) 927-1400; www.fogcatherinn.com.

Hearst Castle, 750 Hearst Castle Rd., San Simeon, (800) 444-4445; www.hearstcastle.org.

Photo by David J. McLaughlin (c) Pentacle Press

MISSION SAN GABRIEL

Also known as the San Gabriel Mission, Mission San Gabriel is often overshadowed by San Juan Capistrano and its famous swallows. But it shouldn’t be. San Gabriel is quieter, smaller and even cheaper than San Juan Capistrano. The place was founded in 1771, which makes it; you guessed it, older than the United States. As you wander the gardens you just may feel the mission’s past come to life. The first orange tree in California was planted here from a cutting brought from Spain. Its location is marked in a serene little alcove where, if there aren’t 500 fourth-graders busily working on their mission projects, you might just sit back, turn off your phone and do nothing. Other highlights of the mission include its church, which is almost Moorish in design, tannery pits where hides were, well, tanned, and the mission’s vineyards—at one point San Gabriel Mission produced the most wine in California. For me though, the highlight of my trip was, rather morbidly, the cemetery. Absolutely still, the graves spoke of the men who quietly gave over their lives to god, as well as the 6,000 Gabrieleno Tongva Mission Indians who are buried in the mission, unintended victims from diseases transmitted by the very Europeans who thought to save them. The mission itself may only take you a few hours to explore but make sure to walk around the entire downtown area, which is quite interesting and has several options for lunch or dinner. (B. Gerdes)

Shelter: The Bissell House is a quaint BB located about four miles away in Pasadena. The Bissell House, 201 Orange Ave., S. Pasadena, (626) 441-3535; www.bissellhouse.com

Mission San Gabriel, 427 S. Junipero Serra Dr., San Gabriel, (626) 457-3048; www.sangabrielmission.org.

Photo by Jasen Davis

VENICE CANALS

We can’t always make it to Italy, but if you live in California you can always take a trip to the Venice Canals. Located within walking distance of Venice Beach, the canals were originally built in 1905 by Abbot Kinney, but quickly fell into disuse decades later. Rebuilt and refurbished by the Venice Canals Association in the ’80s and ’90s, today the Venice Canals of Los Angeles are both a residential district and a Historic-Cultural Monument, featuring beautiful bridges, serene expanses of water and plenty of natural wildlife including white snow egrets, coots and ducks. The Venice Canals are a wonder for another reason . . . because the homes are on three landmasses completely surrounded by water, a visit here is also a trip to the islands of Los Angeles. Mark Galanty, vice president of the Venice Canals Association, suggests parking at Venice Beach and then strolling south along Pacific Avenue until you arrive at 25th Street. There you can take a left (going northeast of the beach) to a secluded path that leads directly to the Venice Canals. Located next to the nightlife (including many bars and restaurants) near Venice Beach and the beautiful downtown area around Abbot Kinney Boulevard, this place is the perfect spot for a memorable date or a romantic vacation. (J. Davis)

Shelter: Venice on the Beach Hotel, 2819 Ocean Front Walk, Los Angeles, (310) 429-0234; venicebeachhotel@gmail.com

Venice Canals, Carroll Ct. and Eastern Canal Ct., Los Angeles, (310) 399-2775; venicecanalsassociation.org.

Photo Courtesy of Disneyland Parks and Resorts

DISNEYLAND and DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Disneyland is the OG Disney theme park. It’s the very first of the Disney parks and the only one to be influenced by Walt Disney himself. The resort is magical, it’s massive and it’s pretty expensive to maintain, but that’s why it’s an amazing manmade wonder. Those expensive park tickets pay more than the CEO’s salary—it’s quite a feat to keeping the park updated with the latest and greatest technology like the recent renovation of Star Tours or the gorgeously amazing new World of Color night-time water show. Think of the parks as a massive sensory overload; take any one single attraction out of the park and it becomes an instant wonder all on its own. Sleeping Beauty Castle has stood for over 60 years with detailed roofing and decor right down to the Disney family crest above the castle entrance. Give your trip new meaning by discovering Hidden Mickeys (there are books and websites dedicated to this) or other nods to Imagineers and older Disney films and attractions. The dining can even be special if you do it right. Simply call a few days earlier and you can make reservations at the Blue Bayou, also known as the restaurant you see when embarking on Pirates of the Caribbean, you can grab a table at one of the most unique dining scenes on site. With so many amazing things to see, there’s no reason to pass up appreciation for the world that has been created for you to enjoy. (A. Bennett)

Shelter: Not only is this hotel beautifully themed, but you get one special privilege by staying here: next-door-neighbor entrance to the wide expanses of California Adventure. Don’t forget your ticket. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel Spa, 1600 S. Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, (714) 635-2300; www.disneyland.disney.go.com/gran-californian-hotel.

The Disney Resort, (The letter M—as in Mickey—is the 13th letter in the alphabet, so what might “1313” mean?) 1313 Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, (714) 520-5060; www.disneyland.com.

MISSION INN

Louis Comfort Tiffany placed a blank check in front of Frank Miller. It was a well-known fact that everything at Miller’s Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside—a mishmash of historical design—was for sale, from the art on the walls to the TK chairs. Everything, that is, except Miller’s prized possession, a nearly 3,000-pound Chinese bell, the pinnacle of his 800 deep collection of ringers from around the world. That non-transaction led to what is one of the most stunning aspects of the national historic landmark and Mission-revival style hotel: the St. Francis Chapel. Since the hotel was never a mission, it should come as little surprise that the chapel isn’t really a consecrated church. Despite that, more than 350 weddings take place at the chapel each year. The chapel, which is also home to the Baroque style, 25-by-16 foot Raya Altar, carved from cedar and completely covered in gold leaf, houses the four large, jewel-toned stained glass windows and two original mosaics by Tiffany. The windows arrived mysteriously, according to the docent, by way of Madison Square Presbyterian Church in New York City, the windows’ original home and the church to which Tiffany was a member. The artist stipulated that if the church was ever torn down that he would receive the windows back. In 1919, to make way for growth, the church was demolished. There is no receipt showing a transaction, nothing in the books, so it is unknown whether Miller bought the windows or if Tiffany, so impressed by Miller’s protective nature for his prized possessions, gave them to him. Miller stored the works of art until he had the chapel built in 1931. (A. Owen)

Shelter: There’s no better places to stay than right here.

Mission Inn Hotel Spa, 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, (951) 784-0300; www.missioninn.com.

Photo by Richard Benton

BALBOA PARK

The 1,200-acre Balboa Park is known for its splashy whales at the San Diego Zoo, the Spanish Village Art Center, the rare trees planted by renowned botanist Kate Sessions and much more. But the true wonder of it all is the architecture. The park’s site, which is a registered national historic landmark, was established in 1835, making it one of the oldest U.S. sites for public recreational use. Named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Balboa Park was the location of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. The 1915 expo celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, drawing attention to San Diego as the first U.S. port of call when sailing north. While creating the expo’s permanent buildings, architect Bertram Goodhue created the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Some of the buildings are still standing, including the Cabrillo Bridge, the California State Building and Quadrangle (now the Museum of Man), the Spreckles Pavilion, the California Bell Tower, the Ford Building (now the Air and Space Museum)—that once had a road running through it—and more. The 1935 expo went for less high-brow attractions to wow the people. Sure, the Globe Theater added a little culture, but it was the Midget Village and sideshow entertainment like legendary fan dancer Sally Rand, an early prototype of a robot and a strange picture box called a “television” that created buzz. Even odder, was the nudist colony that featured a daily show with Miss Zorina who spectators watched get attacked by a robot only to be saved by her friends dressed like Jay birds. That site now hosts the butterfly-filled Zoro Garden. These days there is a serious lack of nudists, but the park is host to multiple museums, gardens, attractions like the 1910 carousel and miniature 1948 G16 train, venues and, of course, plenty of shopping and dining to round out the experience. But always be on the lookout for killer whales and pissed off robots. (A. Owen)

Shelter: Britt Scripps Inn, 406 Maple St., San Diego, (888) 881-1991; www.brittscripps.com.

Balboa Park, Visitors Center, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, (619) 239-0512; www.balboapark.org.

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