Bali Expat Forum - Bali Travel Forum

[goldminer]

I am interested in being involed in sporting clubs when i make the move to bali. More in an admin side of things as a bit old to play aussie rules, cricket now Do any of the members living in bali have any involement in the sports clubs around you, or even coaching childrens sport? I have some accreditation but not sure what is involved in doing this in indonesia.

[Sydjapan]

A topic after my own heart! I am a sports fanatic from Canada. Relevance of Canada? "My sport" is ice hockey...hmmm...not much chance of getting a team going once I'm in Bali, though I once heard of a rich Sheik somewhere in the Middle East building a full-on ice hockey rink to make a team....

My other sport is inline hockey. There's a possiblity I was thinking? Main obstacle would be the expense/availability of equipment and of course someplace that has a smooth surface. Maybe steal some time on someone's net-less tennis court? Ok, this may sound lame, but has anyone ever heard of any kind of inline skating in Bali? Seriously....I have been a children's coach for years and have a hard time imagining my weekly schedule without some kind of coaching....

Those are my main sports thoguh I love watching almost anything and would give almost any sport a go, though I can TOTALLY relate to the "my spirit is willing, but my body disagrees" concept....it sucks getting old.

sj

[goldminer]

Dont know much about ice hockey Syd, but online hockey is on skates right? May be basketball is more the indo thing, getting local kids into some form of competition. Am not sure what exists in bali at the moment.

[Ipanema]

Read on another forum they have put a skate rink in Kuta, suppose to be like ice but made from parafin. Too hard for me to fathom I only like roller skating.

[Sydjapan]

I heard about the same thing and that it is in the Galleria Mall? I will try to check it out this summer when I'm in Bali.

Once I move to Bali, I really would like to be involved in sports. I think coaching is a great way to teach kids many life lessons through sports and sometimes it resonates with kids that can't otherwise seem to be reached....

I'll keep my inline skating/inline hockey dream alive....I truely believe anything is possible...

sj

[mimpimanis]

I have been to both Gallerias in the last week and didnt notice anything.

You dont mean the Snow/Ice exhibition that was here and has now packed up and gone do you?

[Sydjapan]

I actually read on a the BTF that there is actual skating going on and checked the net for the following:

"The new iceless skating rinks will be formed from 6-ft by 3-ft plastic panels, each weighing 84 lbs. and measuring just under an inch thick. A special wax is applied to the surface of the panels once they're assembled. The end result is a surface that is nearly 90% as "slippery" as real ice and can be skated on using normal, unmodified ice skates."

A poster suggested it is "small" so maybe you missed it? My image is that it would be nothing like a full size rink and likely a novelty, so....wonder how long it may last? Amazes me, nontheless, as I can also imagine it must be EXPENSIVE to put in, yet someone obviously thinks they can make a buck....

[Bert Vierstra]

I took my inline skates to Bali, but couldn't find knee and elbow protectors, and with the road conditions in Bali, you need those. WIll take them from NL this time.

I knew a Dutch guy who found some good inline skating roads in the West, but never been there...

[Sydjapan]

Ah ha...I KNEW I wasn't crazy - or at least there is someone else as crazy as me to think that there may be somewhere to inline skate/play inline hockey in Bali! I live in Japan and though being an expat has its own set of trials and tribulations, it can also open amazing and sometimes weird and wonderful doors....I have long ago decided that ANYTHING really is possible, never dismiss anything and try to alsways have a positive attitude! I will have to come up for a name for my inline hockey team someday ....hmm...The Bali Waterbuffaloes? Or maybe the Pot Hole Jumpers....
sj

[Bert Vierstra]

I think the larger wheel skates could be very suitable for Bali.

Like:

http://www.skates.com/Skorpion-skates-s/221610.htm

or:

http://www.landroller.com/


Hmmm a name....

Ricefield Raiders?

Hindu Warriors?

Bali Bad Boys?

[johnsie]

Hey I'd be happy to join your inline hockey team. I play center and right wing, only problem now is I'm still living in Canada so I've gotta figure out how to make some money in Bali. When I do Id love to start a team.

[mimpimanis]

I did find the ice rink last week at the Galleria at the roundabout, the one with Matahari & Planet Hollywood. Its is a small rink and there were only 4/5 children skating at the time. I thnk it was Rp25,000 inc skate rental.

[grastaman]

Canggu Club has organized sports leagues in football (and maybe other sports). Ive seen the adult league there and its a good mix of locals and expats (formed loosely by nationality). Im sure they have kids football programs as well.

Their fields are also small, but really really sweet (and lit for night games) at the Canggu Club (i.e. flat, covered, irrigated, soft, lined)

Other than that i think that sporting fields/tracks are hard to come by and most often a village field of varying quality and cover (usually lower quality and poor cover). Ive played a couple of weekend Ultimate tourneys at the field on Seminyak (behind corner of Jalan Kunti and Jalan Seminyak) as well as the Sesetan field and both are about as good as ive seen in Bali, which is not that good. rock hard turf, which doesnt bode so well if you are hitting the turf.

there is a Rugby league as well (Bali Gecko's?) and i think they would know where any good fields might be and more on a youth rugby league/teams.

Other than that there is the occasional Ultimate frisbee pickup game in Ubud (there is a International Ultimate tourney every year in Sesetan, organized by Jakarta Ultimate club), the regular (X-country run) Hash, and a ex-Major from the Aussie armed forces does "boot camp" on the beach in Seminyak in the early mornings.

Finally, i know that there is a fledgling youth swim club or two. i know they have problems with proper coaching and pool time, but my friends teenage daughter swims for one of these clubs.

[goldminer]

thanks for that grastaman, when you talk of football, are talking as in soccer or aussie football? As for the rest of your report, great stuff! Thanks

[grastaman]

sorry 'bout that.. i meant soccer. Canggu club fields are about 60% normal size i think and they have 2 of them side by side. last time i checked they were really well kept. for a while there was talk about Real Madrid opening up a camp here (also in Canggu), but as usual, that ran into red tape/politics/and probably greed and last i heard it fell through.

my disclaimer is that i dont live in Bali but visit 3-6 times a year (for the last 8 yrs) so my suggestions are more of an occasional observer than a Bali insider. i play a lot of sports and am involved at times with coaching/admin as well (like you) where i live. in some senses Bali is a sportsman's paradise (eg surf, wind, terrain, etc) but in others its sorely lacking (fields, leagues, organization, facilities).

two last things that just occurred to me was 1) there is a martial arts school (somewhere in Jimbaran?) that i see in the Bali Classifieds once in a while. i think they do mostly Muay Thai. 2) though the roads are crazy, i think there is a triathalon community in Bali. from what i hear the Sanur Bypass is a great ride, esp really early in the morning.

[goldminer]

Thanks again, i believe the bali gecko's are aussie rules team. Basketball is pretty international and surfing is a big sport in bali, except i am noooooooo expert