RING TENNIS & THE UNITED STATES...ARE YOU READY?
Americans have been privileged to somewhat "own" a few of the worlds largest sports organizations and have turned them into some of the most lucrative businesses in history. The NFL, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, & MLB pay out hundreds of millions to players each year while earning billions. In Europe there are sports such as Rugby and Soccer that at the highest professional level, players earn anywhere from six figures to millions of dollars per season. We did not even speak about Tennis! Tennis players who at the top of there game and play at the professional level earn large endorsement deals and winnings from each match won. With all this being said, we all MUST think....where did they all start?
Did a group of guys just sit around having a good time and all of a sudden out of nowhere "lights start flashing"? To tell you the truth, that's how many of these sports began. Just 20 years ago the creator of Arena Football was attending a indoor soccer game with his buddies and wondered how the game of football would be if it were played in a indoor soccer sized field. Twenty years later, the AFL is on ESPN and earning players $200,000-$800,000 a year. The point I am trying to make here is "ALL GREAT THINGS MUST START SOMEWHERE"! The seeds must be planted for it to grow.
Ring Tennis (TENNIQUOIT) has been a major sport in about 7 countries since the mid 1900's but has eventually formed its own WORLD TENNIQUOITS FEDERATION. In 2006, the first World Championship games were played in INDIA. World leaders from each country heavily supported there teams and major corporate sponsors such as LG (THE COMPANY THAT IS PARTNERED WITH MOST SPRINT PCS PHONES) have shown support and grown interest in the sport. Currently, there are 11 teams from across the globe eligible and registered to participate in the 2010 World Games in Germany. In addition, the U.S. has also been invited to participate in the 2010 World Games and U.S. teams are being currently organized and trained. Like many other sports, Ring Tennis will quickly find its way into the hearts of Northern Americans as a family game, picnic event and eventually a physical educational curriculum in schools.
If the game of "PING PONG" AKA TABLE TENNIS can grown into an Olympic sport, pay large salaries, and have a player network of over 40 million worldwide, look forward to Ring Tennis joining the ranks of the current and popular competitive single and team sports!
THE U.S.A. RING TENNIS FEDERATION INVITES YOU TO JOIN OUR ORGANIZATION AND HELP US REPRESENT THE U.S. IN GERMANY IN 2010 AT THE 2ND ANNUAL WTF WORLD GAMES!
Eze Ejelonu
VP of Operations
U.S.A. RING TENNIS FEDERATION
http://www.mabiodun.com/ http://www.ringtennis.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Saginaw Sting players do more than just play football for a living
by James Falls For The Saginaw News
Sunday June 01, 2008, 10:24 PM
When game time arrives, players on the Saginaw Sting are all business, taking on the tasks of their assigned jobs in an effort to land another Continental Indoor Football League victory, like Saturday's 61-28 triumph in Milwaukee.
But it's back to the real world when the game ends, which for most of the players on the team means going about performing the tasks of their day jobs.
Having jobs outside of playing football is a great justification for wide receiver Charles Barber, and it's why he is sometimes late for meetings.
"The coaches want to get on me about being late, but it's like 'hey coach, I do have a job,' " jokes Barber.
Entertaining hundreds of fans weekly is not their only way of giving back to the community or helping kids; some professions of Sting players focus on just that.
Linebacker Kyle McKenzie teaches adults at Crossroads Adult School in Southfield. Quarterback Ryan Kaul is a special education teacher at Sashabaw Middle School in Sashabaw.
Offensive linemen Devaul Neal is a football coach for Henry Ford High School in Detroit.
Inspired by his own high school and college experiences, 6-foot-2 defensive linemen Eze Ejelonu is dedicated to help high school student-athletes with their transition to college academics and athletics through Daash Athletics, a program affiliated with 10/90 (10 percent physical/90 percent mental) sports camps.
It is a program where student-athletes can receive personal assistance, whether it is a personal trainer, academic assistance, scholarship searching or participation in camps and combines.
"Many athletes do not get the privilege to go on and play collegiate sports because their grades were bad or nobody helped them get noticed," says Ejelonu.
Besides working and playing football, some members of the Sting team also hang out together in their spare time. A group of former Michigan State University players -- wide receiver Charles Barber, defensive linemen Eze Ejelonu, defensive back Jeremiah McLaurin, quarterback Damon Dowdell, and offensive linemen Eric Knott -- hang out every chance they get.
"We play video games, go to clubs, go out to eat, you know, anything that a normal group of boys would do," says Barber.
After every game, each player stays on the field and signs autographs to fans.
Therefore, if you decide to head down to the field after a game, you could ask running back Nate Collins, a barber, to cut your hair, or defensive linemen LeRoy Barnes, a landscaper, to care for your lawn.
After all, these guys are working for a living, both on and off the playing field.
Sunday June 01, 2008, 10:24 PM
When game time arrives, players on the Saginaw Sting are all business, taking on the tasks of their assigned jobs in an effort to land another Continental Indoor Football League victory, like Saturday's 61-28 triumph in Milwaukee.
But it's back to the real world when the game ends, which for most of the players on the team means going about performing the tasks of their day jobs.
Having jobs outside of playing football is a great justification for wide receiver Charles Barber, and it's why he is sometimes late for meetings.
"The coaches want to get on me about being late, but it's like 'hey coach, I do have a job,' " jokes Barber.
Entertaining hundreds of fans weekly is not their only way of giving back to the community or helping kids; some professions of Sting players focus on just that.
Linebacker Kyle McKenzie teaches adults at Crossroads Adult School in Southfield. Quarterback Ryan Kaul is a special education teacher at Sashabaw Middle School in Sashabaw.
Offensive linemen Devaul Neal is a football coach for Henry Ford High School in Detroit.
Inspired by his own high school and college experiences, 6-foot-2 defensive linemen Eze Ejelonu is dedicated to help high school student-athletes with their transition to college academics and athletics through Daash Athletics, a program affiliated with 10/90 (10 percent physical/90 percent mental) sports camps.
It is a program where student-athletes can receive personal assistance, whether it is a personal trainer, academic assistance, scholarship searching or participation in camps and combines.
"Many athletes do not get the privilege to go on and play collegiate sports because their grades were bad or nobody helped them get noticed," says Ejelonu.
Besides working and playing football, some members of the Sting team also hang out together in their spare time. A group of former Michigan State University players -- wide receiver Charles Barber, defensive linemen Eze Ejelonu, defensive back Jeremiah McLaurin, quarterback Damon Dowdell, and offensive linemen Eric Knott -- hang out every chance they get.
"We play video games, go to clubs, go out to eat, you know, anything that a normal group of boys would do," says Barber.
After every game, each player stays on the field and signs autographs to fans.
Therefore, if you decide to head down to the field after a game, you could ask running back Nate Collins, a barber, to cut your hair, or defensive linemen LeRoy Barnes, a landscaper, to care for your lawn.
After all, these guys are working for a living, both on and off the playing field.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Former Michigan State Player Ejelonu Now With CIFL Sting
By Randy Snow
In his short professional football career, Eze Ejelonu has been many places. After playing college football at Michigan State from 2003-2004, he signed on with the Albany Conquest of arenafootball2 in 2006 and then played for the league's Fort Wayne Fusion team in 2007. But after only a few games with the Fusion he was traded to the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, where he finished out the season.
In January 2008, he was drafted by Team Tennessee of the All American Football League. However, just before the start of the new league's inaugural season in April, the AAFL decided to postpone its launch until 2009 due to the slumping economy.
With no playing season to look forward to, Ejelonu found a new team that had several of his former Michiagn State teammates already on it, the Saginaw Sting of the Continental Indoor Football League.
"I wanted to make sure I stayed in shape," said Ejelonu. "I've got to do more than just train in the gym. I've got to be out here playing. I've got a lot of friends on the team like (OL) Eric Knott and (QB) Damon Dowdell. We had a team chemistry back at Michigan State and I wanted to continue that chemistry and play football with these guys."
Ejelonu returned to Fort Wayne Saturday night (May 10) with his Saginaw teammates for a game against the Fort Wayne Freedom. He recorded two sacks during the game from his defensive end position and helped lead the Sting to a 34-21 win over the Freedom. With the win, the Sting improved its record to 7-2 on the season.
"I'm very excited that I'm on a winning team and (this team) has been my family," Ejelonu said.
Sting head coach Karl Featherstone is happy to have Ejelonu on the team. "He's got great footwork and great hands," said Featherstone. "He knows how to play that (defensive) end position. He's a very aggressive player and a great attribute to the defensive line."
But Ejelonu is more than just a football player. He is also an entrepreneur. He is the President and CEO of his own company called DAASH Athletics Enterprises, Inc., which will run sports camps throughout the year. The company will also have a scholarship fund to provide academic tutoring for athletes who can't afford tutors.
If all that wasn't enough, he recently had a tryout with the NFL Buffalo Bills.
So life is good for Ejelonu right now. His current team has a winning record and is certainly headed for the CIFL playoffs, he might be getting a call from the NFL or the AAFL in the near future and his company will be launching a web site very soon.
Not bad for a guy who never played football until his senior year in high school!
http://www.daashathletics.com/
- - -
Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football, the Continental Indoor Football League, the All American Football League and the Canadian Football League. Randy has been a member of the Arena Football League Writer's Association since 2005 and can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com
In his short professional football career, Eze Ejelonu has been many places. After playing college football at Michigan State from 2003-2004, he signed on with the Albany Conquest of arenafootball2 in 2006 and then played for the league's Fort Wayne Fusion team in 2007. But after only a few games with the Fusion he was traded to the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, where he finished out the season.
In January 2008, he was drafted by Team Tennessee of the All American Football League. However, just before the start of the new league's inaugural season in April, the AAFL decided to postpone its launch until 2009 due to the slumping economy.
With no playing season to look forward to, Ejelonu found a new team that had several of his former Michiagn State teammates already on it, the Saginaw Sting of the Continental Indoor Football League.
"I wanted to make sure I stayed in shape," said Ejelonu. "I've got to do more than just train in the gym. I've got to be out here playing. I've got a lot of friends on the team like (OL) Eric Knott and (QB) Damon Dowdell. We had a team chemistry back at Michigan State and I wanted to continue that chemistry and play football with these guys."
Ejelonu returned to Fort Wayne Saturday night (May 10) with his Saginaw teammates for a game against the Fort Wayne Freedom. He recorded two sacks during the game from his defensive end position and helped lead the Sting to a 34-21 win over the Freedom. With the win, the Sting improved its record to 7-2 on the season.
"I'm very excited that I'm on a winning team and (this team) has been my family," Ejelonu said.
Sting head coach Karl Featherstone is happy to have Ejelonu on the team. "He's got great footwork and great hands," said Featherstone. "He knows how to play that (defensive) end position. He's a very aggressive player and a great attribute to the defensive line."
But Ejelonu is more than just a football player. He is also an entrepreneur. He is the President and CEO of his own company called DAASH Athletics Enterprises, Inc., which will run sports camps throughout the year. The company will also have a scholarship fund to provide academic tutoring for athletes who can't afford tutors.
If all that wasn't enough, he recently had a tryout with the NFL Buffalo Bills.
So life is good for Ejelonu right now. His current team has a winning record and is certainly headed for the CIFL playoffs, he might be getting a call from the NFL or the AAFL in the near future and his company will be launching a web site very soon.
Not bad for a guy who never played football until his senior year in high school!
http://www.daashathletics.com/
- - -
Randy Snow is a freelance football writer from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2003, he has covered the Arena Football League, arenafootball2, United Indoor Football, the Continental Indoor Football League, the All American Football League and the Canadian Football League. Randy has been a member of the Arena Football League Writer's Association since 2005 and can be reached at randysnow22@yahoo.com
Monday, April 21, 2008
Big Mean Joe Dean: Confessions of the All-American
They told me everything would be okay. They told me that every thing is all good and my speed will pay my way. Hmm...that's the day I said to myself "Joe, you ain't got a thing to worry about" No doubt everyone would love me, the 4.3, the 4 TD's in one quarter when I intercepted three. Standing on top as the future #1 pick, but first gotta pass my SAT.
Its crunch time, but this is a different kind of time, no game lights, no cheerleaders screaming fight, its the hardest competition I've ever been in, it was time to put that paper to a pen. I'm sick to my stomach an don't know what to do, how to feel, I never prepared for an opponent just so real. Big, 350 pounders ready to break every bone in their body just to get to me, but don't scare me, not Mean Joe Dean!
I have never seen this kind of game before nor have I ever watched game film or studied the weekly playbook for his team before, they had a star player on the team..his name was Aca Demics. I was told that people beat his team before, but many fail and never come back to face this opponent again. I have to admit, I was not ready! They told me every thing would be okay they told me everything would be all good.
How dumb could I have been? So dumb that I took advice from people that only cared about winning. They never told me that one day I would face such a Goliath like specimen that would ultimately ruin my career. That day came, I tried my hardest to be the greatest of the great, but it was to late, I was to familiar with the study method called procrastinate. I remember my final play when I cam through a blocking lane that appeared open, then all of a sudden Aca Demic hit me so hard that my hands dropped causing me to fumble in the game of life.
Now take my advice, game time is great and all, but you have to be prepared for the much greater things you will face in the future that will create a winner out of you or a loser like me..Mean Joe Dean!
Eze Ejelonu
DAASH Athletics Enterprises, Inc.
President/CEO
http://www.daashathletics.com/
Its crunch time, but this is a different kind of time, no game lights, no cheerleaders screaming fight, its the hardest competition I've ever been in, it was time to put that paper to a pen. I'm sick to my stomach an don't know what to do, how to feel, I never prepared for an opponent just so real. Big, 350 pounders ready to break every bone in their body just to get to me, but don't scare me, not Mean Joe Dean!
I have never seen this kind of game before nor have I ever watched game film or studied the weekly playbook for his team before, they had a star player on the team..his name was Aca Demics. I was told that people beat his team before, but many fail and never come back to face this opponent again. I have to admit, I was not ready! They told me every thing would be okay they told me everything would be all good.
How dumb could I have been? So dumb that I took advice from people that only cared about winning. They never told me that one day I would face such a Goliath like specimen that would ultimately ruin my career. That day came, I tried my hardest to be the greatest of the great, but it was to late, I was to familiar with the study method called procrastinate. I remember my final play when I cam through a blocking lane that appeared open, then all of a sudden Aca Demic hit me so hard that my hands dropped causing me to fumble in the game of life.
Now take my advice, game time is great and all, but you have to be prepared for the much greater things you will face in the future that will create a winner out of you or a loser like me..Mean Joe Dean!
Eze Ejelonu
DAASH Athletics Enterprises, Inc.
President/CEO
http://www.daashathletics.com/
Never Looking Back
Have you ever been so preoccupied with your past that you never seem to get anything new started and finished? You could wake up every morning making plans to shoot extra free throws at practice or you can tell yourself to run that extra mile and push out at least 3-4 extra repetitions on the bench press. Unfortunately, many of us seem more comfortable accepting their past failures and would rather dwell in misery instead of "starting fresh".Come on people..WAKE UP! You are what you think and say you are.
Did you know that the mind can ultimately design an outline of your life? For example, if you believe and constantly say to yourself that you are the best high school or college fullback in the nation, one day you will be inducting yourself in the NFL Hall of Fame. You may not see it right away, but your mind will slowly mold you into what you think about 99% of the day. So don't give up, many people do not realize that "sticking with it" through the good times and bad will eventually pay off. With all of this being said, imagine if you kept in your mind an incident from 5 years ago when you blew the state championship game by air balling a three pointer in the last seconds. Go ahead, dwell on this all you want and you will one day hold the record for the most air balled shots in NCAA history.
I remember when I was in high school and we only won 6 regular season games out of 17. What did we do? We never gave up, we continued to work hard and have fun everyday at practice. Our high school basketball team always believed we were better then our record showed andwe knew that no matter what happened we gave it our best. We would eventually make a playoff run winning the District and Regional Championship and finishing our season two games away from the State Championship.Never look back at what you did in past, life is full of new adventures and new goals to accomplish. So get out there and make a name for yourself. Look forward with a head full of steam and never look back.
Eze Ejelonu
President/CEO
DAASH Athletic Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.daashathletics.com/
Did you know that the mind can ultimately design an outline of your life? For example, if you believe and constantly say to yourself that you are the best high school or college fullback in the nation, one day you will be inducting yourself in the NFL Hall of Fame. You may not see it right away, but your mind will slowly mold you into what you think about 99% of the day. So don't give up, many people do not realize that "sticking with it" through the good times and bad will eventually pay off. With all of this being said, imagine if you kept in your mind an incident from 5 years ago when you blew the state championship game by air balling a three pointer in the last seconds. Go ahead, dwell on this all you want and you will one day hold the record for the most air balled shots in NCAA history.
I remember when I was in high school and we only won 6 regular season games out of 17. What did we do? We never gave up, we continued to work hard and have fun everyday at practice. Our high school basketball team always believed we were better then our record showed andwe knew that no matter what happened we gave it our best. We would eventually make a playoff run winning the District and Regional Championship and finishing our season two games away from the State Championship.Never look back at what you did in past, life is full of new adventures and new goals to accomplish. So get out there and make a name for yourself. Look forward with a head full of steam and never look back.
Eze Ejelonu
President/CEO
DAASH Athletic Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.daashathletics.com/
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Team Tennessee Drafts 12 in Supplemental Draft
Thanks for the Support! I made it through PHASE 1.....I will be much more comfortable at the end of camp.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY HIGHLIGHT FILM: http://www.vtap.com/cgi-bin/clip.cgi?sl:289~CL0135413686_20fbfe798
This in an article from the Team Tennessee blog:
Team Tennessee picked up 12 more players in the supplemental draft that was held today.
Below are the draft picks listed by order picked:
1. Adam O'Connor, OL, 6-6, 290, William and Mary
2. James Shaw, DL, 6-4, 265, Penn State
3. Kyle Acker, TE, 6-4, 260, Salisbury
4. Kinny Spotwood, DL, 6-0, 240, Tulsa
5. Reggie Merriweather, RB, 5-7, 220, Clemson
6. Eze Ejelonu, DL, 6-4, 235, Michigan State
7. Brandon Haw, DB, 6-0, 203, Rutgers
8. Joe Danielson, WR, 6-6, 215, Wisconsin Platteville
9. Chris Ibezim, DB, 5-11, 191, Southern Arkansas
10. Thyron Lewis, WR, 6-3, 192, Howard
11. Jasen Esposito, OL, 6-3, 300, Kutztown
12. Derrick Byrd, LB, 6-1, 222, Missouri State
Here is what Team Tennessee coach, Andy Kelly, had to say about todays' draft:
"There are still some good players left in the pool," Kelly said. "Our coaches worked hard studying film and preparing for our draft. We got a lot of the guys we evaluated as good players. We'll know when we get them on the field, but we did fine filling our needs. We got stronger and deeper at some positions and drafted some players we feel can end up starting for us." -Source: WBIR-10 News
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY HIGHLIGHT FILM: http://www.vtap.com/cgi-bin/clip.cgi?sl:289~CL0135413686_20fbfe798
This in an article from the Team Tennessee blog:
Team Tennessee picked up 12 more players in the supplemental draft that was held today.
Below are the draft picks listed by order picked:
1. Adam O'Connor, OL, 6-6, 290, William and Mary
2. James Shaw, DL, 6-4, 265, Penn State
3. Kyle Acker, TE, 6-4, 260, Salisbury
4. Kinny Spotwood, DL, 6-0, 240, Tulsa
5. Reggie Merriweather, RB, 5-7, 220, Clemson
6. Eze Ejelonu, DL, 6-4, 235, Michigan State
7. Brandon Haw, DB, 6-0, 203, Rutgers
8. Joe Danielson, WR, 6-6, 215, Wisconsin Platteville
9. Chris Ibezim, DB, 5-11, 191, Southern Arkansas
10. Thyron Lewis, WR, 6-3, 192, Howard
11. Jasen Esposito, OL, 6-3, 300, Kutztown
12. Derrick Byrd, LB, 6-1, 222, Missouri State
Here is what Team Tennessee coach, Andy Kelly, had to say about todays' draft:
"There are still some good players left in the pool," Kelly said. "Our coaches worked hard studying film and preparing for our draft. We got a lot of the guys we evaluated as good players. We'll know when we get them on the field, but we did fine filling our needs. We got stronger and deeper at some positions and drafted some players we feel can end up starting for us." -Source: WBIR-10 News
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
All-American Football League Fundraising Opportunity
Here is a unique funraising opportunity from the AAFL:
Team Michigan of the All American Football League® to Offer Fundraising Opportunity to Local Church Programs and Youth Organizations
For Immediate Release
February 11, 2008
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The All American Football League (AAFL) and Team Michigan are pleased to announce an innovative fundraising program, where youth organizations have the ability to raise money through ticket sales for Team Michigan.The program, which was announced last week, has already been very well received by various church youth programs, high-school teams and clubs, and other charitable and non-profit organizations.
The program provides organizations with a fun, exciting way for their members to raise much-needed money. Many organizations have said that they have never seen their kids so excited and motivated to participate in a fund-raiser (see last week’s event photos at: http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/Michigan/CrosswalkGamingPartyGallery.php)Organizations interested in learning more about the program for fundraising can contact fundraising@aafl.com or call 877-286-3248.
###
Team Michigan of the All American Football League® to Offer Fundraising Opportunity to Local Church Programs and Youth Organizations
For Immediate Release
February 11, 2008
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The All American Football League (AAFL) and Team Michigan are pleased to announce an innovative fundraising program, where youth organizations have the ability to raise money through ticket sales for Team Michigan.The program, which was announced last week, has already been very well received by various church youth programs, high-school teams and clubs, and other charitable and non-profit organizations.
The program provides organizations with a fun, exciting way for their members to raise much-needed money. Many organizations have said that they have never seen their kids so excited and motivated to participate in a fund-raiser (see last week’s event photos at: http://www.allamericanfootballleague.com/Michigan/CrosswalkGamingPartyGallery.php)Organizations interested in learning more about the program for fundraising can contact fundraising@aafl.com or call 877-286-3248.
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