Seven years after sarcoma cancer cut short the promising career of Marcia Garcia Estrada, 40 teams of golfers gathered at Abama Golf Resort, Tenerife to raise 95,000 euros for continued research through the foundation set up to honour the Santa Cruz born player. On 14 January the teams of three amateurs with one professional played golf battled it out before pro star Miguel Angel Martin and his team, Justo del Castillo, Juan Manuel Rodríguez and Luis Bunueri emerged victorious.

The Marcia Garcia Estrada Pro Am is more about the competing than the overall result, and raising awareness of this aggressive form of cancer that killed Maria in September 2005. It was a gripping finale to the action as the winners shared a score of 53 strokes with teams led by Paula Martí, José María Cañizares and Josh Jenkins from North America. All the players and spectators that headed to the west coast course in Guia de Isora enjoyed the day and the boost it gave the foundation.

The on course play was backed by some sterling fund raising efforts and star-studded contributions before the tournament, resulting in a pre-match balance of 21,250 euros. A special auction featured a team shirt and ball from Spain’s World Cup winning football team which alone raised an amazing 7,500 euros. Other big names were also generous with unique offers; Rafa Nadal gave up a pair of his tennis shoes signed by footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball player Pau Gasol, tempting a bidder to part with 4,000 euros. There was also a bag of 14 golf balls from Pablo Larrazábal and VIP tickets to a Grand Prix.

The search for answers to beating sarcoma cancer is not publicly funded and relies on the generosity and dedication of organisations such as the Maria Garcia Estrada Foundation. Thankfully in Tenerife there are plenty of major companies willing to support the Pro Am tournament. This year the organisers were very grateful to Abama Golf Resort, Turismo de Tenerife, Gobierno de Canarias, Ayuntamiento de Guia de Isora and DISA.

Scampering up one of the 200 foot masts of the sailing brig Stavros S Niarchos, second officer Ben Wheatley made it look easy. Having climbed the rope ladder, and worked along one of the slats holding the sails, Ben was just below the 12 metre high Up And Over platform, one of the initial challenges to crew members signing on for a Tall Ships Adventure to build character and team work.

Santa Cruz and Portsmouth, the home ports of Stavros, are forever linked in history by a certain Horatio Nelson but these days there’s no need for press gangs. Up to 48 raw crew members of all ages pay to join the ship for week long voyages from its three month base in Tenerife. There are also 10 volunteer crew in key positions and six permanent paid crew who have worked their way up to Captains and Skippers.

I caught Stavros between a Sea Shanty and a Wildlife Watch week as Ben explained. “We had two professional musicians on board to teach traditional sea shanty’s, when we came back into Santa Cruz from our tour around the Canary Islands we entertained a bar full of people. On the wildlife trip we have an expert to educate the crew about the animals we see.”

It’s not all music and mammals, Happy Hour is a jolly name for scrubbing the decks to music. There are also long watches to keep the ship manned around the clock, maintenance, steering, and hauling the sails. “Climbing the masts to set the sails is a small part of the job, they are controlled by hauling on ropes that are coiled on deck. We have a motor but like to use wind power for as much of the voyages as possible. On a good week the sails are our sole source of power for two thirds of the trip.”

Topside the ship looks and creaks like a well worn eighteenth century rig but down in the modern hull the maker’s plate gives the true version, built in Appledore, Devon in 2000. The mess has a modern stainless steel kitchen, not a ship’s biscuit in sight, but the table area is cramped and the six cabins, each with eight bunks are best described as cosy. Sailors’ possessions are limited to a locker and a small box. Ages on the voyages range from 18 to 75 and each work team (watch) is a mixed bag of ages and both sexes. No sailing experience is required for the adventures, it’s a big learning curve that includes map reading, course plotting, and lots of team work.

Ben has been riding the waves since dipping his toe as a raw crew member but seven years on he is dedicated and very happy with a routine of five weeks on and two weeks off. “We tell our new recruits you will learn a little about sailing but a lot about yourselves.”

If anyone fancies a nautical challenge there’s more information at www.tallships.org

At the still-hot-and-sticky end of a long summer, Damien Vergez of FastFokus.com came out to Tenerife with a team of mountain bikers and all his camera and video equipment to film some of his favourite riders getting to grips with the unique landscape. Thanks to Matt at Sorted Sites, a mountain biking enthusiast who was on hand to help the film crew with their work, Tenerife Magazine caught up with Damien to find out what had brought him to Tenerife.

Many thanks to Manuel Faster Rodriguez and to Damien Vergez for these amazing images

TM: Watching your incredible video of freeride mountain biking on Tenerife, I can see that you and the riders all had a brilliant time trying out the island’s tracks and trails.  What is ‘freeriding’ and who are the top riders currently in the sport?

Damien: First, Freeride mountain biking is a state of mind, it’s type of mountain bike riding style. Freeride usually involves large drops, jumps, and manmade stunts. The trails are often accessed by shuttle or ski lift but can be pedaled as well. Freeride bikes usually have large amounts of suspension travel (180mm and more) and you can ride everywhere.
You have a lots of very good top riders in this sport and it’s difficult for me to give you names… but riders like Darren Berrecloth, Thomas Vanderham or Matt Hunter are some of my favourites

TM: Can you tell us how this project came about, where else you have filmed in the series and how you came to be in Tenerife?

Damien: It’s been almost one year since I began work on this project. I came up with this crazy idea to travel to different countries and film some amateur riders with their favorite professional rider in some of the most beautiful trails on the planet. Who hasn’t dreamt of spending time with their favorite rider/player? Regardless of our nationality, it’s something we all think about.

There is less and less snow in Europe and this sport is taking a large market share in the ski resorts. Tenerife is an ideal place for mountain biking. Weather is always good, you have big mountains, lots of awesome landscapes. Mountain biking is an incredible way to see the island of Tenerife! The island has huge potential to become a must in Europe!

TM: How much work do you have to prepare the ground for filming?

Damien:  It depends on the country and the place I am filming in. Normally I don’t need to prepare and work the trails I film because most of the time I film in ski resorts or places known worldwide like Whistler in Canada. Here in Tenerife you don’t have special “freeride” trails, only pedestrian ones.

TM: How did the bikes cope with Tenerife’s volcanic terrain?

Damien:  The Tenerife ground is very difficult for bikes and especially for tires. You need to be careful because if you go too fast you can fall directly inside a cactus… hahah

TM: Can you tell us where on Tenerife you did the filming and how long it took you?

Damien: More than 70% of the island is covered by national parks. Each national park has its own restrictions. Some, like Teide National Park, we were forbidden to use for our purposes. It was difficult to find the right places with so many restrictions. Most of our images where taken in “Parque Rural de Anaga” and “Bike Park Tenerife” (a private park in Tegueste). The filming was done over one full week.

TM: Which area of Tenerife did your riders like most and why?

Damien: Parque Rural de Anaga is really nice for mountain biking because at the same place you can find volcanic and forest trails. We also toured the island by car, and I must admit that we liked almost all places on the island. La Punta de Teno, El Teide, Vilaflor, Los Gigantes, Playa de Socorro… After mountain biking you have so many good places to visit!

TM: Would you recommend Tenerife as a good venue for freeriding and for mountain biking in general?

Damien: For sure I will! And it’s already done! I also recommend Tenerife for your holidays. Sun all the year, beach, mountains, forest… and it’s cheap! You can find pretty much all you want in the same place. It’s heaven, no?

TM: What’s your next project?

Damien: I have lots of great projects but I can’t say too much at this time. But I’m always looking for partners and customers, so if you need films or photos for action sports, feel free to contact me at fastfokus.com

TM: Thanks for chatting to Tenerifemagazine.com, Damien, and good luck with continuing to spread the word about freeriding!

Damien: Thanks to Tenerifemagazine.com for this interview. I hope to come back soon in Tenerife, it’s a wonderful place!

Faster Croquetas – EP5 from FASTFOKUS on Vimeo.

Making a stand by sitting down, the six strong female crew of Row For Freedom believe in their stamina and determination, but most of all they believe in their cause, to stop child slavery around the world.

Arriving in La Gomera capital San Sebastian I found four of the crew huddled over their boat, The Guardian, fine tuning and adjusting their home for well over a month as they row with just hand power, the 2,900 miles to Barbados. At just seven metres long and two metres wide, the fibre glass and carbon fibre craft has competed over the distance twice before but it’s a steep, cramped learning curve for the ladies.

Andrea Quigley from Colorado squeezed into a bedroom at one end of the boat. Four sleep in one end and two in the other between two hour rowing shifts. Cosy is a generous description. “We have decided not to have mattresses, we can’t afford to carry luxuries, it’s all about speed and safety.”

The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge sets off at noon on 4^th December, weather willing. The ladies have known each other less than a year and have crammed in RYA (Royal Yacht Association) training courses and brushed up on first aid, navigation and other skills. On deck Julia Immonen from Finland, Helen Leigh from Blackburn, and Katie Pattison-Hart from Dubai were grateful for any help they could get from some of the other 17 crews in the challenge.

“There’s a great spirit here in the marina,” said Julia “Everyone is happy to help each other and the people of San Sebastian have made us very welcome.” Most of the rowers sport a blue bracelet bearing the word Atlantic, a password to discounts from local businesses. Kate Richardson from Portadown and Debbie Beadle from High Wycombe were to join us later after liberating new team t-shirts during afternoon siesta. They may have stopped off for a carbohydrate loaded snack, all six have been bulking up in preparation, but they all looked ship shape to me.

ECPAT UK is the charity fighting to free an estimated 27 million modern day slaves, many of them children. Pre race, the team had raised 180,000 pounds but the ultimate aim is one million. As Julia explained: “As well as direct sponsorship (you can still donate at the website), after the race we will be doing interviews, public appearances and a book to make sure that the money keeps coming.”

There’s also the small matter of those two world records, one for the first six woman team to complete the course, and that means with no outside assistance. The other is the speed record. A rowing pair did 49 days but with luck the ladies aim to beat that. Christmas at sea will be an emotional time to be away from family and friends but Andrea revealed that they will get some encouragement. “Among the packs of powder meals there is a small surprise Christmas present for us and we also have a satellite phone link up with Sky Sports on the big day.”

The calm marina waters, army of passing well wishers and clear blue skies will soon fade as the hard slog of rowing begins but relieving the suffering of others is the goal that will drive them on.

Some might call it a holiday, but David Moyes and the Everton training staff made sure their Premier League footballers didn’t slacken the pace as they pounded up and down the pitch at Tenerife Top Training. Not that the players were moaning, it was clear to see that they were relishing a four day break as the first bite of winter moved in back home. The blues should have been here back in January but they only got as far as the airport only to find their plane had a major fault.

Making up for lost time, big household names like Phil Neville, Louis Saha, Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill led the club’s crop of rising home grown talent in a combination of sprinting trials and mini games. Manager David Moyes is approaching his tenth year at the helm, a great example of loyalty at a club that isn’t blessed with the mega bucks of their rivals.
Steve Round (above)  assistant manager, is proud of the clubs production line of hot prospects. “Our Academy is the best in the Premier League, midfielder Ross Barclay for instance is a local lad who joined us as an 11 year old and made his full debut this season at 17. Then we have lads like Seamus Coleman and Conor McAleny pushing for a regular team place as well so it’s really encouraging.”

Some players stand out more than others in the training session. Marouane Fellaini, a record 12 million pound signing from Standard Liege, Belguim in 2008, has become something of a folk hero to fans with his distinctive mop of hair. Phil Neville may be 34 now but the former Manchester United defender still has the fire and passion made him an England regular.
So what brought Everton to Tenerife? “We have great facilities at Everton but the climate out here adds something extra to training,” said Steve. “ We needed a quality set-up with all the back up like the gym and treatment areas so we had T3 checked out and it has worked out great for us.”

The tragic suicide of former Everton captain Gary Speed was felt hard at the club and on their return to play Stoke at home on 4 December there will be a charged atmosphere and an emotional farewell. “Gary was a great servant for this club, we will pay our respects to his memory and the family but once the whistle goes the players will concentrate fully on the game. They are all good professionals like Gary was and he would have expected nothing less from us.”

Sitting in ninth place prior to the Tenerife break, Everton will be looking to push on. “We had a tough start to the season playing all the top four sides in a short space of time, now the run of games is a little easier and we will be looking to capitalise on that.” Goodison Park may be considerably colder than La Caleta on Sunday but Everton will be sharp and looking to seize a UEFA league spot for next season.

Delhi, Shanghai, and…Costa Adeje, all stepping stones on the way to Olympic glory at London 2012 for the Great Britain swimming team. Come July some 20,000 fans will pack the London Aquatics Centre at Stratford hoping to witness a medal haul but for now nine hopefuls are sharpening up at Tenerife Top Training high above La Caleta.

At 20 years old Jak Scott has already tasted glory after early family sacrifices. “ I grew up in Hawick which was a rugby town so when I took up swimming and started to get good I had to make a 90 minute journey to Edinburgh. At 15 my family moved there, an amazing show of faith in me, later I joined Stirling University, they have a reputation for sporting excellence. In the 2010 Commonwealth games in Delhi I won a silver as part of the 4 x 200m freestyle relay (Jak also competes at 100 m and 200 m individual freestyle)  that was a great boost.”

Coach Rob Greenwood explained that “Stirling is one of five ITC’s (Intensive Training Centre) we’ve brought nine swimmers to Tenerife for two weeks, all with Olympic medal hopes. In March we have to select the British Swimming squad of about 50, they have to make set times and be the top two at each distance so it will be tough.”

Jak can’t wait. “The selection trials are the first test event at the Olympic pool, we had a tour just after it was finished, it’s an awesome building. This years World Championships were in Shanghai and there were a few thousand watching but that’s nothing compared to the 2012 games. That was my first GB cap and we came 6^th, it was the first time my parents weren’t watching me but they will be in London, each athlete gets two tickets.”

Plunging into the T3 pool Scott pushes himself in the second of two daily sessions with his team mates, they are clocking up 30 hours a week plus some weights and medicine ball work. The training is relentless in the medal chase.“ We came to T3 last year, it’s got to be the best facility in Europe for us. This time it’s all about building aerobic power, speed and pace. In January we did three weeks work in Singapore, two weeks after this it’s Poland for a short course event. I’m lucky that Stirling University are very supportive, they have given me a year off from my accountancy studies and British Gas support the development programme.”

Watching the swimmers powering through the water it’s clear to see their determination but will performing in front of an expectant home crowd make it tougher? “ There is pressure,” admits Jak. “But it’s such a privilege to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity. We will stay part of the duration of the swimming in the Olympic village but also take a short break at an Edinburgh holding camp to get out of the spotlight. “

Over the coming weeks we will be telling you where on Tenerife you can find organised tennis events or clubs where you can just pay and play tennis without being a member to help you when planning your trip to Tenerife, or if you are already here.

We start in the south west of Tenerife, at the Los Gigantes Tennis Centre, in the village of Los Gigantes.

The club consists of;

• 3 synthetic grass type courts
• 1 mini golf
• Swimming pool and sunbathing area.
• There is a bar and snacks are available until 16.00. It is also  the home of the famous Tipsy Terrace restaurant (restaurant closed in the evenings Monday and Tuesday).
• Car parking available.

The cost of the court hire is 10€ per hour.
Coaching is available by contacting john@tenniszoo.com
Courts are available for booking from 8am until 10pm (there is a small charge for floodlights)

The club is open for anyone to join in on their Sunday Mix and Match Doubles Event.
Booking is not necessary, just turn up around 9.50am for a 10.00am start.

Los Gigantes Tennis Centre, Calle Hibisco 4, Los Gigantes (right next to the bus stop in the village); (+34) 922868432

Regardless of your level of play, being your own coach is largely based on common sense.

The first step in coaching yourself is to become aware of what mistakes you are making. Very often when you ask a player what went wrong in their match, they can’t tell you. They might say something like “I didn’t watch the ball” or, “ I didn’t follow through” or they might blame their racket.

A lot of things can happen in a tennis match that can effect your play, ranging from the weather conditions, to what your opponent is doing, to how you are feeling that day. While we can’t tell you what to do in every situation, we can give you the information you need to make your own adjustments.

The Four Mistakes
When the ball is struck, only one of five things can happen. The ball can go in the court, or it can go long, into the net, too far to the right or too far to the left.

This seems like a simple concept, but we continually see players of all levels make the same mistake over and over without making a correction. This usually ends with a frustrated player who might conclude that they just didn’t have it that day. With a little bit of knowledge and some practice you can avoid that outcome. Making the same mistake over and over again is not a very smart way to play. If you are going to make mistakes, and everyone does, then it would be better to make what we call intelligent mistakes.

In the next edition we will be looking at how to coach your own serve.

The Tenerife and La Gomera Golf Circuit likes to broaden the horizons of their players and Buenavista Golf certainly meets that aim. It was the sixth round of the 2011 competition, now in it’s fifth year, on Saturday 17 September and 119 enthusiasts gathered to test the Isla Baja course.

Players and businesses alike have embraced the tournament’s mix of nationalities and levels of play. This round’s main sponsor was Calzados MBT but they were strongly backed by Turismo de Tenerife, Federación Canaria de Golf, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Heineken y Zumos Pago, Feledi Bodas y Eventos, Caroli Health Club from Sheraton La Caleta, C.C Gran Sur, Lexus Canarias, Cadena Ser, Canarias.com, Fred Olsen y Jardín Tecina, MBT calzado fisiológico, Hotel Jardin Tropical, Abama Golf & Spa Resort, Spring Hoteles, Hotel Sandos San Blas, VIK hotels group, Coca Cola, Fonteide, Holiday Golf S.L., Kalise, Hotel Spa Villalba, Ideal Joyeros, Carpas Atlántico, Axa Seguros, Tenerife Magazine, electrodomésticos Max Mark y la web especializada en golf mipuntuación.com.

The players showed their charitable side raising funds for San Lazaro childrens project during the day’s play and the trophies added another reason to try just that bit harder. Nearest the flag at the 4^th hole went to David Ian Pritchard, the best senior player was Fco. González Suárez with 39 points and the scratch player award was won by Jose Luis García Estrada with 34 points. In the longest drive section at the 18^th hole Monica Martinez powered to victory for the women and Rodrigo Hernández Díaz was the men’s winner.

LADIES  SECTION

First Category:
1st. Maria Dolores Sebares Urbano with 30 points
2nd. Francisca Reyes Martin Colchero with 28 points
3rd. Maria Luisa Forniés with 27 points

Second Category:
1st. Dulce Ramón Sosa with 37 points
2nd. Miriam Muro with 36 points
3rd. Maria Isabel Cabrera with 35 points

MENS SECTION
First category
1st. Francisco Gonzalez Suárez with 39 points
2nd. Jose Luis García Estrada with 36 points
3rd. José Manuel Hernández Martí with 35 points

Second Category:
1st. John Samuel with 43 points
2nd. Roberto Fiorini with 40 points
3rd. Eduardo Julvez with 39 points

Third category
1st. Werner Schwebke with 36 points
2nd. Rafael Castañeda with 35 points
3rd. Roberto Martin with 33 points

The 2011 Circuit is reaching its climax, there are seven tournaments at Golf Costa Adeje, Golf del Sur, Tecina Golf, Abama Golf, Golf Las Américas, Buenavista Golf and the grand final la gran final at Golf del Sur. For more information go to the web page for the Asociación de Campos de Golf de Tenerife www.isladegolf.com or email to circuito@isladegolf.com

Full results and standings are here Ver todos los resultados and a great range of photos can be found here Ver todas las fotos

On arrival all players were given a goodie bag containing a polo shirt , a cap and golf towel and this was to start off a fantastic day’s golf and fellowship for all the players.

The Arona Gran Hotel supplied the luxurious buffet and drinks at the 9th hole which was a very welcome site to all the players as their pastry chefs had made some fantastic home made pastries and cakes.

With some of the best amateurs in Tenerife, playing competition was stiff. There were3 classifications of males and two female categories. Cat 1 Male was won with 39 points by Alexjandro Grande playing off 3 handicap. Cat 2 Male by Tomas Aramas with 40 points playing off 18 and Cat 3 Male by Andres Guerra with 42 points playing off 20. The girls Cat 1 was won by Maria Jerez with 39 points playing off 11 and Cat 2 winner was Karin Beels with 37 points off 22. A lovely glass trophy was given to each winner and a luxury watch was given to Alexjandro for also winning the top scratch prize.

The prize giving and cocktail party was held at the Arona Gran Hotel later that evening with most of the competitors and their partners coming back to join in the fun and enjoy the lovely food and drink on offer. Spring Hoteles had also organised a fantastic raffle with super prizes, one being a trip to the UK for 2 people and a week’s stay.

Well done to Bernardo, Stanni and Bea from Spring Hoteles and Brendan and Joan from Golf Las Americas for the smooth running of the day and the evening reception… we all had a super day and look forward to next year.