By Amy Ng and Sarah Yeo

Raffles Institution ‘A’ Division Trampoline clinched silvers for both boys and girls teams in the National Championship this year. However, it was a close fight and Raffles conceded the victory to Hwa Chong Institution while showing the true spirit of sportsmanship. In addition, the girls also managed to win the judges over with their graceful routines, receiving two medals in a tie for second place in the individual component, while the boys received a medal for second place.

In this year’s match, the girls’ team fought especially hard to bring home the gold for Raffles, missing it by a mere 0.1 points. Although the cheers and shouts of support during the match turned to sounds of disappointment when the scores were revealed, the girls knew they had done their best despite “competition jitters”, as explained by Etinne Tan (12S03M) and Tok Yin Xin, Captains of the Trampoline Girls team. Showing confidence in their juniors and future batches of gymnasts, they stated that the girls were working to “close the gap” between their current silver and the coveted gold. Alden Tan, Captain of the Trampoline Boys team, also shared similar sentiments when he revealed that this was not the gymnasts’ “best performance”, but they “did their best”. He also added that it would not have been possible without their new coach, fondly known as Coach Jia (Jia Jiao Lian). Mrs Alina Wee, teacher-in-charge of Raffles Girls School (RGS) gymnastics also praised our athletes for their hard work and effort, especially commenting on the boys’ team being “more polished and poised”.

As the competition drew to a close, a sense of accomplishment filled the air as the athletes ended the day with a resounding Raffles cheer of Rafblood. In the midst of stomping beats and raised voices, the Rafflesian spirit was evident in each and every athlete.