By Lu Xin Yi (14S06B), Sushma Pai (14S03R) and Jayne Chan (14S03D)
Ever walked past the space 7-11 used to occupy and wondered what would be coming next? Well, most of you would have noticed the telltale sign board “Chill@RI”.
Chill@RI will be opening its new outlet on May 2 2014. Rapid renovation works and store cleaning are currently occurring at the space which used to house 7-11, to prepare for the new Chill@RI outlet. This new shop not only shares the same name as the minimart over at the Hong Leong Swimming Pool/RI boarding complex, but is also managed by the same couple, Aaron and Joanna. Aaron and Joanna have had plenty of experience serving RI (Year 1-4) students at the minimart but with the new shop at the heart of the Year 5-6 campus, they hope that they can reach out to the Year 5-6 students more. Interestingly, Aaron and Joanna also run a convenience store and a cafe at Hwa Chong Institution!
The sudden disappearance of 7-11 caused quite some buzz among students. When we interviewed Mr. Kevin Wong from Estate house, he shared with us 3 main reasons why 7-11 chose not to renew their lease. One was that their contract with the school ended last December. Coupled with “poor business” and a lack of manpower, the franchise finally decided to leave the school. Prior to 7-11’s departure, a SUBWAY outlet also withdrew from RI in 2012 due to similar reasons, leading to the school calling for an open tender – we even published an advertisement in the newspapers. Eventually, the panel selected Aaron and Joanna and granted them the license to open a store here.
Now, on to the much anticipated food items to be served in Chill@RI. Most of the foodstuff will be similar in price as well as range as the ones sold at RIB. There will be waffles and pastries to cater to those with a sweet tooth, ‘Healthier Choice’ products for the more health-conscious, and even shampoo and other toiletries for the boarders. The store will also stock items from the popular bakery Delifrance, such as cakes, donuts and muffins, all at a discounted price!
Aunty Joanna flipping through Delifrance pastry menu.
However, due to limited space and restrictions imposed by food licenses, the new minimart will not be able to serve made-on-the-spot waffles that have been a hit at Chill@RIB. Nevertheless, pre-made waffles and pastries will be served, along with other trademark minimart food items.
Quite a number of students are looking forward to the new store. “Finally I don’t have to walk all the way to the RI boarding side!” remarked Mahina Azeem of 14S03R. Indeed, opening the store at the Year 5-6 side has made the shop more accessible for Year 5-6 students who frequent the minimart. Since the shop only closes around 7pm on weekdays some students have also mentioned that they can get themselves something to eat in the evening after the canteen closes.
The number of days to the opening of the store is not far away. As remedial lessons, competition periods and late night trainings ramp up, this convenience would surely come in useful. So start looking forward to Chill@RI Year 5-6 branch!
By Maasha (15A03A), Valerie Yap (15S07D) and William Hoo (15A01E)
Yesterday, we explored the counsellors’ responses to some of the tough questions about going for counselling, stigmas related to counselling and even counselling as a profession. Today, we bring you the ‘lighter’ side to the counsellors!
By Maasha (15A03A), Valerie Yap (15S07D) and William Hoo (15A01E)
Counselling; a word associated with various problems, and inviting curious reactions. Yet, there is often more than meets the eye. In a bid to dispel the stigma surrounding this word, the three of us got the opportunity to meet up with the 7 friendly members of the Raffles Guidance Centre (RGC) team, to find out more about themselves and what they do.
Raffles Gymnastics’ competitors and supporters. Front row, left to right: Jolene Tan, Tan Min Ting, Megan Chong, Daphne Chia, Yan Zhixin, Lim Wannee, Cheryl Lee (reserve)
If you struggled with your NAPFA assessments earlier this week – and even if you didn’t – rhythmic gymnasts surely cut an impressive figure, with their effortless execution of feats of athletic and aesthetic mastery. Last Thursday, our rhythmic gymnastics team of six competitors, decked out in sequinned leotards, were dressed to impress at the Bishan Sports Hall. They did the school proud, bringing back a total of five silvers and three bronzes.
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport with a performance element, making it a test of both gymnasts’ strength and agility as well as their elegance and aesthetics. Thursday’s optional routine category involved gymnasts performing an original routine, often choreographed by their coaches and set to upbeat tunes ranging from Oriental to Bollywood to pop. Their routines were scored based on the technical accuracy of execution as well as the difficulty of their skills; indeed, the D-score is often what makes or breaks a gymnast, though heavy penalties are dealt for mistakes like dropping one’s apparatus.
Lim Wannee in her starting pose for the hoop event
Gymnasts perform with the use of any of four apparatus, ball, hoop, clubs, or ribbons, at a time. In addition, gymnasts who put up a routine for all four apparatuses stand a chance at earning a medal in the Individual All Around event. Juggling coordination, balance, rhythm, flexibility, speed, strength, control, style, audience appeal, and – of course – their apparatus, it isn’t hard to see where the challenge lies.
Daphne Chia executing a back scale while rolling the ball along her arm
As anticipated, Thursday’s performances were technically and visually astounding, from the coruscating leotards – which can cost upwards of $400 apiece – to the dizzying succession of pirouettes to the mind-bending over-splits that gymnasts flawlessly executed.
Though there was certainly a spectacular range of ability on display, nobody was exempt from error regardless of experience. A fair number of clubs were dropped and balls were seen rolling out of the red boundary line. What was heartening, though, was the willingness of all spectators to cheer on competitors who had momentarily faltered, even if they were from rival schools. More than anything else, the competition was a celebration of the gymnasts’ passion and dedication for their sport.
Megan Chong’s split leap in the middle of her ball routine
Having pulled a muscle in her thigh less than a week before the competitions, Megan was on painkillers that day, which limited her movement. Nevertheless, the ex-national rhythmic gymnast remained undeterred and pulled off her ribbon and ball routines to place third for both events, displaying some remarkable flexibility along the way.
For competitors Jolene Tan, Lim Wannee and Yan Zhixin, the competition was their first and last, having only taken up the sport a year ago. Despite their relative inexperience, they put up commendable performances, dexterously manipulating their respective apparatuses throughout their routines while maintaining a cheerful disposition and finishing strong.
Jolene Tan rising from a kneeling position on her toes while spinning the hoop behind her
In particular, Jolene’s hoop routine impressed the judges, earning her the bronze with a score of 5.0, although her playful clubs routine set to ‘The Bare Necessities’ was thoroughly entertaining to watch and scored 4.42. Wannee scored 3.78 and 3.95 on her clubs and hoop routines respectively, while Zhixin’s ball routine earned a 4.38.
Yan Zhixin balancing in a Y-hold while holding the ball aloft
Said Zhixin of her brief gymnastics journey, “It’s been fun. I’m blessed to have a good coach and great batchmates to train with. [My performance] could have been better, but I’m still satisfied that I got the chance [to compete].”
Tan Min Ting competed in the clubs and ribbon events, and confidently performed a cheeky clubs routine, innovatively accentuating her music by tapping her clubs together for a percussion effect. With a score of 5.32, she narrowly missed the bronze, which instead went to CJC’s Narelle Lee. The captain of RI rhythmic gymnastics was all smiles, sharing Zhixin’s sentiments: “Considering almost everyone joined in J1, I think everyone did well, especially Jolene. I didn’t perform the best I could, but considering that I have a lot of commitments, I think I managed to balance them quite well.”
Daphne executing a side scale while twirling the hoop
As for Daphne Chia, the competition was not without accident, but her briskly-executed routines, unfalteringly daring throws, inhuman feats of flexibility and elaborate, spangled leotards left us quite literally starstruck, earning her all five silvers in the competition. After the day’s gruelling competition and the succession of four routines, she was beat by fellow national gymnast Tong Kah Mun, who swept all golds. She graciously acknowledged, “This year, it was quite an intense competition between myself and my teammates from the national team. I’m really glad that my teammates from Raffles did well, though we don’t train together.” Daphne will be representing Singapore in the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2014.
Raffles Girls’ Secondary School representative Dawne Chua Yun Xi also did Raffles proud by clinching golds in the ball and hoop events.
A few weeks back, RI’s Judo A Division team headed down to Hougang Seconday school for the National Schools Judo Championship. After defeating Nanyang Junior College in the semi-finals, our Judo boys and girls were set to face off against one of our fiercest rivals, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the team finals. Despite having faced HCI in previous years of the competition, the team was well-prepared and confident for this encounter in the finals, having trained extensively in the months leading up to the National Schools Championship. This year’s team finals indeed showed that the Gentle Way did not necessarily mean a gentle fight.
The atmosphere as both schools got ready for the team final was tense and fierce, with both judo teams performing their club cheers with pride. The format of the team event consists of five bouts played between opponents, with one member from each weight category. Each bouts lasts for three minutes, during which players aim to score an ippon. The victor of the event is determined by winning three out of five bouts. This did indeed set the stage for a suspenseful and exciting match for both the A Div boys and girls teams.
GIRLS
The first match was between the A Division girls of RI and HCI.
The line-up for RI’s A Division girls by weight category consisted of Cheong Hui Shyuan (-48kg), Amanda Chia (-52kg), Tania Forichon (-57kg), Joey low (-63kg) and Joyce lee (+63kg).
The opening match was easily won by Huishyuan, catching her opponent off guard while they were fighting for control over each other and ending the bout with several nicely-timed foot sweeps.
The second bout witnessed Amanda fighting valiantly, with her best effort. Both players were locked down gripping each other, but her opponent attempted a throw and managed to bring Amanda down to the floor. Her opponent pinned her down, and in spite of her best efforts at trying to bridge her opponent over, Amanda lost the second bout through groundwork.
With the current score even at 1-1, the third bout started with both Tania and her opponent playing aggressively, vying for a hold on each other. While there were a few close calls where Tania was almost thrown by her opponent, or pinned down after being brought to the floor, she remained composed and was able to parry each attempt. After a stalemate in groundwork, the referee resumed the bout anew at the centre of the arena. Tania seized the opportunity as her opponent went into defensive play, and threw her swiftly with a back throw, winning the bout for the team.
The fourth bout saw Joey putting up a strong fight against her opponent, with plenty of attempts by both parties to throw each other. Scores were awarded to both of them as the bout progressed. However, as the bout dragged on, Joey and her opponent engaged in a lot of intensive groundwork, each trying to pin down the other. Despite some considerable effort and spirit on her part, Joey narrowly lost to her opponent by points at the end of the bout.
The last bout of the A Div girls team event was a nail-biting one as it was the last deciding bout for both schools in order to clinch the championship. Supporters from both Judo clubs rallied in support of their judokas.
The match started in a flurry of aggression, with both Joyce and her opponent engaged in heavy groundwork – resisting each other while simultaneously seeking to pin the other down. However, Joyce was unfortunately caught off guard at a key moment, resulting in her getting pinned down by her opponent. Although Joyce tried her best to break free of the hold and bridge her opponent over, she was unable to do so and lost the bout.
RI’s A-Division Judo Girls Team
Hence, with a score line of 2-3, RI’s A Div judo girls conceded victory to HCI for the team finals, coming in second and winning the Silver title for the school. Regardless, their effort was no less laudable and their team spirit really showed through with the immense support their batchmates provided throughout all their trainings together.
BOYS
The next match for the day was the A Division boys’ team finals, which showcased a spectacular display of skill from both schools.
The line-up for RI’s A DIv boys by weight category consisted of Davis Yep Swee Kiat (-60kg), Ong Jia Xiang (-66kg), Julius Sander Nugroho (-73kg), Henry Neo Jin Hong (-81kg) and Wei Yong Ji (+81kg).
The first bout for the A Div boys saw Davis being pitted against his counterpart in the Feather weight category. Catching his opponent off guard, Davis managed to counter his opponent and was awarded a score. His opponent eventually went on to concede two fouls through defensive play. Davis won his bout by points at the end of three minutes.
Jia Xiang played the second bout, with both players fighting each other for dominion over the other and grappling to throw each other. Unfortunately, while Jia Xiang played really well, he was brought down to the ground and subsequently pinned down, losing the bout.
With the score at an equal 1-1, Julius entered the third bout, facing up against HCI’s captain. The first point was awarded to Julius as his opponent conceded a foul for overly-defensive play. However, Julius was penalised shortly after for the same reason. The next point of the bout was awarded to Julius for a small throw, but the score was quickly equalised when his opponent threw him for the same score later on in the bout. With time running out, Julius caught his opponent off guard with a massive throw, scoring a major point. The bout was thought to have been won by Julius when in the final five seconds of the bout, HCI’s captain threw Julius for a major point that sealed a win for HCI.
The fourth bout featured RI’s Judo team captain, Henry who took an early lead with a foot sweep early on in the bout. He then went on to secure a win for the team by throwing his opponent, getting a full ippon.
Once again, the A DIv boys’ team finals proved to be exciting and nerve-wracking as well, with the score being equalised at 2-2 for both RI and HCI. The last bout would again be the deciding factor for the championship.
The last bout of the A Div boys’ team finals was nail biting from start to finish, as supporters from both RI and HCI yelled words of encouragement to both players. The early start of the bout saw Yongji conceding a small point. This was slightly demoralizing, but Yongji rose to the occasion, turning the bout around by throwing his opponent and following up with a pin. The hall of Hougang Secondary School was filled by cheers all around as Yongji secured the win and the championship title.
RI’s A-Division Judo Boys Team
Hence, with a score line of 3-2, and after an intense showing by both RI and HCI, our A Divison judo boys brought home the championship title for RI.
The Raffles Judo family
The good showing of RI’s Judo A Div team was the result of months of training and encouragement from their coaches, Mr Tan and Mr Low, as well as the teachers, Mr Kok, Mr Eng and others.
Raffles Press would like to congratulate the A Div boys and girls judo team for their stellar performance in the National Schools Judo Championships. Here’s wishing all sports CCAs the best of luck in the upcoming 2014 season.
