By Raffles Press
The snitch remains in the air… It’s been over a week since TRG season drew to a close, where members from all five houses fought to do their houses proud, in a series of games that saw victors fall from grace and underdogs rise to glory overnight. Raffles Press is back to report back on the second week of TRGs, which was arguably as intense as the first.
Touch Rugby: Touch-And-Go/Midas’ Touch
By Caryn Chiah (19A01A)
Photo courtesy of Melvin Liam (19S05B) from Raffles Photographic Society
Grey clouds loomed overhead. Drops of rain fell lightly on the participants milling around the field. Anxiously, they swatted away imaginary water droplets, glancing at the silent lightning alert and praying for the best. Fortunately, the only formidable forces of nature that afternoon were the players on the field. Intense and at times intimidating, houses played against each other in mixed teams of four. Rugby balls soared through the air, were deftly caught, or dropped.
While the rapid nature of the game intimidated new players, players with prior experience actively sought to lessen their fears. Despite the serious coaching of new players and encouragement off the field, it all turned into good-natured laughing and banter on field. Most memorably, a BW player sprinted towards the goal, excitement building as he prepared to score. However, he placed the rugby ball down just before the goal line, to uproarious shouts of amusement and exasperation. Another player’s bid for the goal ended in the ball skidding across the ground and bouncing off a teacher. The unfortunate player cowered before her, apologizing profusely, before his teammates dragged him away and chided him for stalling the game.
In the end, though the sun had long disappeared behind the clouds, the grit, sportsmanship and teamwork displayed by all players shone through.
Rankings:
1st: BB
2nd: BW
3rd: HH
4th: MT
5th: MR
Badminton: It’s Not Racquet Science
By Yoon Shwe Yee (19S03B) and Benjamin Lim (19S03I)
Photo courtesy of Benjamin Lim (19S03I)
Swish, Smack, Swabble; Sounds that reverberated within the ISH as players warmed up before the matches began. The hall was a sea of colour as the eager house representatives milled around the hall, the slight delays doing nothing to dampen their excitement. The participants were quickly divided into teams, each match having their own courts and referees. Despite the competitive nature of the event, the atmosphere was easy and relaxed, with much interhouse joking and laughing occurring on court. Each match lasted no longer than ten minutes and the referees were quick and efficient in their announcements of the pairings ensuring that the event went smoothly.
From the very start, all house representatives played their very best in every match, house pride in full display. This fun-filled event ended with a victory for BW, yet the sportsmanship displayed by all the players ensured that everyone went home victorious in their own way.
Rankings:
1st: BW
Tied for 2nd: MT and HH
4th: MR
5th: BB
Volleyball: Serve’s Up
By Shervon Lee (19S06A) and Mabel Yet (19S03Q)
Photo courtesy of Timothy Low (19S06L) from Raffles Photographic Society
Tuesday afternoon saw basketball courts being transformed into volleyball courts and balls being spiked to the ground at alarming speeds. Volleyballs were flying in all directions as participants practised their digs and sets avidly at the nets. (In fact, walking into the courts seemed like an obstacle course in itself). As the matches ensued, the court lit up with an unmirrored vitality as the houses came together in a game of teamwork, perseverance and laughter.
The rules were modified to allow any number of touches as long as the ball did not touch the ground, which some participants made full use of as they whacked the ball around to keep it “afloat”. Laughter rang in the air when balls went soaring up to the ceiling, before falling with an unimpressive whoosh (in the same side of the court). Vertically-advantaged participants jumped for blocks over the nets, although some ended up painful crashes. Determined to save the ball, many also dived to the ground and tumbled a few inches, though the sacrifice did not always reap success.
The teamwork of every house shone through each game that evening. However, BB’s solid receives stood no chance against MT’s fierce play, and MT eventually emerged champions. At the end of the day, all participants had reached a consensus: “It was fun!”
Rankings:
1st: MT
2nd: BB
3rd: BW
4th: HH
5th: MR
Basketball: Get your Head in the Game!
By Sarah Chen (19S03C)
Photo courtesy of Brendon Loo (19S03H) from Raffles Photographic Society
Midway through the second week of TRGs, boys and girls battled it out on the basketball courts in half-court matches of 6 minutes each. From the sheer number of boys turning up for the games, it was clear that this was one of the more popular TRGs among the boys. The girls, on the other hand, were much fewer in number – there weren’t even enough MR girls to form a team.
Regardless, all the teams went all out, aggressively blocking their opponents to fight for each point. Spectators were just as involved in the games, watching closely and cheering even when their house wasn’t playing. In one match, the non-sports boys of BB and BW had the whole basketball court roaring with excitement. The BW boys were on a roll, scoring point after point in what was perhaps the most thrilling match of the day. Balls flew towards the basket from all possible areas of the cramped half-court, and with each unbelievable score, even the student referees were yelling with the crowd. Though BW bagged an impressive win over BB with a score of 15-2 in this particular match, it still wasn’t enough to beat MT, who emerged as the overall champion of this intense TRG.
Rankings:
1st: MT
2nd: BW
3rd: BB
Tied for 4th: MR and HH
One Earth: Searching ‘round the Globe
By Benjamin Lim (19S03I) and Nicole Chan (19S05A)
Photo courtesy of Andrew Yap (19S06Q) from Raffles Photographic Society
Why pay a small fortune for the Escape Room experience when you can do it for free at the One Earth Team Raffles Games? The rules are simple: Get out in the shortest time possible, and find and answer bonus questions about the environment to win big!
The atmosphere was brimming with excitement, peals of laughter ringing throughout the 3 classrooms used for the Escape Room. House representatives searched high and low for hidden clues that would help unlock that sly and unforgiving laptop. From witty puns to surprising tidbits of information, this Tree-RG event was not only a bonding experience for the house representatives, but also one filled with learning and great fun.
“How many years does it take for a glass bottle to decompose?” – A bonus question.
“400 years,” someone shot back confidently.
“No, 4000,” the facilitator replied, to the amusement of his teammates. Such was the mood for most of the event: light-hearted fun, with the inter-house competition aspect a bonus for most.
As this global expedition came to a close, we’re glad to say all the participants came out safely.
Rankings:
1st: HH
Tied for 2nd: MR and BB
4th: MT
5th: BW
Floorball: Sticks and Spirit
By Joyce Lee (19S06O) and Kwee Qiao Ying (19S03K)
Photo courtesy of Amy Lin (19A01B) of Raffles Photographic Society
A terrified referee leaps out of the court to avoid being entangled in a violent clash of sticks and limbs, but the players are oblivious to his presence, their eyes completely focused on the ball as they fight for its possession. This intense display of competitive spirit was merely one of many during the floorball TRG last Friday.
From the very first match between BW and BB, it was clear that all participants were playing with only one goal in mind— winning. To achieve that end, they pulled no punches. The sound of sticks clashing reverberated around the hall, the floor of the ISH trembled under players’ rapid footsteps, and balls flew out of courts countless times as both teams chased relentlessly after them. In one game, the floorball was not the only thing sent flying – one BW player dropped his stick midway through the game, sending it skidding across the floor. Another player from BW performed an impressive split to stop the ball from rolling into his team’s net and a few players tripped over the barrier while trying to wrest the ball from their opponents.
Most of the teams were evenly matched, adding to the heated competition. Players from both the sports and non-sports courts played commendably well, and could be seen hitting their sticks on the floor in frustration over small moments of negligence. After many close-fought matches, MT eventually emerged champions.
Rankings:
1st: MT
2nd: BB
Tied for 3rd: BW and MR
5th: HH
HSTA: Pacific Rim 3
By Keziah Lam (19A01B)
Photo courtesy of Timothy Low (19S06L) from Raffles Photographic Society
HSTA’s Friday TRG was the first of its kind- a unique simulation designed to mimic a crisis cabinet in a Model United Nations conference. The aim of the game was simple. Delegates from different nations were to work together (or not) to defeat Godzilla in what proved to be an engaging, albeit chaotic- and, at times, simply farcical- crisis session.
Working in their individual houses, participants put their imagination and eloquence to the test as they came up with increasingly innovative directives (actions sent to the organisers in the backroom that would shape the direction of the crisis) and tried to fit as many bad puns into their speeches as possible (in the case of some delegates more than others). Despite most having never attended a MUN conference before, the delegates were participative and did their best to secure the floor’s attention and the backroom’s validation. Ultimately, the team from MR, representing North Korea, won out thanks to their shrewd strategy and consistency.
To quote HSTA president Andrew Lau (19A01B): “From Godzilla’s explosive diarrhoea to generals caught [redacted] with high school boys, the participants’ ingenuity and capacity for messed up ideas never failed to amaze us.”
Crisis blog with updates can be accessed here: https://biglizardattack.tumblr.com/
Directives sent by the delegations can be accessed at tinyurl.com/explosivediarrhoea. They are purely fictional and are not to be taken as a reflection of the delegates’ true selves. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Rankings:
1st: MR
2nd: HH
3rd: MT
4th: BW
5th: BB
Table Tennis: Tables aren’t just for Studying
By Ina Song (19S07C)
Photo courtesy of S Rahul (19S06A) from Raffles Photographic Society
In this very last match of all of TRG 2018, the participants gave it their all.
Before the game, some of the participants could be seen training at the Table Tennis table in the cRIb. Others trickled into the MPH early to prepare themselves for the matches. Apart from the rhythmic hitting of white and orange ping pong balls, silence reigned in the hall. Though quiet, the hall was filled with excitement throughout the entire duration of the game. This was evident even for some of the non-participating spectators, who were so pumped that they started a mini improvised Table Tennis match of their own with the help of a Badminton net on the stage. As the matches progressed, the enthusiasm of the participants only grew, in fact, a few participants from MR and MT were actively playing friendly matches even after the games ended past 7pm.
The MRians emerged as champions, but more importantly, every participant across the 5 houses were all winners in their own ways, having persevered that evening.
Rankings:
1st: MR
2nd: BW
3rd: BB
4th: MT
5th: HH
With months of planning and hard work invested into the event, TRG this year was no doubt an unqualified success. Fighting for every point and cheering each other on definitely brought out the house spirit in all of us, and was a much-needed respite from studying all day long.
Raffles Press hopes TRG was an enjoyable and refreshing experience for all! With that, the snitch has been caught!
