By Dylan Wong (19S06J), Boys Captain and Koe Chua (19A13A), Girls Vice-Captain
In Raffles Floorball, we believe that anything is possible. On court, there are no limits to what one can do – 45 seconds a shift to decide to pass, dribble, shoot, or create a magical play-up that gets you the goal. Floorball is a fast-paced and intense game that teaches you to outwit and outdo your opponents by being the most determined and creative that you can be.
But behind the mental vigour of the game lies months and even years of arduous physical training that culminates in skilled ball control, long-lasting stamina, and speed on court. Physical fitness is a requisite for floorball, even more pivotal than the mental tenacity and flexibility that the sport calls for, which is why our trainings three times a week are of utmost necessity. We train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the crucial few months leading up to season. Post season, the pace slows down to trainings just twice a week, depending on the availability of our coach. Trainings entail both physical trainings as well as court trainings, allowing us to hone our technical skills while maintaining a high level of fitness.
However, don’t let the seemingly daunting nature of the sport scare you just yet. In Raffles Floorball, we believe that attitude rather than aptitude makes the player. Maybe you’ve never touched a floorball stick before, maybe you’ve never run more than the 2.4km required for NAPFA, maybe you’ve never imagined yourself sprinting across an indoor court in pursuit of a holey plastic ball, but as long as you are willing, open and receptive to learning, we believe that we can make a floorballer out of you. In fact, almost half of the team hails from previously non-sports CCAs, creating a diverse community of individuals of different backgrounds, but tethered to a common passion for floorball. Yes, trainings may be tough, the learning curve may not be the gentlest, but we can promise that with the right mindset, improvement can be achieved laboriously but steadily.
In floorball, when we strive to outdo ourselves mentally and physically, we do it not as individuals, but as a team. Growing alongside each other, invaluable friendships are naturally forged. It is in floorball that the cliched saying: “it’s about the journey, not the destination” truly becomes a reality. After battling it out with opponents in a tough season in 2018, we’ve realised that the final placings of each team in the National School Games are nothing but a target to work towards. In the years to come, when you look back on the times when you competed, what you will remember are not the results of the games that you played, or the number of goals you scored. Instead, it is the bonds that you have forged through trials and tribulations, the camaraderie you obtain through the most intense of trainings – these are the memories that will last a lifetime.
Ultimately, beneath the physical and mental dexterity required in each individual, is the underpinning of the team. We believe that it is the team that makes the player. Beyond our individual ability, fitness, and performance, the team is the essence of this sport; team work makes the dream work. We are nothing if not for our teammates – the people who will always be there to support us, encourage us, and push us on, both on and off court. Every floorballer is a part of this family that we have, a bunch of people passionate about the sport, but more importantly a group who will always look out for each other and strive to do our best, together. Truth be told, it’s never easy in Raffles Floorball. But nothing ever is. After all, it is only through adversity that the most beautiful things can be forged and moulded, and we promise that what Floorball can give you will make the pain worthwhile.
