CCA Previews ’21: Table Tennis

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By Janine Chew (21S06S), Girls’ Captain, Lim Ye Ning (21S06A), Girls’ Vice-Captain, Donovan Koh (21S06S), Boys’ Captain and Leom Sheng Rui (21S03O), Boys’ Vice-Captain

Table tennis, also known as “whiff-whaff” or “ping pong”, is a fast-paced, thrilling sport in which players hit a lightweight ball back and forth on a table. Behind the spectacle of thrilling rallies lies a challenging juggling act; one in which precise skills and mental toughness are put to the test.

*The Raffles Table Tennis Family at the 2019 National School Games. (photo taken pre-COVID)*

The biggest highlight of every table tennis year is the annual National School Games (NSG) that typically takes place from March to April, where we put our skills to the test and compete against players from various other JCs. Across the six batches of Raffles Table Tennis (Y1-6), we all work together to strive towards our common goal: #6teams1dream1raffles. In the 2019 NSG, both the RJTT boys and girls teams defended the Championship titles for the 16th and 9th year running respectively, clinching 5 out of 6 gold titles as one Raffles Table Tennis family.

*The Raffles Table Tennis Family cheering together in the 2019 NSG Games. (photo taken pre-COVID)*

However, the road to success is never a smooth sailing one. In preparation for the highly anticipated NSG, we train thrice a week—Monday (5:00-8:00pm); Wednesday (2:30-5:30pm) and Friday (5:00-8:00pm) at the RI Gymnasium. We are fortunate to have the guidance of our coaches (Coach Zhang and Coach Pang) and support from our teachers-in-charge (Ms Lin, Mr Chan, Mr Ortega and Mrs Ng) who constantly provide us with invaluable advice and feedback, spurring us to improve ourselves and achieve our goals. We are also grateful for our alumnae who take the time out of their busy schedules to come back to spar with us.

In spite of our achievements, we believe that table tennis is not only about the competitions, but also about the friendships and camaraderie we’ve forged along the way. Besides the intense training sessions and competitions, the RJTT team regularly comes together for team lunches, as well as our annual CCA camp and farewell sleepover.

We are looking for anyone who has an interest and passion for the sport, preferably with some prior experience in table tennis. Table tennis improves reflexes, hand-eye coordination, mental alertness and speed of movement. So if you are looking to challenge yourself and break past your mental and physical barriers, do consider joining us and you can look forward to an exciting and fruitful CCA journey!