By Christian Adriel Tan (26S07B), Georgia Ong (26S03O), Looi Ee Xin (26S03M)
Special thanks to Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)
Photographs courtesy of Chew Rui-Yan (26S03N), Fang Rui Shan (26S06R), Kylie Chong (26S03E) and Zhu Taiwu (26S06K) from RIAC unless otherwise stated.
“Did you sign up for TRG?”
The hottest question of the past month. Sign-up links were flying around in every chat, and it seemed like every conversation ended with someone asking, “You going for TRG?”
Some just wanted the house points. Others were dead set on winning medals. But everyone seemed to be caught up in the same excitement. And on game day, the kaleidoscope of colourful house shirts, the cheers echoing down the field, and the collective determination that made even the most casual players look like seasoned athletes all made it feel like nothing else mattered—except giving your house everything you had.
It was that time of the year again—where (almost) the entire house unites, prepared to battle it out to emerge victorious.
Disclaimer: The writers of this article did not sign up for TRG. Which is exactly why we are writing this article.
Here’s a run-down of the system.
5 houses—Buckle-Buckley (BB), Bayley-Waddle (BW), Hadley-Hullett (HH), Morrison-Richardson (MR) and Moor-Tarbet (MT).
12 CCA events, with 3 finals for Basketball, Floorball and Hockey.
Everyone could give it their best, but only one house could be crowned champion. BW claimed the title in 2023, before MR snatched it away last year.
2025? Anyone’s game.
Game on.
Hockey
Hockey at TRG is fast and unforgiving —a 5v5 game with no goalies, where every mistake could turn into a goal. The crowd was buzzing, the sun unrelenting, and the writers—woefully unprotected by sunblock—were already questioning why they were even doing this coverage.
The bronze-medal match had just concluded, with MT edging out HH to clinch 3rd for hockey; the pitch was still sizzling from the sun and the growing exhilaration from the crowd. Friends and fellow schoolmates cheered on, with house mascots bounding across the pitch, waving flags and rallying the crowd, and house representatives leading chants. The writers — still sunburn looming — could only marvel at the grand showdown that was about to unfold right in front of them: BB versus BW.
The final between BB and BW was a tense affair from start to finish. Both sides displayed remarkable coordination and speed, but were also stuck in a relentless stalemate. By the end of the second half, the scoreboard stubbornly remained at 0-0, which reflected not a lack of effort but the sheer intensity and skill on display. Every pass, tackle, and interception were met with gasps and cheers from the crowd, whose chants only intensified as the minutes ticked down.
With the scoreline still 0-0, the game was forced into a shootout. BW stepped up first, but the opportunity slipped through their sticks as a crucial shot was missed. Ripples of tension went through their supporters, and all eyes were now on BB. It turned out to be Utkarsh Ram Vashishth (26S06F) who slotted their only point decisively into the goal. The crowd erupted, and BB’s supporters roared in triumph, while the BW players could only watch in disbelief.
Floorball
Floorball at TRG was a highly sought-after event; many people had signed up but ended up being reassigned to other sports. Each house sent their best—2 teams of 5 players each came stacked with members of other sports CCAs; multiple teams were composed of hockey players or ex-floorball players.
With players primed for this technical and stamina-heavy game, the 3rd/4th placing match saw BW’s two teams competing with each other. The teams fought tooth-and-nail against each other, guarding their goal tightly. It all boiled down to the penalty shootout, where BW1’s multiple hockey players came in clutch as they seized 3rd place for the team.
With BW1 and BW2 placing 3rd and 4th respectively, the finals saw BB and HH lunging (quite literally) for the gold.
The MPH was bright, with lights blazing down on the players. Spectators crowded around one side of the arena, eager to watch this intense match go down. It was a matter of game sense and skill, as players on each team sought to gain possession for the ball, keep it away from their opponents, and make a successful shot into the tiny goalpost.
Both teams displayed immense agility as they fought to get the ball closer to their goal, away from their opponents’. HH had 3 hockey players on their team, who translated their stick-handling skills from hockey into incredible ball control throughout the match.
Yet, the BB team didn’t let that intimidate them, as they made calculated attacks against their opponents to gain possession of the ball. The players manoeuvred swiftly, dodging past the HH players to make calculated shots into the goalpost.
At the end of the match, it was BB who emerged victorious, winning 4-3 to HH.
Basketball
Basketball at TRG had already proven its intensity. With a concussion scare that occurred during the preliminaries, it was understood that basketball was not for the faint-hearted, and was a stark reminder of just how fiercely everyone had competed. With each gender playing separate 3v3 games, countless people — regardless of interest in sports — turned up to watch the highly-anticipated finals.
With MT clamping down on their defence to narrowly secure a win over BW in the Boys’ 3rd/4th placings, the finals saw HH out for blood against BB. The prowess of the HH team quickly became clear, as they commenced warm-ups with multiple dunk attempts and a player making 3 out of 4 contested three-pointers.
Going into the match, the crowd was rife with energy, pumped up from previous matches. Be it standing along the court entrance or sitting by the courts, everyone watched as the 6 players stepped onto the court, ready to fight one last battle for their house.
The game commenced with HH establishing an intimidating early 3-0 lead over BB. With much bigger players and proven shooting skills, it seemed like an impossible challenge for BB to even land any shots against HH.
But it wasn’t long before BB evened up the score at 5-5, proving to be formidable opponents against HH. With every shot attempted, the crowd waited with bated breath—either to groan over the missed attempt, or cheer over the landed shot.
All eyes were on them, and all hopes of glory weighed down on each of the players. The players on both teams fought valiantly till the end, the crowds rallying them throughout the match. Yet it was the chemistry between the HH players that helped them surge forward and win the match with a resounding 17-8 victory.
The HH players shared with us after the match that it was Eu Han (26S03I) who had rallied the friends together to compete for their house. Likening their team stepping up to the plate to Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, the players, still high from the adrenaline of their match, expressed their joy over the opportunity to fight for their beloved house.
“We weren’t really playing for ourselves;
we were playing for the 400 (HH-ians) that believed in us,
that put our hopes in us.”
— Jayden Chew (26S06I)
With such a triumphant victory for their house, the boys walked away with a beautiful memory of their display of house spirit, encapsulating the true heart of TRG.
House Segment
To end off the day’s games, all 5 houses gathered together to await the final results. Who would emerge the victor of this year’s games?
The incoming captains took the stage for the first time, ready to lead their houses to the top. Well-adjusted, spirited and charismatic. Taking turns throwing friendly jabs at others houses, the usual oohs and aahs echoed when a particularly funny joke was made. Evidently, the new house captains fit right in.
We dived straight into the house segment with an adapted version of monopoly, House-a-poly. MT and HH started with a game of Fireball where the 2 houses competed to pass a giant inflatable ball from the back of the MPH to the front. MT pulled ahead this round, sending the ball to the front in record speed time with a slight detour onto the heads of MR, who kindly redirected it back.
Without missing a beat, it was then time for a three-way fight: BW, BB and MR faced off in a game of Feel the Bweat. Music ON? Stand and dance. Music OFF? Sit down as fast as possible. With an apt song choice of Miley Cyrus’s Party in the USA , the Y5s took a little longer to recall their orientation dance. However, they certainly did not take long to sit down—making it very difficult to differentiate which house was the fastest. After a few repeated rounds, it was BB who emerged as victor of the minigame.
Riding on the high of the win in the minigame, BB went on to emerge as champions of TRG. The cheers were deafening, as BB responded back with equal enthusiasm to that of their captains. A well deserved win, indeed.
MR is still hot on the heels of BB at 2nd place. And BW, MT and HH, at 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively, are still hungry for more. It’s not time for BB to rest on their laurels now, as other houses still lie in waiting to snatch the crown back. However, for now, all they can do is wait.
2025? BB’s game.
Game Over.
