By Julian Lee (Captain), Seira Yang (Captain), Reagan Cheng (Vice Captain), and Victoria Koh (Vice Captain)
Founded in 1924, Raffles Swimming is among the oldest and most established CCAs in Raffles Institution. Some notable alumni from the Raffles Institution Swim Team (RIST) include Mr Goh Chok Tong, the former Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, and Ms Quah Ting Wen, Olympian and 26-time gold medallist at the Southeast Asian Games between 2007 and 2022.
Despite training at our own respective external clubs, it is crucial for us to come together as a team to build chemistry and strengthen our bonds. While swimming may seem like an individual sport, being familiar and connected with one another is essential.
Whether it’s ensuring smooth relay changeovers or motivating each other to perform at our best during local competitions, our teamwork directly impacts our performance. The trust, encouragement, and unity built in the pool translates into confidence and speed when it matters the most.
Our daily life is usually very packed. While everyone is still sleeping, we swimmers dive into the cold pool at 5.30am in the morning to train, before rushing to school which starts at 8am. After a hectic day of school, we jump right back into the pool and train till late evening, before finally heading home to finish up our homework, and getting a good night’s rest before repeating the same schedule the next day.
While other CCAs have 2-3 training sessions weekly, competitive swimmers hit the pool about 6-10 times a week! On top of our intense training schedules, we also have to learn how to juggle our school work and social lives.
Though this life may sound repetitive and mundane, we gather on a regular basis for team bonding activities, with Values-in-Action (VIA) projects, and team gatherings, which always involve fun and laughter! We also meet up for monthly centralised training sessions before NSG season to practise essential racing skills, such as dives and relay changeovers.
The friends we make in this team make every training more enjoyable and worthwhile, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Even if swimming is mostly an individual sport, together we are still one Team Raffles!
One very exciting and interesting part of many RI swimmers’ journeys is overseas competitions. From representing Raffles in ASEAN School Games, to representing Singapore in major international meets, overseas competitions are a big achievement for many RI swimmers.
For example, Muse Goh (26S03B) represented Singapore in the 2025 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships, clinching 4th in Southeast Asia. Julian Lee (26S03N) also participated in the ASEAN School Games and brought home 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals. These are just some examples of our excelling swimmers in RIST, and we are immensely proud of their hard work and determination towards the sport!
To join RIST, there are no physical trials involved in the selection process; all you need is a competitive swimming background, and official timings from past competitions. If you meet these requirements and are eager to bring your swimming journey to the next level, come join RIST!
See you in the pool!
