Commentary

Commentary, Sports 30 May 20158 May 2019

Holding the Court: Badminton Finals 2015

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Adelyn Tan (16A01E), Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E) and Huang Jiawen (16S06G)
Photos by Hee Xin Wei (15S03I) and Chang Po Chun (16S03K)

20th May saw our Badminton Girls playing their finals against NYJC for a shot at 2nd runners’ up, and our Badminton Boys going toe-to-toe against AC in a bid to earn the championship title for this season. With four matches going on at once, the atmosphere in Toa Payoh Sports Hall was tense, with a strong show of support from spectators looking forward to intense performances from both the Girls and Boys’ teams.

Badminton is a deceptively simple sport, requiring players to win rallies so as to score points; when a player wins a rally and scores a point, they then serve again from the alternate service court. The side that first scores 21 points, or 2 more points than their opponent in the event of a deuce, wins a game and wins the match once they win three games.

Wei Yee (16S03K) represented the RI Badminton Girls in their first match of the day. One would expect the very first player of the day stepping up to the court to suffer from bouts of nervousness, but Wei Yee was confident in her strokes, maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the game. Not long after the match had started, she managed to secure a win for RI, boosting the morale of the team and their supporters, setting the mood for the next game.

In the doubles, we had Kelly Tan (15S07B) and Charissa Wong (15S03G) in the first doubles, and Charis Chan (16S07A) and Elizabeth Yaw (16S06C) in the second. The coordination within each pair was seamless, enabling the RI girls to maintain strong lines of defense while directing their attacks at the blind spots in their opponents’ line of defense. Keeping up a steady momentum, both pairs sailed smoothly to victory with scores of 21 – 09, 21 -11 for the last games of the 1st and 2nd doubles matches respectively.

Particularly intense was the RI badminton girls’ 2nd singles match of the day, the follow-up game to two winning streaks, played by Chung Shiqi (16S06O). A seasoned and experienced badminton player, Shiqi had a powerful smash that she often used to her advantage. After dashing to the front of the net for the shuttlecock and sending it flying to the end of the court opposite to where her opponent was positioned, she won the first game with a clean score of 21-13. At the beginning of the second game, while Shiqi initially had a lead, her adversary soon began to catch up. The crowd watched with bated breath as the match turned into a battle of wits, skill and strength with many impressive moves made on the part of both players. Despite facing intense pressure, Shiqi kept up the pace, edging her opponent out point by point. Finally pulling away from her opponent towards the 20-point mark, she ended the game with a decisive hard slam, securing the 3rd match for RI girls’ team with a score of 22-20. All the players held their own with impressive footwork and technique, never faltering under pressure and showing remarkable teamwork when playing doubles, clinching their well-deserved third place title for RI.

Likewise, the Badminton Boys fought the good fight, keeping their opponents on their toes at every turn. Their first two games were closely matched — with supporters cheering them on all the way, the players put in all their effort and never once gave up or allowed frustration to get the better of them. Our boys fought hard till the very end, leaving the court with their heads held high despite their losses in the first two games.

RI proceeded to turn up the heat in the next two games, beginning with the 2nd Singles game played by Chin An (15S07A) who kept the game all over the court, consistently keeping the pressure up. He made several drop shots, clearly outmatched his opponent with his skilful net play, and won the RI Boys’ team its first game of the afternoon with impressive scores of 21-8 and 21-3.

The strong play was sustained through the 2nd Doubles, with Li Zhengxi (15S06B) and Jackie Tan (15S03C) showing commendable coordination, keeping it point for point with AC from the very beginning. With three points scored by AC within the span of a minute early in the game, the tension in the hall was palpable, only heightened by AC equalizing with RI at the 14th point. A neck-and-neck game right from the very start, both pairs made many comebacks, keeping the scoreline extremely tight. With capable players on both sides, there was a great deal of skill on display, with the point gap steadily narrowing and culminating in an intense last bout. Despite the pressure, both players kept their cool, worked together, and pushed through to win their second game. (21-19, 21-19)

With the score at 2-2, it all came down to the final game between Daryl Ng (15S06S) and Ronald Yeo of AC. Arguably the most breathtaking game of the afternoon, the final Boys’ singles saw a huge variety of lobs, smashes and drop shots traded all over the court, with Daryl containing Ronald impressively well in the first set (21-11). The second set followed with both players keeping each other on their toes, the point gap closing rapidly as the minutes passed, equalizing at the 14th point. A series of deuces ensued with scores keeping both sides on knife-edge as an epic exchange ended the set, only ending when AC took a victory 24-22.

It was down to the final set to determine if RI would win the championship title. It was one which saw RI not get off to a good start, with a 1-4 scoreline in AC’s favour during the first few minutes. At this point, Daryl put down his racquet, took a bit of a walk on the court, took a drink, and then came back in every sense of the phrase. Within moments, it was evident that his form was much more on point, with a series of smashes that led to a 6-6 equalizing comeback. A few more rallies brought us to a scoreline of 8-9, and a realization that this RI-AC match was the only match in the entirety of the hall which was still on. A long rally between the players saw total silence from all within the four walls of the sports hall. A kind of magic hung in the air, as everyone watched a stunning display of agility and grace, spellbound, and the only sounds were those of the skids and hits as they played – a stark contrast to the how the RI supporters erupted in thunderous cheers when Daryl scored to equalize after that particularly intense rally. The spectators held their breath when the scoreline reached 20-14, and a final quick smash brought RI to a score of 21-14 and the championship title for the Badminton Boys

“We really wanted this. We wanted to make it count,” as quoted by Kelly, the Girls’ captain. The afternoon truly was a triumphant battle of wits, endurance and strength from both the Boys and Girls’ teams. Perhaps best summed up by Vice Captain Zhengxi: “We came here. We did our job. Job well done.” Indeed it was. From us here at Raffles Press, well done, Badminton teams! Our sincere well – wishes for all future competitions following an incredible season this year.

“Raffles is golden, witness the moment.” – Daryl Ng, Boys’ Captain (15S06S)

Raffles Badminton 2015:
Boys: Daryl Ng (15S06S), Li Zhengxi (15S06B), Eng Chin An (15S07A), Jackie Tan (15S03C), Nigel Siew (15S97B), Ong Xing Xiang (16S06N), Zhu Bolin (16S03F), Neo Wei Ren (16S03M), Qi Xueqian (16S06F), Deo Teo (16S03S)

Girls: Kelly Tan (15S07B), Lee Shu Zhen (15A03A), Charissa Wong (15S03G0, Chin Wei Yee (16S03K), Charis Chan (16S07A), Elisabeth Yaw (16S06C), Goh Jia Ling (16S06S), Agnes Tan (16S06N), Zuo Hao Lin (16S03N)

Finals Lineup:
Boys:
1st singles: Zhu Bolin
1st doubles: Deo Teo & Qi Xueqian
2nd singles: Eng Chin An
2nd doubles: Li Zhengxi & Jackie Tan
3rd singles: Daryl Ng

Girls:
1st singles: Chin Wei Yee
1st doubles: Kelly Tan & Charissa Wong
2nd singles: Chung Shiqi
2nd doubles: Charis Chan & Elizabeth Yaw
3rd singles: Lee Shu Zhen

Commentary, School Life, Staff Features 29 May 201512 May 2019

Heavy Weights, Heavier Responsibilities: Appreciation Week 2015

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Izzat Rashad (16S03C)

The strength and conditioning gym at the EWBIS block is filled to the brim nearly every afternoon with different groups of fitness-oriented Rafflesians. Besides the various sports CCAs utilizing the gym facilities for training purposes, the gym also sees a sizeable number of Rafflesians with different fitness levels, pumping iron and working out together, ranging from the complete gym newbie to the seasoned muscular jock.

Commanding this assortment of students in the gym is the gym instructor, whose role is essentially to oversee the students’ safety and discipline when utilizing the machines and facilities in the gym, as well as to guide and advise students who have questions or difficulty with certain gym exercises. Raffles Press recently conducted a one-time interview with the gym instructor here in Raffles, Mr Jason Lim, to gain insight into the perspective most Rafflesians often overlook, and for those who do not frequent the gym, a perspective they are completely unaware of.

Continue reading “Heavy Weights, Heavier Responsibilities: Appreciation Week 2015” →

Arts, Commentary 29 May 20158 May 2019

CLDCS Annual Production — 翠谷回响: 雾中人

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Stella Soon (16A01C)

Photographs by Yany Chan (15S06E) and Sharmaine Toh (15S07C) Raffles Institution’s Chinese Language Drama and Cultural Society (CLDCS)’ annual production, 翠谷回响: 雾中人 (meaning ‘Man in the Mist’) was held on 15 May this year to a resounding turnout. The production showcased 3 member groups of their CCA: drama, songwriting, and calligraphy; drama and songwriting members performed their works during the concert, and calligraphy members displayed their works outside the PAC.

The production opened with a play, 雕像 (Sculpture), which was told from the perspective of an unnamed Greek statue in a museum. One day, to the statue’s utter confusion, he found himself alive and possessing the qualities of a normal human being. Desperate, alone, and with no one to seek help from, he wandered the streets countless times to seek answers to his existential distress, including the reasons why he came alive, how he should live, and who exactly he was.

The play evidently struck a chord with audience members, who gave a resounding round of applause for all the actors once it had concluded. While the action initially moved rather slowly, and relied heavily on short scenes to drive it, it gradually built up towards the centre of the play, when the plot twist was revealed: the other two statues in the museum were, too, alive. There were several scenes which required the three statues to stand still on wooden display blocks, and one can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the actors. This sentiment was echoed by Chairperson Jia Zhuo Jian (15S06H), who played one of the statues. He shared that standing still for such a prolonged period had been a “challenge”, as it was “not easy to maintain one posture for long”.

Next up was the song segment, which saw Zhu Deng (16S07D) as the opening act. His original song, titled 感动不是爱情 (Feeling Touched Is Not Love), was poignantly delivered to convey the message that feeling touched by someone’s actions is not equivalent to loving them. One just needed to listen to the music to feel the emotions he compellingly brought out through the soulful music and impressive vocals. Later, he shared that he “took some of his personal experience to recreate a scenario that fits the song” — which was done to great success.

Six more original songs were performed throughout the concert, but several were unfortunately marred by out-of-tune vocals. Yet the hard work and effort put in by all the CLDCS song-writing members was clear, especially since some of them did not have prior music background — Zhu Deng commented that his “limited” music background made his song-writing journey “fun, but quite challenging”.

A 15-minute intermission was followed by a unique performance, 五句话 (Five Sentences), which required the five actors to come up with a short play within 30 minutes, based on 5 audience-contributed sentences which had been collected before the intermission. The five sentences were random and at a glance unconnected, including sentences like “I want to drink milk tea” and “I killed him!”, leaving audience members anticipant to see how the actors would weave them into the play.

The actors skillfully made use of actions and facial expressions to drive the plot, with minimal reliance on lines. With wit and humour, the actors successfully weaved in the 5 sentences such that they flowed effortlessly with the plot, drawing loud chuckles from the audience every time a sentence was mentioned. One of the five actors, Yin YiRan (16S06S), candidly shared that “五句话 is definitely not something for the faint-hearted”, given the “high pressure” on the actors! She noted that “something so impromptu as 五句话 is really a test on the actors’ teamwork, creativity, and ability to think fast”, and that she “enjoyed it a lot even though it was very challenging”.

Following that was the last play of the night, entitled “红芝麻”, or “Bloody Sesame” in English. It explored the tension between pursuing wanton materialism and interpersonal relationship satisfaction from the perspective of a teenage schoolboy. Influenced by his peers, he developed an intense yearning for the latest iPhone model, which his family was regrettably unable to afford. His doting father, not wishing to let his son down, toiled day and night to earn sufficient money for the iPhone — but eventually, died from overexertion.

Unfortunately, the writer of this article felt that her proficiency in Chinese (or rather, the lack of it) significantly impeded her ability to fully comprehend the goings-on of the play, which was a true pity as many audience members seemed extremely tickled by it, roaring with laughter at the many humorous parts. Audience member Li Jia Xin (16S07D) reflected that the most memorable part of the play to her was when the schoolboy realised that “the most important thing in life is not to prove yourself to other people, nor to fulfill your material desires, but rather to appreciate what you have, and live your own life well”, as it was a moment that “deeply inspired and touched” her. Another audience member, who wished to remain anonymous, commented that the play should have a “more Singaporean context, as its China-based context resulted in some audience members not understanding the jokes told”.

Post-production, CLDCS’ Chairperson Jia Zhuo Jian (15S06H) reflected that he was “very proud of CLDCS’ members”. He shared that although “most of the J1 members did not have past experience of stage performance”, they still managed to put up a “really remarkable job”. Overall, CLDCS put up a commendable production, which captivated and enthralled the audience with the various art forms put up. Raffles Press would like to commend CLDCS for a production well-done, and wishes them all the best for their upcoming endeavours!

Commentary, School Life, Staff Features 28 May 201512 May 2019

Behind the Counter: Appreciation Week 2015

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Daphne Tang (16S03M), Lex-xis (16S03M), Stella Soon (16A01C)
Photos by Nicholas Chang (16S03K)

“Uncle, one bowl of bak chor mee, please!”

We hungry students know that R5 noodles is the place to go for comforting bowls of warm porridge or sumptuous, springy noodles, but how many of us know about the history of the store and the background of the vendors? In conjunction with Appreciation Week, Raffles Press conducted a one-time interview with Mr David Pheng and Mrs Chan to find out about a perspective we rarely consider – the one behind the counter.

Continue reading “Behind the Counter: Appreciation Week 2015” →

Commentary, Sports 28 May 20158 May 2019

All in for Raffles: A Division Netball Finals 2015

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Gladys Lim (16S03K)
Photographs by Hee Xin Wei (15S03I) and Gabrielle Jeyaseelan (15S06A) of Raffles Photographic Society

Raffles Netballers huddle with River Valley Netballers after the game.

Raffles entered the last game of their season unbeaten, but not complacent. Despite the clean sweep of their last 7 games, the team had trained hard and stayed dedicated this year, and the fighting spirit blazed in each one of them that afternoon on 22 May, as they readied themselves for the pivotal match of their season. The final match was against River Valley High School (RV), whose team had been credited for making it to the finals with only 9 players, and to boot, had clinched victory against tough opponents from Hwa Chong Institution. But in spite of this, the Raffles team was determined to put on the best fight of their season.

Once the match commenced, RV started off with the first centre pass, but a missed catch by their team’s Goal Attack (GA) coupled with a quick pick up by our team’s GA Tessa Wong, and an accurate shot by Goal Shooter (GS) Isabelle Belanger put our team ahead of their opponents. This boosted the Rafflesian team’s morale and steadied their play. Jeimin, who played in Centre position, provided good support for the team with her effective leaps and considerable reach. Timely runs and good flow on the attacking side allowed the team to take a comfortable lead of 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Wing Attack (WA) Freda Mah in a leap to catch the ball.

In the second quarter, our team’s defence increased the intensity of our play. Good coverage by our Wing Defense (WD) Yvonne Goh, enabled Goal Defense (GD) Rukimini Roy and Goal Keeper (GK) Ayshath Zaseela to intercept and make turnovers for the team. Our tight defence cut off RV’s offensive path, making it tough for them to advance their attacks. The pressure led to a held ball that gave Raffles possession. Nearing the end of the quarter, GD Rukmini Roy made a dash out of the goal circle for an unexpected interception from their opponent’s Wing Attack (WA). The second quarter concluded with Raffles putting in 17 shots and RV putting in 5 shots.

Goal Shooter (GS) Isabelle Belanger taking a shot.

Entering the third quarter, Raffles continued their lead but RV did not give in. A long lob into their goal circle was successfully shot in by their GA. Yet, we stayed alert and WA Freda Mah was able to make an interception and score. The shooters and mid-court players communicated well during a smooth trade of passes between WA Freda Mah and GA Tessa Wong. They were assisted by Eyu Yan Yan, who took the court as a Centre. She displayed keen foresight and made quick runs into free space. Tessa Wong also executed swift movements in the goal third with GS Isabelle Belanger who helped put in shots. With a score of 42-19 in favour of Raffles, the quarter drew to a close.

For the last quarter, the coach substituted some players in to give all the team members an opportunity for court time and to experience the adrenaline on court. Nadia Quek took on the position of GA and scored an accurate shot a fair distance away from the goal post. Natalie Rodrigues who entered as a WD also put up a good show with her skilful deflections and interceptions. On the defensive side, GD Grace Tay made some powerful jumps against her opponents in the goal circle. Geraldyn Leong played as WA and did exceptional feeding of the ball to the shooters, ensuring that the opponent’s defenders could not challenge the ball. River Valley on the other hand, made conservative short passes to put in 8 more shots. The game ended with a score of 52-29 to Raffles, securing our girls a triumphant victory.

To the spectators, the competition faced by Raffles Netball may have seemed insignificant – judging from their seemingly easy victory. But they undoubtedly faced much internal pressure to succeed. For this season, the team’s regular coach, who had been out due to the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, was substituted by a former national coach, Mr Goh Seck Tuck. Tessa Wong (15S07A), Captain of the Raffles Netball team says, “Coach was very serious, dedicated and experienced. He was straightforward, and expected only the best from us, yet was understanding of the struggles we went through. He has taught us to fight against the odds, and helped us to enrich our capabilities, such as by challenging us [through giving] new drills.” Indeed, their coach had impressed the beauty of overcoming obstacles not as one, but as a whole, upon the Netball team. For everyone, it had indeed been a memorable season as each had a unique takeaway and renewed passion for the sport, especially after constant and tiring – but meaningful – trainings to amp up for the match. There was one thing the team would be sure to remember: the sky’s the limit. Every process determines the outcome, and indeed it was a well-deserved championship title for Raffles Netball.

List of Players:
Ayshath Zaseela, Isabelle Belanger, Grace Tay, Natalie Rodrigues, Freda Mah, Eyu Yan Yan, Geraldyn Leong, Rukmini Roy, Tessa Wong Ting, Yvonne Goh, Tang Jeimin

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