Commentary

Commentary, Sports

Giant Leaps for Raffles at Rhythmic Gym Optionals
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Written by Joyce Er (15A01A)

Photos by Teo Si-Yan (14S03Q)

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Raffles Gymnastics’ competitors and supporters. Front row, left to right: Jolene Tan, Tan Min Ting, Megan Chong, Daphne Chia, Yan Zhixin, Lim Wannee, Cheryl Lee (reserve)

If you struggled with your NAPFA assessments earlier this week – and even if you didn’t – rhythmic gymnasts surely cut an impressive figure, with their effortless execution of feats of athletic and aesthetic mastery. Last Thursday, our rhythmic gymnastics team of six competitors, decked out in sequinned leotards, were dressed to impress at the Bishan Sports Hall. They did the school proud, bringing back a total of five silvers and three bronzes.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport with a performance element, making it a test of both gymnasts’ strength and agility as well as their elegance and aesthetics. Thursday’s optional routine category involved gymnasts performing an original routine, often choreographed by their coaches and set to upbeat tunes ranging from Oriental to Bollywood to pop. Their routines were scored based on the technical accuracy of execution as well as the difficulty of their skills; indeed, the D-score is often what makes or breaks a gymnast, though heavy penalties are dealt for mistakes like dropping one’s apparatus.

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Lim Wannee in her starting pose for the hoop event

Gymnasts perform with the use of any of four apparatus, ball, hoop, clubs, or ribbons, at a time. In addition, gymnasts who put up a routine for all four apparatuses stand a chance at earning a medal in the Individual All Around event. Juggling coordination, balance, rhythm, flexibility, speed, strength, control, style, audience appeal, and – of course – their apparatus, it isn’t hard to see where the challenge lies.

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Daphne Chia executing a back scale while rolling the ball along her arm

As anticipated, Thursday’s performances were technically and visually astounding, from the coruscating leotards – which can cost upwards of $400 apiece – to the dizzying succession of pirouettes to the mind-bending over-splits that gymnasts flawlessly executed.

Though there was certainly a spectacular range of ability on display, nobody was exempt from error regardless of experience. A fair number of clubs were dropped and balls were seen rolling out of the red boundary line. What was heartening, though, was the willingness of all spectators to cheer on competitors who had momentarily faltered, even if they were from rival schools. More than anything else, the competition was a celebration of the gymnasts’ passion and dedication for their sport.

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Megan Chong’s split leap in the middle of her ball routine

Having pulled a muscle in her thigh less than a week before the competitions, Megan was on painkillers that day, which limited her movement. Nevertheless, the ex-national rhythmic gymnast remained undeterred and pulled off her ribbon and ball routines to place third for both events, displaying some remarkable flexibility along the way.

For competitors Jolene Tan, Lim Wannee and Yan Zhixin, the competition was their first and last, having only taken up the sport a year ago. Despite their relative inexperience, they put up commendable performances, dexterously manipulating their respective apparatuses throughout their routines while maintaining a cheerful disposition and finishing strong.

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Jolene Tan rising from a kneeling position on her toes while spinning the hoop behind her

In particular, Jolene’s hoop routine impressed the judges, earning her the bronze with a score of 5.0, although her playful clubs routine set to ‘The Bare Necessities’ was thoroughly entertaining to watch and scored 4.42. Wannee scored 3.78 and 3.95 on her clubs and hoop routines respectively, while Zhixin’s ball routine earned a 4.38.

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Yan Zhixin balancing in a Y-hold while holding the ball aloft

Said Zhixin of her brief gymnastics journey, “It’s been fun. I’m blessed to have a good coach and great batchmates to train with. [My performance] could have been better, but I’m still satisfied that I got the chance [to compete].”

Tan Min Ting competed in the clubs and ribbon events, and confidently performed a cheeky clubs routine, innovatively accentuating her music by tapping her clubs together for a percussion effect. With a score of 5.32, she narrowly missed the bronze, which instead went to CJC’s Narelle Lee. The captain of RI rhythmic gymnastics was all smiles, sharing Zhixin’s sentiments: “Considering almost everyone joined in J1, I think everyone did well, especially Jolene. I didn’t perform the best I could, but considering that I have a lot of commitments, I think I managed to balance them quite well.”

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Daphne executing a side scale while twirling the hoop

As for Daphne Chia, the competition was not without accident, but her briskly-executed routines, unfalteringly daring throws, inhuman feats of flexibility and elaborate, spangled leotards left us quite literally starstruck, earning her all five silvers in the competition. After the day’s gruelling competition and the succession of four routines, she was beat by fellow national gymnast Tong Kah Mun, who swept all golds. She graciously acknowledged, “This year, it was quite an intense competition between myself and my teammates from the national team. I’m really glad that my teammates from Raffles did well, though we don’t train together.” Daphne will be representing Singapore in the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2014.

Raffles Girls’ Secondary School representative Dawne Chua Yun Xi also did Raffles proud by clinching golds in the ball and hoop events.

RESULTS

Hoop

1st – Tong Kah Mun, Nanyang Junior College, 11.5 points

2nd – Chia Theresa Daphne Yun Shan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 10.17 points

3rd – Jolene Tan Li Xuan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 5.0 points

Ball

1st – Tong Kah Mun, Nanyang Junior College, 12.05 points

2nd – Chia Theresa Daphne Yun Shan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 11.55 points

3rd – Megan Chong, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 4.67 points

Clubs

1st – Tong Kah Mun, Nanyang Junior College, 11.3 points

2nd – Chia Theresa Daphne Yun Shan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 11.17 points

3rd – Narelle Lee Salikin, Catholic Junior College, 5.5 points

Ribbon

1st – Tong Kah Mun, Nanyang Junior College, 12.92 points

2nd – Chia Theresa Daphne Yun Shan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 11.17 points

3rd – Megan Chong, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 6.33 points

Individual All Around

1st – Tong Kah Mun, Nanyang Junior College, 47.77 points

2nd – Chia Theresa Daphne Yun Shan, Raffles Institution (Junior College), 44.06 points

3rd – Narelle Lee Salikin, Catholic Junior College, 20.05 points

Commentary, Sports

Judo Team Clinches Silver for Girls and Championship Title for Boys
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By William Hoo (15A01E)

A few weeks back, RI’s Judo A Division team headed down to Hougang Seconday school for the National Schools Judo Championship. After defeating Nanyang Junior College in the semi-finals, our Judo boys and girls were set to face off against one of our fiercest rivals, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the team finals. Despite having faced HCI in previous years of the competition, the team was well-prepared and confident for this encounter in the finals, having trained extensively in the months leading up to the National Schools Championship. This year’s team finals indeed showed that the Gentle Way did not necessarily mean a gentle fight.

The atmosphere as both schools got ready for the team final was tense and fierce, with both judo teams performing their club cheers with pride. The format of the team event consists of five bouts played between opponents, with one member from each weight category. Each bouts lasts for three minutes, during which players aim to score an ippon. The victor of the event is determined by winning three out of five bouts. This did indeed set the stage for a suspenseful and exciting match for both the A Div boys and girls teams.

GIRLS

The first match was between the A Division girls of RI and HCI.

The line-up for RI’s A Division girls by weight category consisted of Cheong Hui Shyuan (-48kg), Amanda Chia (-52kg), Tania Forichon (-57kg), Joey low (-63kg) and Joyce lee (+63kg).

The opening match was easily won by Huishyuan, catching her opponent off guard while they were fighting for control over each other and ending the bout with several nicely-timed foot sweeps.

The second bout witnessed Amanda fighting valiantly, with her best effort. Both players were locked down gripping each other, but her opponent attempted a throw and managed to bring Amanda down to the floor. Her opponent pinned her down, and in spite of her best efforts at trying to bridge her opponent over, Amanda lost the second bout through groundwork.

With the current score even at 1-1, the third bout started with both Tania and her opponent playing aggressively, vying for a hold on each other. While there were a few close calls where Tania was almost thrown by her opponent, or pinned down after being brought to the floor, she remained composed and was able to parry each attempt. After a stalemate in groundwork, the referee resumed the bout anew at the centre of the arena. Tania seized the opportunity as her opponent went into defensive play, and threw her swiftly with a back throw, winning the bout for the team.

The fourth bout saw Joey putting up a strong fight against her opponent, with plenty of attempts by both parties to throw each other. Scores were awarded to both of them as the bout progressed. However, as the bout dragged on, Joey and her opponent engaged in a lot of intensive groundwork, each trying to pin down the other. Despite some considerable effort and spirit on her part, Joey narrowly lost to her opponent by points at the end of the bout.

The last bout of the A Div girls team event was a nail-biting one as it was the last deciding bout for both schools in order to clinch the championship. Supporters from both Judo clubs rallied in support of their judokas.

The match started in a flurry of aggression, with both Joyce and her opponent engaged in heavy groundwork – resisting each other while simultaneously seeking to pin the other down. However, Joyce was unfortunately caught off guard at a key moment, resulting in her getting pinned down by her opponent. Although Joyce tried her best to break free of the hold and bridge her opponent over, she was unable to do so and lost the bout.

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RI’s A-Division Judo Girls Team

Hence, with a score line of 2-3, RI’s A Div judo girls conceded victory to HCI for the team finals, coming in second and winning the Silver title for the school. Regardless, their effort was no less laudable and their team spirit really showed through with the immense support their batchmates provided throughout all their trainings together.

BOYS

The next match for the day was the A Division boys’ team finals, which showcased a spectacular display of skill from both schools.

The line-up for RI’s A DIv boys by weight category consisted of Davis Yep Swee Kiat (-60kg), Ong Jia Xiang (-66kg), Julius Sander Nugroho (-73kg), Henry Neo Jin Hong (-81kg) and Wei Yong Ji (+81kg).

The first bout for the A Div boys saw Davis being pitted against his counterpart in the Feather weight category. Catching his opponent off guard, Davis managed to counter his opponent and was awarded a score. His opponent eventually went on to concede two fouls through defensive play. Davis won his bout by points at the end of three minutes.

Jia Xiang played the second bout, with both players fighting each other for dominion over the other and grappling to throw each other. Unfortunately, while Jia Xiang played really well, he was brought down to the ground and subsequently pinned down, losing the bout.

With the score at an equal 1-1, Julius entered the third bout, facing up against HCI’s captain. The first point was awarded to Julius as his opponent conceded a foul for overly-defensive play. However, Julius was penalised shortly after for the same reason. The next point of the bout was awarded to Julius for a small throw, but the score was quickly equalised when his opponent threw him for the same score later on in the bout. With time running out, Julius caught his opponent off guard with a massive throw, scoring a major point. The bout was thought to have been won by Julius when in the final five seconds of the bout, HCI’s captain threw Julius for a major point that sealed a win for HCI.

The fourth bout featured RI’s Judo team captain, Henry who took an early lead with a foot sweep early on in the bout. He then went on to secure a win for the team by throwing his opponent, getting a full ippon.

Once again, the A DIv boys’ team finals proved to be exciting and nerve-wracking as well, with the score being equalised at 2-2 for both RI and HCI. The last bout would again be the deciding factor for the championship.

The last bout of the A Div boys’ team finals was nail biting from start to finish, as supporters from both RI and HCI yelled words of encouragement to both players. The early start of the bout saw Yongji conceding a small point. This was slightly demoralizing, but Yongji rose to the occasion, turning the bout around by throwing his opponent and following up with a pin. The hall of Hougang Secondary School was filled by cheers all around as Yongji secured the win and the championship title.

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RI’s A-Division Judo Boys Team

Hence, with a score line of 3-2, and after an intense showing by both RI and HCI, our A Divison judo boys brought home the championship title for RI.

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The Raffles Judo family

The good showing of RI’s Judo A Div team was the result of months of training and encouragement from their coaches, Mr Tan and Mr Low, as well as the teachers, Mr Kok, Mr Eng and others.

Raffles Press would like to congratulate the A Div boys and girls judo team for their stellar performance in the National Schools Judo Championships. Here’s wishing all sports CCAs the best of luck in the upcoming 2014 season.

Commentary, Op-Eds, Student Issues

What Prometheus Taught Us About Learning
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Caleb Chiam (14S06O)

Back when Mrs Lim was still the Principal and I was a lanky boy of dubious athleticism (still am actually) in Secondary Two, there was an assembly talk Mrs Lim gave that I dwell on every now and then. I didn’t expect it to stick with me, given that my attention was divided between her (in retrospect, very wise) words and a particularly riveting Math worksheet of a topic I cannot quite recall.

Continue reading “What Prometheus Taught Us About Learning” →

Commentary, Sports

Shooting to Win: Of Guns and Grit
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Raffles Press would like to express our appreciation to Shooting, for giving us the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a competitive shooter. If you would like to have your CCA featured on our student newspaper, do drop us an email at press.raffles@gmail.com.

By Radiya Jamari (14A03B)

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the school campus, adjacent to the basketball court, lies the shooting range. I, along with a few friends, was recently given the opportunity to experience the training that our school’s shooters have to go through every week. Perhaps some of us have preconceived notions about the sport, and may question the physical intensity of the shooters’ training. Stand, aim, fire – what can be so difficult about standing still and using only a finger to pull the trigger, right? I assure you that there is more to shooting than meets the (bulls)eye.

Shooting is no child's play.
Shooting is no child’s play.

Shooting is categorised into two events: the air pistol and the air rifle. Both are fired, using pellets, from a distance of ten metres. The air pistol has to be controlled using only one hand, in a standing position perpendicular to the target. For better balance and stability, my air pistol mentor instructed me to put my free hand in my pocket. I asked her for a demonstration on how to hold and fire the air pistol – and it looked easy enough. So I got into position, composed myself, aligned my pistol to the target, and fired a shot. It missed the target. Looks can be deceiving: while my mentor had a good grip and control of the pistol because she had been trained, I, on the other hand, had great difficulty stabilising my hand. Being the inexperienced shooter and naturally clumsy person I was, my hands were trembling quite a fair bit due to the weight of the pistol. I believe many of us may underestimate the physical endurance and stamina it takes to simply stay put and control our actions. In a sense, shooting is a sport that is unique from others because it does not involve the same motor skills; however, it requires the same amount of physical strength and exertion, and even greater hand-eye coordination.

I ended up having to sit down and hold the pistol with both hands first, before eventually having the confidence and stability to stand and fire single-handedly. Next, I moved on to the air rifle. Naturally, due to its size and weight, it is handled using both hands. The standing position was trickier to get used to: feet apart, the base of the rifle resting on my left knuckle, and my left elbow resting on my hip, such that my left forearm, hip, and left leg would form a vertical frame to support the rifle. Sounds tough? In the Olympics, the male competitors have to fire 60 shots within 105 minutes; for females, 40 shots have to be fired within 75 minutes. I could barely maintain my position for two minutes.

Yet what struck me was how my air rifle mentor stressed the importance of relaxing myself and gaining composure before taking a shot (he even taught me a few breathing exercises). While physical strength was also necessary to carry and support the air rifle, what was even more essential was the mental strength it took to maintain that position, and to concentrate instead on the aim and accuracy of the shot. I believe this was the first time that I had taken part in a sport where I was not gasping for breath, but I was instead learning to control my breath to gain stability, composure, and focus.

Like any other sport, shooting also involves a risk of injury. Shooters wear specialised clothing and gear to improve stability and prevent chronic back injuries.
Like any other sport, shooting also involves a risk of injury. Shooters wear specialised clothing and gear to improve stability and prevent chronic back injuries.

Beyond the muscular strength and almost superhuman balance needed to be a shooter, what really struck me were the psychological demands of the sport. It was truly a game of marginal fractions and slim percentages – as much as I celebrated every successful shot, I grew to appreciate the unerringly mechanical precision required of competitive shooters.  While we are often confronted by tragic stories of mass shootings that seem to take place far too frequently, I think many of us forget that what matters is ultimately the will of the person behind the trigger. In the hands of a trained athlete, elegance comes from the barrel of a gun.

CCA Events, Commentary, Internationally Speaking, Op-Eds, School Life

Exitus acta probat: Explaining No Shoes Day
Reading Time: 5 minutes
This letter was written by the Heartware 2014 Organizing Team in response to an opinion-editorial piece contributed by one of our readers. You can read the original piece (Acta Non Verba: One Day Without Shoes) here.
Kenya shoes

No Shoes Day is just around the corner (Thursday, 17 April).  An annual initiative by the Raffles Community Advocates, this event aims to raise awareness about the issue of poverty in developing nations. The act of taking off one’s shoes for a day has become a key feature of CA’s advocacy efforts, and will hopefully become a lasting tradition. However, we are aware that concerns have been raised about the usefulness of the project, and would like to take this opportunity to answer any questions or doubts that you may have.

A key concern raised in the recently posted article is that the influx of donated foreign-made shoes will destroy local cottage industries, causing local shoemakers to lose their jobs, resulting in the local community becoming over-dependent on foreign shoes. Based on our own research as well as discussions with our partner organization, the Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF), we are glad to share that the upcoming shoe donation drive will not threaten the livelihood of local communities.

Most importantly, the part of Africa the shoes are being sent to does not have a significant shoe-making industry. The shoes are going to the Tana River County, specifically the village of Isdowe. This village relies almost exclusively on agriculture, with the majority of villagers being farmers – it does not have a local cottage industry to make shoes. When villagers do buy shoes, the shoes are likely to come from larger manufacturing businesses located in larger cities in Kenya such as Mombasa and Nairobi. These manufacturing businesses, being much larger, are less threatened by donations of shoes. In particular, the limited number of shoes we donate every year (a few hundred) will not cripple local industries. Rather, the real problem is with large multi-national corporations, such as TOMS, which routinely and unscrupulously dump enormous numbers of shoes, along with a massive influx of cheap Chinese imports. This larger problem of Chinese imports will only be solved through economic policy, such as by the imposition of higher tariffs, or with World Trade Organization agreements. The number of shoes, as well as the breakdown of local industries, needs to be taken into context in examining this project; in particular, one needs to balance whether the shoes donated will do more harm or good. As elaborated upon below, the small number of shoes donated through the TRLF do significantly benefit local villagers.

Rather than simply introducing a free handout that encourages a dependency on foreign imports, the shoes serve to encourage entrepreneurship and create business in the local industry. The Mitumba project serves more as a microfinance scheme, providing capital for local entrepreneurs as well as providing the training and business skills they need to succeed. This is because, instead of just handing out the shoes, the shoes are sold to local villagers who pay $0.50 for each pair of shoes. They then receive entrepreneurship training, learning how to sell and market the shoes. The villagers, who then sell the shoes at $2.50 per pair, can then go on to use these skills to run businesses in the future. Without entrepreneurial skills, many local businesses in fact fail due to poor management. The TRLF views this as a way to help villagers in a sustainable way that respects their dignity and self-sufficiency. The payment for the shoes is treated much like a bank loan, which must be paid back; indeed, all beneficiaries last year had excellent credit discipline with no bad debts, and they submitted receipts to prove that the supplementary income was used to send their children to school. The 56 beneficiaries of the project were in fact women whose main profession is farming – without the skills provided them to run a business on the side, they would not have had enough additional money for education.

Moreover, the shoe donations to TRLF benefit the local community there in many long-term ways, going beyond the immediate donation of shoes. The Tana River Life Foundation has many other projects to benefit the local community, of which this project is only one. Out of the shoes donated, the shoes which are broken, old, or cannot be used, are first sold to the garang guni or sold in jumble sales in Singapore. Last year, sales made to the garang guni made S$1457, and the jumble sales raised S$5569. TRLF in fact places much more focus on this money raised as opposed to providing the villagers with shoes. Rather than this money simply being a handout, the Foundation invests this money in the local infrastructure, building schools, providing mobile libraries and improving classrooms, and rebuilding farms that were destroyed in floods. An example of how they improve local education would be by setting up the Delta Mustard Seed Academy, which educates 115 children of the Tana Delta river tribes. The entrepreneurship scheme is not only extended to the women who sell the shoes; training is also given to local youths to set up and run small businesses, learning trades such as mobile phone repairing. As the author of “Acta non verba” rightly pointed out, the correct way to help poor economies is through the introduction of capital, training, and infrastructure, which creates jobs and an independent economy. Most importantly, it gives the villagers dignity, and a way to break out of the cycle themselves.

No Shoes Day can indeed be seen as “slacktivism”, as it is true that taking off one’s shoes may just be a “feel good” gesture, that does not directly benefit the Kenyan locals. However, we hope that through this publicity gesture, we will generate greater meaningful debate about helping developing countries, and the ways in which one can help. Those participating can contribute by explaining the project and donating shoes. Hopefully, the participants will find it meaningful enough to be inspired to find more direct ways to help.

“What have I been taking for granted? What do I have to share?”

We hope that everyone who participates in No Shoes Day and in Heartware 2014 can better appreciate the little things we have around us.

We appreciate alternative viewpoints on this project, as well as on the wider event of Heartware 2014. Thank you for generating debate and giving us a chance to explain No Shoes Day, and we look forward to more discussion on the concerns raised. Excita acta probat: we hope that the outcomes of our work will speak for us.

For more information about the Mitumba Project please proceed to the following link: tinyurl.com/mitumbaproject14

Mr Gabriel Teo the founder of Tana River Life Foundation will be coming down to RI on Wednesday, 16th April 2014 (tomorrow) to give a talk about the foundation and what projects they are currently embarking on. Accompanying him will be three Kenyan youths. Please drop by LT6 (Block J)  from 2.30-3.30pm if you are free!