Why should the beautiful game be a man’s sport? Us soccer girls wear our mud  splatters and smelly sweat-soaked bibs as badges of pride for everything else cleaner that our CCA offers. That’s not to say you can’t join us if you don’t enjoy  playing in the rain though, because bathrooms – with hot water, no less!! – are at the ready after training in EWBIS, and flocking to them/our shower sessions are only another kind of post-training bonding activity.

Besides lunching, celebrating birthdays, BBQs and camps together, as Mr. Leong, our coach, always says, “PT is the best way to bond.” Our training includes Physical Training on Mondays, split up according to different goals over the
months: endurance, strength and agility. While running ten rounds around the track or doing a circuit of twenty-one stations may sound daunting at first, accomplishing such feats for and with your team can greatly boost morale! Improving your fitness over the year and realizing so will help both your team  and yourself – one of the payoffs of being recognized as one of the more “hardcore” sports CCAs for girls.

Apart from that, we have two training sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays where we are taught drills to improve our ball skills. Mr. Leong is very honest with us in saying that girls usually need more work, because very rarely have we played before we join the CCA. So don’t worry if you have never touched a soccer ball in your life – many of us started the same way too! What we’re looking for is the right attitude and passion to work hard (though basic coordination skills and some ball sense would be appreciated too). Just come down and try dribbling the ball because otherwise you’ll never know if you have hidden talent waiting to be discovered!

Beyond that, the team is really a joy to have as a family in the stressful years of JC. In fact, you literally hear us before you see us – because of the amount and volume of laughing we emanate. Messing up during trainings is always good reason to laugh, and creating hilarious memories always brings people together. So does dying together weekly during PT, and nobody complains because of how there’s always someone to cheer you on while you’re hanging from the IPU bar next to the canoeists. Having someone to run for on the pitch helps you understand Mr. Leong’s aphorism, “Lose never mind, but must win!” (He says many funny things by the way, starting from calling you ‘aunties’ to counting “2, 4, 6, 8, 7”.) Sounds contradictory at first, but what he means is that striving to win does not mean awarding the result the same importance as the process we go through together. He always goes through videos of our games with us after so that we learn, and always tells us if a game is good or bad depending on our teamwork and positioning rather than the goals we concede.

For more quotes from our beloved coach and other information, you can always visit the soccer board (one of the few remaining ones in school) in EWBIS, or join us and hear Mr. Leong’s stories of our stores and board yourself! Whatever it is, you get a kick out of soccer!!! >:)

By Ang Yu Sheng (14S06A) and Lee Hwee (14A03A)

Bid independently, call a card as a partner, guess who your partner is through the course of the game, and stop once you’ve reach the required number of “sets” – that’s what Bridge is to you isn’t it?

Welcome to Contract Bridge, where the confounding bidding process speaks meaning for itself. A game where your partner is already determined, where you are allowed to have a look at all of a player’s cards and if you are lucky, may even get to have a rest and spectate a game without even playing a single card! Seems like a culture shock?

Not to fear for we will guide all members through the basics and the various strategies that can be utilized for competitive play. Trainings are conducted on Wednesdays and Fridays, and include lessons on bidding and game play (which are conducted by a senior, an alumni, or our teacher-in-charge – Mr Marvin Lai), as well as pair matches or team matches to prepare members for different types of competitions.

In essence, what is the point of training and practising if we do not experience participating in a competition? Throughout the 2 years, we encourage members to participate in various inter JC competitions as well as other international competitions, which has produced outstanding results, clinching 2 out of 3 championship trophies across the inter JC competitions.

Bridge Club is looking for students who are passionate in strategic games which exercises their mental wit and intelligence. We are also seeking members who desire to pursue Bridge as their hobby, dedicating their time and effort to refine and hone their skills, and to bring their gameplay to a much higher level.

There is a common misconception that Bridge is but a frivolous social game that is predominantly based on luck. However, this is untrue. The result of a round is largely determined by the skill a player possess, the depth of analysis conducted, and whether he is able to exploit slight advantages available to earn extra tricks. This goes to say that the result of a hand does not depend on your cards, but the way you play them with your tactical knowledge. The same hand, played differently, will yield different results. Sometimes, one slight blunder can prove to be extremely costly.

This is not to say that bridge is a game purely for “intellectuals” or a game where more experienced players always win. Almost every new member of the club is new to the game as well. Hence, new members can learn to enjoy and explore this truly amazing game in a friendly environment at Bridge Club.

So come join us, and embark on a journey exploring the “king of all card games” (Bill Gates), and ace it yourself!

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The performance will begin shortly and we would like to remind all audience members to switch off all mobile phones or similar distractions such as stray Facebook or 9GAG tabs. Audience members are also to note that flash photography and awkward screenshots of this page are not allowed. Any resemblance to persons dead or alive is purely coincidental. Presenting, Raffles Players.

Raffles Players is an eclectic group of individuals with a passion for the stage, with a thirst for challenges and a whole lot of energy. We are a random bunch of students who have been thrown together by a similar interest and drive, (and unfortunately a common hatred of sunshine and exercise) and who have taken refuge in the pleasantly air-conditioned Theatre Studies Room.

Sessions are usually held on Wednesdays, with rehearsals increasing in intensity in the lead up to a production. Once it comes to production season, get ready for unimaginable fun (and stress). We have a number of productions at different points in the year. The time leading upto a production is an intense period where Players are given opportunities to try their hand at the different aspects of theatre, aside from acting. These include Sets, Costumes, Lights and Sounds, Publicity, as well as Stage and Production Management. From sourcing for costumes all over Singapore, to designing lights for every new production, be prepared for a fresh and exciting experience no matter which subcommittee you join!

Raffles Players is also proudly involved in organising one of the most anticipated annual IHC events – Dramafeste. This sees non-members engaging with the dramatic arts, proving that theatre is for all as the 5 houses strive to put on a wholly original production in a short period of time. 2014 will be an especially challenging year as Raffles Players will be participating in the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation as well. Life in Players varies greatly- it moves from a quiet buzz of activity, with 2-hour long sessions once a week to a frantic blur of marathon rehearsals. No matter the circumstances though, Players strive to deliver the best performance possible.

We’ll be frank with you- Raffles Players is no walk in the park. The pressure to perform and to do well is immense, and coupled with tight deadlines and limited resources, it’s a very challenge-filled two years ahead. Member Jo-Ann Heng commented, “It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. All my batchmates will tell you the same.” At the end of the day, Players always pull through.

The most rewarding part of the Players journey perhaps, is not the successful productions or the positive (if any) Press Reviews, but the people encountered and friendships forged through long days and hard nights. “Through Players, I have met people of uniquely different talents and characters, and created friendships that will outlast the stage”, mused member Ejaz Latiff.

Should you wish to join Players, the audition process is simple. For actors, it involves the delivering of a set monologue and various theatre games, and for set designers, the presentation of a portfolio will suffice. If you have no prior experience in theatre, but are keen to pursue an interest in it, you are very welcome to audition as well. After all, Chairpersons Eugenia Tang and Natalie Ng jointly ruminate that “The two years will be crazy and jam-packed with things to get done, but it’s really the random pockets of time you get to spend knowing your batch mates better that make all the difference – and that’s where you’ll find your most lasting memories.”

E.A. Bucchianeri wrote that theatres are “Curious places, magician’s trick-boxes where the golden memories of dramatic triumphs linger like nostalgic ghosts, and where the unexplainable, the fantastic, the tragic, the comic and the absurd are routine occurrences on and off the stage”. Hopefully, your journey will be as magical (yes, we mean this non-ironically) as ours has been so far and we look forward to seeing you soon!