Did you know human trafficking exists in Singapore?
“Huh?” Many people say when asked this question. But it does, and on a scale far larger than what you would expect. More women are enslaved in Asia than anywhere else today, and Singapore – contrary to popular belief – is one of the biggest destinations for trafficking victims today. It’s precisely because of our booming economy and international reputation as a clean and safe place that makes trafficking victims particularly susceptible to falling prey in sunny Singapore.
After bringing home a double championship just a few weeks ago, the Judo team returned to Hougang Secondary School again for the National Inter-School Individual Judo Championships. This year witnessed the participation of Raffles Institution in all the matches (or more commonly referred to as “bouts”) for the ‘A’ Division Finals, save for the matches in the Girls’ Extra Lightweight and the Boys’ Heavyweight categories.
The atmosphere in the indoor sports hall while waiting for the bouts was slightly relaxed, but the tension was visible on most of the judokas’ faces as they warmed up and practised. Boys’ captain Yong Kang Ren (15S03E), although not participating, was there to support his juniors and batchmates. He agreed that after bringing home the double team championships, there was definitely palpable pressure meeting expectations, but they were also “quite confident in their individual events”, and was certain that both the boys and girls would perform well.
Raffles Institution Judo ‘A’ Division Team
In Judo, individuals have 3 minutes in a bout to score as many points against the opponent in the same category as possible. This can be done in three ways:
yuko, where one only manages to throw the opponent to the floor, lacking in two of the following: speed, force or throwing largely onto the back, and hence counts only as a partial point;
waza-ari, which is the same as yuko, but lacking in only one aspect, thus scoring a half-point;
ippon, a “perfect” throw, earning a full point.
If a throw is unable to be executed, pinning down one’s opponent also earns points; 10-15 seconds for yuko, 16-20 seconds for waza-ari, and over 20 seconds for ippon. Penalties, called shido, may be given for excessively rough play, and can be used to determine the outcome of the match if no full points are scored.
Featherweight Category: Charis Tay Si En (Girls) and Gareth Edward Lee (Boys)
Charis began with some difficulty in grappling her opponent, but eventually managed to score a waza-ari partway through. This was followed by another waza-ari in quick succession, earning Charis a full point, and subsequently victory.
Gareth, despite being in the midst of recovering from an injured foot, scored waza-ari, followed by yuko. Though his opponent became more cautious, and managed to avoid being thrown over in several attempts, Gareth eventually managed to throw the opponent down, scoring an ippon and winning the bout.
Gareth (below) attempting to throw his opponent over
Extra Lightweight Category: Ong Jia Xiang (Boys)
In a redux of the team finals’ bout, Jia Xiang faced the same opponent for the gold. The match was tight; in spite of his determination and perserverance, Jia Xiang still lost to the opponent, Kam Wei Lee Wesley (of Nanyang Junior College) by a single yuko, which was scored halfway through.
Lightweight Category: Fadhillah Md Faizan (Girls), Wu Bo Dong (Boys)
In Fadhillah’s bout, her opponent attempted to match her movements, giving her stiff competition for a good while, while countering her throws. However, Fadhillah did not falter, and finally managed to score an ippon with a pin-down.
Fadhillah (above) grappling with her opponent
Bo Dong was a force to be reckoned with in his bout against his formidable opponent – while it was clear he was skilled, managing to score waza-ari early in, his opponent Chua Jun Kai (of NYJC) managed to overcome him and win with an ippon scored towards the end of the bout.
Middleweight Category:Tania Forichon (Girls), Chen Yuan Bo and Thomas Ho Kai Heng (Boys)
Although giving her opponent room to go on the offensive in the first part, Tania later became relentless, attempting to throw her opponent at every last chance possible, and sparing no room to counter. She eventually won with a pin-down, scoring ippon.
Tania (behind) in the middle of a throwing technique
For the Boys’ Category, both judokas were from RI, and so the victory was clinched for certain – but Yuan Bo and Thomas faced each other in an impressive clash, with Yuan Bo emerging as the champion.
Heavyweight Category: Joey Low Jia Yi, Joyce Lee Yi Kuan (Girls)
Another gold was clinched; but beyond that, what was important was the fighting spirit that both girls displayed. In the bout between teammates respectively, both displayed great prowess in the sport, but Joey triumphed over Joyce eventually with waza-ari scored towards the end.
To summarise, our judokas had obtained 6 golds (2 for the boys, and 4 for the girls) out of 10, an achievement made possible by impressive efforts all around. The coach, Mr. Tan Yi, said that the judokas were “up to expectations”, and was “very happy” with their progress. Kudos to the judokas for their tenacity and hard work and having attained such high standards!
The sun burnt bright Tuesday morning, while Raffles Institution’s A Division water polo girls geared up for their season’s finals against Temasek Junior College. Burning brighter was spectator Zhu Deng’s (16S07D) immeasurable confidence in the girls’ abilities, evident as he told us, “I feel burning — burning with excitement, burning with passion for my school, and for the team.” Such was the sheer anxiousness amidst the bleachers as supporters eagerly awaited a highly-anticipated finals matchup, which hopefully would bring home RI’s 9th consecutive victory in the Girls’ Water Polo event.
Enthusiastic supporters eagerly anticipating the match-up from the stands.
Having defeated Hwa Chong Junior College with a resounding victory of 18-0 in the previous round, Raffles Institution’s A Division girls shot into the finals confident and ready to close the season to the best of their abilities. The first quarter began with little delay, and RI’s aggressive playing style was almost immediately felt across the pool. Chan Fang Yi (16S06R) opened the rally with an impressive display of agility, gaining possession of the ball for the defending champions. 2 near scores quickly set TJC on the defensive. Finally, a third try at the goal following a half-pool sprint saw Rachel Lee (15S03K) score RI’s first point of the game, followed closely by another from Fang Yi. Keeper Stephanie Sim (15S07B) attempted to block a weighty shot at their goal, but the ball barely floated past through to TJC’s advantage. A return score by Madeline Quek (15S07C) concluded the first quarter with RI in a solid 3-1 lead.
The second quarter kickstarted with a fierce struggle for possession of the ball, with TJC attempting a pass on the goal but to no avail. Precise and coordinated passes by the girls sustained great pressure on TJC’s goal. Madeline’s stunning feint widened the score gap to 4-1 in favor of RI, and the Rafflesian team appeared to be going strong.
An action-packed third quarter started with an early goal from RI, raising the count to 5-1, but TJC promptly responded in kind to make it 5-2. A pass of remarkable accuracy brought the ball within scoring range of TJC’s goal, but deflected off Rachel’s shoulders before she could take the shot. Nevertheless, outstanding defence by Stephanie broke the momentum of TJC’s seemingly unrelenting attack without conceding any further goals. Back on the offensive, RI proceeded to score two more goals off the backs of Madeline and Nicole Ong (15S06D). As the thirty-second shot clock inched its way closer and closer to zero, and TJC reinforced their dogged defense, the crowd roared as Rachel scored from the half-court, further pushing the advantage to a comfortable 8-2. A final quarter saw Raffles preserve its six-point lead, largely in part to our concerted defence.
Coach Mr Lim Yao Xiang takes a selfie with the triumphant girls’ team.
Our girls performed extraordinarily, emerging victorious on a comfortable 8-2 margin and earning themselves the title of national champions for the ninth year running. An illustrious history meant that the A Division girls had entered this season with the greatest of expectations foisted upon them. Yet, there was no question they had done themselves, each other, and the school proud. If anything at all, they certainly lived up to their name — and more.
“I feel relieved and grateful to everybody who helped us make it this far,” smiled team captain Richelle Ang (15S03B).
Team member Andrea Low (16A01A), who was unable to play due to an injury, told us, “I’m really excited and happy for them because we’ve been anticipating this match for so long and we’ve grown so much closer training for our season. You can just feel that it’s really a team thing.” Andrea’s encouragements were audible throughout the match as she cheered her team on wholeheartedly, and she rushed over to join the celebrations.
It was a well-deserved win — the team’s demonstration of seamless teamwork and mutual support for each other was only rivalled by their fiery determination. Team captain Richelle Ang (15S06B) describes their journey and thoughts, “It wasn’t smooth sailing to get to this stage, but I feel relieved and grateful to everybody that helped us make it this far. It’s really all about the process.”
We refer to our article dated 1/4/2015 titled “Cat Cafe To Open in Raffles Institution”. Observant readers would have noticed that the article was published on the 1st of April, known to most as April Fool’s Day, and contained certain questionable claims such as a tuna wrap being the main dish in a cat café. However, it appears that some members of the public have taken this to heart.
We are delighted that our attempt to provide entertainment to our readers has been so terribly effective.
Happy Wednesday.
Our best wishes,
Press Editorial Team (PET)
QOTD: “Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.”- Michel de Montaigne
by Qiu Kexin (16A13A)
Photos by Nicolette Ang (16S03P)
It was late morning, soon passing into the heat of the afternoon. At 1 pm, Hougang Secondary School was abuzz with chatter as spectators crowded into the Indoor Sports Hall and canteen, while awaiting the start of this year’s Judo Championships. There was a thrum of anticipation as competitors readied themselves for their most important Judo matches of the season, which would either make or break them. Nevertheless, if the determined and confident looks from the various participants were any indication, they had come well-prepared both physically and mentally.
In Judo, the team that secures at least three out of five bouts will be crowned the overall victor for a competition. Each bout lasts 3 minutes, and is played between 2 opponents from the same weight category. In the course of each bout, competitors aim to score an ippon, which is done by throwing (as opposed to merely forcing) one’s opponent flat onto their back, or holding for 20 seconds. An ippon is the highest possible point in Judo, and when a competitor executes it successfully (by no means an easy feat!), it ends the match instantly and the victory for that bout is awarded to them.
A DIVISION BOYS
Having defeated Catholic Junior College in the semi-finals, Raffles Institution’s A Division boys were now competing against formidable opponents from Nanyang Junior College. Expectations were high for the boys due to their triumph in last year’s finals, and the Rafflesians there were hoping that the results this year would be in favour of this victorious streak.
The competitors representing Raffles Institution were as follows, in order of ascending weight category:
Feather (-60 kg): Yong Kang Ren
Extra Light (-66 kg): Ong Jia Xiang
Light (-73 kg): Wu Bo Dong
Middle (-81 kg): Chen Yuan Bo
Heavy (+81 kg): Ryan Chong
In the first match by the A Division Boys, Kang Ren tackled his opponent with much vigour. His Nanyang competitor attempted strong grapples to win an edge, but Kang Ren eventually gained leverage halfway through the bout to pin him down to the floor, after which the 20-second countdown for his pin started. His resolve paid off as he was successful, earning Raffles the victory for that bout.
Kang Ren trying to hold his opponent
Next up was Jia Xiang. He was a competent fighter who managed to get his opponent down many times while also preventing his opponent from holding him down. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury to his mouth – the bout was temporarily paused to allow it to be taken care of. Despite his significant efforts, he lost the bout narrowly by only a few points at the end. Still, the tenacity he showed during the bout was truly the mark of an honourable judoka, and he had put up nothing short of a good fight.
For the third bout, Bo Dong used his strength to tackle and counter his opponent’s attacks, while staunchly wrestling with control to try to bring his opponent down, but he was eventually overpowered and thrown for a full point.
Fourth in the line-up was Yuan Bo. His display of skill was spectacular, evading his counterpart while parrying attempts to overpower him. He was able to score a major point when he gained on his opponent by pinning him to the ground for 20 seconds; the bout was subsequently won. This turned the tide for Raffles. Having fought back to parity, the morale of the team’s supporters lifted considerably after this victory, in eagerness for the final and decisive bout.
Yuan Bo throwing his opponent
In the last bout, Ryan Chong and his contender faced off in an intense match that saw both of them fighting to pin the other down as swiftly as possible. The referee renewed the bout when the two competitors were struggling with each other, none apparently able to gain on the other. After the bout restarted at the centre, Ryan made the first attack and quickly brought his contender down through a series of steadfast grapples. He secured a win after that, amid roaring cheers from the audience.
Ryan holding his opponent down
It was with pride that, with a score of 3-2, the Rafflesian team had beaten Nanyang Junior College in an ardent series of duels and emerged with the title of national Champions. For the excellent win this year, the boys’ captain Kang Ren (15S03E) credited “each one of us in the team, our coaches Mr Tan and Mr Low, teachers-in-charge, and most importantly… everyone.”
The team commented after the bouts that they truthfully had been feeling “terrified” before the competition, but the support from their coaches and one another helped “calm them down” to be ready for their bouts. The values of discipline, determination and team spirit advocated by Judo were poignantly summed up in this statement by one of the A Division boys: “We had put in so much hard work for the past six years and also suffered together, so when it came down to this, we just wanted to fight for everyone, to show something for our efforts.”
A Division Boys in first place
A DIVISION GIRLS
This year, the Rafflesian girls’ team was up against Hwa Chong’s team, after defeating Nanyang Junior College in the semi-finals. Both school teams had had a long history of being favourites in the annual Judo inter-school finals, and it was clear that they would put up a tough fight to the teeth for the title of Champions.
Our A Division girls had won Silver in the previous year’s finals, barely losing to Hwa Chong Institution by just one bout. There was thus evident stress placed upon them to try their best to pull through for a victory this year. However, the girls maintained a resilient and positive attitude in the face of the difficulties ahead. Joyce Lee (15S03F), who competed in the semi-finals, expressed that, “We didn’t focus much on winning this year because it was our last Nationals together. There were times [when we felt demotivated] but remembering our whole batch’s effort in training helped drive us.” In hindsight, valuing the journey more than the outcome could have been what gave them the necessary motivation for their triumph this year.
A Division Girls facing their opponents
The competitors representing Raffles Institution were as follows, in order of ascending weight category:
Feather (-48 kg): Charis Tay
Extra Light (-52 kg): Lim Yong Ling
Light (-57 kg): Fadhillah Md Faizan
Middle (-63 kg): Tania Forichon
Heavy (+63 kg): Joey Low
In the first bout by Charis, she rapidly brought down her counterpart with a throw, for which a half point was awarded to Raffles Institution. The bout was restarted after that in the centre. Her competitor hit out with the first strike, but Charis was ready for it, and maintained control over her movements even as her competitor tried to bring her down. She did not concede and, through skilful manoeuvring and adroit balancing, avoided being thrown. Eventually, she then gained yet another point when she successfully threw the Hwa Chong competitor to the ground. The bout was thus won for the Raffles team.
For the next round, Yong Ling displayed adept skill in groundwork, using well-timed foot sweeps a few times in order to bring her opponent down. Many times, the two competitors struggled on the ground, each fighting fiercely to gain leverage over the other. Unfortunately, in the last few seconds of the round, Yong Ling was awarded a penalty, which earned her contender an extra point that gave Hwa Chong a small margin for the victory for that bout. Nevertheless, Yong Ling had been a spirited fighter and had given her best for the team.
Next was Fadhillah in the third bout. As soon as it started, she fought relentlessly to cut down her opponent. Her opponent similarly exhibited much prowess in her movements and attacks. However, Fadhillah was quick on her feet and at one point, she was able to swiftly overturn her opponent onto her back even when it seemed imminent that she was about to be pinned down. Fadhillah’s footwork and careful balance helped in bringing down her opponent several times, for which points were awarded. In the end, she won another bout for Raffles.
In the second last bout, Tania continually hit out from the start to try to assert a strong grip on her opponent. Her competitor similarly took swings at her with offensive moves. Tania was a force to be reckoned with, expertly defending against numerous attempts to bring her down while also dodging sweeps. The atmosphere was tense but exciting, with Tania lunging at her opponent at one point to throw her onto her back. Eventually, the Hwa Chong competitor conceded the bout to Tania.
For the last bout, Girls’ Captain Joey Low faced stiff competition from her opponent. She took on a more defensive stance initially, with the first attack coming from her opponent. It was a fierce neck-to-neck duel, but she pressed on, refusing to be held down to the ground in spite of a few close calls. She showed great competence, cleverly taking advantage of a moment when her opponent was struggling to grapple with her to pin her down. The tide turned in the middle when Joey successfully countered twice, which scored half point each to make one whole point for Raffles. Thus the fourth bout was won, and with it, Raffles Institution’s place as Champions was also secured.
Seeing everyone’s faithful commitment to the team, it felt as if this year’s Double Championships were truly a well-deserved reward in return for their unfaltering dedication to their sport. Both the Judo teams have done well above all expectations, and we wish to congratulate them for their great sportsmanship and tenacious spirit. Good luck for the individual bouts, and may the path of the Gentle Way lead you to more fruitful avenues!
