Photos taken by Hee Xin Wei (15S03I), Nigel Gomes (15S06R) and Gabrielle Jeyaseelan (15S06A)
Amidst the cloudy weather that afternoon, the humid air was heavy with expectation as the hockey boys broke from their huddle and tensely walked to their positions, ready to play.
Last Thursday, 7th May, at Seng Kang Sports and Recreation Centre, this year’s A Division Hockey Finals saw our boys pitted against Anglo-Chinese Junior College. In a spectacular show of skill and control, our hockey boys emerged as champions once again, earning them their fourth gold in five years. While our RI hockey team is well-known for being a powerhouse, their streak was stopped in 2013, with Victoria Junior College claiming the Gold instead. Sheer hard work brought them back the gold in 2014, and it seems to be the case this year as well. In an interview with captain Darryl Ong Ming En (15S06R), he said he was “feeling a little wary and anxious at the beginning of the game, as ACJC definitely had a good team”, but they just had to keep a cool head and play on.
A whistle blew; there was a wild scramble for the ball; the game had started. Keeping up a ruthless attacking front, RI made several scoring attempts, including a penalty shot, but to no avail. However, RI eventually managed to break through ACJC’s defensive ranks, with Adam Aniq (16A03A) scoring our team’s first goal barely 10 minutes into the game. This was followed in quick succession by the next goal; Ryan Jay Naidu(16S03J) received a deflected ball to score successfully, bringing the score to 2-0 for the first half.
Adam Aniq (#16) keeping the ball away from an opponent.
Throughout the first half, ACJC was forced onto; they made an incredible effort to land a shot during the first few minutes of the second half, and even received a penalty, but they missed their chances due to excellent defence and goalkeeping on RI’s part. Regaining control of the field afterwards, RI managed to get a penalty shot, which was handled well by Gurveer Singh (15S05A), with a lob over the goalkeeper’s head. Despite the score disadvantage, ACJC put up a brave front, constantly pushing the ball towards RI’s side, maintaining the score. Eventually, RI managed to break the ball out of ACJC’s lock, and Mohamed Haseef (15S06P) scored the final goal of the match.
Ryan Jay Naidu (#13) contesting for the ball with an opposing player.
The game was set – RI defended their title with relentless offensive and solid defence. However, ACJC had been no pushover either; despite several of their players sustaining injuries and having to be subbed out during the second half, they pushed on with unwavering spirit – Captain Darryl Ong mentioned that the ACJC team had “put in a lot of effort, and improved a lot overall”, and that it was “very commendable”.
With this, the A Division Hockey Boys have secured the Champion title for the second year running. We at Raffles Press would like to congratulate them, as well as wish good luck to others in their upcoming seasons!
On the 28th of May, Orchid Bowl came alive for the final day of the 22nd National Schools Tenpin Bowling Championships. The eleven-day event saw twelve schools competing to win what would be the last competitive bowling event for many.
As the RI team warmed up, the situation looked difficult. With ACJC putting up strong performances in both the Boys and Girls subdivisions, top spot seemed to slipping out of the Rafflesian bowlers’ hands. Neither the boys nor the girls were able to win the team championships, but they put up fierce fights, right until the last pin had been toppled.
A Division Boys
The boys with their championship trophy!
With Captain Ian Siow and Jonah Goh leading the charge, the possibility of the win was always on the cards. The day began without a hitch, as the boys bowled strikes and spares to push hard for the win but there was a wobble midway through the third game where there seemed to always be at least one pin left standing. It was a passing choke-up, after which the boisterous support of the RI Student Council gave the bowlers the resolve to push forward, with every strike met with roars of approval.
Luck did not seem to be on the bowlers’ side, however, as ACJC pipped them to the win with an extremely fine margin of 2 points. Nevertheless, Ian was upbeat even in defeat, rating the team’s performance a “9/10”. He also described the competition as a “very good conclusion to [his] inter-schools bowling career”.
Boaz Chan and Bertrand Yan dazzled in the Singles Boys event to claim 1st and 2nd respectively.
Jonah Goh had a standout individual performance as well, spurred on by a vocal support contingent, and he finished 2nd in the All-Events Boys subdivision. “Grateful” for the support, he affirmed that he had “no regrets” and had “tried [his] best”.
Results (Boys):
Team – 2nd
Singles – 1st (Boaz Chan), 2nd (Bertrand Yan)
All-Events – 2nd (Jonah Goh)
A Division Girls
The girls with their first runners-up trophy!
With national bowler Joey Yeo on their side, the RI girls were also shaping up for a strong drive towards the championship trophy. There were a fair bit more wobbles here, with some games nearly going for as few as 100 points. Hence, the girls’ mistakenly announced 3rd placing was met with much disappointment.
It was with much surprise and jubilation that the girls found out they had actually placed 2nd, also behind ACJC. Vice-Captain Jaime Lim was satisfied with the girls’ performance, labeling it as “expected”. As with Ian, she was wistful when faced with the reality that this would probably be her last competitive tournament, though she hopes to find time to compete in Open division events in the future.
Joey herself placed strongly in the individual events, finishing 2nd in the Singles Girls and 3rd in the All-Events Girls. Together with Jaime, they also clinched 3rd place in the Doubles Girls event.
Results (Girls):
Team – 2nd
Doubles – 3rd (Joey Yeo and Jaime Lim)
Singles – 2nd (Joey Yeo)
All-Events – 3rd (Joey Yeo)
When asked if he was satisfied with the bowlers’ performance this year, team coach AK Yong was more balanced in his view, giving an answer of “Yes, and no.” He lauded the fight shown on the last day, calling it a “very good recovery” but lamented the lack of practice with which he thought top spot would have been possible.
If this showing was anything to go by, then we can say with just a little more effort, RI Bowling can definitely wrest the title back next year.
Within the small spectators’ galley outside the squash courts of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the cheers of Rafflesian supporters for our A Division Girls Squash team reverberated with a tenacity only paralleled by the intense fight happening down in the court. It’s safe to say that the girls didn’t let their supporters nor the school down by emerging victorious from their finals, beating National Junior College 5-0 in a memorable finals match to be remembered.
To provide some context on the sport, squash is a sport is played within a four-walled court with demarcations that serve as service boxes and “out” boundaries. Players must hit the ball against the front wall before them, with an allowance for the ball to bounce over every other wall– including the floor– once. The sport requires high levels of agility and strength in the players’ shots; players must not only be aware of the ball’s dynamics, but also remain on the offensive by aiming for the corners of the court to make it harder for their opponent to retrieve the ball.
First up was Nicole Teo Rui En (15S06C), who displayed both power and skill in her shots having won two sets against National’s captain Lee Ying Xi (11-7, 11-4). Subsequently, Ying Xi had managed to gain a win for NJC with a close score of 11-8. Despite this, Nicole turned the tables by achieving a win of 11-8 in her next set, scoring RI’s first win for the afternoon.
Riding on the tailwind of Nicole’s success was Clara Tan Jia En (15S03G), who had emerged triumphantly by winning three consecutive sets for her team (11-7, 11-6, 11-2). Mirroring her success was Tay Kay Shayne Michelle (15S06S) who had managed to secure RI’s win by beating her opponent in a clean sweep of 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-3).
Although RI had already secured a gold in this year’s A Division Girl’s tournament, the atmosphere still remained tense as the final two matches were played out. Chan Mei Zhi Audrey (15S03H) proved that they were by no means about to relax despite the school’s overall victory, winning another three consecutive wins against her opponent (11-3, 11-8, 11-7). The competition drew to a close with RI Squash Girls’ Captain Chong Yin Jean (15S03C)) obtaining three wins against her opponent as well (11-5, 11-8, 11-7).
The team after receiving their trophies.
After the heated matches, Yin Jean shares with Press that she believed her team did their best in every match: “Even though we’re the favourites this year, they weren’t complacent and they gave their best even through all the preliminary, semi-finals and final matches.” She also believes that “they rose to the occasion and did very, very well.”, and that she was extremely proud of her team for their success.
Having pushed through gruelling mental and physical challenges such as injuries and frequent training sessions that pushed the players to their limits, Press is sure that we all share her sentiments of pride with regards to the double-win they helped achieve together with Boys’ Team. Congratulations to both Squash Teams, and on behalf of the school Press wishes them luck for their future competitions!
By Agatha Lim (16A01B) and Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E)
Photos by Chang Po Chun (16S03K) and Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E)
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Press was only able to cover the finals on 22/4, and was unable to attend the heats and finals from 16/4 to 21/4.
The Swim Team banner, flying highStudents’ Council (and their trusty drum), rallying the supporters
“And there go the drums from Raffles Institution!” It was a lively scene at the Singapore Sports School pool, with all three Raffles schools enthusiastically cheering on the Raffles Swim Team with every event. Months of gruelling training and intense preparation—an incredible 11 times a week for some—culminated in this one moment: the final leg of the swimming school nationals.
Raffles Swimming 2015 celebrating their victories: Girls A Division Champions and Boys A Division First Runners-Up
Boys 200m Individual Medley
The day’s A division events began with the Boys’ 200 m Individual Medleys, which are effectively four sprints (one per stroke – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) done back to back—a gruelling test of all-round competence. With that in mind, our swimmers’ strong showing of 2 medal positions was all the more impressive: Damian Chong (15S03J) led all the way and came in 1st, finishing with a time of 2m 17.63s, and Puar Yue Hong’s (15S03G) timing of 2m 24.47s took home the bronze.
Damian and Yue Hong, congratulating one another after their impressive swims
Girls 100m Breaststroke
The 100m breaststroke event was the first A Division girls event of the day. Both our finalists had participated in the 50m breaststroke the day before, and they were put to the test once again. Though neither emerged as medalists, our girls did us proud by fighting hard to contribute points to the team: Rachel Lee (15S03K) clocked a time of 1m 20.52s at 4th place and Jeannette Some (16S07A) came in 8th at 1m 30.37s.
Boys 100m Breaststroke
Three of our swimmers took part in the 100m breaststroke finals in a fast-paced race of two laps. Russell Tang (16S03R) appeared to lag behind in the first lap by one whole second, but managed to overtake his opponent to clinch the silver medal at 1m 09.03s. The other finalists also fought hard and Ngampakdeepanich Phuripong (16S06C) finished 6th at 1m 15.31s while Puar Yue Hong finished 8th with a time of 1m 19.40s.
Girls 50m Freestyle
For the Girls’ 50m Freestyle, Song Ai Vee’s (15S07A) 27.85s swim and Richelle Ang’s (15S06B) 28.83s won the gold and bronze medals respectively. Our other finalists also did well, with Nicole Ong (15S06D) in 4th place and Teo Ee Lynn (16S03S) finishing 6th. Of note is how all four managed to improve on their already impressive heats times, a clear testament to their commitment to the sport.
Boys 50m Freestyle
Ben Yeo (16S06Q) and Nathan Wong (16S03K) competed in this race, and it was a close one with the swimmers giving their all, making huge waves and splashes as they raced. Ben came in 8th, at 25.36s, a valiant effort, especially considering that he swum against older J2s. Nathan finished 3rd, with a timing of 24.26s, just threehundredths of a second shy of silver — an intensely close finish.
Girls 4x50m Medley Relay
As for the medley relay, four competitors each swim one lap in the following order of strokes: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. In the exciting last event of the Girls’ A Division, we got off to a good start as May Chua (15A13A) and Rachel Lee led the first two laps, with Anglo-Chinese Junior College trailing behind by a mere fraction of a second. Unfortunately, they managed to overtake us in the third lap, and our subsequent swimmers Chan Fang Yi (16S06R) and Song Ai Vee attempted to make a comeback but eventually emerged as 2nd by 0.33 seconds with an overall timing of 2m 05.22s. The team left with their heads held high knowing they did their best.
Relay teammates Rachel Lee (left, in black) and Song Ai Vee (in blue), there for one another after their narrow loss
Boys 4×50 Medley Relay
To finish off the swim meet, Jerome Kwang (16S06M), Russell Tang, Andrew Toh (16S06C) and Nathan Wong participated in the medley relay. In a close race, the boys trailed behind the 1st position by one second, and fought neck and neck with Temasek Junior College for a hard-won 2nd place. With Nathan Wong swimming freestyle, he bested the 50m Freestyle meet record of 23.71s by 0.01s. With their strong efforts, the boys managed to clinch the silver medal with a timing of 1m 50.66s.
Overall the Raffles Swim Team won a total of 155 points for the Boys A Division, narrowly losing to Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) by 22 points. The A Division Girls managed to defend their title against strong opposition from other schools with a whopping 185 points. On the whole, they certainly performed very well; as captain Damian Chong said, “it was one of [their] strongest showings in recent years” and he was “really excited about the direction that RJ swimming is taking”.
Indeed, Damian shared that it was the annual swim camp and centralised trainings (which began this year) that helped them forge a sense of unity so evident in the finals. Many swimmers faced injuries and personal problems, but ultimately pushed on, and “broke through a lot of their personal bests because they knew that they were swimming for something greater”, for one another. Watching the swimmers as they cheered for their teammates and swum alongside each other in events, one could see and hear, and ultimately feel their team spirit.
The swimmers cheering on their teammate in the closely fought last lap of the Girls’ 4 x 50m Medley Relay
We usually think of swimming as an individual sport, but Raffles Swimming showed us another side—it is not merely an individual sport, but a team effort. Every point won by the swimmers is one won for the team. Their support for one another was commendable and heartwarming, and evidently, to them the team mattered as much—if not more than—the trophies won.Team captain Damian summed it up nicely: “I’m really proud that the team stuck together, we cheered as a team, and we competed as a team, and I think that the bonding element of Raffles Swim Team was incredible this year, and I’m really really proud of how the swimmers performed.”
Congratulations to the A Div swim team, and indeed to all of the swimmers from the three Raffles schools! They truly swum as one out there, and we at Raffles Press would like to wish them all the best in their future meets!
Photos by: Joel Lim Kuan (16S06B), Tan Rui Xuan (16S06B) and Red Sports Singapore
Rafflesians cheer loud and clear under the rallying of Trackers and Councillors.
The humid Wednesday afternoon may have been typical of your average Singapore afternoon, but there was anything but the usual happening at Choa Chu Kang Stadium; for it happened to be the fateful day on which Raffles Institution’s Track and Field team was due to compete in the final leg of the national Track and Field Championships. The stadium itself, even before the races had begun, was already full of the hustle and bustle of competitors from various schools preparing for their various events, as well as their eager supporters arriving in droves.
Our Track and Field team did not need to be reminded that they would be challenging some of the best athletes their age in the whole nation,. The pressure had also been brought about by the CCA’s history; In 2013, the A Division girls had won 1st Place in the championships, by beating other schools by as much as 70 points. The A Division boys had however lost and come in runners-up; as such, they were feeling the weight of hope this year to do better. As Chung Yew Weng (15S06B) from Track and Field had expressed, “We [were] currently losing to Hwa Chong, our close rivals, by 20 points; so we hope to gain on them during our ‘strong events’ later.”
While our athletes were busy warming up, an undercurrent of tension was coursing throughout the stadium. There soon came a growing sense of anticipation among the feisty supporters in the Rafflesian audience, when it was time for the races to begin.
Sprints Events:
Laura Tan in a close fight for 3rd place. Unfortunately, after the neck-and-neck race, she ended up fourth.
The first event was 100 Metres in Sprints. After a close dash in which all participants finished under 14 seconds, Laura Tan Ling Ying came in 4th place with a timing of 13.22 seconds, just a mere 0.2 seconds after Jerrinne Lim from Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Laura was also the Champion for 100m hurdles event.
Next up was the 100 Metres (A-Boys), in which Kennard Chin earned 2nd place with a timing of 11.18 seconds. Lee Jun Lei was 7th with a timing of 11.62 seconds, and Poy Meng Han Ian came in 8th just 0.1 milliseconds after Jun Lei.
Kennard Chin (2nd from left) sprinting past the finish line behind the first-place runner from Millenia Institute.
The 800 Metres (A-Girls) race saw Team Raffles clinching the top two positions. Having run at the front of the pack throughout the race, Haidah and Natalie established a considerable lead in the last 300m. The duo got off to a long kick, with Natalie ahead of Haidah. Unfortunately, a stumble near the finish line saw the pole position handed over from Natalie to Haidah, who finished just 0.12 seconds ahead with a timing of 2 minutes 26.58 seconds.
What made her achievement more admirable was how, as Natalie commented, she had been exposed to a new pace this season.
As for Girls’ Captain Haidah, it was a happy ending for her. Since this was her final race in A Division, she “went all out”, and her effort eventually paid off as her timing was the fastest in six years. Because she had come in 2nd for the same event last year, she wished for this year to come in “fighting for gold, and thankfully, did it with the support of teammates, coaches, teachers, and parents.”
Natalie and Haidah congratulating each other after their victory.
Next was Marianne, who also gave her all for the race, coming in 7th with a timing of 2 minutes 44.79 seconds.
Marianne, fully in the race.
In the next event, the 4 x 100 Metres Relay (A-Girls), Team Raffles was closely overtaken by HCI team at the third runner. Eventually, they came in 3rd with a timing of 52.09 seconds, a little more than 1 second behind first place HCI.
Laura Tan from RI trailing closely behind ACS(I) and HCI runners during the final 100m of the relay.
Team Raffles did well in the 4 x 100 Metres Relay (A-Boys). They came in 1st, achieving the season’s overall best timing of 43.30 seconds. The runners, Damien Kee, Ian Poy, Kennard Chin, and Lee Jun Lei, expected a tough fight from Hwa Chong Institution, since the latter had qualified the fastest in the heats, but our team still tried their very best, achieving a laudable result. The first half of the relay saw the first two runners obtaining a good head start. It was a pivotal turning point in the race as Kennard caught up to the first-place runner at the bend, while Jun Lei gave his all in the sprint and won it for the team. The team confessed that they were “very stressed over the race,” but “support from their coach, Mr Melvin Tan and teammates gave them the confidence to press on.”
Jun Lei, with baton in hand, speeds ahead for the team.
By then, ominous clouds had gathered in the Westward sky. Still, the events continued. All the Rafflesians present, from Year 1 to 6, cheered vivaciously for the trackers and kept spirits up.
As said by Choo Qian Ke, (15S03M),”Match support is always integral in giving our competitors the strength they need… because it [lets them know] the school is behind them in whatever they do,” and as such she was “happy to be able to cheer them on because it gives athletes the drive needed to perform.”
Sprints Events Results 100 Metres (A-Girls)
Laura Tan – 4th (00:13:22)
100 Metres (A-Boys)
Kennard Chin – 2nd (00:11:18)
Lee Jun Lei – 7th (0:11:62)
Poy Meng Han Ian – 8th (0:11:63)
800 Metres (A-Girls)
Nur Haidah Bte Ahmad Kamal – 1st (02:26:58)
Natalie Soh – 2nd (02:26:70)
Marianne Elizabeth John – 7th (02:44:79)
4 x 100 Metres Relay (A-Girls)
Raffles Institution – 3rd (00:52:09)
4 x 100 Metres Relay (A-Boys)
Raffles Institution – 1st (00:43:30)
Jumps Events:
Bryan after clearing a jump attempt.
High Jump (A-Boys) was the event next in-line, in first place was Wong Jingkai Bryan, with a stunning height of 1.95m. Zong Sim Hao from HCI also attained the same height, but a count-back determined Bryan’s 1st place. Outside this championship, Bryan had previously achieved a height of 2.01m, hence, it was understandable that afterwards, despite his first placing, Bryan felt there was room for improvement with his sub-2 metres result. However, he was determined to do better the next time round.
Blazer, triumphant as he completes a jump attempt.
Blazer Quanjie James Challander (15S06G) secured 4th place with a new Personal Best height of 1.87m. He was happy about his performance: “I had not been doing as well as expected for the past one year, and I was working hard to get back to my best… But today, I just wanted to ‘give God the glory’, and I’m proud because my result reflected what I had put into it.”
The stellar showing by our team also marked the first time Rafflesians clinched the high jump gold medals in the boys’ C, B and A divisions.
Jump Events Results High Jump (A-Boys)
Bryan Wong – 1st (1.95m)
Blazer Challander – 4th (1.87m)
Cross Country Events:
Shohib (extreme left), also a Crosser, is accustomed to running long distances.
Due to the imminent downpour, the last event of the day was the 1500 Metres (A-Boys) event. Shohib led from the start while Glen Palmer and Paxton Hong of Victoria Junior College trailed 5 metres behind, along with the rest of the pack. Shohib continued to widen the lead in the second round. His teammates, Larry Law and Chester Lee, followed his lead and overtook Glen and Paxton.”It really boiled down to the last lap.” Larry remarked. By the third lap, Shohib had sprinted ahead to establish a 15m lead and eventually finished almost five seconds ahead of his teammate, Larry. Thus, Shohib B Abdul Wahab Marican finished in 1st place, with Law Ann Liat, Larry concluding the race in 2ndplace. Shortly after, Lee Zhong Kian, Chester followed past the finish line in 4th place.
Prior to this event, Shohib had won the champion titles for the 5000m event and March Cross Country events. He also led the Raffles Institution team to a podium sweep last year.
For Larry, this was an emotional victory as this was his first medal in 6 years. “I’m very happy. The plan was to set a fast race … and [Chester and I] did. The race was almost perfect for me.”
Larry, emotions running high.Chester shows no signs of stopping during the 1500m race.
Cross Country Event Results 1500 Metres (A-Boys)
Shohib Marican – 1st (4 min 18.56 seconds)
Larry Law – 2nd (4 min 23.29 seconds)
Chester Lee – 4th (4 min 29.09 seconds)
Onset of Bad Weather
Unfortunately, the 4 x 400 metres relays for both the A Division Boys and Girls were called off due to the rain, and carried out on another day. After the completion of all the events, Raffles Institution’s A Division Boys had come in 2nd Place, while the A Division Girls had come in 3rd Place.
The news that the school team had lost the title of 1st Place (and by a mere 2 points for the A Division Boys) was demoralising at first. However, the fortitude and courage exhibited by our athletes was undeniable. When quizzed about his thoughts on the results of the Championships, Teacher-in-Charge Mr Melvin Tan offered a resiliently optimistic view: “You can’t change the past, but you can do something about the future.” He also imparted a few words of advice that he wished to communicate to athletes: “You should embrace what lies ahead and do something [about it], such as working on weak areas. Continue [striving for] the common goal your team has, because months or years of training can go to waste if you are not motivated.”
After the competition, the Captains of the Girls’ and Boys’ teams also had many important insights to share.
Girls’ Vice-Captain Gabrielle Ong (15S06A) professed that it had not been easy for the trackers. “This year’s nationals was challenging, because [our competitors] had a lot of injuries and some people underperformed in their competitions, but today’s finals truly made up for everything.”
Girls’ Captain Nur Haidah (15S03E) shared that, “Our A Division girls are in the top three positions [currently], and stagnating there. (laughs) Considering we had no DSA trackers this year, it was a good result for us.”
As for the Boys’ Captain Joash Tan (15S03K), he had been impressed by the perseverance that some of his fellow Rafflesian trackers had demonstrated: “There were instances where athletes persevered to compete [though they didn’t have to], just in order to gain 1 point for RI.”
Among the many eye-opening and exhilarating happenings the audience witnessed today, the strength and bonds within the Track and Field team itself was one of them. We found that besides general moral support from fellow teammates or team relays (4 x 100, 4 x 400), even in singles’ races, which are perceived widely to be the fight of only individuals, there is an uncanny tendency to pace yourself with your race-mates and finish the race together. About its team spirit, Mr Melvin Tan maintained that despite impressions of Track as a fragmented CCA due to the separation of members into different event groups, “there is sharing of a common vision, which is what brings the CCA together,” such as “striving to do our best in competitions, not always for a title, but for ourselves.”
The Championships’ results may not have come out as planned, but ultimately, as long as there are lessons learned, there are no losers. The team had done well, as said by Nur Haidah: “Today, I saw that everyone truly gave their all, and I’m very proud of them.”
Raffles Press would like to commend the Track and Field team for their laudable performance despite the odds stacked against them. May everyone continue to persevere with ‘their teammates beside, and their limits behind’!
The results of the 2015 National Inter-School Track and Field Championships can be viewed here.
With this, the A Division Hockey Boys have secured the Champion title for the second year running. We at Raffles Press would like to congratulate them, as well as wish good luck to others in their upcoming seasons!
