Commentary

A Dive for the Gold: Swimming Nationals 2016
Reading Time: 3 minutes

by Darrell Koh (16A13A), Gao Yanxin (16S03N); photos courtesy of Yang Zuo (17A01E)

Upon entering the OCBC Aquatics Centre, supporters across the Raffles family banded together, busy coordinating cheers in preparation for the heated finals. Amongst the spectators, some looked on eagerly as they waited for the action to start, while others sought out their friends who were competing and wished them the best for what was ahead. In particular, the Raffles Swim Team seemed excited, but slightly edgy. After all, this was the culmination of months, or even years, of their training.

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Commentary

Table Tennis: The Ricocheting Sound of Victory
Reading Time: 3 minutes

by Bay Jia Wei (17S06R)
Photos by Nadya Ang (16S03D) of Raffles Photographic Society

Watching a game of fierce and determining ricochets proved to be an intense experience for those who gathered to witness the Table Tennis finals on the 22nd of April. One could hardly imagine the degree of tension felt by the RI A-Division paddlers who faced immense pressure, given their track record of consecutive victories for the last 3 years. Furthermore, both teams were up against formidable opponents of the Table Tennis scene – Hwa Chong Institution for the girls, and Nanyang Junior College for the boys.

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Commentary

A Shot at Victory: Shooting Nationals 2016
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Nicole Tan (16A13A)

To step into the shooting range during a shooting match is to walk into an almost complete silence, something vastly different from the usual enthusiastic fanfare coming from the spectator stands of other sports competitions. Instead, the air is thick with quiet tension– cheering is banned (even whispering is frowned upon) and banners are redundant– the silence is only punctured by sporadic gun shots. This is because the sport requires intense focus from its shooters; in fact many of us wear earplugs and blinders to minimize any remaining distractions, since shooting is about absolute precision, even the slightest shift in focus can costs us those few important points.

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Commentary

A Night of Splendour with the Raffles Institution Chinese Orchestra
Reading Time: 5 minutes

by Alex Tan (16S03B)

Pictures by Esther Chin, Victoria Ang and Nicole Lai

The orchestra is introduced.
The orchestra is introduced.

The full-house concert entitled “Splendour”, put up by the Raffles Institution Chinese Orchestra (RICO) last Saturday (16 April 2016), lived up to its name not only because it was, in brief, splendidly enjoyable, but also because it marked two splendid milestones for the performers: it was the first time that the Year 5–6 side of RICO was jointly staging a show with its Y1-4 counterpart, and it was the first time that alumni were invited as guest soloists. This huge, connected family kicked off the night on a scale befitting the occasion, playing the traditional imperial composition “The General’s Command” (将军令) with energetic virtuosity, conveying the enthusiasm of the soldiers within their even, regimented ranks.

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