You have three hours to kill before CCA starts, and you desperately need to sit down and start cracking that Math tutorial. (You could have done it during lunch break, but somehow you ended up queuing for Haw’s Kitchen.) But with all the study spaces around school, where should you go?
In the first half to this two part series, Raffles Press scouts out the more popular and conventional locations around school to spend a date with your graphing calculator.
Photos by Sharlene Lee, Ding Lin of Photographic Society
Unfortunately for our Boys’ A Division squash team, the dream of clinching the championship title in national inter-schools competition had already slipped away when RI went up against perennial rivals Hwa Chong Institution in the 3rd-4th squash play-offs on Monday afternoon. Thankfully, our A Div Boys’ Squash team reaffirmed their strength and fighting spirit, securing solid a 4-1 victory over HCI to clinch third place, setting the stage for a title challenge next season.
First game
In the first match, we sent out Timothy Leong, arguably our best player on the day. Starting off with multiple hard-hitting shots, Timothy quickly gained an early 5 point advantage over his opponent from HCI. With his greater experience and skills, Timothy gradually took control of the game, overwhelming his HCI counterpart. The first set ended 11-1 for RI.
The game continued without much of a turning point. Timothy’s dominance, both in terms of technique and tactics left his opponent losing the second set 11-2, and 11-4 for the third. An overall score of 3-0 boosted our confidence as we moved into the toughest match of the game.
Timothy Leong (RI) poised to strike.
Second Game
Confronting the best player from HCI, Jun Yuan, Gabriel Ang faced the greatest challenge in the second game of the day.
The game got off pretty well with Gabriel taking an early lead. With his signature ‘nick’ shots, Gabriel occasionally wowed the crowd well-placed shots to the corners of the court, pushing his strong opponent into the defensive position. The first set ended with a score of 11-7 for RI.
However, as the second set began, the HCI player started to push up the game’s pace, using powerful shots to counter our player’s style. With better positioning, Jun Yuan managed to take the set 7-11.
In the final sets, our opponent showed more of his flair, manoeuvring his shots towards the dead corners of the court. With a more confident performance, Jun Yuan continued to win another 2 sets, ending the second game with the score line of RI 1-3 HCI, pulling back the overall score to a 1-1 tie.
Gabriel Ang (RI), lining up a shot against his opponenet.
Third Game
It was RI Captain Yang Zhe Shen’s turn to lead the way. By adopting an aggressive strategy, our opponent worried the RI supporters outside the court by striking the ball venemously towards the back corners, making it extremely difficult for Zhe Shen to return. However, with firm mental strength, Zhe Shen made a comeback and won the first set 11-8.
Zhe Shen went on to dominate the second set with a score of 11-2, finally ending the game with a score line of 11-8.
Fourth Game
This game pitted ex-national player and RI team member Warren Seow against current national player Jie Le from HCI. From the start, the game became a real feast for all the supporters as both players showcased their exceptional skills, fighting for every point. The first set went down to the wire, with the score reaching 10-10. The silence which engulfed both teams’ supporters was completely shattered when Warren won the 11th point. Finally, a final shot to the far corner of the front wall, pulling off a ‘nick,’ put an end to the first set 12-10 in RI’s favour.
The game continued with both players going head-to-head in a remarkably tense atmosphere. Warren finally edged out Jie Le with score lines of 11-8 and 11-9. This marked the victory of RI’s team over HCI’s team in the 3rd – 4th play-off match.
RI’s Warren Seow prepares to hit a fierce shot against his HCI opponent
Fifth Game
Our fifth, and also the final game with HCI, was taken by Joel Tang. Throughout the game, he maintained a consistent composure, keeping the ball low to the dead corners. However, his opponent tended to play a more aggressive game, creating multiple game-willing chances for Joel. Eventually, the game turned out to be a rather intense and exciting battle between the two players.
Multiple unforced errors by the HCI player, coupled with great accuracy and precision by Joel earned RI yet another win in the last game. The total score 3-0 (11-9, 11-5 and 11-8 respectively) ended the Boys’ squash 3rd – 4th placing match with victory given to RI’s team.
Final Words
When asked about our chances of winning next year, Team Captain Zhe Shen shared, “Squash is a unique sport in that while one person plays at a time, it is the whole team’s effort that makes a win.” Hence, our chances next year “depend on each person’s best effort which ultimately culminates to the team’s success.”
On behalf of the Boys’ Squash Team, Zhe Shen would like to, “firstly, thank God, secondly coach Mr. Allan Chang for dedicating time and effort to train us, teachers in-charge Mr. Venantius Chng and Ms. Praba Naidu for their fervent hard work in running the CCA, and all the squash CCA members for putting their best supporting the team.”
Raffles Press would like to once again congratulate Boys’ Squash Team for bringing home the 3rd place trophy! We wish the team all the best for next year’s sports season.
The Boys’ A Div Squash Team after their 4-1 victory over HCI
Raffles Press would like to thank William Leung from the RI Squash Team for helping with our match report, and the Photography Club for kindly contributing photographs of the match.
By Vanathi Rajarajan (14S05B) and Lakshmanan Lakshmi (14S06B)
While most of us were eagerly awaiting the weekend, the Touch Rugby girls were eagerly awaiting their final match against Nanyang Junior College. It was a late afternoon and fortunately the sky was clear and the sun was bright. The final matches took off with great weather.
The team getting advice from their coach just before the match
Touch rugby is usually played with 6 members from each team trying to touch down and score as many tries as possible. However, there is a twist: defending players prevent the attacking team from gaining a territorial advantage by touching the ball carrier. 6 touches are all one has. Once 6 touches have been made or the ball is dropped, possession changes. The opponent team gets the ball and the game carries on. A typical game lasts for 20 minutes. Though it might sound simple, it is a tough and tiring game, requiring stamina and mental strength.
Let’s go Raffles! – the team and alumni huddle before the match
“Unfortunate injuries and the team performing below standard, as well as bad refereeing decisions, cost us the game (against Nanyang last week),” said Vice-Captain Louisa Ng. Having lost to Nanyang JC just last week, Raffles Touch was all set to fight strong and gain back what they lost.
The action started at the sound of the whistle. There was only one goal in mind for both teams: to secure a 5th placing and to end the season on a high note. The level of competence was equal on both sides. The possession of the ball kept switching from team to team. Team members were running from point to point making sure that the whole pitch was covered at all times. The level of spirits was high as both sides were giving a good fight!
It was at about the 6th minute mark that bought the Raffles side to squeals and jumps. Having the possession of the ball in hand, Maegan Wang made a mad dash to the end of the field, dodging and outrunning her opponents along the way. She secured the first try for Team Raffles. The score was now 1-0.
Throughout the match, there were many swaps within the players. This way, all the players had a go at contributing to their team’s win. The constant calls from their coach and teammates also boosted their spirits and allowed for more alert play.
Not getting complacent from the lead they had over NYJC, Raffles Touch fought hard and strong. NYJC had multiple chances at scoring but Raffles maintained a strong defence. At about the 15th minute, Louisa dived in to score another try. Just seconds later, the whistle was blown. The score was 2-0. Raffles Touch Rugby had overcome Nanyang JC to retain the 5th place for the third year running!
Louisa Ng in action, backed by team mates Celeste Tan and Cherlyn Seah
Captain Lee Chin’s felt that this season was “one of the best memories to be had in JC”. “Every single player grew a lot, individually and as a team. I believe that every one of us really tried our best,” she said. “I would definitely like to thank our coach, as she not only trained us, but also gives us so much support,” Lee Chin said. She added that teachers-in-charge Ms Lee Mei Yin and Ms Ma Jialin were “always there to help us”, in addition to their seniors.
Vice-Captain Louisa was similarly proud of her team: “Even though we did not reach our goal of getting a medal placing, we are proud of the team for playing our bests despite the odds against us and finishing well. No regrets!”
When asked what is unique about this batch of girls in Touch Rugby, teacher-in-charge Ms Ma replied without a thought, “This year it was a stronger team, they played their best and put it all out there. This year’s captain (Lee Chin) was a rare leader and took the welfare of the team as the first priority. She gave her all and was a role model to her team. Together with the vice captain (Louisa Ng) she was able to gel the team together this year.”
She added: “Touch Rug will definitely come back stronger next year!”
All smiles after a successful season
Photos courtesy of Nicholas Koh (Photographic Society)
Last year, in the middle of my term at Raffles Press, I stopped believing that we could make any real change to the culture of discussion and honesty in the school.
It’s a common misconception that teachers lead very drab and boring lives. After all, someone who spends his or her life pontificating about the pleasures of drawing graphs or writing essays cannot possibly be doing anything interesting in his/her spare time, can they?
Ms Lin Run’Er, our very own Year 5 GP tutor, showed us just how wrong we were on 15th April, when she witnessed the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing first-hand. Having taken leave from the school to take part in the marathon, she was barely 200m away from the bombing when it took place.
Ms Lin appearing on the news after the incident. Photo: Divya Muthiah (14S06C)
In light of her remarkable experience, we sat down with Ms Lin to obtain a first-hand account of what transpired in Boston as well as her personal take on the incident.
ON THE BOSTON MARATHON
Press: Let’s start at the beginning, before you went for the marathon. How did you qualify or get to participate in the Boston Marathon?
Ms Lin: Well the qualifying timing for my age group was 3h 35 mins, so we had to run a marathon in 3h 35 mins or less. I qualified in the 2011 Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon. I ran 3h 33 mins.
What made you decide to go to the Boston Marathon in the middle of your teaching season?
The Boston Marathon is a really big deal for runners. They call it the “Olympics of the Common Man” and I’ve heard a lot about the Boston Marathon. I’ve had friends who’ve went, and they’ve said it’s the oldest marathon in the world. I mean, besides the one that happened in Greece, it’s the oldest “official” marathon in the world so it’s something I wanted to experience.
My qualifying time only lasted for a year or so and I really wasn’t sure if I could qualify again. They recently tightened the qualifying standards; it used to be 3 hours 40 mins but now it’s 3 hours 35 mins. So, before they tighten the qualifying standards again, I thought “I’d better go just once, while I have a chance to go” and I know it’s in the middle of my teaching season, which I why I took a very minimal amount of leave, just enough to fly there and back.
Ms Lin with Meb Keflezighi, Silver Medallist in the Olympic Marathon in 2004
During the marathon itself, how did you find the route? How did you feel while running the marathon?
It’s really, really good. It’s the best marathon I’ve ever run. Because the level of support there is tremendous, all the volunteers are super enthusiastic. I’ve never seen such a level of enthusiasm before. I mean, I’m not putting down Singapore or anything, but you could really see that all the volunteers were really happy to be there.
The residents, they take pride in staying there. They will come out of their houses to watch, it’s a family event. People will drag their sleeping bags out, they will lie on the field and support the runners. They will mix their own drinks and even buy their own ice-cream and offer it to runners. They also make their own signs and posters – some are really creative.
It was a very enjoyable experience. There were supporters along every part of the route, so for the whole 42 kilometres there were supporters.
Any particularly interesting signs or incidents that happened to you?
One of the posters said “You’ve trained for this longer than Kim Kardashian has been married.” Things like that.
Encouraging signs along the marathon route
ON THE BOMBING
Where were you when the bombing took place?
I was after the finish line, roughly about 200m or so past it.
What was your initial reaction to the bombing? What did you see at the site?
My initial reaction was like “What is this? What happened?” Because those of us who finished the marathon, we were all very tired, so our reflexes were a bit slow. It was a new place, and there was a church there so we thought it might be a celebratory cannon or fireworks that went off early. There was no immediate panic. We just went like “Oh my goodness, what was that”. Everyone was in a very happy mood, you see, so it didn’t really strike us immediately that it was a bomb.
So we just went on as per normal. Some people stopped to take photos. We just thought “There’s nothing we can do, we don’t know what it is.” Just a few moments later, people started running in our direction. They were panicking, saying “Run, there’s a bomb”.
The building circled in red is where one of the bombings took place
Did you actually see the site of the bombing?
We couldn’t go to the site of the bombing. I was about 200m away, but after that the area was cordoned off and we were not allowed into that street.
How did the general public react to the bombing?
On that same day, I saw very distraught people on the streets. It was very heart-wrenching to see that, especially because a few thousand people didn’t finish the marathon; they couldn’t access their phones so they were uncontactable. So, these are the people whose relatives were trying to contact them but to no avail.
After that, people were very kind. The whole city was very nice and people were very nice to one another. In fact I was standing at a junction waiting for a friend and I had at least five people approach me and ask me “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
People were even offering their houses out to people. There were a lot of tourists over there as people had flown in from overseas to participate so people offered their houses for them to stay at. I heard that people immediately went to the hospital to donate blood.
How did the bombing affect you personally? We understand that your hotel was in a cordoned off area.
Personally, there was a lot of inconvenience as I couldn’t get back to my hotel or get a change of clothes. My passport was in my hotel, a lot of my things were there. I had to stay in a separate Bed and Breakfast for the night, and there was a lot of uncertainty because I was supposed to be flying off the next day.
But I mean, to keep things in perspective, it didn’t worry me that much. I knew that it was an emergency, there was a crisis. I can’t get back to my hotel, okay, but that’s a minor problem compared to what had happened.
Were your family and friends worried? Were you?
Well, I was worried that they would be worried. I think it wasn’t that bad, because I managed to contact them and inform them pretty early. It was at 3-4am Singapore time, so most Singaporeans were sleeping at the time. I think they didn’t know about it yet, so I thought I should pre-empt them and tell them what had happened and tell them that I’m alright.
Do you think it’s possible that something like this might happen to Singapore in the future? In Boston, do you think there were sufficient security measures put in place?
If you talk about security measures, frankly speaking in this kind of event I’m not sure if security measures are good for the event. It’s a family event; if we were to start instituting security measures, like checking everybody’s bags or limiting supporters, I think it would be very difficult. Like for example, in Singapore, there was a race on the Thursday after the Boston Marathon. They decided to limit the number of supporters, and they did not allow supporters in the event area.
As to whether it can happen to Singapore or not, I think it can happen to Singapore. There have been bomb plots that have been exposed so it is possible.
On Running
On a lighter note, how many other marathons have you run?
This was my tenth marathon.
How did you first develop your passion for running?
I guess I first picked up running in secondary school. Since then I really liked running, and in Singapore this whole marathon trend is catching on.
Best marathon timing so far?
3 hours 33 minutes.
Any future goals?
Not at the moment. Qualifying for Boston was a major goal. Now that I’ve achieved this goal, in the immediate future I don’t see the need to aim for another better timing.
After this whole incident, are you looking to participate in any future marathons?
Of course! I think a lot of people expect me to say that I’ll never run another marathon again. But of course not, this won’t affect my future decisions in taking part in more marathons.
Any final thoughts about this entire incident?
Well, this wasn’t a smooth trip for me. On the first day my luggage was delayed, on the last day I lost my phone, my IC, my credit card and a sum of money. But this event kind of puts things in perspective for me. At first I was panicking about losing my phone, and then after a while, I realized “It’s really nothing serious. People have lost their limbs, their loved ones and family members and I’ve only lost a phone. It’s no big deal.”
I also saw the importance of a sense of community in a city. People in Boston are really very friendly, they’re very proud to be part of the community. When this happened, it seemed natural that everyone just started helping one another. And I was wondering – if this happened in Singapore, how would Singaporeans respond? I mean, of course, I don’t want to wait until there is an emergency or disaster to find out. It’s just something to think about.
This interview has been edited for clarity and concision. Photos courtesy of Ms Lin.
