By Mary Tu (27S06O) and Tan Yun Jun (27S03M)
All photographs provided by Xu Fengxuan (27S03M), Zhu Jiajia Christine (27S03G) and Zhu Taiwu (26S06K) from RIAC
Pre-game
11.15am, 14 April 2026: The bus carrying classes of Rafflesians hisses to a stop at Our Tampines Hub, doors sliding open to unload the match supporters that will be cheering on the Boys’ Water Polo team at their NSG finals in minutes. Some clutch onto creative boards adorned with pictures and personalised messages to support their friends in the match.
11.28am, at the grandstands overlooking the swimming pool: The Rafflesian match supporters ramp up the noise with a hearty Rafblood cheer. Hwa Chong Institution, not to be outdone, responds with one of their own cheers. School spirit was coursing through every individual’s veins as they geared up for the NSG finals.
11.29am: Splashes announce the players’ entrance into the pool, filling the air with the smell of chlorine. The atmosphere instantly electrifies, and all eyes are on the fourteen players lining up in the pool: seven in white caps, and seven in black.
11.30am: The whistle is blown on the dot. The calm surface of the water is immediately thrown into a flurry as all fourteen players surge towards the centre of the pool, focused entirely on the red-and-yellow ball that has just been thrown into the arena.
The game has begun.
Continue reading “Treading Through Thick and Thin: NSG 2026 Boys’ Water Polo”
