It was barely one month ago when supporters, sportsmen and sportswomen of the various halls had been in those same stands for the IHG Opening ceremony. Back they were now to put an end to this period of sports playing, which had not only been a privileged occasion for players to bring pride to their halls, to see hours of intensive training finally paying off, and to discover new and hidden talents among hall residents; but also to foster strong team spirit, to cry on one another’s shoulders when the expected goal had not been reached, and to develop an inexpressible sweet sense of belonging to one’s hall.

It was in front of a sea of red that Sports Secretary Dominic, in formal attire, stood proudly with the Keviian flag waiting for the ceremony to begin. The excitement among the Keviians present was unmistakable.

Seniors knew that this year’s IHG closing ceremony would be a different experience altogether from what most of them had witnessed in previous years. Freshies could feel it. And every one of those small individuals in red shirts was wearing that same stupid grin – the one that said “We made it, and I am proud to be Keviian”.

The ceremony started with a speech from Mr. Seetow, Head of SRC, who proceeded by thanking all those who contributed in making IHG 06/07 successful, and ended with a promise of better sports facilities to be made available in the near future.

A speech from the Sports Director from Temasek Hall then preceded two performances, one from the cheerleaders of Temasek Hall and the other from cheerleaders of Kent Ridge Hall. The KR Steppers rendered a finely executed, well-coordinated and breathtaking performance which kept everyone present clapping, and set the ground beautifully for the peak of the ceremony which was to follow.

Amidst thunderous applause and cheering from KE supporters, Kevin, Raymond and Siva (soccer, squash and tennis captains respectively) were presented with the hard-earned gold medals which we Keviians, regardless of whether or not we were in the soccer, squash or tennis team, can now proudly say we won.

The pride and amazement which lit up the captains’ faces were reflected on all the faces of the Keviians present, and the way the former were holding on to the medals left no doubt at all that it was indeed gold they were holding :). On overall ranking KE came out 5th, with the IHG winner of this year being Temasek Hall (same number of points as Eusoff Hall but in possession of more gold medals than the latter).

After a lot of cheering, the concluding speech to Keviians came from Dominic:
“Every year, we always watch other halls winning and receiving gold medals. This year we actually received gold medals, 3 of them. This is the result of hard work from everyone, and of our fighting spirit. We will need the full support of seniors in order to make next year’s IHG successful as well [for KE]”.

And so the IHG 06/07 closed, leaving us with memories – sweet, bitter and bittersweet ones – and 3 gold medals to remind us all of the heights we can achieve as a team.

-Nandeenee