Edited by Celine Yeap

9.14pm, 1^st day of February 2012. A cool Wednesday night. I sit here in my room, typing this sentence out on my laptop. It’s been an hour or so since the men’s soccer semi-finals between KE7 and Kent Ridge ended. We ended up losing 1-0 but let’s talk about that later. First, match recap.

It’s 6pm at the SRC field and I’m there just in time to watch the first possession of the game. Liangxun, armed with a camera, is already here. Depleted by injuries, the boys in red on the field are playing without our star striker, Arjun, and defender Fred. JK is plagued by an ankle injury, and Shaam has just recovered from illness. The game flows on pretty evenly, with KE7 having just a slight edge in possession. We’re playing the long ball down the flanks, hoping to cross it in for an opportunity at a shot. We get some chances, but we’re not converting.

On the other half of the field, our back line is doing a good job keeping Kent Ridge away from goal-scoring opportunities. Our defenders show their mettle: Prakash marshalls the defense, Anand is everywhere, and Cunzhi (he of the incredible 2/3 field free kick goal against Eusoff) is as usual masterful as the center-back. Our goalie Nelson is steady between the posts, clad in his iconic retro jersey. The defense looks solid, repeatedly denying KR any play off three consecutive throw-ins. The first half ends with JK making a run down the right flank, cutting past 4 KR players.

Nelson before a goal kick

The second half begins after CK, our soccer captain, rallies his team at the halftime break. KE starts the half threatening the KR defense with free kicks from Cunzhi, but still we can’t capitalize on it. The pressure builds as the game goes on, the score still tied, and then KR is awarded a free kick just outside the penalty box. KR scores off the free kick as they successfully fake out the KE7 wall, and the ball deflects off the inner post into our goal. 1-0 to KR.

KE7 continues to fight on and the crowd is really into the game. It’s our second last chance to get into an IHG final and we’re all rooting for our soccer boys. Guys whose names aren’t known to the general public become hometown heroes as they play their hearts out on the pitch. Everyone in red is acting as an extra linesman: when the ball goes out of play on our side of the pitch, the KE7 contingent erupts in cries of ‘eh ref!’

Pressure mounts as the game goes on and we attempt to ignite our offense by continuing to play the ball long down the line. But KR, buoyed by their goal, repeatedly heads the ball away. CK’s chance at a 1-on-1 with the keeper is called offside by the referee – a decision hotly contested by KEVIIans present but to no avail. Two free kicks offer glimmers of hope, but they too fail to find the net. Tension between the two teams on the pitch is tangible as emotions run high and the game becomes increasingly physical. The game ends with KR managing to hold on for the win. Our boys walk off the field with their heads held high.

9.46pm and I hit alternate-tab to watch NBA highlights before I continue writing. As much as I enjoy writing there comes a point where mechanical reporting about a loss is rather depressing. I’ve got all these quotes with epic comic potential, which I could insert at strategic points in an article where we won, but it just doesn’t seem to fit the mood, does it?

Ten minutes later, I’m back at my Microsoft Word document. My Grizzlies have beaten the Nuggets but take overtime to do it. The Cavs claw their way back from a 20 point deficit but eventually lose by 3 to the Celtics. But why am I talking about the NBA in a soccer IHG article? Because professional sports like the NBA proves the point that playing any sport is eventually not about the refereeing, or the nature of your opponent, but instead about ourselves. Now, I could have devoted an entire paragraph about dirty plays, or another two to the questionable nature of the referee’s calls. But those aren’t excuses to win the game. Let’s not get me wrong here: I’m not casting any doubt upon our soccer boys. It was a game we should have won, but we were done in by a momentary (literally a moment) defensive lapse. A break in concentration, and the opponent scores. At the end of the day, the outcome of the game is on us. A friend told me what Jerwin said after our volleyball boys had lost their first match of the season:

“To say that ‘we tried our best’ after a loss is an excuse. It means our best is not enough.”

Many a time I’ve heard it said after a loss that

‘it’s okay guys, KE isn’t a sports hall’

or

‘well, they had <insert number here> of IVP players and we didn’t have any’

Or something to that effect. But we can’t use that excuse forever. People ask me why I play sports for KE7, even though realistically speaking, the odds of victory are stacked against us. At first I couldn’t really answer them. But we end up playing for the supporters who come down to each IHG game, for the men and women proud to wear a red jersey and who cheer for you even if they don’t know you personally. You play for the people who feel the same pain as you when the game ends in defeat – if you were at today’s soccer game you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s super chaoji  emo after you watch a game where KE loses. Go back your room also no mood to do work. Pardon the temporary break in formal grammar but colloquial Singlish expression is the only thing that can do that particular sentiment any justice.

 I used to be one of those who believed that sports in KE7 is a lost cause. Maybe other halls have other people with more talent. Maybe the referees are kayu. But maybe also we can train, and we can train, and we can train and train and train some. We can (and we should) take it upon ourselves to hit the gym and the track in the holidays, to work on our game in the offseason, to really want to make something happen. Michael Jordan didn’t win 6 championships by taking a chill pill in Hawaii during the offseason. He worked his butt off. And his teammates also worked their butts off. In short, the entire team was working their collective butt off – together.

It’s 10.26pm, and I refuse to believe that sports in KE7 is a lost cause. How about you?

Edited by Celine Yeap

The KE female soccer team was back in action this morning from where they left off last Saturday, when an untimely thunderstorm forced the rest of the tournament to be postponed. To recap, the team had played three out of their five matches – losing to RH whlie drawing SH and the much fancied EH. That tally took them to the fifth spot in the six-team tournament. Their remaining fixtures were against KR and TH.

KE Girls soccer team: 5th overall in IHG

Despite the heavy odds stacked against them, the team, fully recharged after the Chinese New Year break, was raring to fight for glory. Under the guidance of coach Cunzhi, everything seemed systematic and orderly as the girls quickly split into small groups to practice their drills upon arrival at the venue. There was also much positive energy bouncing off every member of the team as they chattered and cheered for each other right from the start. The girls looked to be in great shape and all ready for the battles ahead!

Their first match was against KR. Much to everyone’s surprise, team KR only came with 7 players – exactly the number needed on the field! In other words, KR did not have any player on the bench available for substitution! Apparently many of their players were unable to make it for today’s match and they had to make do with the only VII they had.

Our girls playing against KR

During the pep talk right before the match, coach Cunzhi was heard telling the team to beef up their defence against KR, a team which managed to score in all their previous games. His words were certainly well heeded by the team as the defenders, anchored by Unnaa and assisted by Indah and Mae Yue on each side, worked their best to thwart the relentless attacks launched by their opponents. Time and again the KR strikers were frustrated by the impenetrable defence. Alas, KR finally managed to break through when one of their strikers scored from a tight angle in the first half. KE 0 – KR 1.

Cunzhi giving the girls a pep talk

In an ironic twist of event, the KR striker who scored what eventually turned out to be the winning goal injured her ankle as soon as the match resumed and had to limp off to the sidelines. With no players available for substitution, KR had to play on with only 6 players. Sensing an opportunity to better the score, team KE adopted a more aggressive strategy in the second half as they sought to capitalise on their numerical advantage. The midfielders and strikers tried again and again to pass the ball up front and to organise attacks. However, their efforts were well contained by their opponents as KR help up the pressure to win the match 1-0.

Defeated but definitely not demoralised, the girls took a short break before they were back in action against TH. Before the second match, coach Cunzhi told the team, “be on your toes, as TH will come fast and punish any mistakes you make”. Once again, Cunzhi was proven correct as right from the starting whistle, the TH players dominated with their fast pace and accurate passes. TH scored a goal within the first few minutes. Soon after that, they hit the crossbar once and looked dangerously close to scoring on several occasions. Thankfully our goalkeeper, June, was on top of her game as she made several brilliant saves to keep the team in contention. The score stood at KE 0 – TH 1 by the end of the first 12 minutes.

June, our keeper saving a goal attempt

In the second half, TH scored 3 goals in quick succession as our defensive errors were harshly punished by their crafty strikers. The haemorrhage stopped only when the lineup underwent a total makeover – nearly the entire VII was substituted. As the team stabilised, attacking chances were created but they did not go very far before the final whistle marked the end of the match. The final score was KE 0 – TH 4.

Defending hard against TH

With that, the KE female soccer team remained fifth on the overall standing. Kudos to the team for putting in their best and fighting hard with the KE spirit! Above all, the girls would surely agree with their captain, Eliza, that “SOCCER IS FUN!!!”.

SOCCER IS FUN!

Edited by Ong Hui Shan

A resounding “KE!” by the spirited KE7 male soccer team marked the beginning of the match with Eusoff Hall (EH) on 27^th January 2012. The kick off began at 8.18pm and EH wasted no time in launching the first wave of attack in the 5^th minute. A shot from outside the penalty box was delivered on target but our trusty KE7 goalkeeper, Nelson, was not caught off-guard. In fact, he caught the ball so beautifully that it triggered deafening screams and compliments from the growing number of KE7 supporters. In the 15^th minute, KE had a corner kick but sadly, it ended up in the possession of the EH midfielder who delivered a shot on target. Despite this, someone was there to save the day – yes, it was, once again, Nelson.

Up till this point, KE7 and EH had been rather evenly matched, but the big break came in the 22^nd minute – the ball was passed from mid-field to Arjun, who was just outside the penalty box. Arjun quickly closed in on the EH goal where the EH goalkeeper tried to stop him but to no avail. It was just Arjun and an EH defender standing shoulder-to-shoulder right in front of the goal. The EH defender frantically tried to clear the ball with a header, which made contact, but in the direction of the EH goal! With that, all it took was a highly accurate kick from Arjun’s long leg and KE7 was leading 1-0! This score was maintained all the way till half time. After watching the first half, I must really commend Nelson for the many nice saves that he had made. Without his iron defence, KE7 would have conceded many goals by half time, so good job Nelson!

The second half started off with many furious attacks by EH, which ultimately paid off in the 60^th minute, when they managed to score an equaliser while the KE7 penalty box was in chaos. This dampened our spirits a little but Cun Zhi quickly set that right in the 62^nd minute. He took a shot from mid-field (mind you, it was mid-field!) and the ball made a high smooth arc in the air before slotting nicely into the back of the net. Everyone was stunned. It took many of us a few seconds to register what was just witnessed before we burst into euphoric cheers and applause. I would have to say that this goal is arguably one of the best goals of the season.

With KE leading 2-1, EH picked up their game tempo, managing 2 attempts at the goal in the 74^th and 75^th minutes. Nevertheless, these shots either narrowly passed over the cross bar or was saved by Nelson. Tension mounted in the 80^th minute when EH earned a penalty kick, as this presented an opportunity for them to score their much needed equaliser. Everyone prayed hard that Nelson would rise to the occasion, and once again, he did not fail us. After the referee blew the whistle, the penalty kick was directed to the right of the goal. Nelson dived and was just in time to deflect the ball out of the goal. Once again, we erupted into screams and cheers. 5 minutes later, an EH winger made a shot from the right side of the field and it curved towards the right side of the goal. Nelson dived but was a little too late in stopping it – EH thus got their equalising goal.

The match ended with a draw score of 2-2. The KE7 team has undeniably put up a fine display of skills, teamwork and sportsmanship. Kudos to them! Let’s be sure to catch their next match in the coming week!

Edited by Celine Yeap

27th January was the start of the 1st preliminary match for the KE7 female badminton players  in IHG(Inter-hall Games). This time, our players faced off against the girls from TH (Temasek Hall). The game started around 7pm at MPSH and our diligent players from KE7 were busy warming up for the upcoming battle with TH. I had a good opportunity to interview the female badminton captain, Cherie, about her expectations for the badminton match. The captain was a little pessimistic of the outcome of the match as the TH players were far more superior in experience. However, she remained optimistic that the girls would try their best to do KE7 proud.

The first singles started at around 7:20pm with Joanne against Priscilla from TH. It started with a warm up and then in 10 minutes time, the game started proper. The player from TH was very much aggressive and faster than Joanne  and made her cover much ground on the court, exhausting her. Though the TH player faulted a few times, allowing Joanne to score a few points, it was not enough to win the match, resulting in score of 21-4 and 21-2 respectively. The first singles lasted about 20 minutes.

The next event was the 1st doubles played by Ruth and Adela.  When the 1st doubles started, TH started with an offensive strategy (including hand signals) by serving strategically and aggressively against our players. The strategy worked initially, with TH scoring a number of points before our players were able to regain their composure and fight back. However, TH’s superior physical strength overwhelmed our players as they were much faster and had better reflexes. In the end, though our players fought bravely, we lost 4-21 and 8-21 respectively. I had an opportunity to interview Adela, one of the players. She felt that the players from TH were in better physical shape as she had a hard time keeping up with them in the game. However, she felt that she had done her best and that it was a good experience to hone her skills.

Ruth and Adela, anticipating a serve

Jasmine, against a formidable TH badminton player

Cherie and Bee with a serve

April, lobbing with strength

Edited by: Victor Lee

Welcome back KEVIIans to a fresh semester! If you do not already know, the Inter Hall Games (IHG) season has officially started. IHG is a yearly event where the 6 halls in NUS battle it out in various sports.  On Thursday, 12^th Jan, our dearest JCRC has organized the IHG opening supper to commemorate the event and to reward KEVIIans who have fought/ are going to fight for our victories in the past/upcoming matches.

At 10pm, KEVIIans had already assembled at the dining hall in anticipation of supper. Though there wasn’t a large crowd at first, more and more people started streaming in. To start the supper proper, the JCRC had invited our Hall Master, Associate Professor Ho, to speak and encourage KEVIIans to do well in the IHG season. Hall Master spoke of the need to give our best in the upcoming matches and even if we are no sports hall, we must “make it hard for the other halls to win” and show them that we are no pushovers. Personally, the idea of giving the other halls a tough fight was particularly important. Like many other KEVIIans who have stayed in hall for an extended period, IHG has always been a bitter pill that we need to swallow and we must remind ourselves to do our best. Hall Master’s speech reminded me the importance of giving our all. The winning and losing should not matter, what was important was the fact that we did our best and created memories worth remembering when we look back at them.

Next up was our JCRC president, Eddie, to give his rousing speech. Despite his shy demeanor, Eddie echoed Master’s ideas and attempted to “rah-rah” the crowd. Soon, our JCRC Sports Secretary, Jamil, took up the baton to hype up the crowd. After making a quick explanation of the point system of IHG, Jamil mentioned a crucial piece of information that may change our fortunes in IHG. KE and Sheares are neck to neck in points and stand a good chance to surpass them if we do well in the upcoming matches. To round up the speeches, Eddie and Jamil led the KEVIIans in a cheer, which served as a boost to our confidence.

Next up was the moment that everyone was waiting for – the taking of food! Trays of beehoon, popcorn chicken, sausages and éclairs were available for choosing and an incredibly long queue was formed almost immediately after the end of the cheers. As KEVIIans enjoyed their delicious supper the IHG video, created specially by KE Media, was screened. The video was a tribute to KEVIIans who had played and fought hard in the IHG matches that had passes. Sports included are Handball, Tennis, Swimming, Sepak Takraw, Softball, Squash and Volleyball. Pictures taken from the various matches were shown and they reminded the players of the precious memories and effort put in to all the matches.

Though the food was great, I am positive that  full stomachs was not all that everybody took away from the supper. All the hard work and efforts put in so far into IHG have been heartening and hopefully these efforts will not come to naught.

Best of luck to all players in the upcoming matches and do your best to bring glory home!

Edited by Ong Hui Shan

The car park outside the Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) was the place to be on Thursday evening – the highly-anticipated Road Relay race was unfolding amidst great fanfare and gusto. As the sun set, a sizeable crowd made its way steadily to the slope near the SRC carpark to witness what was going to be a good show of athleticism by the runners from the six halls.

The route for the relay, spanning a distance of 2.26km, stretched from the slope at the SRC car park past the University Cultural Centre (UCC), exiting through Entrance A to Clementi Road, then turning left into campus past the School of Design And Environment and the Central Library, finally coming back down the slope along Raffles Hall to the starting point. With each team fielding six runners and a reserve runner, the competition was sure to be an interesting one.

The KEVII team lineup was as follows: Alex Mah, Cheng Liong, Feng Fei, Reggie John, Wang Cong and the Captain Terence Keok, with Jack Neo as the reserve. The Temasek Team was strong and consisted of several cross country runners, giving them the edge.

The relay kicked off at 7.30 pm, right after the KEVII captain Terence, who also doubled up as the convening captain and organiser, gave a briefing to all the participating athletes regarding the relay route and safety precautions. Safety personnel and road marshalls were also strategically located at checkpoints along the route.

The first lap pretty much set the tone for the rest of the race as Justin from Temasek hall quickly established a lead, with Kent Ridge, Raffles, Eusoff, Alex from KEVII, and finally Sheares trailing behind. From then on, it got increasingly difficult to catch up as the TH runners put more and more distance in between themselves and the runners from the other 5 halls. Temasek was secure in its lead, save for a close call in the 4th lap when Kent Ridge managed to bridge the distance gap. Nevertheless, their lead on everyone else still ensured their eventual victory. The 2nd lap saw KEVII drop to the last position and despite a spirited effort from our runners, we ended the race last. Nevertheless, the spirit of the competition was not lost, and the supporters gave loud cheers and applause for all the 6 halls.

Losing the event certainly isn’t the end. Our athletes gave it their all and we are proud of the team. KEVIIians had turned up in large numbers, all decked out in flaming red Tees and ‘powered up’, to cheer on our athletes led by our Sports Secretary, Muhammad Jamil. KEVII is certainly proud of its athletes for putting on a commendable show after weeks of grueling training and practice. A special commendation should be given to the captain Terence Keok, who performed spectacularly both on and off the field despite his heavy workload as the convening captain, organiser, and IHG participant.

GO KEVII !

If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just finish the race it’s up to you.                                                      - Dave Scott, Triathlete

Edited by Ong Hui Shan

This was it. The epic showdown between David and Goliath. Temasek vs KEVII. As the first sport to make it to IHG finals, it was the talk of KE with conversations going “eh you going to watch, not?” to which the responses were either “ya, of course! I want to see Hall Master’s son play”, or “ya, I want to see Joan play against their IVP”.

Like any other match, both teams had to submit their line-up to the Convening Committee. In a somewhat cruel twist of fate, the TH IVP players were placed in the middle of the lineup, giving them an edge. Nevertheless, our guys took it in their stride and rose up to the challenge.

Unfortunately, as the match time was pushed forward to 5.30pm when many KE kids were still having lessons, there were fewer supporters present for the first few sets. Nevertheless, Hall Master turning up to lend support to Weng Shian, first up against Yi Sheng of TH, was definitely a heartening sight.

FIRST UP: WENG SHIAN

Feeling under the weather due to flu, Weng Shian could not give it his all, on which Yi Sheng capitalised: he showed no mercy as he sent the ball all over the court, with a few hard-to-reach corner shots, ending the first set 6-11 to TH. However, our Young Master upped his game in the second set having warmed up after the first – he went on to win the second set 11-6. Throughout the game, Hall Master gave encouragement by yelling out “One point at a time!”

Weng Shian lunges for the ball!

Halfway through the third set, Weng Shian started to suffer the pains of a hamstring pull, and Yi Sheng was relentless in forcing him to run across the court. The game came to a pause at 7-9 as Weng Shian was in urgent need of first aid. To everyone’s dismay, neither TH nor KE was equipped with a first aid kit, and the only safety box was at the soccer pitch. It was definitely a lesson learnt on the importance of being adequately equipped, especially with basic first aid. An unpleasant turn of events ensued as an argument broke out between the safety officer and a few concerned supporters over the lack of an additional safety box; the game also had to be put on hold until the safety box was fetched from the soccer field. Despite the pain of his sports injury, Weng Shian put up a tough fight; alas, Yi Sheng still prevailed 11-6, securing TH’s first win. Nevertheless, the crowd cheered wildly for Weng Shian for fighting till the end.

NEXT UP: JOAN

Next, Joan faced off with Byron “Caveman” Koh (he has a deafening cheer). Byron has been playing the sport since 13, so this was no easy match for our Spaniard. The first set saw a series of long rallies which ended with Byron’s 11-6 victory, to which Joan confidently remarked“I’m just warming up!”

Joan jumps for a shot with amazing agility!

However, things did not go our way in the second set either: KE lost 3-11. Joan slipped on the court a few times, and KE’s Feng Fei had to enter the court to wipe it clean at one point! Joan managed to turn the tide in our favour as he won a tired Byron in the third set, 11-5. An amazing racket-behind-back stunt by Joan sent the crowd into raucous applause. It was a sheer test of stamina in the fourth set, and it ended with a narrow 2 point margin 9-11 in TH’s favour. Both players exchanged a big hug to everyone’s amusement.

THE MAKE OR BREAK

The 2 toughest matches were against IVP players from TH: our captain Bryan vs their captain Chong Guang, and Ben Tham vs Jia Hui (they played each other last year too). Bryan was unable to return enough of his wily opponent’s powerful forehand shots and lost in straight sets 5-11, 0-11 and 3-11.

Benjamin had a bit more “luck” with his “lucky” ensemble of red shirt and pants. He won his first set 11-7 against a very relaxed Jia Hui which led to the question: was he conserving his energy to spring more surprises? In between sets, Jia Hui was seen rallying the ball in a V-shape between front corners of the court – show off or pure skill? This remained to be seen. Benjamin was simply a pure delight to watch – a bundle of bouncy joy around the court. He would pick himself up with a smile after a fall, and this toned down the aggressive nature of the game. Unfortunately, Ben could not maintain the lead he established in the first round, and finally succumbed to Jia Hui’s all-around attacking game 5-11, 5-11, 3-11.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

Though KE had lost her gold medal, Feng Fei still rounded up the last match against Yong Wen with confidence and skill. He made Yong Wen run fore court and back court, wearing him out. Yong Wen had to catch his breath for a moment in the final third set with the score at 4-1, lying sprawled out on the floor. Beat, Yong Wen conceded 3 straight games, all ending with the same score 11-3. Sadly, it was an ungracious moment as an unsporting Yong Wen flung his racket down in frustration!

FROM THE HORSES’ MOUTHS

And now, a few words from the team:

Feng Fei: Although we lost the 4 matches, I fought on for the honour of the hall. Thank you supporters!

Thank you supporters!

Ben: I am glad Unnaa was here to watch me although I didn’t win. Unfortunately, she didn’t hug me when I lost

Bryan: I did not expect much. TH is a strong team. We just did our best and see where it takes us. The guys did really well, put up a good fight, and I’m proud of them. The supporters were amazing! Overall, I am happy with the result.

THE DECREE

Our squash guys have really come far with a united front of team effort. Despite losing, it is undeniable that they had fought with all their might and never once betrayed any signs of throwing in the towel. TH may have ‘squashed’ us in the game, but they definitely did not squash our spirits! 

Victorious loss for our KE male squash team

Results: Soccer [F] Carnival

KE Girls Soccer Team!

The sounding of the whistle marked the start of a long and arduous day ahead for the girls of our KE soccer team. Under the merciless glare of the sun, our girls, led by Captain Eliza Low, stepped onto the pitch to play the game that many people around the world have gone crazy over: Soccer. IHG females soccer, unlike the male events, were to be played “carnival” style. Armed with bananas and energy bars, the girls were to play 5 games, 7 players a side, consisting of two 12 minute halves against each of the five other halls from ten in the morning to 6 in the evening. As I made my way across the field, the soccer girls, along with their coach, Cunzhi, were already warming up diligently in front of the grandstands that were painted a sea of coloured jerseys.

The soccer girls, dillegently warming up before their match

The first match for the day: Raffles Hall, the “PoweRHouse”, boasting a line up of new and experienced faces. Anticipation and emotion ran high prior to the match; when asked, Unnaa, who was to play the “last man” (aka, the centreback, the last defender before the goalkeeper) in the first line-up said that she was “very scared”. She explained that the match against Raffles was a deciding match; if well played, it would ensure us a safe position for the rest of the carnival. Clearly unnerved by their opponents, the game started off on a shaky note. The first half was a confusing mayhem of shouting from the sidelines and passes as the girls struggled among themselves to establish a solid defence formation. Twice during the first half, our defence conceded and two goals were let in, the score thus 2-0 to RH. After a few words of advice from Cunzhi who told the girls to stop fighting against each other and encourage each other more, they started the second half afresh and tightened their defence. Unfortunately, the team could not break RH’s defence and the game ended with a score of 2-0 to RH.

"We're all in this together, stop fighting against each other." - Cunzhi's advice to the girls during half time

Next up, we were pitted against Sheares Hall. Going in with a mindset to do better and a different line up of players, the match was played at a whole new level of intensity. The game travelled up and down the field, mostly remaining in their defensive half. Many opportunities were created by the girls to score, the excitement becoming tangible in the air. Our girls were as aggressive as the girls from SH; KE’s ex soccer captain, Vic-ki Sia even got a yellow card – possibly a first in IHG females soccer when she no more than bumped into her opponent during a free throw! Despite several prospects to score (such as Annisa’s commendable free kick during the last 5 minutes of the game), no goals were secured and the game concluded with a draw of 0-0.

Annisa with a good corner kick!

The girls took the following 2 hours break to replenish their energy and prepare themselves for their next opponent, Eusoff Hall, who would prove to be a challenging opponent. The match against EH was no doubt the highlight of the day for the girls and supporters, including those clad not only in red but white and green. Indeed, the match captivated the attention of Temasek and Raffles Hall, who could be seen cheering hard for our girls from the grandstands. The girls reconciled with the fact that Eusoff hall, a team composed of IVPs and ex-IVPs was a no-win and the only way to defeat them was to defend hard. And that was exactly what they did. Unlike the game against SH, EH kept the ball in our half most, if not all of the time. Minute after minute, they launched a string of attacks, keeping everyone on the edges of their seats; Cunzhi could be seen shouting instructions hoarse from the sidelines. Our girls also attacked hard; in an exciting break, Germaine and Vic-ki (playing forward) managed to push the ball to EH’s half, but nevertheless did not manage to score.

Germaine and Vic-ki on the attack!

Much credit has to be given to our keeper, June Loh who, no doubt under tremendous pressure, executed confident and brilliant saves. For the entire twenty four minutes of the game, never once did June concede a goal, riling up EH’s offense who got more and more desperate as the time ticked on. Counting from the sidelines, June managed to save an impressive number of goals – more than 10 attempts made by EH! Our every save and every kick were greeted by an outburst of applause and cheer from the stands – in Eddie’s words “we’ve got three halls supporting us!” Not forgetting to mention, our defenders Unnaa, Indah and Eliza who also played hard; Indah even sustaining an injury to her shin. As the final, long awaited, resounding whistle blew, signalling the end of the game, the girls erupted in a frenzy of delight, with the disbelief that they managed to draw EH 0-0! Three cheers for June our “IVP” keeper and man of the match (as declared by an RH girl)!

The girls, jumping for joy for having drawn Eusoff Hall 0-0!

In an unfortunate turn of events, and with the luck of living in the tropics, the signs of an impending thunderstorm dawned on us as the girls began to warm up for their next match as the lightning warning system came alive. Following procedures, the carnival was called off. Thus, the exciting journey of our soccer girls ends on a cliffhanger.  So be sure to come down and support them next Saturday morning as they play the remaining matches against KR and TH!

Well done June, our "IVP" goalkeeper!

Edited by Ong Hui Shan

On the evening of 19th January, the SRC car park was dotted with colour and cheer. The annual inter-hall road relay championship had all 6 halls vying to be kings and queens of the road. Up against strong competitors and some vicious slopes, the KE runners were determined to give it their all. The girls’ team came in third, making history for securing the podium finish in xx years. We had a short chat with Sophie Ong, a Medicine freshmen, about her virgin road relay experience.

Sophie:

How do you feel now that the race is over?

I feel happy that it (the race) ended on a good note, but I also feel kind of empty. After having trained so hard for the IHG, now it’s over so fast! I think KE did well.

How do you feel about running for KE hall?

It means a lot for me to be part of this team. I feel really proud that I had the chance to run for KE because I had never ran for a competition in my life before! And it definitely feels good to be able to represent KE. J

What was the most memorable part of your IHG experience?

I really enjoyed training with the rest of the team. We “suffered” and pushed so hard together (especially during the slope trainings!), but that really brought us a lot closer.

Any hopes for the relay team next year?

I hope that we’ll be able to improve and get second (place) next year! I believe that we can do even better if we train harder. I will take part in road relay if I am still staying in hall next semester.

There was also a strong coalition of fellow ‘hallies’ who came down to support. Among the supporters for the runners were those for the convening captains Bee Somphet and Terence Koek. They had been, for the past year, shouldering an outrageously heavy load as organisers, team captains AND participants of the event. During a brief interview, the men’s team captain Terence expressed gratitude to the KE supporters.

Terence: Supporters play a very important role in all competitions and somehow we just need their cheers and encouragement to push ourselves further. I would like to personally thank my supporters but honestly speaking, I don’t really know who came down as I was had so much to do before, during and after the run! I only wished we had the chance to take a picture with all supporters after the race!

I also want to thank the Hall Master Prof Ho and our JCRC President Mr. Eddie Tan for their support and belief in the road relay team despite the odds that we were up against. Last but certainly not least, I would really like to thank everyone who has helped me in one way or another, be it the road marshals, supporters, event coverage etc!

Edited by Mao Yinan

9^th January 2012 marked the day when the King Edward (KE) VII male basketball team faced Sheares Hall (SH) in the Inter-Hall Games (IHG). When the match started at 7.00pm, the spectator stands of the Sports and Recreation Centre’s (SRC) basketball courts were already filled with many supporters from the various halls.

According to the investigation before the game, Sheares Hall is considered as the most powerful team among the 6 halls. They also got quite a few IVPs (Inter-varsity players). Compared with SH, we are more amateur and weaker. However, our hard-working players also provide a fantastic game for us.

In the first session, our player Hung Yi got the first goal in the whole game, which made our team the lead by 2 points in the first few minutes. Although our morale in the beginning was highly encouraged, because the offense of the other team is too fierce, making the score of the end of the first quarter is very inferior to our opponent, 5 (KE) to 13 (SH).

The second session is the climax of the entire competition. At the beginning, we gained the leading edge. Because our team’s defensive measures take a really great effect, we not only let the opponent not get any scores in the session, but almost equalized the scores. At the end of the second quarter, the score became 12 (KE) to 13 (SH).

After the climax, we went into a downturn. Unlike SH, we only have very limited extra players to swap. With the increasingly fierce competition, the players are also gradually physically weaker and weaker. Although our players insisted on hard until the last minutes, there is no possibility to reverse the situation. Finally, the game ended with 27 (KE) to 39 (SH).

The KEVII male basketball team had without a doubt put up a brilliant display of resilience. Players like Miao Huayue (got 11 points), Lee Hungyi (got 10 points) and so on, are really promising players in the team. This match had definitely been a good experience for all the players and hopefully, they will be able to come out even stronger next year.