Floorball [M] Preliminary Round: KE vs. EH, lost 7-1

Reported by Zachary Low

Edited by Celine Yeap

February 7^th, and Liangxun and I are back at the MPSH getting ready for the second game of the men’s floorball group stage. This time though, there’s no camera and notepad and pen – this time we’re wearing KEVIIan red and we’re holding our floorball sticks. It’s the real deal now. The day before, we beat Raffles 7-2 to guarantee a spot in the semifinals. But we’re not going to throw the game against Eusoff. We’re here to put up a fight, and we’re here to play for the win. There’s a whole bunch of people in red here to cheer us on and give us a reason to fight for. If you were at the game and you’re reading this, here’s a shout-out to all the boys and girls who came them to show us some love. Kudos to you all.

And the first picture goes to the supporters right here!

The team finishes its warmup and we get onto the court. The whistle blows and KE gets possession off the initial face-off. At first glance the game looks pretty balanced, and we’re moving the ball around. But as much as it pains me to write this, Eusoff puts the first goal into the net. This is the problem with a player writing the report: it’s ridiculously difficult to admit defeat. I kid you not when I say that I am hesitating right here at my keyboard.

Near the end of the first period Eusoff is awarded a penalty. They convert and the floorball team goes into the break down 2-0. It’s still early in the game, and our coach JQ is reminding us to stay focused.

JQ gets us to focus. Best. Coach. Ever.

The second period starts and as much as I hate to admit it, Eusoff’s superior speed and passing begins to tell. They score three more goals in the second period. We’re getting our chances but we’ve got to do a better job in making them count. When I get onto the court it’s a full-court press: our coach wants us to keep up the pressure so we can get a chance to steal the ball. But the Eusoff defence is swarming and even though the full-court press is allowing us to pressure them in front of their goal, we can’t capitalize on what we have.

The third period begins and we’re down 5-0. But we fight on. On a scramble behind the Eusoff goalpost, Joel Soon wraps the ball and puts KE on the scoreboard, and injecting new life into our squad. But Eusoff scores again, utilizing speed and precision passing to create a scoring chance and coming in from the weak side. The referee awards us a penalty, but Ming Zhou’s make is ruled a foul and we don’t get the point. Things get a bit emotional (as most sports matches do) and some of the Eusoff players aren’t being very nice, to put it mildly. But I’m proud to say that we didn’t let them get into our heads. Sure, on the bench we mutter amongst ourselves, and we react to the referee’s calls (who doesn’t?), but as a whole we maintain our collective cool.

Joel Soon – never giving up

The match ends 7-1 to Eusoff.

What’s there to say about it? The more skilled team won. Nobody likes to lose. But we come away from the game with our heads held high. If you want to win, you’ve got to work for it. I come away from the game disappointed, of course. But it just means that we’ve got to work harder – the holidays are going to be secret mountain training time. You know, the hermiticize-yourself-on-mountaintop situation in order to find Inner Peace. We’ve got to build a winning culture from the very beginning. It might sound idealistic and impossible, but if we want to turn things around in KE we’ve got to start now. Call me naïve and impressionable and a believer in one too many inspirational sports movies, but words can change things, can’t they?

In other news, the floorball men’s semifinals against Temasek Hall will be on Thursday. Please be there.

Male Volleyball: KE VS RH, lost 0-2

Written by Shi Yangyang

Edited by Mao Yinan

As a very popular and interesting game among the world, volleyball is usually played with hands or arms, but players can strike or push with any part of the body. First, a team serve the ball. Then each team tries to score points by grounding the ball onto opponent’s court and wining the rally. However, at the same time, no one is allowed to touch the ball for consecutive two times.  The most competitive thing about volleyball I think is that no one is fixed in the court. Everyone is going to change his place during the game. Today’s male volleyball is KE VS RH. It plays best-of-three to 25.

Here came the game. The first race, Raffles kept ahead of us. When the score is 5:1, Eric asked for a break. All the players got together, talked about the opponent’s advantage and disadvantage. At the same time, we are a little bit rush. Experienced senior also shared his experience and judgement.

Analysing, discussing and improving

Just after the break, we got a very beautiful rally and got one more point.  Although Raffles is all the way ahead ofus, it seldom reduced our passion. Everyone was trying to do his best and gave the audience an awesome match.

Look! A nice spiking!

A spiking!

What impressed me most was the beginning of the second race. First, we got a nice first point, which made us 0:1 ahead of Raffles.  After that, as Raffles player commit some fault and we were ahead of them for some time. The supporters even shout for “KE, coaching”, which inspired players very much. At that time, both confidence and hope came back to us.  Everyone was in his place without rushing.

Everyone is in his place

The match finally ended with the mercy rule of Raffles. They managed to get the success of the first two races. Although we lost the game, our passion and confidence are still with us. All the Keviians will be with the players towards the next challenge, which is KE VS TH. Thank you, guys! And Good luck for your next match!

IHG Swimming Competition

Written by Yuan Xuting

Edited by Mao Yinan

IHG Swimming Competition began at NUS Swimming Pool on 9^th Jan, the first day of this new semester.

After a short opening ceremony，different swimming games began.

This year, Ziyao and Ellie lead KE Swimming team. Other team members are: Yunjin, Pinhong, Kasper, Jeremy, Augustine and Celine, Elaine, Sueyuin, Anna.

The guys in KE swimming team

The first game was 50m males freestyle swimming and 50m females freestyle swimming. Although the individual game was not counted into final scores, KE’s participants Ziyao and Jeremy still tried their best and showed us an exciting game.

male 50m freestyle swimming

Then 4＊50m males freestyle relay and 4＊50m females freestyle relay attracted our attention. Team leader Ziyao motivated the males’ team, including Kasper, Jeremy, and Augustine, to try their best. And the female team leader Ellie led her athletes Elaine, Sueyuin, and Anna made great efforts as well. There was an air of excitement around the whole swimming pool. Supporters from different halls were organized by their own JCRC and gave their athletes the most enthusiastic encouragement.

The supporters encouraged their athletes.

After a short break, athletes warmed up during male 50m breaststroke and female 50m breaststroke. After that, athletes took part in the male 4x50m breaststroke relay and female 4x50m breaststroke relay girls. In both games, KE athletes took the 5^th position among all halls.

male 4x50m breaststroke relay

KE athletes Ziyao, Pinhong, Kasper, Jeremy, Augustine, and Anna participated in the next game–10x50m novelty race. In this game, our athletes got the second place, which is a noteworthy achievement, cheering every KEviian present.

The last and the most exciting game was 4x50m medley relay. The two leaders Ellie and Ziyao took part in this game. The other two athletes were Elaine and Jeremy. In the end, KE took the 5^th position in IHG swimming competition.

the exciting swimming competition

Softball First Preliminary Round: KE vs EH, lost 2-21

Written by Lim Siew Fen

Edited by Mao Yinan

Softball is a very exciting but also challenging game. It is competition against yourself mentally, physically and of course against the other team. Mentally, you have to build self-confidence; especially the pitcher who throws the ball and the batter who needs to decide whether to catch the ball in just a blink. Our second softball match is against Eusoff Hall. This is a new yet fun experience for me, as this is the first time I am on the softball field, looking on our fellow team mates as they fight for our glory. Right before the match started, KEVIIan supporters had a crash course in SOF1101 Introduction to Softball thanks to Fang Hau who explained all the rules of the games.

This is the start of our softball match journey!

We are ready!

In the match, Eusoff Hall kept ahead of us throughout the game. They got their first seven points almost immediately due to the failure of our outfielders in catching the balls on time, thus giving opportunity to Eusoffians who were in position to run towards the home base. Although Jamil our softball captain did a few good strikes, they still managed to earn their points within three downs.

Jamil, our honorable captain!

What impressed me the most during the match was the highball caught by Issac, one of our good batters. Besides that, he was also an outstanding outfielder. He managed to catch a highball accurately at the right time, leading to one down out of three for the opponent team during the match. KEVIIan supporters were so excited and worked up that they cheered at the moment he caught the ball.

Issac is here!

Here comes the ball!

Jason our ex-softball captain however did not perform as well as a pitcher probably due to the hot weather and from what I heard he wasn’t feeling very well. Nevertheless, he had the back of the entire KE softball team and we all cheered him on all the way throughout the game. This was probably a show of the so called KEVIIan spirit we hear so much of!

Jason is pitching, try and catch this!

We finally got our first point after almost an hour of “struggling” due to the pitcher missing the ball. Thanks to Jerusha, we got our second point as she managed to run back to home base in such a short time.

The reason we lost the match was mainly due to the fact that our players were unable to run to the bases, be it first, second or third fast enough after the batter hit out the ball. Eusoffian players on the other hand always managed to catch the ball and pass it to their team members, getting a “save” before our team managed to score. There is a strategy whereby the team will tend to put boys and girls alternately at the three bases, so that it will be faster for the first player to run back to home base due to the “forced run”. There is a technical explanation for this strategy which we shall not explore further.

The match ended with the mercy rule of Eusoff Hall. They managed to score 21 points at the end of the match. Although we lost the game, our team spirit matched that of the other team if not better. I’m pretty sure the encouragement and support given that day will keep our fellow KEVIIans going and perhaps one day they will be the ones to emerge victorious! But for now let us keep a sharp eye out for KE7’s next coming match in this year’s IHG!

No matter the outcome, it’s all smiles for our team!

Day 1 of IHG: Tennis (Males) Preliminary Match

Written by Celine Yeap

Results of Tennis (M) First Preliminary Round: KE vs. KR. 0-5

Match	KE	KR	Score (KE-KR)
1St Singles	Kegan Lim	Matthew Liu (IVP)	1-9
2nd Singles	Treye Teo	Jaymond Lit	1-9
3rd Singles	Jasper Wang	Benjamin Lim (IVP)	0-5 (Conceded)
1st Doubles	Rajeev Kumar and Darrell Lim	John Woo (IVP) and Justin Neo	2-9
2nd Doubles	Isaac Chay and Yinghan Tan	Daniel Beh and Jason Goh	3-9
Overall			0-5

The evening of January the 3^rd marked the start of the rigorous and challenging period for KE7’s athletes: Inter Hall Games (IHG), the annual event bringing the six halls together in competitive spirit. Kicking start this year’s IHG were KE’s very own tennis male team, pitted against Kent Ridge Hall as the inaugural match of the season. The guys team this year was headed by freshman and Captain, Kegan Lim and his line-up of tennis players for IHG included several new and old faces. Their opponent, Kent Ridge Hall (KR) with its line-up of players, including three IVPs proved a challenged to our guys. KR’s strength in tennis surpassed those of our hardworking players and an overall loss of 0 – 5 resulted. Despite our loss, the effort put forth by the guys was commendable and peppered with occasional successes.

Our males tennis team!

Firstly, a brief introduction to IHG tennis and how it is played, for those who are not clear about the game play. IHG Tennis is separated into Males and Females tournaments. A team consists of two doubles pairs and 3 singles;  a total of 5 matches are played. A match is won when a player (and his partner, in doubles) wins 9 games. The winning team is the one that wins at least three out of five matches.

On the tennis courts at the SRC, players were seen warming up with each other as early as 5:30 pm. The weather was just perfect for the first preliminary round and at 6:15 pm, the games began! The first match of the day was our 2^nd males doubles pair, freshman Isaac Chay and senior Yinghan Tan against Daniel Beh and Jason Goh of KR. Our guys took off to a rough start, committing several faulty serves to their disadvantage and losing to the powerful forehand shots of the guys of KR. As the score lay dangerously at 5-0, Isaac and Yinghan got their act together and picked up momentum, bringing the score to 7-3, even winning a sudden death game point. In the end, however, it was KR’s stamina that won the match, bringing the score to an overall of 9-3.

Warming up before the games

The second match of the night, and a highly anticipated one at that, was battled out between Captain Kegan and Matthew Liu, one of KR’s IVPs. Despite being a freshman, Kegan was voted into captaincy by his teammates by virtue of his experience in the sport; freshman Treye Teo said that he voted Kegan as captain “because he was the best player in the team”. The match proved to be an adrenaline-pumping affair. The match was characterised by continuous rallies between the two opponents, hitting the ball long and far with great force and speed, with the ball always almost grazing the top of the net. IVP Matthew’s approach was to alternate hitting the ball between the two corners of the court, forcing Kegan to run back and forth, expending all his energy. In spite of Kegan’s skills and determination, KR’s Matthew proved too strong an opponent, and the match was lost with an overall score of 9-1.

Next up was the 2nd singles match of the night, pitting KE’s freshman Treye Teo against Jaymond Lit of KR. As a softball player who occasionally plays tennis, this match was a testing ground for Treye. The match started off strongly for both opponents, who seemed to be comparable in strength. The shots they made hit fast and with great forc. Treye demonstrated surprising strength, winning a game with powerful smashes and well played serves. Kegan, surprised, was heard mentioning to another teammate “I never knew he had it in him!” The match progressed however in a downhill manner. In spite of Treye’s endurance and hardwork, Jaymond of KR managed to win with unexpectedly swift and powerful shots, catching Treye off guard.  The match ended with an overall score of 9-1.

Seth and Darrell

Following this was the penultimate match of the night: the 2^nd doubles, involving the teamwork of freshman Darrell Lim and senior Rajeev Kumar. They were up against two strong and experienced players of KR, including their captain, Justin Neo and his partner, John Woo – a senior IVP. Rajeev and Darrell put a good fight, although the wits and strength of the KR duo proved to outsmart and outplay our 2^nd males doubles. KR managed to win a number of points and games by playing to KE’s weaknesses. Other times, an attack of volleys and swift forehand shots caught Darell and Rajeev by surprise, rendering them unable to return the shot. Nevertheless, the KE duo persevered to the end of the match, despite losing to KR. The final score of the match was 9-2.

Returning a serve!

 The final match of the night pitted Jasper Wang of KE against another of KR’s IVPs, Benjamin Lim. Although having lost four matches already, a commendable effort was put up by Jasper early on in the match. Eventually, nonetheless, he was soon overcome by the ferocity of Benjamin’s serves and shots that a defeat was conceded at a score of 5-0 to KR.

The final tally thus stands at 5-0 to KR. Nevertheless, good job for the effort guys! Keep those spirits high and all the best for the next rally against Raffles Hall! KEViians, be sure to go down and support our team! The next preliminary round against Raffles will be held this Friday, the 6^th of January!

IBG Squash – Female

Written by: Stephanie Yeo

Edited by: Png Ning

The IBG squash female games were held on 24 August 2011 at KE’s very own squash courts

For those of you who aren’t really familiar with the game of squash, here’s a short piece of history about the sport: Squash used to be known as “Racquets”, a modified version of “fives” in which a ball was hit against the wall using the hand. It originated in prisons, but became popular throughout the UK during the 18^th century as its setup was simple – all you needed was a wall, ball and 2 racquets. The game was especially popular at Harrow School (an all boys’ school) in London. The boys improvised the game such that the racquet handles were shorter than that of tennis and used a softer ball which did not bounce so predictably or so quickly. As of now in the 21^st century, there are more than 12 million squash players worldwide, and over 50,000 courts!

The rules of squash game this IBG were based on the 15-point American scoring system, and without the implementation of a deuce. This means that the first person to reach 15 points would win the game. For this article, I will spare you readers the exact details of each match and give you a very comprehensive summary of the squash matches.

The squash supporters and players cheering on the matches

I observed that majority of the players were freshmen who had little or no background in squash – some of them translated their experience from other racquet sports such as badminton or tennis to the game of squash. Nevertheless, the girls played with a lot enthusiasm. In one game between E and F block, the 2 girls ended up in a laughing fit on court much to the amusement of the spectators.

The hardest part of the squash game, I would say, was how to serve the ball accurately to your opponent’s court, as opposed to hitting the return ball. You would have an edge over your opponent if you could serve better, which was the case for many games where the score gap was so close that once you made a service fault, the other player would gain the point.

CD blocker, Wang Lu’s attempt at serving the ball

Perhaps the highlight of the night was a friendly between squash veterans Theng Wai (E Block) and Rachel (GH Block), both who are seniors in their final year of studies. Both of them had been training since their freshmen days with IHG under their portfolio too. Everyone one watched with bated breath to see who would emerge victorious – they were equally divided on who would win. It was a glimpse into what a real squash game was like. The 2 girls displayed poise, agility and strength on court, evidence of their many years of training. The volleying on court was intense and the cheering from the crowd of supporters deafening, but someone had to prevail. It was too close a fight and the game finally ended with a tight score margin of 15-14 to Rachel.

At the end of the whole competition, AB and CD were tied for first place, followed by GH, F and E block. The girls who played should really give themselves a round of applause for playing so hard and fighting their best despite receiving no prior training in the sport. It was a great opportunity for them to pick up a new skill, make friends from other blocks and most importantly enjoy themselves while in a friendly competition setting.

AB and F block congratulating each other after their match

IBG Scoreboard Update – Day 1

Source: Patrick Er

Basketball Male

				Score
Game 1	F	vs	CD	12:26
Game 2	AB	vs	E	6:4
Game 3	F	vs	GH	12:14
Game 4	CD	vs	AB	12:8
Game 5	E	vs	GH	8:16
Game 6	F	vs	AB	11:6
Game 7	CD	vs	E	6:12
Game 8	AB	vs	GH	6:17
Game 9	F	vs	E	10:8
Game 10	CD	vs	GH	13:12
	Game Points	IBG Points	Remarks
AB	6	1
CD	10	4
E	6	2-1=1	Minus 1 for participant rule fault
F	8	3
GH	10	5

Road Relay

Block	Time	Points
AB	49 min 39 s	4
CD	47 min 50s	5
E	50 min 59s	2
F	59 min 41s	1
GH	49 min 51s	3

Total points

Block	Points
AB	5
CD	9
E	3
F	4
GH	8

 

IHG Opening Ceremony 2011

This is a excerpt of  the article that was first posted on the KEVII IHG Site. For the full article as well as much more IHG news, visit the KEVII IHG Site today!

Written by: Lawrence Wu
Edited by: Jocelyn Yeo

KEVII Sportsmen all raring to go this Inter-Hall Games 2011!!!

 

The NUS Inter-Hall Games (IHG) 2010/2011 opening ceremony finally kicked the IHG to its official start on the evening of 12 January 2011 at the SRC pool. Amongst the supporters who turned up were many KEVIIans were also present to cheer the KEVII sportspeople on, all fired up and decked in our customary red shirts.

The Guest-of-Honour Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, Vice-Dean of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) graced the ceremony. He gave the opening address, in which he hailed the IHG as a stepping stone towards fostering stronger bonds among NUS students, and challenged IHG participants to continue promoting a greater love for sports.

This was followed by the oath taking of the sportsmen, and a toasting by all present to a successful IHG 2011. Finally, A/Prof Tan released a bundle of colourful balloons into the sky, and declared the official start of the 2011 Inter-Hall Games!!!

KE Press wishes KEViians all the very best in their upcoming matches, we’ll be there covering you every step of the way!!!

InterHall Games 2008/09 Opening Ceremony

Article & Photos By: Xiao Shuang
Editor: KP

IHG 08/09 Opening Ceremony was held on 16th January 2009 at MPSH Hall 5. The Guest-of-Honor and Hall residents started to pour in by 5.30pm and two of our Residents Fellow, A/P Wong Yoke San and Mr Jenson Goh were present to lend KE sportsmen their support. Also present were the Dean and Vice Dean of Office of Student Affairs (OSA). The Convening Committee for this year’s IHG is Sheares Hall.

The opening ceremony started at 6pm with an opening speech by the Dean of Office of Student Affairs (OSA), A/P Tan Teck Koon. He mentioned about Singapore Universities’ achievements in the ASEAN University Games and hailed IHG games as a platform for nurturing national sportsmanship among students of Singapore Universities.

After the speech, an introductory video clip featuring interviews of Sports Secretary from each hall was shown. Our hall’s Sports Secretary – Musa – mentioned that our hall’s performance had improved as the years gone by. He took this opportunity to thank all KE captains for their dedication and hard work. This drew loud applause from KEVIIans.

The NUS cheerleading squad put up a stunning performance after the video. Various human somersault stunts were performed.

This was followed by the pledge, featuring the sportsmen of all the 6 Halls of Residence in NUS.

Then, the band from Sheares Hall gave an astounding performance by singing two songs “ It’s my life” and “We are the champions”. By then, the ceremony was over but one thing’s for sure – KE’s voice & spirit shall reign supreme this IHG!

Go KE! Let them witness our glorious victory!

What our Female Tennis Captain has to say about our IHG Gold!

Writer: Fang Chee
Editor: Janice Fan

Fang Chee’s personal thoughts as the Females Tennis Captain:

Overall, the team did an excellent job. We went there with the mindset that we were going to emerge as champions, and everyone worked towards that by putting all their efforts into the game.

The 1st singles match of the night, between Jenny and KR’s IVP player, Sherene, was kind of the deciding match for our gold medal. Jenny has always been a confident player, so she kept a cool head throughout and played her game nicely, giving no chance for her more experienced opponent to triumph over her. The 2nd singles match played by Geri portrayed her superb ability to control her balls. Despite a few costly mistakes in the beginning, Geri played on steadily and picked herself up. Soon, she had her opponent running around frantically in the court to return her balls! With excellent strokes, Geri eventually won the game with ease. In the 3rd singles, Jeana’s opponent was no match for her. However, Jeana did not take things for granted. Staying cool and calm like her sister, she played her game with minimum flaws and emerged triumphant from the court, thereby securing the gold medal for KE with a result of 6-0, 6-0.

Our doubles were less fortunate as we were playing against stronger opponents. The 1st doubles match that night (played by Jene and I) was a tough game. But we never gave up and continued fighting hard – we gave our opponents an especially hard time during the 2nd set, and had our scores tied for that particular set. Considering the fact that neither of us had undergone proper training under any tennis coach, it was a good experience that gave us greater exposure to the sport. The 2nd doubles (by Wei-tse and Mae Yue) tested our players’ patience, but Wei-tse and Mae Yue certainly gave the best they could. Even though they lost the game to their more experienced opponents, I knew that they had put in their best because of the look of satisfaction on their faces. I am sure that they have no regrets, especially since Wei-tse said that it was one of the best doubles matches she has ever played.

Sports are not just sports when it comes to tournaments. A lot of times, the key to winning is not one’s skills, but good emotional control, a positive mindset, patience and the strong will to fight back. This is especially so when one faces an opponent that is as strong as you. Like what Geri always says, no team is unbeatable, and the game should be played slowly and steadily: “One point at a time!”

It has been a long journey to the finals, and the finals itself was a long night as we fought our way towards the championship. But I have always had faith in my girls, and they had never once let me down. I am very, very proud of them! From the prelims to the semis, every match taught us new things and prepared us with better skills to win the next one. We thus performed better and better with every match, and made it into the finals. At long last, KE7 is able to wipe the smug looks off the faces of those who have been looking down on us.

I’d like to personally thank my vice captain, Jenny, as well as Jeana, for coaching the team well throughout last semester. Thanks again to them and also to Geri, for coaching the team during the matches, teaching us new things, and always perking us up with words of encouragement/jokes during the breaks. Thank you!

OF COURSE, the team also wishes to express our deepest gratitude to the following parties:

1) WELFARE COMM, for bringing down our dinner and also bottles of 100 Plus.

2) ALL KEVIIan supporters, for coming down to stand behind us and cheer us on (and also those who couldn’t come down but cheered us on by sending “all-the-best” SMSes).

3) Video comm, Photo comm, and KE Press, for taking nice shots and writing reports that made us look sooooooo good.

WELL DONE, GIRLS!!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

Interview with KE7’s Female Squash Captain, Janice Lee

Writer: Michelle Perera
Editor: KP

During the recent interview of KE7’s winning Squash Team’s Captain and Coach, Sean Ang, we heard a lot about the victories and successes of the girl’s team, so I decided to have a chat with the captain, Janice Lee…

Sean & Janice at the Closing Ceremony of IHG 2007/08

Your comments on Sean as a coach.

Sean’s simply awesome. He’s totally passionate about squash. As a coach he’s been very approachable and patient with us, continuing to train and guide us even though we can be such ‘noobs’ sometimes! His 13+ years of squashing experience is also very useful as he can easily recognize our weaknesses and correct them in our game. From what I observe, he’s a much disciplined player, and strives for perfection.

The girls’ team won last year against KR. How are the confidence levels this year?

Well, firstly the situation was quite different last year for we had Yeelin (our coach and captain) on our team. She was a very good and experienced player who could beat the other hall’s IVP players. On the other hand, this year, we do not have such players who are able to secure points against other hall’s IVPs. To me, this has really given our confidence levels a blow. However, we will still continue to do our very best and we have been training vigorously throughout the 4 months before IHG. Our aim is to at least reach the semis this year, and if we manage to proceed on to the finals, that’ll be like our biggest “ang pow” ever!!!

Tell us a bit about yourself: your course, interests and personal experiences in squash.

I’m a Year 2 FASS student, majoring in Economics. I’m enjoying my course so far, although it’s getting tougher, but it’s also getting more interesting. I would say that I love doing stuff that most girls do for leisure (although some of my squash girls think that my life’s a total bore and revolves only around squash). Ha-ha. I love shopping, animals, playing badminton, squashing and jamming!

How long have you been playing squash and what got you interested in it in the first place?

I’ve been squashing for about 1 ½ years now. I first joined KE Squash because of my badminton background (and also 75% because I needed the points to stay in hall). I initially thought that both sports were quite similar. Oh boy, was I in for a SURPRISE! But overall, I’ve come to love squash over the past year. It’s a very interesting game as it requires one to think a tad more than the other sports as there are 4 walls, which could work to or against your advantage.

How hectic are the practices these days?

The guys and girls have been training very hard prior to our first match this coming Wednesday. Last week, we trained a minimum of 3 hours daily from Monday-Friday. I decided to give the girls a break during the weekend but we’ll be resuming the same training schedule for the upcoming week.

What drives you to go to practices each week and keep bettering yourself?

Well, I guess it’s the fact that there are so many other people on campus who are better than me that motivates me to want to train harder. But I think training sessions are fun lah! Especially court sprints. Ha-ha. The squash girls should know what I’m talking about.

Sakshi, Janice & Theng Wai during IHG 2007/08

How do you balance time between squash, school & your other activities?

Hmm, that’s a toughie. Because I totally SUCK at time management lorh! Ha-ha. I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to the badminton team and my band mates for not being able to join in most of the practices, and also to Sports Comm. and Welfare Comm. for having to accommodate me and my busy schedule!

Do you hope to pursue squash in the future?

Umm, “pursue squash” meaning? Oh well, I’d surely continue training as long as I’m still in KE and will definitely still be squashing in the years to come. But to pursue it as a profession – hmm…I think I’m a bit too old for that bah. Ha-ha.

What aspirations do you have for KE squash in IHG and beyond?

I hope that the future generation of KE squashies will take the sport seriously. I also hope that the JCRC would be able to fish in more potential and committed players to take over the duties of captains and coaches as we seniors would be leaving NUS in the near future.

Thanks a lot, Janice, and we wish you and your team all the very best for the upcoming games!