Editor's Choice Champion Adventures Character Development At Outward Bound Singapore The 98 braves with their instructors in Lumut, Perak. Singapore Sports School’s Secondary 1 to 3 student-athletes are the first to undergo customised programmes planned by Outward Bound Singapore. OBS, in collaboration with the Sports School, designed adventure programmes with the focus on developing a Champion’s Mindset in student-athletes. The camps revolve around the themes Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence and Resilience to inculcate values in student-athletes. The Secondary 2s departed for Pulau Ubin for a 5-day Resilience Camp on 31 August 2015. Student-athletes went through a high elements-challenge rope course and a land and sea expedition. The Secondary 1s, too, had a whole slate of activities planned for them from 1 to 3 September, such as rock climbing, tunnelling and exploring the island in a kayak and on foot.
Transcript
Editor's Choice
Champion Adventures
Character Development At Outward Bound Singapore
The 98 braves with their instructors in Lumut, Perak.
Singapore Sports School’s Secondary 1 to 3 student-athletes are the first to undergo customised programmes planned by Outward Bound Singapore. OBS, in collaboration with the Sports School, designed adventure programmes with the focus on developing a Champion’s Mindset in student-athletes. The camps revolve around the themes Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence and Resilience to inculcate values in student-athletes.
The Secondary 2s departed for Pulau Ubin for a 5-day Resilience Camp on 31 August 2015. Student-athletes went through a high elements-challenge rope course and a land and sea expedition. The Secondary 1s, too, had a whole slate of activities planned for them from 1 to 3 September, such as rock climbing, tunnelling and exploring the island in a kayak and on foot.
About 100 Secondary 3 student-athletes embarked on a 9-day camp on 14 September with a focus on inculcating excellence in the task at hand. This camp is a first-ever collaboration between OBS and Outward Bound Malaysia in Lumut, Perak. Principal Tan Teck Hock and OBS Chief Executive Nicholas Conceicao are there to see that the activities are safe and programme runs smoothly.
Quotes
“The OBS camp was a fun and enjoyable experience. Through the activities, some of us were able to overcome our fears and we gained self-confidence. At the start of the camp, we were split into several watches. Facing the challenges of the activities together helped us to forge bonds and build team spirit amongst our groupmates and batchmates, helping us gain a better understanding of each other. Initially, some of us could not bear to leave our handphones behind. However, we realised that without our handphones, we are able to communicate better with each other – face-to-face rather than hiding behind the tiny screens in our palms. The memories of this camp will be etched in my mind and I hope that this will be an unforgettable memory for next year’s Secondary 1 student-athletes as well.”
Hew Yun Ting (Secondary 1C/Shooting)
“We had to work as a team to complete each activity. This taught us that listening to other’s opinions and respecting them are important to task completion. Through the games and challenges, we were also reminded to be people with integrity. Responsibility was driven home through simple chores such as cleaning our quarters, returning our own plates and cutlery and carrying our own equipment.”
Yasmeen Marie Lutfi (Secondary 1C/Track and Field)
“The 5-day Secondary 2 OBS Camp helped me grow up. This was the longest period that I have been without my parents. My groupmates helped quell my feelings of homesickness and I started to enjoy the activities. The most physically challenging activity for me was trekking for 7 hours. We were weighed down by our bags containing personal belongings, food rations and a tent to sleep in. Despite the discomfort and fatigue, we constantly encouraged each other and persevered till we arrived at the camp site. This camp has made me more confident as a person and shown me the importance of communicating effectively.”
Russell Paul Lee Yuong Ern (Secondary 2B/Bowling)
Secondary 1
Facing the challenge of the Rock Wall
Secondary 2
Conquering the high elements-challenge rope course
Practising safety drills before setting of for their sea expedition
Secondary 3
Pitching tents to rough it out
The Circle of Communication where each one gets to know the other better
Morning stretching readies the body for the challenging activities ahead
Fun activities exercise the body
Conquering walls, building confidence
Modes of travel on the high seas
Principal Tan Teck Hock and OBS Chief Executive Nicholas Conceicao on campsite
Medics on duty from 7.30 am to 10 pm
A Motto that serves as a guiding light
The Prince Louis Bell that inspires discovery
The braves can put their names on these steps when they have survived the challenges of their 9-day camp
Feature
Begin At The Starting Block
The Singapore Sports School Library Revisited
Charlene Lim Jia Yi Bowling Academy
The Singapore Sports School Library was recently re-designed into a sports library and named, “Starting Block”.
As student-athletes, the term, “Starting Block”, is not unfamiliar as that’s where athletes and swimmers take off in their races. More aptly, the library is the facility where we can gain knowledge through extensive reading outside of the classroom. Keeping in theme, the “Change Over Zone”, the box where baton passing takes place in athletics relays, is the name of the counter where student-athletes exchange their identification cards for books. The floor is decorated with a 4-lane athletics track which starts at the entrance and leads library users to the two primary sections – Sports and Academics. There is also a section on Athlete Services which has a collection of collateral on post-secondary education.
The Academics section offers books that further knowledge on the subjects taught in the Sports School classrooms. The Sports section carries books on a variety of sports and sport science such as the disciplines of physiology, psychology and strength and fitness. There are many books that expand on a sports-focused education – a champion’s mindset, traits such as resilience, excellence, responsibility and sportsmanship. There are also books that teach habits such as discipline, time-management, eating right, sleeping enough, life choices for the present and the future such as don't smoke, don't do drugs, don't
take supplements to enhance performance. Such rich reading materials expand our knowledge on one's chosen sport, life values and sports in general.
Images of sport champions on the pillars are not there merely for decorative purposes – they serve to inspire library goers. Accompanying text on the pillar wraps tells us what each one achieved and why they are lauded as among Singapore’s greatest sport heroes – swimming’s golden girl Patricia Chan, Singapore’s first Olympic Games medallist, weightlifter Tan Howe Liang, doctor and sailor Benedict Tan, Singapore’s favourite son, footballer Fandi Ahmad, the legendary badminton player Wong Peng Soon and a sports champion who is also a champion for sports, Canagasabai Kunalan.
The success of the Sports School is its ability to groom Learned Champions With Character who excel in sports and studies concurrently. Over the Academics section is such a reminder – posters of alumni from the different sports academies who have notable sports achievements: Liang Xiao Yu (Badminton), Jazreel Tan Shi Hua (Bowling), Cheryl Lim (Fencing), Muhammad Safuwan Baharudin (Football), Marc Ong Chong Ching (Golf), Kimberly Lim Wei Yan (Netball), Cheng Jian Huan (Shooting), Tao Li (Swimming), Isabelle Li Siyun (Table Tennis) and Calvin Kang Li Loong (Track and Field).
Four current student-athletes have also been chosen to don a wall and glass panels to remind student-athletes, “if they can, so can you”: Martina Lindsay P Veloso (Shooting), Yeo Jia Min (Badminton), Ethan Poh Shao Feng (Table Tennis) and yours truly, Charlene Lim Jia Yi (Bowling). I am very honoured to be selected by the Sports School to be featured in the Starting Block. I hope that my “presence” will serve to inspire young student-athletes as well as remind myself to work hard and be successful in my sport so as to deserve the spot in the Starting Block.
Student-athletes borrow books at the "Change Over Zone".
Posters of alumni with notable sport achievements.
Current student-athletes donning a wall and glass panels to serve as inspirations to schoolmates.
Book shelves
Athlete Services resources
Sports
BADMINTON
Maiden Pairing Brings Victory
OUE Singapore International Series 2015
Desmond Tan
General Manager, Badminton Academy
Pictures by Desmond Tan and ‘I Love Badminton’ Community Group
It was their maiden pairing. And they were victorious.
Terry Hee Yong Kai and Loh Kean Hean had always trained together but not partnered since they were 12 years old. Then, the coaches decided to pair them up to develop them for the future, and what a start this has turned out to be.
The two young men had been rather unsuccessful in their quest for titles in the past with their ex-partners. Terry had more luck in Mixed Doubles competitions, winning the Singapore International Series with Tan Wei Han in 2014; Kean Hean was half of a pair in the Mixed Doubles final in the same competition.
In the Women’s Singles event, Yeo Jia Min finished runner-up to an Indonesian player. It was an excellent result for Jia Min as this was her first competition since returning from an injury which kept her out of the Singapore 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
Men's Doubles gold medallists Loh Kean Hean and Terry Hee Yong Kai
Men's Doubles gold medallists Loh Kean Hean and Terry Hee Yong Kai and Women's Singles silver medallist Yeo Jia Min
Women's Singles silver medallist Yeo Jia Min (right)
Going For Exposure And Experience
EW Barker Endowment Overseas Training Trip
Desmond Tan
General Manager, Badminton Academy
Nine lower secondary student-athletes and three staff were funded by the EW Barker Endowment for a training trip to Anhui, China, from 7 to 19 September 2015.
The two-prong objectives of the trip were to raise the level of training for our student-athletes through sparring with players of higher standard and varied
styles, and for our staff to learn different coaching methodologies from our hosts at the Anhui Training Center.
Anhui Training Center is privately owned and it did not have to seek permission from the China Badminton Association to host any foreign teams. It has all the facilities required for a fruitful training camp – courts, accommodation and dining hall. There are also security guards to prevent strangers from entering the premises and players from leaving the training centre without permission. Daily, two staff watch over the wellbeing of the players. Among their duties, they keep the players’ handphones from 9.30 pm to 6 pm the following day, and check that lights out at 10 pm is strictly adhered to. The venue is also sited away from any tourist attractions and there is no external distraction. Our hosts looked after us well. They moved a washing machine to a room for our student-athletes’ exclusive use. We also never ran out of bottled mineral water.
The coaches were very cooperative and accommodating to our coaches and players’ requests. Our coaching team asked for good sparring opportunities and our hosts were forthcoming in providing us with players of high standards. They also arranged from some players from Shanghai to join in our training so as to expose our players to different playing styles and our players were pushed hard as a result.
The coaches at Anhui Training Center are experienced. One of them is Chen Yu Ping, the former coach of Fu Ming Tian, who came out of retirement to help the training centre.
Team
Ashley Lim Xiao Fei, Secondary 1 SWS1
Benjamin Lee Yihui, Secondary 1 SWS1
Chiu Jing Yun, Secondary 1 SWS1
Junsuke Kubo, Secondary 1 SWS1
Lee Zhi Yuan, Secondary 1 SWS1
Lim Su Qi, Secondary 1 SWS1
Wesley Koh Eng Keat, Secondary 1 SWS1
Bernice Lim Zhi Rui, Secondary 2 SWS2
Nur Insyirah Khan Abdul Hamid Khan, Secondary 2 SWS2
Staff
Desmond Tan, General Manager
Bai Lihua, Head Coach
Yang Nianhong, Coach
BOWLING
Saw Perfect
12th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge
Charlene Lim Jia Yi Bowling Academy
Pictures by Sheena Go in Manila
Bowling alumnus Howard Saw Hui-Zhe shot a Perfect Game in his second game of his first squad of the 12th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge on 11 September 2015.
Howard finished his squad with 743 pinfalls. With the next squad of 657, he totaled 1,400 pinfalls to rank no. 24 on Qualifying Day 3. He scored better on Qualifying Day 4 when he knocked down 1,536 pins (712, 824). Overall, he ranked no. 4 and made it to the Stage 1 Finals.
Howard, who graduated from Singapore Sports School in 2009, was the seventh bowler to achieve 12-strikes-in-a-game in this competition in Manila, the Philippines, from 9 to 15 September 2015. This is Howard’s 6th such achievement. At press time, there have been 21 Perfect Game achievements.
Sports School had eight alumni, including Howard, among 48 in the Stage 1 Finals – Timothy Theodore Tham Fu Rong (11th), Bernice Lim Hui Ying (16th), Joel Tan Eng An (24th), Daphne Tan Shi Jing (31st), Keith Saw Hui-Xun (36th), New Hui Fen (39th) and Jazreel Tan Shi Hua (41st). No one advanced to the Stage 2 Finals.
Muhammad Jaris Goh Ali Akbar Goh who finished with 1,530 pinfalls (748 and 782) on Qualifying Day 2 was seeded no. 3 and given a bye to the Stage 2 Finals. He was the 24th finisher with an average of 211.87 over eight games and did not advance to the Stage 3 Finals.
Forty-eight finalists at the 12th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge.
Team Singapore Bowlers
Achievement Unlocked: 3 Personal Best Scores
U22 Fukuoka Summer Cup 2015
Xavier Teo Jun Hao
Secondary 2E/Bowling Academy
Pictures by Mary Ng and Eileen Seah
Finalist Xavier Teo Jun Hao had the support of the whole Singapore Sports School team.
The U22 Fukuoka Summer Cup 2015 came and went like a whirlwind. Even before I had my fill of the famous Hakata Ramen, the three-day competition was over.
The competition held at Hakata Star Lanes was interesting for me mainly because I have not bowled in a multi-level bowling centre before. It was also a very large bowling centre with 85 lanes spread over three levels. On Day 1, 21 August 2015, I was assigned to bowl at Level 8 and Day 2, Level 6.
On Day 1, I knocked down 848 pins in four games. My final score could have been higher if I didn’t miss Pin 4 with my second ball in Frame 10 and ended my game with a 184. Still, I felt really pleased with myself as this was the first time that I had achieved an 800 series. But when the overall results were published, I ranked no. 66 – 10 positions off the cut for the semi-finals.
I went into Day 2 of competition with a simple target – bring myself up by at least 10 positions so that I could qualify for the semi-finals. I started off well – 236, followed by 247. Then, I dropped to a 202 game. I focused on regulating my breathing and pre-shot routine and bowled a 9 spare, 9 strikes and 9 spare for
279, which is higher than my personal High Game of 273, achieved at the 15th MILO International Junior All-Stars last December. My total pinfalls for the day was 984 and I jumped from rank no. 66 to 13.
The semi-finals were played on the morning of Day 3. I bowled 201, 245, 247 and 174 and dropped to 15th place, but still managed to squeeze into Round 1 of the Finals, which was played in a knock-out format. I was drawn against Mitsuki Okamoto, who had represented Japan at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games. She was very accurate and stringing strike after strike, which made me very nervous. I felt myself rushing through my game and eventually lost 191-239.
Isaac Ng, who represented Singapore Bowling Federation, was the only other Singaporean in the Finals with me. He won his Round 1 match but was eliminated in Round 2, leaving seven Japanese bowlers to take up the top positions. For being a finalist, I won a bowling ball.
I am very happy with my performance in Fukuoka as I achieved three Personal Best performances – a high series of 848 pinfalls (scratch) in four games on Day 1, an even better high series of 984 pinfalls on Day 2 and a new High Game of 279.
There were altogether 277 competitors from Guam, Hongkong, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore and host country Japan. I was told that at 14 years old, I was the youngest finalist. I think I deserve some Hakata Gyoza.
Xavier Teo Jun Hao was paired with Japan’s 2014 Asian Games representative Mitsuki Okamoto in Round 1 of the Finals.
Xavier Teo Jun Hao successfully converted this difficult split.
FOOTBALL
Bittersweet Ending For Cubs
AFC U16 Championship Qualifiers
Fifteen Singapore Sports School Secondary 3 footballers formed part of a 25-man U15 side fielded by the Football Association of Singapore for the AFC U16 Championship Qualifiers from 2 to 6 September 2015.
Student-athlete Khairul Hairie Abdul Hamid contributed to one of three goals scored by the Cubs throughout the competition. In the Cubs’ final Group H match against Cambodia, Khairul gave Singapore its first lead of the tournament when he kicked the ball into the goal in the 81st minute to bring the score to 2-1. The game concluded with a 3-1 victory to the Cubs. However, the Singapore side, ranked no. 3, was unable to advance to the Championship finals having lost to defending champions Thailand 0-5 and North Korea 0-3 on 2 and 4 September respectively.
Singapore Sports School Footballers in NFA U15 Squad
Afiq Azrhy Ahmad Ehwan
Akmal Azman
Akram Azman
Benjamin James Davis
Hadiputradila Saswadimata
Izzul Syahmi Tazhar
Joel Chew Joon Herng
Jordan Nicholas Vestering
Kevin Wong
Khairul Hairie Abdul Hamid
Mohamad Danial Matin Mohamad Azlan
Putra Anugerah Sahrin
Saul Ellison Katz
Syed Muhamad Akmal Syed Abdul Aziz
Zakri Ee Kai Ren
GOLF
Jacqueline Is First Female Overall Champion
2015 Faldo Series Singapore Championship
Pictures courtesy of Singapore Golf Federation.
Student-athlete Jacqueline De Los Reyes Young became the first female golfer to win the 2015 Faldo Series Singapore Championship on 10 September 2015. She was crowned overall champion after two rounds of play which started on 8 September. Jacqueline’s consistency over the two rounds gave her a one-stroke lead over Boys Division winner Andre Chong Wei Zer at the end of the tournament.
Going into Round 2, behind Andre and Nicholas Mok Chee Yong, the national golfer overtook both teammates to take home the overall championship trophy with 7-over 151 (75,76). Nicholas and sister Nicole Mok Shue Ying finished runners-up in the Boys and Girls Division. The tournament was brought to an early close when the third round was cancelled due to unhealthy haze levels.
Results
Overall Champion: Jacqueline De Los Reyes Young (151; 75, 76)
Boys Division Winner: Andre Chong Wei Zer (152; 74, 78)
Boys Division Runner Up: Nicholas Mok Chee Yong (154; 74, 80)
(From left) Nicole Mok Shue Ying, Erika Layson (Girls Division Winner), Jacqueline De Los Reyes Young, Andre Chong Wei Zer and Nicholas Mok Chee Yong
Causeway Fairway Easy For Hadi
2015 Johor Amateur Open Golf Championship
Picture by Malaysian Golf Association
Singapore Sports School post-secondary student-athlete Abdul Hadi Uda Thith won the 2015 Johor Amateur Open Golf Championship comfortably with an even-par 216 (74, 70, 72) on 10 September 2015.
The Republic Polytechnic Sports and Leisure Management Diploma programme student-athlete topped the leaderboard early in the competition, finishing Round
1 tied at first. The defending champion maintained his lead throughout the three-day tournament and concluded the final round with a 4-stroke lead over Malaysian Daeng Abdul Rahman.
TABLE TENNIS
2 Golds For 2
2015 Dr Ng Eng Hen Cup-STTA Table Tennis Championships
Dave Lai General Manager, Table Tennis Academy
Singapore Sports School medallists at the 2015 Dr Ng Eng Hen Cup-STTA Table Tennis Championships
Singapore Sports School student-athletes won five of the six events they competed at the 2015 Dr Ng Eng Hen-STTA Table Tennis Championships at Toa Payoh Sports Hall from 4 to 13 September 2015. Ang Wan Qi and Ethan Poh Shao Feng won two gold medals apiece in the U18 and Open categories of the Singles tournament.
It was an all-Sports School affair in the Women’s Singles with Wong Xin Ru coming in 2nd and Goi Rui Xuan and Pearlyn Koh Kai Xin finishing joint-3rd behind gold medallist Wan Qi. Sports School’s fifth gold medal came from Zhang Wanling in the Girls U15 category where she beat 102 others to clinch the title.
Results
U15 Boys Singles
2nd Koen Pang Yew En
U15 Girls Singles
1st Zhang Wanling
Joint-3rd Eunice Lim Zoe
U18 Boys Singles
1st Ethan Poh Shao Feng
U18 Girls Singles
1st Ang Wan Qi Joint-3rd Eunice Lim Zoe, Goi Rui Xuan
Men’s Singles
1st Ethan Poh Shao Feng
2nd Koen Pang Yew En
Women’s Singles
1st Ang Wan Qi 2nd Wong Xin Ru
Joint-3rd Goi Rui Xuan, Pearlyn Koh Kai Xin
Women's Singles medallists (from left) Wong Xin Ru, Ang Wan Qi, Pearlyn Koh Kai Xin and Goi Rui Xuan.
Awards
Silver Lining For 13 Student-Athletes
Mendaki Special Achievement Award for Excellence (Non-Academic) – Silver
Thirteen student-athletes from Singapore Sports School received the Special Achievement Award for Excellence (Non-Academic) – Silver from Mendaki on 12 September 2015; among them are two from the Bowling Academy, three from the Track and Field Academy and eight from the Pencak Silat Programme.
The Award, which comes with a $600 cash component and a certificate of achievement, is presented to Muslim students who had done exceptionally well in any non-academic discipline.
Mohamed Zulkhairi Putera Mohamed Zali with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim
School News
Leadership In Sports
1st Council of School Captains
Darryl Sim Jing Quan, Chairman
Angeline Tang An Qi, 1st Vice-Chairman
Chong Wei Guan, 2nd Vice-Chairman
Election fever hit Singapore Sports School in August 2015 as candidates for the position of Chairman of the 1st Council of School Captains made passionate pitches during school assembly. Then, the school voted… The investiture ceremony will be held on 29 September 2015.
Fernel Tan Qian Ni, Secondary 1D (Shooting Academy)
Koen Pang Yew En, Secondary 1 SWS2 (Table Tennis Academy)
Caring For U
Staff Appreciation Day
Singapore Sports School's contract workers received NTUC Fairprice vouchers courtesy of NTUC's U Care Centre.
Singapore Sports School's contract workers MILO Care Bags courtesy of Nestle Singapore Private LImited.
Singapore Sports School collaborated with NTUC’s U Care Centre and Nestle Singapore Private Limited to show appreciation to 49 contract workers who contribute essential support services to the Sports School.
NTUC’s U Care Centre looks after the wellbeing of contract and casual workers, while Nestle Singapore is a long-time valued partner of the Sports School.
Staff Appreciation Day, organised by the Sports School’s Staff Welfare Activity Team (SWAT) on 28 August 2015, included the teams providing cleaning, dining, gardening, laundry, odd jobs and security services. After a concert which student-athletes put together, all staff were treated to a simple but scrumptious buffet lunch. During the concert, a group of student-athlete leaders screened a short tribute video of all the essential support services staff.
NTUC’s U Care Centre posted a story of the Sports School’s effort on its Facebook page. To view, click: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?_rdr=p&set=a.1662111884007169.1073741839.1451211075097252&type=3
Contract workers joined Singapore Sports School staff for a buffet lunch.
Sport Science Sunday
Sport Parenting Talk
Drop off your children at school. Leave them to check in. Find your way to the AV Theatre at Level 3 and listen to two of our own experts share their views.
