Capturing the Spirit of Sport - Issue 10 (The Blue and Gold) - September 2010

8/4/2019 Capturing the Spirit of Sport - Issue 10 (The Blue and Gold) - September 2010

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FenCIng

Even though fencing is a physically fast sport with rapid movments and quick strikes, Lee Yi Xin, the VP of fencing, believes ththe speed that he puts into fencing also helps him to mentally prthings quicker. “I feel that because [fencing] is more technical, ityour brain to think fast. And this mental speed can definitely heyou academically and career-wise. When I started fencing, I founmyself able to think faster on the spot. So my reactions and howmake decisions are now faster.”

rugby

The uniqueness of rugby lies in the fact that it’s the only ball that allows both hands and feet to touch the ball. Having differechannels to score points during the game also adds another intering dimension to it as compared to other ball games.

For the SMU Rugby players, the nature of playing rugby as wethe harmonious and open internal environment has definitely hthem to forge strong brother and sisterhoods.

baskeTball

While considerably younger thanmost of the other established bas-ketball teams in Singapore varsities,SMU Basketball impresses by beingseemingly unfazed by never-endingchallenges, being an impressive final-st in the IVP Games this year.

The final, however, could wellhave turned out another way. In theast 10 seconds of the match and

eading their opponent NYP by 5points, the win was swept away fromhem by their opponents in that short

period of time.Despite the demoralising defeat,

SMU Basketball promises to learnfrom their mistakes and impressagain next year.



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dragon boaT

Being the SMU team of the year takes dedication

and a can do attitude. Third year Economics studentLiu Jianrong says that the SMU Dragon Boat (SMUDB)team earned the honour of being SMU’s best sportsteam because they made their presence felt in all theschool events. “We participated in everything thatwas on offer to student life like the sports camps,Sports Fiesta and Parton’s Day, and because of this thesporting fraternity recognizes that SMUDB is a veryunited CCA.”

WaTer polo

The SMU Water Polo team is not simply about look-ing good - they pride themselves very much on theirwater polo skills, strong swimming background andteamwork. Because unlike most other sports, waterpolo is a very specialized sport - the highly physicaland aggressive nature of this sport requires its playersto have good swimming skills and stamina in water.

The team takes part actively in competitions suchas SUNIG, IVP and Asian Water Polo Championships.



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soCCer

The game of soccer is generally per-ceived as being a male dominated sport.Diva la Futbol hopes to change that.

Claudia Wong, a business studentin her third year, says, "Most guys nowembrace the fact that women play thebeautiful game well too, and there havebeen an increasing number of chancesfor us to play on the same field withthem."

Floorball

Like all team sports, Tan Rui Wen,a floorball player, emphasises the factthat while individual skill and flair isimportant, winning is a combinationof teamwork and tactics. “The game israpid, and if your teammates stay stag-nant, it is very hard to win. So they haveto be constantly moving and you needto be almost telepathic.”

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arChery

The rules of archery are simple enoughto grasp. Aim for the centre of a circulartarget board, and the closer your arrowlands to the centre of the target, themore points you get.

But understanding the rules alonedoes not make one a good archer. Third

year business student Mark Wong says,“Although it’s not exactly a physicallydemanding sport, you have to use cer-tain core muscles for archery, and it getstiring after awhile. [Archery] is harderthan it looks.”

CrICkeT

Fourth year business student andteam captain Aslam Ghouse has beenplaying cricket since the age of five, andadmits that compared to games like soc-cer or basketball, which are fast gameswhere nearly every second is riveting, agame of cricket is decidedly unhurried.

But he says that if one gets to under-stand the game and see what the playersare doing, it becomes interesting.

“When cricket first started, it wasknown as a gentlemen’s game and wasan elitist sport. In England where theyfirst started this game, people wouldcome over on weekends, sip a cup of



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run Team

The more relaxed cousin ofand Field team, the Ru

comprised of mainly leisuwho view running asrather than a compet

tea and watch these guys play a re-lly slow game of cricket. That elements still there, but it’s moved on and hasecome a lot more exciting. Its gaining

momentum around the world and even

he United States has gotten into cricketnow. So it’s getting popular at a reallyast rate.”

Cricket is a game betw

sides, each with eleveners. Like in baseball, obowls (or throws the bthe other team bats.

The objectivbatting team is to scorwhile the bowling teato hit the wickets (the a set of three wooden pare hammered into thand placed at either epitch) of the opposing

times.



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Morta Judo This Japanese martial art is one thatevolved from Jujitsu-used by Japanesesoldiers in close combat fighting.

The SMU Judo team understandsthe importance of adapting differentfighting techniques to different bodyshapes and sizes. Instead of solelyrelying on their coach to acquire skills,the SMU Judo team adopts a senior-to-junior teaching method, where a seniorcoaches a junior who has a similar body

structure.This way of passing down knowl-

edge ensures that the Judo skills youlearn are tailored to suit the needs of your body structure, it is also is the rea-son behind the family-like relationshipamong the batches of Judo teams.

CapoeIra Recognized by

their fluid move-ments, acrobaticssweeps and kicks,the martial art of Capoeira that was developed by Africanslaves in the 16th century.

Also, the use of traditional musicalinstruments to set the tempo and styleof the game sets Capoeira apart fromother martial arts.

The SMU Capoeira team practisesa contemporary style that is a hybridof Regional and the more traditionalCapoeira Angola style.

They may be a young team - onlytwo years old - but the SMU Capoeirateam is definitely mature in their pas-sion for the martial arts.

sIlaT

What started off as an indigenodefensive Malay martial art has bea competitive sport today, consisttwo main branches - the artistic asas the competitive.

The SMU Silat team is no stranthe competitive scene, having parpated actively in the recent 2010 IVarsity Polytechnic competitions.

The Silat team remains strong their slogan, “Because true strengtyet to be unleashed”, striving for gsuccess.

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Combat kendo

Ki (the Spirit), Ken (the Sword), andTai (the form) - the three elements em-body Kendo - a Japanese martial art de-veloped to retain the essence of swordfighting since swords were outlawed in

Japan.Kendo is a sport that inculcates

respect,determination and purposethrough the strong emphasis on Reiho (etiquette) - whether in a fight or duringtraining, they believe in giving life inevery breath, which is putting 100%in everything they do. Anything lesswould be a sign of disrespect to theiropponents and to the art.

TaekWondo As the oldest

and most popularmartial art clubin SMU, the SMUTaekwondo team

has seen batches of members go on thisjourney, “levelling up” with each beltcolour together and forging many closefriendships along the way.

Besides working towards their nextcolour of belts, the Taekwondo team

also competes in competitions like theNTU Taekwondo Championships andthe National Poomsae Championships.

For many in the team, the periodof intense trainings in preparationfor those competitions were the mostmemorable times with the team; theperfectionist mindset that they had totrain with was what brought the teamcloser together.

muay ThaI Elbows and knee strikes, kicks

punches are just some of the signamoves exhibited in the fast paced rigorous sport of Muay Thai.

Sure, the kicks and punches malook harsh, and the elbow strikesdeadly, but Muay Thai is far from ing violent or brutal. In contrary, national sport of Thailand is a sacone that is one that is deeply envein Thai culture and tradition. For

who practise Muay Thai, it’s not judefensive martial art. In fact, it’s rmore a way of life.

Under the guidance of their MuThai coach, the SMU Muay Thai tcompetes in competitions like thenual Inter-tertiary Muay Thai Toument.

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Capturing the Spirit of Sport - Issue 10 (The Blue and Gold) - September 2010

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