You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘articles’ category.
Run for All 
DD
The biannual Cross-Country Carnival was a resounding success! From what I heard. Despite this being the crunch time of deadlines, there was a record turnout of almost 40 crossers – regardless of race, timing and …(sorry I tried).
But which didn’t include me. #sadsadstory. For those who, like me, are sad to have missed out on so much fun, here are some sound bytes from fellow crossers. For those still reeling from the adrenaline, keep it going!
Natalie Kuan’s 1-min Carnival Round-up
NUS cross country held its biannual cross carnival on the 20th of March. Proving that there’s more to cross country than simply running laps around the track, the carnival drew a stellar turnout for an evening of good company, fun, games and food organized by the new cross committee nominees. The carnival kicked off with a 2.4km time trial, which saw many hitting their PB’s. GOOD JOB YOU GUYS! (especially Norman & Siew for being the fastest runners, Jiahao & E-main for most improved!)
Time trial aside, it was a close fight to the finish between Tristan and Madan’s team in the 4×100 mix-team relay. Down to the wire, once the baton, er, banana we mean, was in Madan’s hands there was no stopping the speedy Gonzales from clinching 1st place for his team.
Not to forget the very exciting game of human foosball punctuated by screaming girls, shouting guys and good tackles, NUS Cross Country’s resident striker Sarah scored 2 goals just minutes into the game. (girl power!)
All in all, the event was a welcome respite amid looming deadlines, tests and presentations. Looking forward to the next one!
Brought to you by Natalie Kuan, reporting live from the track!
Natalie & Shanqi - beaming bananas!
Tricia Chong’s “10 Reasons Why Carnival Was Thoroughly Enjoyable” (and how I missed out so bad)
I thoroughly enjoyed the cross carnival! Maybe because it was…
1) Seeing people run & seeing your teammates improve, makes me feel really happy for them (it’s really therapeutic don’t you think? compared to sitting long hours of completing deadlines, or listening to profs looking at notes blahblahblah)
2) Seeing familiar faces who’ve brought years of fun to me & also inspired me in some way or another after such a LONG time,
3) My team won foosball (YEAHH TEAM 3 you guys rock) but honestly as mentioned, the credit all goes to Sarah the soccer star, Jiarong whose legs became mega flexible after acupuncture, Tesh & and his Mauritius body, Jackie & Wilson’s awesome head-ball, Joseph’s long legs, and maybe last but not least, the screams of Zakiyah and I. And also probably, Rama, who enjoyed kicking into me instead of aiming into space. It was a really funny game, I enjoyed watching others play while i just screamed. even when my team wasn’t playing.
4) We had birthday celebrations for March babies!
5) We had luckydraw
6) Cool prizes were given out. I won nothing. but it was still amusing to see others reactions when they won something hahahaha
7) We shared food & snacks while staying healthy
8) We camwhored!
9) So much screaming (esp from girls) & laughing involved.
10) It was organized by people who have passion to serve the team.. brings me tears of joy! :’)
Well I kinda have a word limit (ooops), so I shall end here for today, how can I not love this team?
It’s almost a week gone by and Tricia (right) is obviously still feeling the adrenaline rush very much.
!!!!!!!!!
Jackie, Zakiyah & Tricia. Human foosball FTW
Bhavesh Rajwani’s thoughts in minibytes
I think the cross carnival 2012 was quite fun. 2.4 was the only ‘serious’ training, and it was good to be relaxed and not focus on the track, for a change. Games achieved their intended purpose, and everybody worked with everybody to have fun in the spirit of friendly competition. There were more prizes than I expected to be honest, and there was enough food to go around. I think the sprints were the highlight, especially since Tristan wouldn’t stop complaining about Madan’s win.
He had spikkesss
Bhavesh's team - see Tristan looks like he is all out to nail it down!
See Tricia, your max word limit was Bhavesh’s min word limit.
Koh Kai Ming’s 150-word composition (heh it really sounds like one!)
20th March was a date that most of the cross country members have been looking forward to. It’s the annual Cross Country carnival. We all knew that it is going to be a fun filled session with lots of nice food. I enjoyed how everyone participated actively in the games and added extra fun to it with all the screaming and laughing. The lucky draw was another event that took the attention of all the runners. Everyone was hoping that they will get to win the nice looking leather covered book. The food was the highlight of the event. After been through all the games and concentrating so hard on the lucky draw, it was time to relax and enjoy the awesome food prepared by the elects of the new committee. It was truly a day to bring the team closer together and a day for us to remember.
say cheese! (no, bananas!)
Last picture for good measure.
Because girls always need more airtime
Kudos to the organizers for a night of crazy fun and laughter. Oh by the way, these are also prospective candidates for our upcoming committee, which means we can look forward to a crazy year ahead… banana relays for training? 
Signing off and promising I’ll try my best to come next week,
Kelly
Something my coach shared with me and I thought a lot of sportsmen can relate to:
Oct 19, 2010
Money can buy a club, but form is priceless
When a sports star hits a bad patch, his bank balance is irrelevant
By Rohit Brijnath
OWNING a club, like Liverpool, should be about sentiment. Buyers must be able to mournfully recite stats of seasons lost, recollect precisely an Ian Rush goal, leap from their seats in blue-striped suits. It is a lovely thought, but deeply impractical.
The only stats that matter here arrive from an accounts ledger. The only passion here is profit. This, we sadly understand, is business: someone mans the goal-line and another the bottom line.
Money has altered the vocabulary of sport. Players have become brands and clubs are commodities, even if there is a coldness to such a definition, for it strips sport of its essential humanity.
The opposite view of sport, as a pure romantic pursuit, appears too idyllic now, in a time of ego, drugs, scandal, but at least it is more pleasurable and less clinical.
There is a need to place a dollar value to so much in sport, effectively turning a mysterious art into a pragmatic enterprise. Totalling the dollars Singapore athletes were rewarded with after the Commonwealth Games is intriguing, though how they won their medals, with nervous hands in tough arenas, tells us more about character.
The truth is, however powerful the role of commerce, the essential appeal of sport, week in and week out, remains the simple, unending struggle for form and confidence. This is incalculable.
When Andy Murray won the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, his pay cheque – appropriately – was barely mentioned. After all, outplaying Roger Federer so completely, and the new belief that seems to have settled in Murray’s head, defies a price tag.
Money assisted in Murray’s rise – in affording coaches, equipment, travel – but on the court, without breaks for mid-match coaching, a man is left alone with his fears and his inspiration. That is a beauty that is hard to cost.
Money brings no guarantee in sport for it is too fickle an enterprise. There is no sporting store where one can purchase courage, no corner shop that offers confidence for sale. Constantly athletes grapple with the vanishing of consistency. Where did it go? How does the mind manufacture it again? Here there is no discrimination on the basis of bank balance.
Private jets and plush penthouses are not worth a damn when goals don’t go in. Wayne Rooney netted 26 Premier League goals last season, but just one this year. Some unholy mix of injury, indiscretion, arrogance has interfered with the synchronicity of his feet and brain.
Federer couldn’t miss once; on Sunday, in Shanghai, he only missed. At one point, after over-hitting a shot he once could have done blindfolded, he stood in the centre of the court, hands on hip, a picture of confusion. He once wrote virtual textbooks on forehands, but now it is as if he can’t remember the stroke. Invincibility, he is reminded, is only loaned to athletes, it cannot be negotiated at an auction.
Said Federer: ‘Missing so many important shots really, over and over again, obviously took a lot of my confidence away.’ It had taken the same flight as Fernando Torres and Tiger Woods’, all these millionaires suddenly impoverished when it comes to form and confronted by sport’s enigmatic reality: it’s hard to win without confidence, yet to gain confidence you need to win.
Cricketer Rahul Dravid, one of India’s greatest batsmen, familiar with how self-assurance dips, says: ‘There is doubt. You worry a little. You question. You fall back on people who know your game. It’s easier if you know what is going wrong, but if you don’t know what the problem is, it can be confusing. But most athletes will just work harder.’
Form’s betrayal has a hundred fathers. For Torres perhaps injury and fitness, for Rooney his manager’s eroding belief, for Federer age, for Woods the distraction of scandal. But perhaps the first response is sweat. Another 1,000 forehands, another 60 free kicks over dummies, another 200 putts from six feet. This is the universal currency all swear by.
Some athletes will trust themselves, stay faithful to established routines. Some will visit therapists, turn obsessive, fiddle with equipment. Some will compensate for failing parts by adding new ones.
A tennis player might opt to volley to shorten points. A batsman may subtract a stroke from his arsenal to avoid error. Great players, if anything, are masterful at the art of problem solving – whether conditions, opponents, tactics. They find solutions till none remain.
Occasionally, what the athlete requires is another guru, a new voice in the head, repeating old mantras perhaps but with the odd new twist. So Federer, so long his own man, opted for Paul Annacone, once the unobtrusive voice in Pete Sampras’ ear. Woods parted ways with Hank Haney and signed up with Sean Foley.
If Alex Ferguson’s mind is set against him, Rooney may want to fly, for in another club’s belief in him may lie the return of his own. Either way, most will believe the same thing: just one goal, just one big win, and the tide of greatness will wash over them again. Such faith is beyond dollar appraisal.
Amidst all the economic mechanics of the Liverpool deal, a human thought intrudes. To see Rooney falter, Federer fumble, is a reminder that every athlete, even them, has his frailty. These men do not come from other planets; they’re just human beings struggling desperately to refind their grip on greatness. And when they do, when form returns, that moment will be priceless.
rohitb@sph.com.sg
Source: Wikipedia and storyrhyme.com
‘The first film was simply titled Godzilla (1954).
In the original film, Godzilla was portrayed as a terrible and destructive monster.
Following the success of Godzilla, Toho started filming a quickie sequel called Godzilla Raids Again.
In this film, a new Godzilla was set up to fight another dinosaur-like creature, Anguirus.
This second film started a trend for Godzilla films, where Godzilla would fight other giant monsters.
In his fifth film, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla took the role of a hero.
From that point on, to the end of the Showa series, Godzilla stayed a hero, protecting Japan against attacks from other monsters, aliens, etc.
For a period, Godzilla stopped its runs in the cinemas.
At one point, Godzilla even adopted a son, Minilla, in Son of Godzilla, who would make appearances in later Showa-era films.’
The first time I had a serious relatively longer distance run (1.6km) was in 1998. I was forced to run in the form of NAPFA test.
In that first occasion, running was portrayed as a terrible and tedious activity. But I managed to complete it nevertheless.
Following the success of that virgin long run, I went on to secondary school where I had to attempt a longer distance run (3km).
This second long run was the mother of my future longer distance runs, where I eventually completed my furthest distance in AHM (2008).
In my #672nd run, running became more competitive for me as I had to represent my unit in running competitions.
For a period after I ORD, I stopped running.
At NUS, I took up running again.
Godzilla adopted a son to spice up his otherwise dull battle life.
Like Godzilla, I adopted running to spice up my otherwise dull school life.
Godzilla needed Minilla.
I need to run.
Godzilla loved Minilla.
I love to run.
Why do I run? Why don’t I run?
-iskonkul
It is the time of the season where the new academic year is about to start. It will mean back to school for the seniors and the new inflow of freshmen in August.Being the newly appointed team manager for the upcoming year, i hope i can share some perspective of the team here.
Looking back at my time in the team so far, i think it has been a great team being built up by our predecessors. A vision by a senior in 2005 started this team and with the hard work put in since has brought us this far. It has grown in every sense of the word, from the number of people( about 30 regulars come down) to the diversity of the people(exchange students and locals). Now, even coporate organisations such as Sony are looking at us. Once again, a big thank you to our predecessors and all members of the team, past and present, for all the hard work, dedication and committement that you have put in.
I believe when people, prospective freshmen and running enthusiast hear the name “cross country”, you might feel scared because of the competitive nature and even maybe you have been competing during your school days and you think it’s too much to do it again in NUS. Such thoughts are not surprising, as i was in your position before deciding to join the team.
As the new team manager, i hope this post can help adjust some of your thinking and perception of the team.
True indeed, we do go out there and compete and represent NUS in various competitions. You may begin to wonder, how come this team can still grow, even this is a competitive team? I personally feel is the philosophy of the team: More than runners, we are a family. We focus more than just the competition side of things. We also focus on relationships and I believe that strong relationships out of true friendship between people make a team strong. This team are made of people who are fun, friendly and nice. More than that, this team cares for people (one of the main reasons why i wanna serve the team and have stayed in this team since i 1st joined). More than training hard together as a team to improve ourselves, we also have fun together ( in the recent article on the Redang trip) and grow together.
So if you have interest in running and wanna be part in a fun n loving running community, don’t be afraid to join us!=)
For the rest of us, as seniors, i personally hope that we have enjoyed each other’s company over the past year. Let us keep this culture of the team being a family. A lot of us are staying in this team, i feel, is more than for the training, but about the people, the bonds and friendships forged.
Beyond all the activities and programmes that the team that has in store, it’s really about the people in the team. Phil Pringle once said this before, people establish people. A team without people is not one anymore and i personally feel it is the people and the relationship that each of us have with one another keep this team going. As partakers of this team, let us keep this team together, have fun and train together!
I hope, as the team manager, with the current team leadership, we can be of service to the team and bring this team to greater heights. I am looking forward to the new season and hoping to make strides with life and running, with this WONDERFUL team. Once again, i thank you and it has been a pleasure and honour to serve one and all.
Cheers and have a great year ahead!
With love,
Nic Tey
Saucony 100-Plus Passion Run 2009
0700 hrs, 24 May (Sunday)
East Coast Park
There are 2 good things about East Coast Park: the very relaxing seaview (a sea breeze is a bonus) & the people. And there are 2 bad things about East Coast Park: the inaccesibility & the people.
Sunday’s Saucony 100-Plus Passion Run was filled with people. An unbroken snake of red track vests and wriggling legs from Macdonalds at one end to Bedok jetty at the other. Sometimes the crowd seemed so thick & neverending all those poor kids coming to East Coast Park to use the beach to play beach soccer on a Sunday morning must have kena stunned, at not being able to get across the crowd in the first place. 10,000 people, according to the radio DJ at the flag-off, had signed up. But from the amount of people waiting for the fun run to begin after the competitive segment was over, the crowd seemed greater than that.
With people, come certain problems. For those running the 10 KM competitive race route & who were NOT fast enough to outrun the crowd from the previous flag-off, they had to endure an entire 7.5 KM stretch of running on the sidelines, bursting in between couples going at jogging pace & worse of all, putting up with barricades of recreational runners who slowed down to refresh themselves at the drinking points. They had to, literally, fight and maintain a constant pace, battling with both stamina & elbows as weapons. When the courteous “excuse me” got nowhere, then they elbowed their way into the clear.
I think this run, despite the seaview (and sea breeze) taught me how to be polite, how to squeeze through human gaps about 30 cm x 30 cm, how to dodge people at high speed & last of all, when I had to force my way through, how to apologize. It also taught me patience: accept that other runners are not going all out, & so appreciate them for their leisurely pace on a very good Sunday morning (the weather was pretty cool!) The greatest moment, ironically, came not at the finishing line, or the last 100 metre sprint, but at the turning point where I stepped out of the 15 KM running crowd & for the first time in the race, an empty path with Alan and 1 other racer in front opened up till the finishing line.
The suggestion to PA & the race organizers should be verrry obvious: allow the 10 KM runners to go earlier. Or at least let both start-off at the same time. It makes no sense to burden 10 KM competitors by giving them extra obstacles which runners like the Gurkhas simply elbowed aside. Also, it seems a bit pointless to have race marshals which are sitting down reading. I won’t say it was a letdown, but definitely the race can be improved
All this gave some runners a bad mood. Some didn’t like getting elbowed. Some didn’t like being blocked. All this culminated in an ugly display of cars horning at the each other at the E2 carpark when I passed by post-race. 2 drivers (runners, too)were going at each other in public, while the auxillary police stood by watching.
Thought I should post something instead of lurking:
I’m starting to think it’s a good thing that I got injured.
However, it’s been very hard to stay still: there are people running everywhere around school, and someone will speed past me as I walk home through the neighbourhood park, and everyone (of course) is still hard at work doing training, doing intervals, freely, pacing each other around the track, or chasing the distance on a long run.
After being with the team for so long, I’ve unconsciously (automatically?) internalized the standard run-rest-recovery-run-rest-run routine. To the point that it’s difficult, especially when all an injury needs is just the time to heal, to have patience and persistence to not run.
Yet, this injury strangely does wonders: it teachers me not to take running for granted (from someone who never did sports for the first 16 years of his life, I treasure that), it reminds me to get better shoes, it helps me to appreciate the company of my cross-country friends now that I hardly see them. But most of all, it helps me to be humble.
Injury helps one realise the opposite of that overrated motto “pain makes you feel alive”. Which, really, should be rewritten as “pain makes you know you’re human, so relax” and maybe even, in my case, “pain makes you know you need better shoes.”
Not that I treasure the time limping around and hobbling down stairs though. My point is I can’t wait to get back to training with everyone again.
So you all better be faster when I start doing intervals again ah..
Recent Comments