All out for Inter-Hall Games

One player flew back from exchange just to compete, while others recruit early

By Sean Loo

Hall of Residence 16 water polo captain Leonard Lee (above) flew back to Singapore for nine days from Hong Kong where he was on exchange to compete in the water polo finals. PHOTO: NICHOLE TAN YEE TING

Leonard Lee’s determination to lead his hall’s water polo team to glory was so great that being over 2,000 kilometers away from Singapore did not deter him.

The 23-year-old, who has stayed at Hall of Residence 16 for two years, flew back to Singapore from Hong Kong — where he was on exchange — just to play in the recently concluded Inter-Hall Games (IHG), before flying back to complete the rest of his semester.

The second-year Nanyang Business School student is one of many who have gone to great lengths to achieve success for their respective halls at the annual IHG.

Lee, who is a driver (a fast swimmer who links up play with the central attacker) on the team, led his men to an 11-10 upset over defending champion Hall 2.

The decision to return from Hong Kong was not a tough one to make. He said: “We started training for IHG from the start of the school year, and grew to love the sport as we built our team spirit.

“I am proud to be a Hall 16 resident, so I wanted to come back to be a part of IHG.”

The IHG usually begins in early December, but preparation for the annual event starts well before the first whistle of the preliminary rounds. This preparation entails more than just turning up for weekly training sessions.

Recruitment of players

Hall 2 resident and captain of the table tennis team Tan Yuan Song started his IHG campaign before the start of the academic year.

Last September, Tan, 24, approached his former teammates from Temasek Junior College to join Hall 2 as freshmen.

They joined the team immediately, to Tan’s relief.

“If I don’t act quickly, it’s just a matter of time before another hall approaches them,” said the final-year NBS student.

Tan also told the Nanyang Chronicle how he managed to fend off competition from other halls to recruit a female Institute-Varsity- Polytechnic (IVP) paddler.

IVP athletes represent the university and compete with students from other local tertiary institutions at the annual IVP Games.

Despite other halls offering her an air-conditioned room, Tan believes the extra effort he put in led to her eventual recruitment.

He went out of his way to meet her at her convenience and arranged temporary accommodation on campus for her as a legal squatter while she awaited an official offer of residence from the hall.

Apart from recruiting skilled residents, hall sports teams also spend long hours training.

Dedication to training

Members of Hall 11’s cheerleading team trained twice a week for eight to 10 hours each time in preparation for the Inter-Hall Cheerleading Competition, said cheer team member Aloyscious Phua, 23. Training sessions increased to thrice a week nearing the competition.

The team trained for about 24 hours each week.

But Phua, who will likely be the team captain next year, does not intend to significantly increase training hours.

“Our priority as students is to do well academically,” said the first-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. “We will try to strike a balance between work and play.”

The extra effort paid off for the Hall 2 table tennis and Hall 11 cheer teams.

Hall 2’s paddlers, who did not win at last year’s competition, beat defending champion Hall 3 en-route to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the Hall 11 cheer team placed fifth at this year’s inter-hall cheer competition, climbing six spots from their 11th-place finish last year.

As for Lee, who was in Singapore for nine days, the effort of coming back to compete for IHG glory was “worth it.”

Playing down the scale of his effort, he said: “Hong Kong is not too far away from Singapore, as compared to places like the United States.”

Lee, who returned to Hong Kong after the Chinese New Year holiday, added: “I had to keep pressing the IHG convenors for the date of the final, and luckily they told me in time to book my flight ticket.

“I’m very thankful that I managed to get the ticket, and even more thankful that we managed to come up top.”

Gold medal aside, Lee said his biggest reward from the IHG was the camaraderie formed with his teammates.

“We grew to love the sport as we trained together,” he said. “This team spirit is what I really enjoyed.”

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Nanyang Chronicle on March 7, 2016, with the headline ‘All out for Inter-Hall Games’. Print Edition