Board Game Gladiators

News Editor Isaac Tan takes a peek into students’ training sessions for the annual Inter-Hall Recreational Games.

By Isaac Tan, News Editor

UNDIVIDED ATTENTION: Two IHRG players pit their wits against each other in a board game.
PHOTO: HAN HUI JING

Imagine spending hours building up an arsenal of multisyllabic words and putting your endurance and wit to the grind.

Sounds exhausting?

This is merely a glimpse of the preparation that takes place for a Hall of Residence recreational games player.

From learning words repeatedly, flicking carrom strikers or researching and studying chess plays, getting ready for the annual Inter-Hall Recreational Games (IHRG) is no easy feat.

For these players, the semester break is spent honing their skills under tough training regimes, all for a chance of being crowned the overall IHRG champion.

“(In the) weeks leading to the IHRG match, the teams will usually train from noon to night. They eat, sleep and breathe recreational Games,” said Cai Bing Liang, 23, the President of Hall 6 Junior Common Room Committee.

“Such intensive training is needed to tune their bodies and minds to the amount of games they have to play in a day.”

For Sarah Teo, 21, Recreation Director for Hall 12, the tournament goes beyond being well–versed in the game alone.

“Apart from skill and wit, stamina, perseverance and tenacity are some of the attitudes that are required of a hall recreational player,” said the third-year student from the National Institute of Education.

Most of these competitions span two days and last an average of eight hours. Even between each round of competition, players huddle and practise for other events.

Based on his experience in the Inter-Hall Games – the sports counterpart of the IHRG –  Randy Cheong, 23, the Recreational Secretary for Hall 14 feels that the IHRG is a tougher competition.

The second-year student from the Nanyang Business School said: “Most sports matches last for a maximum of two hours, but all recreational games go on for the entire day.

“Even after the games end, I have to go back to the games room and prepare for the next day with my team,” he added.

And it isn’t just the physical weariness that comes from practising for weeks on end, IHRG players also endure immense mental stress.

Chow Wei Shoon, 21, Assistant Recreational Secretary for Hall 9, explained that the stress from the games boils down to one key factor: recreational games are mostly individual events.

“You are alone most of the time. Once you’ve made your move, it is fixed,” said the first-year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

“One wrong move and the game could be over for you, and your hall.”

Silence Please : How Halls Support their Recreational Players

With neatly arranged tables and a palpable sense of tension in the air, the IHRG competition venues could easily be mistaken for examination halls.

But the silence masks intense pressure as competitors from the various Halls of Residence battle it out in this muted space to emerge the overall IHRG champions.

As a freshman, Mohamed Syahid, 27, found the hushed competition venues daunting. “The last thing you want is all that added stress from an already quiet venue,” he said. Now in his third year, the Hall 5 Scrabble player has learnt to stay composed.

Unlike sports venues where cheering or ovations are common sights, the IHRG takes its silence seriously.

Durgga Krshnan, 20, Chairman of the Hall Olympiad Committee, explained that though there are no rules against cheering, supporters keep silent out of consideration for the competitors.

“Cheering may sway an umpire’s decision, or break the player’s concentration,” she said. “In fact, halls are encouraged to cheer before and after games to boost their team’s morale.”

However, though, as halls have devised clever alternatives for cheering. For example, Syahid explains that his hall has a tradition of handing out lollipops before the games. “It does help to relax you a little more when you’re stressed,” he said.