Written by: Andre Ho
Edited by: Chen Kexin and Lydia Ong
Photos by: SMC Publicity
Introducing Jerry Kwong, a man that picked up squash back in JC 1, and has not looked back ever since. In every match, Jerry aims to outplay his opponents both physically and strategically, looking for the well-placed shots to tire the opponent out. Well I guess enough of the same statement each time, let’s move on to something only the seniors can provide, their IHG experience. Jerry has this to say.
The stress during IHG is immense as the thing with glass walls is that spectators can see your every move. Any good play is bound to draw a positive reaction from the crowd, but embarrass yourself, and everyone can see your mistakes. Jerry explains that this nerve-racking situation is made even more tense as you are in an enclosed space with your opponent, without anyone else to help you. The outcome of the match is a true showing of each other’s abilities, and he says that is one of the joys of squash.
A moment he will always remember is when Jia Sheng played KR. He will always cherish how nonchalant Jia Sheng looked en route to beating his opponent, outplaying his opponent every round with barely any expression on his face, ‘It was too easy for him’. Hmm it seems like every squash player has their own Jia Sheng story to share….
When asked what the chances of the guys team winning this year, Jerry replied, ‘almost zero’, before quickly proceeding to ask me not to include that (sorry Jerry) . After some probing, he said that it was due to Eusoff not being able to hold on to one of their best players, when he went over to KR. This greatly changed the odds, as losing a single player to your rivals can shift the balance of a best-of-5 game by a huge margin.
However, the silver lining is that Jerry is willing to step up and train doubly hard for the upcoming IHG. This ties in with his training philosophy,
‘If you cannot outplay the fella outrun the fella,
If you cannot outskill him you out-lung him .’
He truly believes that if someone is better than him, the only way to beat his opponent is to work harder, run faster and simply outlast him.
Jerry concluded with this quote: “ Whether you win or lose doesn’t matter. You are not gonna remember it a few years down, but what you’ll remember are the training, all the banter, the suppers after and the drinking. So really enjoy the process.”
Those are indeed great words of advice for all to take in.
Remember to support Jerry and his fellow teammates as they gear up for the upcoming IHG!!
Next up, we have Fong Ling from the female team!
Having almost 9 years of experience in squash, she is no stranger to the sport. I asked her what keeps the sport from going stale since she has played for so long. She says that besides the game itself being fun, the company and friends in the team is also a huge reason why she decided to stick around. Additionally, being one of the three Y4s on the team, she got to see how much each player has developed over the years, sounding like a proud Mama as we discussed the team's improvements.
She picked up the sport in the sec 2, after her school did not let her join badminton as she intended to. Coming from badminton, her first major challenge is the constraints of the walls. Being able to play the ball of any side of the court was something she was not used to. However, she states that it is these constraints that make squash fun as you can throw out many more combinations.
Her favourite moment in her long squash career? “When we kicked Temasek out of the Semi-finals”. The match went all the way down to the fifth set, where current captain Ling Yan overcame an injury she previously sustained, to win the intense match. She will never forget how everyone was at the edge of their seats during this back and forth match. “Ling Yan’s determination was inspiring to all that watched.”
Speaking about determination, Fong Ling gave a few words of encouragement to her team, “Keep working hard and don’t give up, continue to motivate one another.” She is starting to sound like a nurturing parent to the squash team. She followed this up with,
“Don’t count the points, make the points count. Always keep your head up, focus on the game and the next shot and, not just the outcome. In every game we have 5 sets to play, the turn in momentum can come in at any time, just get ready when it does.”
Freshies please take note, what a statement it was from a veteran herself.
Finally, she wants to give a shout out to their coaches!! for helping them out and their investment of time and effort in the girls’ team to help them improve. She appreciates them taking up the coaching responsibility even though it is not mandatory.
Please do continue to support the Squash team (especially all the LYLC) for the upcoming IHG!!
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