Written by: Rika Ogawa Edited by: Choa Zhao Xiang and Leung Lok Heng Photos by: EusoffWorks
Table tennis has become an increasingly popular sport in Singapore in the recent years maybe due to the publicity it received during the 2008 Olympics. This year in Eusoff we have many new players who are have just fell in love with the game. Before we begin introducing the captains, we will briefly go through the rules of the game.
Jolyne and Chee Wan leads this year’s Table Tennis teams.
Table tennis is a sport played with a table tennis racket, a table tennis table and a ping pong ball. Contrary to popular belief, table tennis is just like any other sport and requires agility, strength and control. In international competitions, there is both an individual category and a team category. The team category comprises of 3 singles and two doubles. The ball starts with either party serving and it has to go over the net and bounce within the opposite side of the table. The rally can continue on until the players either hit the ball off the table or is unable to return a good shot from the opponent. Each individual game is until 11 points, with a deuce system. Each player needs to win a best of 5 to win the match. Sounds easy? Well there have been intense rallies during IHG where the deuce went up to 15/16 points and the players were 1m away from the table when hitting the ball so it can be pretty exciting!
Now that we are aware of how the game is played, we will first introduce the male captain Chee Wan!
With his quick reflexes, Chee Wan is feared opponent across from the table.
Chee Wan first began playing table tennis when he was primary 2, so he has been playing the sport for around 13 years now! His reason for joining was simply because his friend wanted to go for a try out but he was too timid to do so. Being a good bro, Chee Wan went with him and I guess he never looked back. Even though he has played the sport for more than half of his life, Chee Wan is still passionate about the sport! His favourite part about table tennis is that unlike other sports, table tennis requires more mental strength than physical strength! Indeed, he elaborates by saying that control is the most important aspect in playing games as hitting the shot too impulsively or too hard can easily cost you several points. Imagine having to remain calm and controlled when your championship depends on the next point!
When asked about his favourite memory from the sport, Chee Wan answers with a sheepish smile, saying that it is probably the time when he was in primary 6 and already had 4 years of experience under his belt. He was playing in a competition but he got his ass beaten by a primary 1 student! It was then that Chee Wan became more determined to train harder to ensure he will never experience such humiliation again!
Enough about Chee Wan for now! Let’s introduce our female captain Jolyne!
A veteran player of her own right, the women’s table tennis team rests comfortably on Joylne’s shoulders.
Just like Cheewan, Jolyne’s journey in table tennis began in primary 2! However, unlike Cheewan she stopped in JC to try out other sports. Nevertheless, she has close to 10 years of experience! Surprisingly, she loves the sport because it is very complicated and requires many different kinds of bats and strokes. Additionally, it is a fast-paced game and requires quick reaction and intense concentration. Jolyne fondest memory of table tennis is going overseas with her table tennis friends as she fondly recollects the experiences she had overseas!
Overall, she feels that her girls team this year may not be as strong as last year as there are many seniors who left. However, she is confident of her team this year as she can feel that each and everyone of them are giving their best effort and she feels that that is more important than anything! Looks like mama Jolyne is really proud of her team!
On the other hand, Chee Wan feels that while his team is very strong this year, they might be impeded by the new IHG rules. Previously, there was a cap of 2 IVP players for the IHG. However, this year they added an additional clause which states that there can only be one match that the IVP player will be playing. Chee Wan mentions that this will make their seek for gold slightly more challenging, but he is confident that they will put up a good fight.
Overall, both captains seem to be very inspirational and motivational people. Coupled with their confidence in this year’s team, you better bet your bottom dollar that the table tennis IHG will be an exciting tourney! Join the table tennis team as they duke it out against the other halls in KE7 during IHG!
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