Written by: Mohammad Shoib Memom Loya
Edited by: Chen Kexin and Lydia Ong
Photos by: SMC Publicity
It is the time of the year to hear from the talented pool of freshies. Like the previous years, this year Tennis is again, blessed with some of the best-skilled players. I am amazed by the dedication and love Yew Kit and Erica have for their sport. Let us dive into their exciting journey of being the best version of themselves!
Yew Kit started playing Tennis in Anderson Primary when he was just nine years old. Tennis runs in his family as his grandfather taught his father how to play Tennis. When Yew Kit and his brother were deciding which sport to pick up as CCA, it was a unanimous decision of his family for him and his brother to pick up the sport. Tennis has changed his life in many ways. He explains that he achieves true solitude when he is on the court. Even if he is surrounded by supporters, all he can see on the court is that green ball; everything else is at peace. With his passion and discipline, he strives to push himself beyond his limits every training. When asked about what he loves about the sport, he described Tennis to be a sport where you can witness yourself reaping what you sow. It is a sport where your wins impact the overall performance of the team. Being more inclined towards individualistic sports, he thus finds himself blessed with a sport where he can rely on his performance for a winand yet not miss out the fun in victory as a team.
There is this one match against Hwa Chong which is very close to Yew Kit’s heart. They were losing zero is to seven for a best of nine-game. At this moment, his partner looked at him and said: “Forget about winning, what matters is the fact that there are people who enjoy and celebrate the sport that we commit our time and effort to. For this we shall be grateful”. After this, they ended playing in a more relax and calm manner. They put in a good fight and managed to climb up to six games and lost with the final score of 9-6. They went on to shake hands with their opponents and found their way to the water cooler. Up till now, they did not feel anything but, when they looked at each other over the water cooler, they broke down to tears. But soon after seeing each other in tears, they burst into laughter. Yew Kit describes this as a “weird feeling” but I think it's nice to know this stoic man might have a tender side of him after all.
Moving on to our next freshie Erica!
She started playing Tennis in primary school when she was 12 years old. At first, she found Tennis to just be an opportunity to exercise and have some fun family time. But she soon developed a deep love for the sport and then never stopped playing it. Tennis not only helps her to stay active, and brings her a lot of good friends at the same time! Erica loves the thrill of winning, and it’s really nice to hear that she is quite good at it. (I guess we’re only expecting wins for IHG then? ><) Looking back, Erica explains that Tennis taught her resilience and made her a better team player.
There was this one match in secondary school which she recalls being one of the best games she played. It was an inter-school doubles match between her team and a pair from IJ. It was a very intense match, with both teams giving their best, but Erica's team managed to win at last! That moment inspires her to give her best every day and made her realize that if you are passionate and work hard enough, the balls are always in your court. When asked about her IHG goals, she replied “TO WIN” with a smile on her face.
As you can tell by reading their stories, it was an absolute pleasure to interview them. Their passion and determination have inspired me to work hard in my battles. There is no doubt that with such a skillful bunch, Tennis is a sport to look out for in all the upcoming IHGs!
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