By Hazel Wong (20S03P), Girls’ Captain, and Muhammad A’qil (20S06T), Boys’ Vice-Captain
The rush of the wind battering their faces is like a slap to the face. The dry-fit jersey that caresses their bodies subtly flutters in the wind. The carbon fiber that embodies the mound of their sticks radiates energy beyond comprehension. Their muscles are tense, their vision is fixed. The voices of everyone around them is drowned out by a tsunami of concentration. Ferocity lives within their veins.
They could almost hear the satisfying and thunderous thud as the ball crashes into the backboard. They envision the crowd roaring, erupting from the stands. The exhilaration is unparalleled. As their eyes roam the vast expanse of the green astro turf, their opponents seemingly wither out of their focus. As the strength imbued in their arms are released, the ball crackles to life and a resounding crackle echoes throughout the atmosphere. The ball races through the air, ripping the air molecules apart. The vibrations that pulsate through their sticks gives them an adrenaline rush like no other. The water droplets that trail glisten as the sun illuminates the green flatland.
The crowd goes wild.
This is hockey for many of us. It is beyond just a simple and heart-thumping co-curricular activity. It is the love we develop for the sport that drives us to strive for greater heights and grind hard every training session and match. Strength, stamina, and skills may be the bare bones of every hockey player, but it is the teamwork we build and the trust we have in each other that helps us achieve the extra mile.
This year, after months of gruelling training, the Boys’ and Girls’ teams have achieved commendable results. With both teams playing against SAJC in their final matches, the Boys’ team emerged as champions while the girls’ team achieved 4th position in the Inter-Schools ‘A’ Division Championships.
Trainings are typically held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 5-8pm at locations varying from our school hockey turf to external venues at Sengkang, PSOEB, and Delta hockey pitches. We usually begin our training with warm-up rounds, followed by physical training for an hour or so. Afterwards, we will progress to basic stickwork and drills before ending the session with a mini match amongst ourselves. Not only do we focus on improving ourselves in terms of our individual skills and fitness, we build camaraderie with one another and enjoy the sport together.
If you find that a team sport is something you would like to try, come down for hockey trials and give it a shot! We welcome everyone regardless of prior experience. In fact, most of the players in our Girls’ team are fairly new to the sport. It will not be an easy journey, but it will definitely be fulfilling. Hockey not only offers you an option to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stress relief in the flurry of a hectic JC life, but also an extremely tight-knit circle of friends.
