Rain or shine, athletes just glad to be playing

Play was halted by a heavy downpour but not the songs and cheers at the National B Division girls' softball yesterday.

Even as the rain pelted down on the pitch, the spirits of the Raffles Girls' School (RGS) student-athletes would not be dampened for they had waited two long years to compete in the National School Games (NSG).

The hosts were up against Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) in their opening game when it was halted after 20 minutes owing to inclement weather. The RGS softballers continued to sing school cheers while waiting for the rain to abate, with the match eventually postponed after an hour.

But there were still smiling faces all round. RGS captain Nydia Chew, 15, said: "My team celebrated after we had the news (of the return of the NSG) because we have worked super hard since 2019.

"But then in 2020 and 2021, we didn't manage to play and finally this year we managed to play and I feel like we have a chance to showcase what we have trained for."

The past two years have been particularly challenging for team sports as coronavirus restrictions, limiting group sizes, have left many unable to play these sports in their usual formats.

The suspension of the NSG in 2020 meant that competitions for various sports were cut short or did not even start, while last year's Games featured only two team sports - sepak takraw and volleyball - in a modified 3v3 format.

So it was no surprise that student-athletes were thrilled when the B Division softball, basketball and cricket competitions kicked off yesterday. All team sports will be contested in standard formats, with the exception of rugby which will be played in a sevens format instead of 15-a-side.

Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) player Zoe Tan, 14, was glad to make her NSG debut in softball after switching from netball, which she played in primary school. The Sec 3 student said: "I was really sad because when I joined the CCA (co-curricular activity), I was expecting to be able to play in my first year or second year. Going right into the B division is quite challenging because the level is really up there."

RGS softball coach Gerann Ngiam said it has been challenging trying to keep his charges motivated over the past few years.

Ngiam, 29, tried coming up with ways to make training interesting, such as arranging for mini games or internal competitions.

Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) basketballer Reyes Chee admitted that he struggled with motivation during that period.

"I wasn't really motivated at first to train because there was uncertainty... But when it was announced that there would be the NSG competition, I wanted to get ready both physically and mentally," said the 15-year-old after his school's 33-23 defeat by Dunman Secondary School in the B Division East Zone at Pasir Ris Sports Hall.

For others, there was some ring rust to dust off. Dunman basketball captain Lau Yong Qing, 16, who was part of the team who won the national C Division title in 2019, said that they took some time to get used to competing.

The Sec 5 student added: "I felt like we could have done better... but we're going to do better and hopefully win the (zone) championship for the school."