First Reflection

I have always been a lover of sports, especially team sports. In secondary school, I attended a floorball elective module organised by my school and that I think was the first spark that ignited my passion for the sport. Floorball was not available then as a CCA however, and I had to wait until JC to join the CCA (I was in an Integrated Programme). After a short dilemma between floorball and football (which I also love), I chose floorball and never looked back since.

It was the first time then that I involved myself heart and soul in a competitive team sport. It’s not that I had never played before – I played football for my primary school – but it was then that I truly learnt the meaning of playing in a team, for the team. I have my coach to thank for that. It boils down to every single little thing you do when you are on the court. In each of those little things, you have to remember that it is NEVER about yourself. She taught us to be selfless in our play, to do things and cover for each other. That I would say is the fundamental requirement of a good team, and not just in the field of sports.

Soon after, I found myself in the Singapore Schools floorball team, formed from the best players in secondary schools and JCs across Singapore. To some extent I was surprised and happy to make it into the team and gain more valuable experience by playing with better players.

However, somewhere along my growth in the sport, I grew a big head. I turned out to be one of the key players in my school team and after some time this somehow gave me the idea that I could raise my voice at my own teammates whenever I got frustrated or things weren’t working out. And no, I wasn’t even the captain or in any leadership position to boss people around like that. The worst thing is I didn’t even know it. I didn’t realise that I was changing into someone I don’t want to be. Finally one day, as I was blaming my defensive partner for an error that was in truth somewhat my fault, my coach stepped in and screamed at me. I still remember what she said: “Stop screaming at others, you’re the one doing it wrong!” That was when it hit me that I was letting my abilities in the sport get to my head and letting myself think that having these abilities somehow put me above my own teammates. I talked to my close friend about it (who also happened to be my captain) and with a look of guilt mingled with a hint of disappointment he told me that he noticed it too. That was when I realised I really didn’t want to be that kind of person and especially not to my own friends.

In my second and final year of JC my team came in second-runners up having somehow lost our semi-final 7-2 to YJC, which on another day, would instead be on the receiving end of that loss. Some have suggested it was because of an over-strenuous training the day right before the match, but I guess we’ll never know. This was despite beating MJC in the group stage and then VJC in the third-fourth placing match, both of which without a doubt are the two strongest teams in the tournament, and that was my takeaway for the year. It was shown to me that sometimes when you put your team before yourself, when you trust one another and your coach, when you put not only your mind and skills but also your heart in the game, you can defy the odds.

After all I’ve said I think it’s obvious that I am a strong believer that engaging in team sports is nothing short of an excellent way to build one’s character, especially for teenagers and youths transiting into adulthood. I value my own experience in doing so and I’m currently still playing floorball in NUS right now, both for the school and for Eusoff Hall. Having been spotted as the Eusoff team’s captain-to-be next year, I hope to grow as much as possible in terms of my skill and most importantly my character before taking on that challenge.