On 16th July, we received news of Montfort's defeat by Boon Lay Secondary in the semi-finals to the C Boys Badminton National Schools Tournament. It was the first loss in several years and the bad news hit us like a sledgehammer. We lost of several technicalities - discrepencies on the ground rules; suspected irregularities on line-ups; strategic errors; fan interference and intimidation. But a loss is a loss and in typical sportsmanlike and gentlemanly conduct, we congratulated the winners in true Montfortian manner. It was ironic that Boon Lay was a school which Mr Simen had taught in and in his words 'It took a school in his own backyard to beat us'.
There is always poetic justice in sports. (Poetic Justice = a misfortune which punishes as if it had been intended by divine providence). On 24th April, Montfort emerged champions in the B Division. There were again irregularities on ground rules but this time, we beat the odds to win the title for the 5th year running. We won 3 games out of 2. No mean feat!
The proud and tremendous school spirit displayed at Jurong Sports Hall was endemic and spread like the plague bacillus. Mr Adrian Leow even announced at today's assembly that a blog from a girl from Xinmin school revealed that she would have loved to be a student in the school. It's a pity she's a girl and never had the chance to study here. She would have loved that experience and loved us.
Mr Simen spoke about how Montfort fought so hard to win the tournament. The Sports School played their doubles brilliantly. They attacked our teams vigorously and kept their service low. It reminded Mr Simen of the badminton rivalry played between the Sidek Brothers (Jalani/Razif) and the Indonesia pair (Tony Gunawan/Halim Haryanto). Mr Simen pointed out that the Sidek Brothers were like Montfort doubles:
a. Inconsistency.
Serve the shuttles low. Only change strategy when you are breaking their rhythm.
b. The Best Offence is the Best Defence
Montfort team like Sidek brothers were content to play defensive, and play it brilliantly. But how brilliantly can you play defence? When you play on the defensive, you lose the initiative. Even worse, brilliance is never seen throughout the game. It comes in sun bursts and flashes. You can play good defence in 20-25 strokes but still lose the matc point.So, the best offence is the best defence.
c. Drive, not lift
Montfort team tended to keep lifting the shuttle and getting 'smashed' by their oppnents. Drive, not lift. Perhaps the advice was 'too little too late'.
So some advice for all.
(i) Listen and listen attentively
(ii) Self discipline
(iii) Focus and attention. The good player sees and hears nothing.
(iv) Nature is simple. Don't complicate it. You don't need fancy stuff.
(v) Have a Big Heart - Montfort badminton is not just about Montfort. It is also about Singapore badminton and national goals / needs.
Police Cup Rugby Finals
Montfort was Runner's Up in the Police Cup Rugby Finals played on 13th April, Friday. Several of our key players were hurt which prevented us from fielding a top grade team. 5 out of our 17 key players were hurt.
Again, the indomitable spirit of our rugby players showed. And true to the school's proud name, the fans displayed characteristic youthful exuberance and energy.
Mr Simen mentioned that it had taken years and even decades for top Rugby Schoos like RI, St Andrew's, SJI to emerge as champions. Within a span of 4-5 years, we are now top 5 in the nation. Our Alumni team had even won the French Open tournament beating the likes of Australia and France. Be Optimistic. Stay focussed and all will go well.
Wushu National Tournament
Injury seemed to hurt us in the Wushu tournament again. We were still able to harness one silver award and three bronze awards for the various weapon categories.
Parting Shot
As a parting salvo, Mr Simen gave an analysis of our sports achievements and targets revealed glaring areas which we need to focus on:
a. Self-discipline/ Team-discipline;
b. Focus;
c. Listening with the heart and understanding with the head;
d. Flawless execution of strategy and tactics
Then only would we be truly great.
1 comment:
Many thanks for your excellent support! The cheers we heard must have pushed our boys further than what they were capable of. There were heart stopping moments when we united as a school in prayers to God. Overall, we beat S'pore Sports School in 3 singles and forced them to rubber sets in the doubles.
This is our 5th 'B' Division title in a row. No other school has stringed more than 3 titles together. Thus, we are thankful as you have witnessed, that the margin between success and failure could be only one point! Despite getting only 3rd place this year for 'C' Div, we have won 5 'C' Div titles in the last 7 years! An outstanding achievement itself.
- Excerpts of an email sent by Mr Stanley Kwek
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