- Derek Wong "The first question he and his badminton teachers asked themselves was whether schools were competing at the level of top countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. 'The answer was 'no', because our local boys were complacent,' Mr Lourds says. 'They thought they were good by just beating one another.' So, four years ago, he recruited a top Indonesian student to play for the school team although Montfort already had the national champion, Derek Wong. Derek was the son of former SEA Games singles gold medallist Wong Shoon Keat, Montfort's coach. The two qualified for the final of the national championship, recalls Mr Lourds. 'The Indonesian boy, Albertus Teddy Setiadi, beat Wong easily, allowing him only five points in each game,' recalls Mr Lourds. The humbling defeat had the intended effect of jolting the Singaporean boys. 'We train every day and at nights too,' says Mr Lourds. The boys get a break only to prepare for the O levels.
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Should schools stay off the bandwagon?
Reserve school sports for S'poreans, says a parent. But a school shows how foreigners make a difference
By Yap Koon Hong, Senior Writer
IF JAMES TEO had his way, schools will reserve all their places for badminton talent for children born and raised in Singapore.
He and hiswife, Fiona, both financial consultants, are sports-loving parents. Their son Moen, 12, will enrol in the Singapore Sports School's badminton academy next year, joining older sister Melody, 16, who plays netball for school and country.
Mr Teo says he will support his son fully if Moen indicates that he wants to pursue his badminton dream to the level of the Olympics.
He understands that Singapore needs foreign talent, but feels this should be used sparingly and as a short-term measure.
'Why get foreign talent at school-going age?' he asks. 'School sports should be reserved for Singaporeans only because all these foreign students are not going to represent Singapore.'
The money spent, especially by schools who hunt for top foreign schoolboys in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and China, could be better used to develop local talent.
'Instead of developing foreign talent, schools should invest in foreign expertise, the science and technology that other countries are using, to develop our youngsters,' he argues.
Keen Singaporean badminton players should be given more competitions to grow their skills.
The trouble with the schools-based system of competition is that players may not get the exposure they need especially if the school is knocked out early.
'Two, three matches and then they're out, after training for months in the run-up,' he says. 'It's demoralising.'
He would prefer to put more money into organising year-long tournaments for local school players to encourage them to take up the sport seriously.
If schools jump on the foreign talent bandwagon, Singaporeans will not get to learn and play the game in the first place, he adds.
'As it is, a badminton team is small, with only four or five slots,' he says.
He knows the top badminton school in Singapore is Montfort Secondary, but he says he never considered sending Moen there. 'My boy will be deprived of a sport,' he says.
Montfort Secondary principal Simen Lourds feels differently.
Mr Lourds, who used to play competitively growing up in Malaysia, is credited with reviving the school's status as champions.
'Our overall goal is not just to win badminton titles,' he says, referring to the strategy of recruiting foreign students crucial to Montfort's championship plans.
'We want to do our part in the national target of having a team in the final rounds of the sport's supreme tournament, the Thomas Cup, in 2012.'
The first question he and his badminton teachers asked themselves was whether schools were competing at the level of top countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
'The answer was 'no', because our local boys were complacent,' he says. 'They thought they were good by just beating one another.'
So, four years ago, he recruited a top Indonesian student to play for the school team although Montfort already had the national champion, Derek Wong.
Derek was the son of former SEA Games singles gold medallist Wong Shoon Keat, Montfort's coach.
The two qualified for the final of the national championship, recalls Mr Lourds.
'The Indonesian boy, Albertus Teddy Setiadi, beat Wong easily, allowing him only five points in each game,' recalls Mr Lourds.
The humbling defeat had the intended effect of jolting the Singaporean boys.
They bought into the school's programme of year-round training and competition.
'We train every day and at nights too,' says Mr Lourds. The boys get a break only to prepare for the O levels.
He did not reveal how many foreign players the school has drafted. But last year, Montfort dominated the two secondary schools tournaments. Of the 14 it fielded, nine were foreigners.
The school started a badminton alumni to persuade former students to provide sparring time for the players. 'We created the chance for them to play against men,' he says.
'So, the foreign talent is just one component in our effort to raise the level of the local game,' he says.
Last year, Derek turned the tables on his Indonesian schoolmate and beat him for the national title.
Derek has grown into such a promising talent, he is the only teenager in the senior national squad.
Half the national age-group players in the national association's stable are Montfort boys, says Mr Lourds.
They include Indonesians and a Thai who want to represent Singapore, he says, and that can only be good for the country.
As for the local talent? He says that Montfort players emerge regularly as champions in the annual national tournament which restricts entrants to Singaporeans.
'Our local boys have gained because of the higher level of competition and commitment we encouraged by recruiting the foreign students,' he says.
They also hold their own in regional tournaments, although they may not win.
'We are still behind, but we have closed the gap,' he says.
koonhong@sph.com.sg
