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Written by: Peh Jia Qian (22S6B)
Photos by: Hwa Chong Wushu
The Hwa Chong Wushu Team
The strong hard thumps of wooden staffs, the violent swishing of aluminium swords paired with loud and determined yells from the fighters on the signature red carpet in the school’s Inner Plaza has been a common sight for many students after school hours. These fighters are the members of Hwa Chong Wushu, being hard at work by training rigorously as they brush up on their techniques three times a week (or even more) during the National School Games (NSG) season.
Having achieved commendable results of the A-Division Boys reclaiming the division title and the A-Division Girls winning 3rd Overall in 2022, the competitors were bound to have faced challenges leading up to their competition. The NSG participants have commented that juggling between their many training sessions each day, whilst coping with their studies, was extremely draining. However, the support and encouragement from fellow teammates helped to motivate them to get through their tough training regimen. Even though the rigorous training led to some getting injured right before the tournament, or even finding an event they trained hard for to eventually get cancelled, they pushed through the physical pains and emotional disappointments, while overcoming their hurdles to do their best and make their team proud.
Clement Gwee (22S7B) from the Wushu Team said that with their training, “NSG really brought us closer together as a team”, especially seen during their competition week, when the team tried its best to send competitors off and welcome their return together in order to cheer each other on. He added that their camaraderie was further strengthened at the sight of “non-competitors training just as hard as” them, showing how they were there for their fellow CCA-mates. Even with their great results, Captain Ezekiel Ho (21S6Q) stayed humble as he expressed that he was “proud of how far the team has come”, especially after seeing them “improve so much since they came into the team.” Regardless of the result, he found their participation to be an accomplishment itself, happy to see their efforts in this NSG.
With their accomplishments come even more takeaways that we could learn from. Even in an individual sport like Wushu, Ezekiel and Clement both found that NSG showed the importance of being in a team. As one, members could encourage each other to work hard to surpass their limits and persevere, even in the face of hardships. Even without the element of mutual dependence like in other team-based CCAs, the Wushu team have found themselves working together through learning from, helping and encouraging one another. This “shows how important it is to build on each other’s strengths”, approaching any “difficulty as a team and overcom[ing] them.”
Our Wushu Exponents Enjoying a Breather from the Training
The Wushu team’s hard work and dedication in this year’s NSG is definitely worth celebrating. Even though there are bound to be many more challenges ahead, through upholding the value of 自强不息 along with their ever-strengthening team spirit, we believe that Hwa Chong Wushu is likely to reach even greater heights.