KR TENNIS IS NUMBER ONE AGAIN!!!!!!!
Yes, we're champions again but this year's victory was sweet sweeeet sweeet!!
for one, KR tennis got DOUBLE GOLD for both guys and girls, new record for KR, securing our place as TENNIS KINGDOM where the KINGS and QUEENS reside.
For some, IHG may not be important, may be just some stupid tournament tt involves just 6 halls. but for us, it was what tt defined out stay in hall, our pride and our joy. It was sweet to win in year one, some kinda relieve to win in year 2 (coz i was captain didn't wanna lose it) but this year, it was more than sweet. it was beautiful, it was definitive, it was freakking shiok! and most importantly, it was a gift from Heaven.
Which team prays before, after and during matches?? Which team breaks into tears of dunno-what just when the line-up is announced and moves on to win the match? Which team cheers on their player for EVERY point in EVERY game in her match? Which team follows their player from court switch to court switch, hosting towels, water and 100+ to attend to their teammates' every need while all the way chanting "just put the ball in"/"take your time"/"one point at a time"???We were the MOST united team on court. for sure. Sherene u did a FANTASTIC job by asking us to be ard for our players every single point. THAT was the reason you were made captain, although we knew you were probably gonna want colourful jerseys (Thank GOODNESS no). That was the spirit to win, the spirit that gave us the God-given strength to play against the odds, against personal fears. It was the spirit that gave Shanny the no-sweat strength to play her freakking 3hour match and the same one that made Yenny freakking invincible and let us all play till 1230am without blinking an eye, without even realising it.
A supporter commented during Yenny's match that we're like cockroaches that refuse to die despite repeated beatings (打不死的蟑螂）. sounds ugly but it was true. like hailin say, we'll play ugly but wth we get our points and our championship who gives a SHIT.
i think this was the least self-conscious match ive ever played in my life, the most exhilarating win EVER. It sucked to be in TK and VJwhere we wld always lose our crucial matches, even the past 2 IHG finals, jx and i lost. But this year, the last time we play together, we nailed the championship good. we ran, we whacked and we sweat. we were the noisest pair on court, im sure we pretty much pissed our opponents off qt bad. but i will NEVER regret shouting "OUTSIDE" even before the ball lands in the red like i did on monday. i will NEVER regret screaming my lungs out like a madwoman when shanny won, when WE won the finals at jx's finishing volley. I have never felt so good serving for a match, set, tournament point. usually i'd be freakking nervous and do crazy things like i did for TH and KE7 and God knows how many other matches. but i am so damn proud of myself, of US on mon. it was the most deserving win, the sweetest victory.
now i know how all the MGS/RGS/RJS etc girls felt when they nailed their victories against us. that extra burst of adrenaline that makes one hit harder, and want to win more, i swear i only truly experienced it on monday. For all these years of competitive tennis, this tournament is THE one that TRULY TRULY taught me how being 5-2 up in a game or a set doesnt equate a sure win. i had no IDEA how important that was if it was to ring true in a player's head until this IHG. the never-say-die attitude we've always been preaching has never been truer until monday.
honestly, words cannot express how much this victory meant for every single one of us on the team. SUCH sweet victory that leaves us all high for the week after.
i noe there was no million dollar prize money, nor international recognition wadsoever. but nailing the championship still made our YEAR. a landmark of our tennis life. i was hoping photocomm would have captured our victorious joy, or even our pre-match tears of dunno-what but they didn't! but well, at least i'd have this blog post and jingx's and shanny's and hailin's to remind me how freakking fantastic we felt at 12.20am, 15th January 2008, when jingxian and i concluded out match. i could relive it over and over and over again. if i had the chance, i'd want to scream at a great shot, a great save, ace wadever ALL.OVER.AGAIN. i wan to hug shanny and tell her she's the queen of the court, scream at yenny for being amazing and that i love her for demolishing joofee. i wanna scream "OUTSIDE" and den "GOOD SHOT LA JINGX" gain and again! i mix pearl and hailin up from behind and cheer them on from my court, halfway thru my match. i wanna hug sherene super tight and tell her she freakking BEAT SHANTA one, two, many more times!!! i wanna relive the match. if only there was a video. we'd love to watch the WHOLE 5hours together again, shouting and screaming with ourselves on tape.
this was from the EH website, their report on our match. when i read it, i was annoyed naturally, but figured, well, they can say wadever they wan we still won and it was SUPER FREAKING OBVIOUS we won on SKY HIGH morale and never-seen-before support for each other. and of coz, the overwhelming-until-we-can-cry thirst to win.
so well, yeah. read, and left the report alone (cept to bitch a lil with the rest)
BUT GUESS WAD CAME UP!? haha when hailin finally read the report, it came along with a comment by an EH supporter siding us!!WOOHOO! another avenue for our incessant, undying high-from-monday :)
here it is, for one's entertainment and of coz, in case EH takes the comment down haha.
disclaimer: IHG is a competitve tournament and tennis is a game of mental AND physical prowess. thus all, take all in stride in the name of game. off court, off tournament, we are all friends, right?We're all NUS students struggling for a degree tts nt really worth it so...chill yeah, no hard feelings. just a game and we're just a team VERY pleased with ourselves and STILL very happy over our hardwork that lead to the win. :)
Eusoff's article
Due to prior heavy rain, the match was delayed by about 2 hours. The proceedings eventually got off around 8 o’clock but by then our players were feeling more than a little restless and the effects of hunger did not help either.
The first match for the girls’ finals began with Joo Fee putting on her best fight for the big show.
Starting on the right foot, Joo Fee had gained a good lead on the first set. However, Yenny managed to catch up slowly, and with her immense pace, took the set with 6-3. It was a nerve-wrecking experience standing with the spectators as we watched the absorbing contest between the 2 players. Joo Fee took the attack to her opponent and managed to narrow the gap in the second set to a tense 4-5 before losing. Despite all, it is still a very commendable effort put up by Joo Fee.
The second match was billed “the most exciting” of all as it was the ‘battle of the best’ from both teams. Our captain, Shanta faced Sherene, the captain of KR girls’ tennis team and a fellow IVP representative. The first set saw Shanta trying her best to adjust to the wet grounds and work around the playing style of her opponent. KR raced off the blocks that bit quicker to lead 2-1 in the first set, and judging by the loud roars of approval, it was an edge much appreciated by the KR supporters. The battle has barely just commenced! In spite of such distractions, Shanta managed to claw her way up to bring the match 5-4 in favour of Eusoff. Unfortunately, several errors cost Shanta dear and led her to concede the first set 7-5. The second set was a physical and mental challenge for both players as they trudged on to fight off their exhaustion. Shanta sportingly took on the additional challenge by the KR tennis girls who kept shouting pointers from courtside, presumably to their player. She was not to be defeated as she developed her own strategy to try to outwit Sherene in the actual game of tennis. On top of her tactical flexibility, her technically-sharp shots as well as sound agility helped her to a 3-1 lead. Alas, Sherene adapted soon after and managed to score a few impressive points of her own, and eventually went on to win the second set 6-4. Although Shanta might have lost this game, we’re still very proud of her for giving such a good account of herself. Good job!
Celeste and Audrey, in the first doubles’ match, put up an equally commendable effort against Yun wen and Jingxian of KR. EH went down hard in the first set as they struggled against the KR tandem. However, it was not without a proud struggle as we saw both Celeste and Audrey trying their darnedest to return all serves and shots, and to chase the game. In the second set, we cheered lustily as both our girls notch several tremendous points with their sublime drop shots and acute slices. Their quick reflexes fended many lobs from KR and also left KR scuttling in desperation. Celeste demonstrated a geographical gift for angles while Audrey fed KR with so many strong backhands. This killer combo of flair and force worked to a tee. The two may have ultimately lost 2-6, yet digits do them injustice for they are not some pushover powderpuff pair. We applaud them for their obvious efforts and their strength during adversity in a game and series that incredulously stretched till 12 midnight.
Overall, well done girls! No shame, no tears as we are testament to your splendid show of perseverance and grit. We should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky. =)
Posts
January 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I am greatly disappointed at the quality of this report and the tennis girls themselves. I was at the courts as a fellow EH supporter and to me, a non-tennis player, it was obvious that our EH girls lost due to their own low morale and weaker skills.
Although I am proud to be from EH, it is unjust to attribute Shanta’s loss to her opponent because the opponent didn’t play “the actual game of tennis”. From what I saw and heard, the opposing team’s girls were merely cheering their teammate on, displaying how close-knitted and supportive their entire team was. Every sport consists of both technical and mental challenges. Shanta’s mental strength just wasn’t on par, and I regret to admit that the strength of EH supporters was dismaying compared to their opponents’. If the reporter wants to write this report in such a biased manner, perhaps he/she should include the number of wrong line-calls from Shanta that even her own teammates do not agree (I personally saw her fellow teammates correcting a line call Shanta made).
It would be nice for the reports to end off with the reporters’ names and for the reports to be as accurate as possible. There is no point defaming the opponents by attributing our loss to their “unjust” play because every spectactor can judge for him/herself the truth of the reports. It reflects badly of our hall too. This is just my two cents’ worth as a supporter.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Well said
January 16th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I thinkit was more like KR left Eusoff scuttling in desperation!