Gearing up for a showdown

The long summer break for SIM-University of London undergraduates allow them to keep busy with a variety of activities. Besides clocking up internship hours to boost their work experience, students have taken the opportunity to travel or train for the local inter-varsity competitions.

There is a group of students who have been gearing up for a showdown. They have polished and chalked their cues, and stretched themselves to be as flexible as they can be. The King's Pool College Cup 2019, an interschool pool competition among the government tertiary institutions and SIM, commences on 30 July 2019. Four teams have been representing SIM. The competition consists of two rounds before the champion team emerges.

The teams have been in fierce competition, playing daily from 9.30am to 11.30pm. Out of 32 teams, two of the four SIM teams have pulled through to qualify for the top 16.

I feel that it trains me to handle pressure during crucial moments and motivates me to improve after every failure I encounter.

We interviewed the current President of the SIM Cuesports Club, Daniel Ong, a second year student in the BSc Accounting and Finance programme. He said: “Competition provides a myriad of opportunities for players to demonstrate their talent and skills. I really enjoy the competitive atmosphere as we are exposed to better players and the pressure to win as a team. This bonds us together, regardless of the results. I feel that it trains me to handle pressure during crucial moments and motivates me to improve after every failure I encounter.”

We also spoke to the former president of the Club, Laris Lee, a graduate of the BSc Banking and Finance programme. He said: “I feel that having competitions like this is a way to prove how much we have improved and also to build better bonds, not only with teammates but the club as a whole. It really puts us to the test as the atmosphere during competition is the total opposite of our normal training sessions. With the pressure and eagerness to win, it makes the game even more exciting.”

If a player loses, learns from their mistakes and continually improves, it shows their character.

Laris also said that winning isn't everything - it's about enjoying the process and having fun. It also makes him want to improve and reduce any mistakes. If a player gives up after losing, it really does say a lot about their character. Similarly, if a player loses, learns from their mistakes and continually improves, it shows their character and how they do things, be it CCA, studies or even their future work.

Winning is indeed not everything. The opportunity to enjoy sports as different individuals and be able to exchange pointers are just a few things one can take away from this competition. 

There are about 80 active members in SIM Cuesports. The club participates in three annual competitions for good athlete development. Besides training three times a week for competitions, the club also runs a learn-to-play programme for students (10 lessons).

Since SIM Cuesports’ participation in the Singapore University Games 2018 (SUniG) in 2007, the team has delivered a podium finish every year. 

[Main image: SIM-UOL undergraduates paused their game to capture the moment. Pictured from left to right: Kevin Sudjuno, BSc Accounting and Finance; Ang Gim Chow, BSc Computing and Information Systems; Casilyn Soon, BSc Creative Computing; Daniel Ong Jun Jie (President), BSc Accounting and Finance; Joshua Pay, BSc Computing and Information Systems; Bernardus Mintat, BSc Economics and Finance.]

• Ng Wen Sze is a former Senior Programme Executive at SIM Global Education.