40 SPORTS THE NANYANG CHRONICLE 17 08 ONE FOR THE TEAM: A tchoukball player trying her hand at the novel sport. DOUBLE TROUBLE: Couples in the Lovers’ Challenge had to paddle 350m on surfboards. SURF SWEAT The annual Surf N Sweat organised by the NTU Sports Club was held on February 13th at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach. BUNS OF STEEL: A participant of the muscleman competition tipping over a tyre. AND Photographer Wallace Woon brings you through a day of sumo wrestling, gladiator fights, eating competitions and many other exciting events. KNOCK OUT: In the ‘Gladiator’ event, two players use pugil sticks to knock each other off elevated platforms. GREED IS GOOD: A contestant ravages his way through a plate of two bananas, a bunch of grapes, an apple and a quarter of a watermelon in the eating competition. FRIENDLY FIGHTING: Participants donning fat suits in the ‘Sumo Wrestling’ event.
VOL. 17 NO. THE NANYANG 08 CHRONICLE SPORTS 41 A running tribute to EW Barker Shahilia Bhagat FOR the first time, the Barker’s Challenge Run was open to the whole of NTU this year. This is due to the new Open (NTU) category for students from all faculties in NTU. Organised by the National Institute of Education (NIE), the run on February 18th attracted 128 participants. The run is held annually in memory of the late Edmund William Barker, fondly known as “Mr Singapore Sport”. A sportsman, scholar and statesman, Mr Barker became president of the Singapore National Olympic Council in 1970—a position he held for 20 years. He was also the first Singaporean to receive the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee for his outstanding contribution to the local sports field in 1986. Runners in teams of four, at least one of whom must be female, each ran 630m relays around the NIE triangle. Other categories are the Physical Education and Sports Science and Sports and Science Management (PESS-SSM) category and the NIE Inter-Group Endeavours in Service Learning (GESL) category. Winning the NTU (Open) Category was the team from the School of Civil and Environmental Engi- KICKING IT OFF: Runners starting the Barker’s Challenge Run around the NIE triangle. neering (CEE). They clocked 7 minutes and 31 seconds. Team member Eve Chow, 19, said: “It was a great race for all of us. We are all from NTU Track & Field, and trained three times a week for about one to two hours each time.” She added: “We will definitely join next year and hopefully get a better timing.” The runner-up in the same category came from Hall 12. The team missed out on the gold by 11 seconds. Team leader and second-year student from School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering PHOTO | WAN ZHONG HAO Joshua Goh, 23, said: “My team joined the race as a challenge to see if we could finish the race with a good timing and if we are prepared for future competitions such as the inter-hall race.” NIE director Professor Lee Sing Kong was delighted with the run. He said: “The event is very exciting as it reflects the stature of the man we remember. In this gathering of like-minded people in sports, their enthusiasm and spirit is present.” Mrs Gloria Barker, wife of the late Mr Edmund Barker agreed. She said: “The atmosphere is very good, he (Mr Baker) would have been very proud of it.” Professor Lee’s biggest hope for next year is for participation to increase further. Second-year NIE student, Huang Yuchi, 27, who is in charge of the race, suggested: “There could be a longer time for signing up to ensure more participation.” This year, the registration period lasted for about two weeks across all categories. Before the run, the EW Barker scholarships were given to outstanding student-teachers from SSM for their hard work and achievement in academics and sports. Each one-off scholarship is worth $8,000 with no bond. Professor Lee felt that Mr Barker’s legacy will be passed on through the scholarship. He said: “Mr Baker was a role model and will continue to inspire young athletes to pursue their sporting interest with great enthusiasm, perseverance and determination. “The lives of good people serve as a source of inspiration to the younger generation.” Tennis and romance a smash with couples Andrew Koh T EN N IS played cupid at the Sports and Recreation Centre on February 18th. “Meet your Match on Court” was the theme for the inaugural ‘Vday Tennis’ event organised by the NTU Tennis Club. Aimed at serving up romance on the courts in line with Valentine’s Day, the event saw mixed doubles pairings play against each other. “In keeping with the Valentine’s Day atmosphere, we wanted to bring couples together through tennis. Playing doubles in tennis requires a lot of chemistry so we wanted to combine the concepts of tennis and romance,” said Andre Gunaharja Kusnadi, 22, vice-chairperson of the NTU Tennis Club. “For singles who turned up alone, we matched them with other singles who were alone too,” added the third-year student from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Although rain initially threatened to dampen spirits at the event, everyone was unfazed. Participants and organisers chipped in to clear the puddles of water that made matches unplayable. “Even though we had a wet start to the event, all the participants were really positive about it,” said Ethel Ngiam, 22, the chairperson of the NTU Tennis Club. Registration costs $8 per couple and half that price for members of the club. Prizes for the event, such as complimentary pairs of movie tickets and books with dating tips, were sponsored by the Social Development Network. On top of those prizes, the tennis couples were also given Polaroid pictures of themselves as mementos. “We chose prizes that would encourage the winning pair to continue to do things together hopefully as a couple after the competition,” said Ngiam, a third-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. T he w inning duo, f ina l- year students from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dennise Tanoko Ardi, 23, and Ang Li Ann, 22, plan to watch the film ‘No Strings Attached’ using their complimentary movie tickets. They met each other in the NTU Tennis Club two years ago. “Tennis is a good game for strangers to play mixed doubles because communication between pairs improves the more you play together,” said Ardi. COURT CHEMISTRY: ‘Vday Tennis’ saw couples pit themselves against each other in mixed doubles. Runners-up Goh Karwei and Sharon Tan, who are close friends, have known each other since their junior college days. Tan, 22, a first-year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering said: “I’ve known Karwei for so long and he’s always such a joker on and off court. He’s always been optimistic and always encourages me.” In response Goh, 23, a second-year student from <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business School said: “I can usually PHOTO | SABRINA TIONG tell when she (Sharon) is nervous so I try to encourage her by giving her high fives.” “Even though we didn’t win, it was a priceless memorable experience for me. I guess chemistry can be built on the tennis court.”
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