SWIFT LOVING - Nanyang Technological University

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 Nanyang
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.”