SWIFT LOVING - Nanyang Technological University

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42 SPORTS THE NANYANG CHRONICLE VOL. NO. 17 08 VOL. 17 NO. THE NANYANG 08 CHRONICLE SPORTS 43 Danson Cheong & Edward Teo sports profile Accelerating past limitations PUSH-UP WITH TRUNK ROTATION 1 2 Lee follows a core strengthening regimen as part of his biathlon training. Here he outlines how two different core exercises should be done. HE IS Singapore’s second fastest biathlete. But five years ago, Henry Lee could hardly keep up with his then girlfriend in the pool. The 22-year-old said: “I would lift my head to breathe and all I would see were her legs splashing away from me. She could lap me five times during a 1,500m swim.” Lee, a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic back then, was dating a former national swimmer, and had just picked up biathlon with the Polytechnic’s biathlon team. Lee has not swum against his girlfriend since they broke up a year ago, but the now second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences is confident that he can now keep pace. His confidence is more than just hot air. Lee emerged out of the water neck-to-neck with national triathlete Mok Ying Ren at the Singapore Biathlon last month. He later finished 5th—behind Mok, who came in 2nd—and was the second fastest Singaporean on the course. Biathlon is an endurance sport that consists of an open water swim followed immediately by a run. “I chose to pick up biathlon to challenge myself and see if I could transit from being in a uniformed group to a competitive sport,” said Lee, who used to be from the Boys Brigade in secondary school. Five years later, Lee has officially made the jump from uniform into the skin-tight lycra suits biathletes use for competition. Lee is the fastest biathlete from NTU’s Biathlon Team and the second fastest Singaporean in the sport—according to results from this year’s Singapore Biathlon. Held on February 12th, Lee came in fifth in the open category, which consisted of a 1.5km seaswim followed by a 10km run. Compatriot Mok Ying Ren came in second, with the first, third and fourth podium spots going to New Zealanders Dylan McNiece, Ben Pulham and Australian Halligan David Quinn respectively. MAKING A SPLASH: Lee is a force to be reckoned with in the pool. SWIFTLY DOES IT: Lee is the fastest biathlete in NTU and the second fastest Singaporean in the sport. During the Singapore University Games (SUniG) Aquathlon meet last year, Lee came in third, just a few minutes off Mok Ying Ren from NUS, who broke the tape first. It is hard to believe Lee’s dominance in the sport was sparked because he was frequently outclassed by his ex-girlfriend. He said: “Initially I just wanted to swim faster than my girlfriend, so I started putting in really long hours in the pool. I guess you could say I was motivated by a little bit of ego.” These days, Lee—whose life revolves around the sport and his studies—often clocks up to 12 hours a week training. Indeed, when The Nanyang Chronicle visited Lee in his hall room, there was an entire wall filled with his past race bibs. “Each race bib has been with me physically through a race. Looking up at all of them on my wall reminds me of all the great experiences I had. This is my way of keeping my love for the sport strong,” said Henry. He credits his teammates from the NTU squad for his success. “I am very fortunate to have such great teammates who not only give me emotional support, but professional advice as well,” said Henry. Unlike 23-year-old NUS medical student Mok Ying Ren, who has equipment sponsors and a personal trainer, Lee relies on his teammates. “I depend on what I call ‘peer mentorship’. For what I lack in professional advice, I make up for it with the pool of collective knowledge that is shared between every NTU Biathlon member of my team,” explained Lee. So attached is Lee to his teammates that he describes training with them as his ‘social life’. He said: “Many people tell me that biathlon, by nature of being an individual sport, is very selfish. But I disagree. It’s really a team event.” “Varsity races like the SUniG Aquathlon and the NUS Biathlon often take the cumulative time of a team, so you are really only as fast as your slowest athlete.” According to Lee, the NTU squad is gearing up for their final race of the season, the NUS Biathlon, where they will face off with current champions, NUS. PHOTOS | DANSON CHEONG Team Manager: Mr Chia Chin Yeh Contact Number: 67905166 E-mail: cychia@ntu.edu.sg Training on Mondays and Wednesdays Sports and Recreation Centre, Swimming Pool Lee said: “This year the team has really trained hard and improved greatly. It’s going to be a close race.” Beyond biathlon, Lee hopes to take his multi-sport ambitions one step further. Lee wants to complete a Half- Ironman triathlon—which consists of a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21km run—before he graduates. “That’s been a longtime dream of mine,” said Lee. If his past successes are anything to go by, Singaporean triathletes might soon have another face to look out for. Assume push up position with arms slightly wider than shoulder width. THE PLANK Lie face down on the floor resting on your forearms, with palms flat. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on your elbows. S&RC multi-purpose fields reopen for use Brenda Xie Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps. NTU’s sportsmen and women no longer have to resort to training in car parks or within their own hall compounds, after the Sports and Recreation Centre (S&RC) reopened the multi-purpose fields on the 4th week of school. Continual heavy rains in mid- January disrupted many of the Inter-Hall (IHG) and Inter-School Games (ISG) as the fields beside the basketball and tennis courts were waterlogged and had to be closed for almost a month. O r ga n i s e r s of bot h I HG Softball and Football had most of their matches interrupted as a result of the pitch closure. Koo Jeng Shun, 23, organiser of IHG softball (boys) event said: “ IHG softball was quite badly affected. It was supposed to be one of the sports that ended the earliest but it dragged on for 2 weeks.” Due to the lack of a proper training venue, some of the halls resorted to having their sessions at car parks or within their own hall compounds. This compromised on the number and intensity of training sessions that they could have. “Trainings were cancelled most of the time because of the OPEN ONCE AGAIN: The multi-purpose fields could not be used for nearly a month. Lower yourself until your chest is almost touching the floor. 3 Push off to starting position and rotate body 90 degrees to the left, with your other arm pointing straight upwards. Return to starting position and repeat on right side. closure. Field trainings were converted to physical trainings to build up fitness and stamina,” said Tan Kum Boon, 21, Hall of Residence 12 Sports Secretary and organiser of IHG football. The S&RC came to an agreement with the IHG committee to minimize the use of the fields and to find alternative venues for the IHG events. For instance the preliminary rounds for Softball (girls and boys) were held at the Anchorvale This is one rep. Do 20 reps. PHOTO | WAN ZHONG HAO field in Sengkang West. The S&RC has advised halls to minimise the use of the fields, especially after rainy days,” said Hall of Residence 3 Sports Secretary Winfred Oh, 23. As the Coordinator for all 20 "Core strength is essential to keeping proper form in both swimming and running." sports of the IHG, Oh understood the problem: “Last year, IHG soccer matches had to be held at various secondar y schools and softball matches were held at the Japanese Association of Singapore (JAS).” In response to requests to reopen the pitch, the S&RC said that it was necessary to close the fields, as constant usage of the field when it is wet and muddy will affect the growth of the grass. Using the field would not only spoil its condition over time but also affect future competition use and other bookings of it. Mr Darren Chua, Assistant Manager (Sports) of the S&RC and the team manager of the IVP football team said: “Pitch closure during inclement weather is required for maintaining the quality of the pitch in the long run.” “Users have to understand that at the particular point in time when any decision is made,” he added. Mr. Chua added that there are no hard and fast rules as to when the field should be closed. He revealed that duty officers decide the closure of the football pitch on the actual day, depending on the weather and pitch conditions.
Sports Love and tennis on the court – Page 41 New gym goes back to basics Edward Teo THERE are no treadmills, air conditioning, or towels for hire. At first glance, one may not know what to make of this gym. Called 'The Playground', it boasts a wide range of free weights such as truck tyres, sledge hammers, gymnastic rings and kettlebells, instead of the usual gym equipment. This gym is co-owned by first-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) student Jeremy Ko. The gym’s minimalist concept is seen as an asset by its owners, as it shows that the gym is for serious workouts. “It’s not clean, it’s not comfortable. It’s a place where people get results because of their efforts,” said the 22-year-old. Ko was roped in as web designer in April last year for the then-upstart company, after he met founder David Devito, 46 at a rock climbing session. He was then offered co-ownership as they were able to complement one another, said Ko. Of particular novelty is the kettlebell, a fitness equipment relatively new in the local fitness scene. Kettlebell H.I.T., a Singaporebased fitness company that promotes kettlebell lifting and highintensity training workouts is the parent company of The Playground. It was established in 2007 and is the brainchild of founder Devito. “A regular dumbbell only trains the isolated bicep muscle if you do bicep curls, for example. However, the kettlebell utilizes the whole body while lifting it, working the core and lower back muscles as well,” Ko explained. Devito added: “We have the most diverse forms of kettlebells in terms of weight and quantity in Singapore at the moment.” The transition from regular dumbbells to kettlebells has been picking up in Singapore recently. “When I was exercising with AN UNCONVENTIONAL WORKOUT: Co-owner of The Playground Jeremy Ko (right) guides reporter Edward Teo (left) on the proper use of a kettlebell. just dumbbells, I could only do 10 chin ups at best. After starting off with kettlebells six months ago, I can hit a maximum of 20,” said Nabil Ruysdi, 23, a student at Singapore Institute of Management and member of the SG Titans. Groups of serious athletes who engage in Kettlebell H.I.T.'s form of training create the gym’s tough and competitive atmosphere. These include rock climbers and members of the SG Titans, a local interest group of strength training enthusiasts. “The athletes create a strong energy that motivates everyone to push themselves beyond the limit,” ROUGH AND TOUGH: There is nowhere to get comfortable and relax in this gym. WHAT IS A KETTLEBELL The kettlebell is a weight which looks like a cannonball with a handle. It has a centre of mass that enables swing movements not possible with traditional dumbbells. This makes training with a kettlebell more effective because more muscle groups are utilised in the swinging movement. said The Playground’s founder Devito, 46. He added: “I believe that the local fitness industry is moving towards this trend of raw, full body workouts. In fact, I predict that many gyms may follow suit in the future.” The Playground’s brand of physical conditioning aims to promote full body workouts, building lean bodies that are functional for overall physical movement in everyday life. Ko said: “Our training will help athletes engage in possible day-today activities like carrying heavy loads with ease and increase overall functional strength for contact sports such as rugby and football.” About 95 per cent of equipment at The Playground are free weights that train the body as a whole muscular system. Devito said that the gym owns six power racks, as compared to a maximum of two at a regular gym. The power rack is a weighttraining equipment for free weight workouts, that consists of exercises such as deadlifts (a weighttraining exercise where one lifts a loaded barbell off the ground from a stabilized bent-over position) and weighted squats. The gym is located at Horsecity, adjacent to shopping mall Turf City. Activities that require more space such as signature tyre flipping and sledgehammer workouts are conducted at the extended road behind the gym. In addition to its physically challenging workouts, the gym also offers milder workouts for middleaged men and women who may not be as physically active, and teenagers who are amateurs in the area. Devito added: “ I welcome any NTU student for one free lesson PHOTOS | GOH CHAY TENG at my gym. Just be prepared both mentally and physically to have an exhausting workout.” First-year WKWSCI student Lam Zhao Yao, 22 was at the gym’s soft opening on February 20th. He said: “I would definitely visit it again as the training methods are interesting. Activities such as tyre flipping add fun and realism into lifting as compared to metal weights.”
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