Med-Law is just around the corner, and the teams have all begun training for this highly-anticipated yearly tussle for supremacy between us and our friends from the School of Medicine. In this two-part special, I get to ask the captains of the various sports several questions – some related to the games, some not so much. So, sit back with your cup of coffee in hand, and get to know abit about your captains! We’ll start with the guys first this week. Yeah yeah, “ladies first”, I hear you say? Here at Justified, we prefer saving the best for last!
Soon Wei Song – Ultimate Frisbee Mixed Team Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
I enjoy Ultimate thoroughly – actually it’s true for most sports that I actually play. It’s just really fun to play with people, make friends, interact, and win/lose together. Team games! 😀
Noone in particular really inspires me. There are people who I look up to in terms of skills, but they probably don’t go to the extent of inspiring me.
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
Errr…truthfully speaking, I think it’s gonna be a very very tough fight for us since they’ve got: 1) new freshies training in IVP, 2) return of the Yap, amongst other players. BUUUUT we’re still gonna give them a good fight and if they let up – even in the slightest bit, we’ll punish them.
(“Yap” is short for Alex Yap, one of Medicine’s best players, and a thorn in our side in previous competitions)
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
I go down for NUS training sometimes. It is not an obligation now since I’m not playing for IVP but it’s still fun to go down. Other than that, if I feel I haven’t exercised in a long while, I’ll go for the occasional jog around my neighbourhood.
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
I wasn’t playing sports competitively until I was doing my NS actually, so I don’t really have a sporting achievement per se. Perhaps finishing AHM? Hahaha. THAT’s an achievement for a choir boy k?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
5-6? Dunno la. what do you think? xD
(This interview was conducted by e-mail, so I’m not too sure if Wei Song meant 5 to 6, or 5 minus 6. I’m guessing the latter.)
Would you rather … intercept a Medicine throw with your nose or your balls?
Doesn’t really matter. Their throws don’t hurt anyway. :O Hahahahaha.
Martin Butler – Rugby Men’s Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
The fantasy of having a personal highlight reel of incredible sporting plays done to a mixtape of ludicrously distasteful dance music. Anybody who’s ever attempted to play Football Manager or found other reasons to scout for footballers would be familiar with the endless YouTube compilations of upcoming South American playboy players recorded with re-purposed toasters to the grainiest video quality possible, mashed with eardrum-bursting trance from Eastern Europe. Would be ego-boosting to have my own.
In particular, Survivor with “Eye of the Tiger” and LMFAO “Sexy and I Know It”. (Girl look at that body… I work out!)
On a sobering note (and to demonstrate some redeeming humane qualities), I’ve always appreciated abilities that my friends/teammates have that are different to my own and always strived to include them in my own arsenal to better myself. Coming from ACS, where sporting extraordinaires are generated by the bucketload, it’s always humbling to be playing/have played alongside them.
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
I’m not even particular sure of my chances of fielding a full team against them. Readers, if you’re above 75kg, and have a habitual inclination towards rough-housing sweaty jocks, please sign up for next year’s IFG/Law-Med. Interest in ball-sports unnecessary.
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
Your trust is greatly misplaced. But we endeavour to do our best.
I’ve been press-ganged into extra-Curricular-Activity hell so I have about 5 training sessions a week (a mixture of Law-Med, varsity, and club training). Part of my valiant attempts to single-handedly prop up the Law School bell-curve.
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
Getting whisked into various A&E’s 4 weekends consecutively during a club season. With minimal scarring (financial or otherwise) due to a combination of luck, SAF 11B medical subsidies, and 14 stitches. For sentimental reasons, winning the A Division after several failed attempts was pretty significant. Having suffered a concussion the last time I played for the National Age Group teams, I’ve labelled it a pretty… forgettable experience (badumf-tsh).
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
This question sounds disturbingly familiar to the street fashion articles from the Straits Times “Urban” section. Believe the appropriate answer goes along the lines of… I think I’m average-looking but I have nice eyes/smile/well-endowed eyebrows, so I am probably a (gratuitously rated) 8.5/10.
Would you rather … be wearing Justin Bieber boxers or a lacy thong when a Medicine player decides to pull your shorts down?
I’d rather go commando. But would-be medical practitioners may not appreciate being barred from the operating theatre because I put an eye out.
Ashvin Shanmugaraj – Floorball Men’s Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
Hmm…. I’ve never really been synonymous with sporting excellence, but I guess what spurs me is love for the sport and pride for who I’m playing for? Haha in this case floorball is okay la, but when it comes to Law-Med…..no mercy.
If there’s one athlete I had to mention it’d be Ryan Giggs. I think he’s a brilliant football player and I’ve watched him ever since I started supporting Manchester United when I was 10. The way he’s stayed with his club his whole career and the way he’s changed his style of play over the years to keep his competitive edge is highly remarkable. His antics off the pitch however, I do not encourage.
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
Sure……. “friends”…….
To be honest, I’m not too optimistic. But we’re gonna give them what for, nonetheless.
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
During the holidays, maybe 2-3 times a week? But during school its 1-2 times a week, including Law-Med/ IFG training. But i do spend close to 50 min a day walking to/from school ……… does that count as 7 days a week then?
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
Well, on one hand there’s the Gold medals we won in RI and RJ playing hockey, but I was never really instrumental in that (unless keeping the bench nice and toasty was key to our winning strategy).
On the other hand, scoring a decisive goal last at last year’s law-med (we won 2-1) sure as hell was exhilarating.
That being said, I think anyone who was in RI hockey will understand when I say that getting through 4 years with the coach, Balbir Singh (the painter of nightmares), was a great achievement in itself.
(Ashvin uses “we” because we were teammates back in RI Hockey)
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
Walao……… this kind of thing must be determined through referendum, not the insecurities of one man (thank you for the bullet-dodge, Public Law).
(This won’t be the first time someone uses knowledge of Public Law to escape this tricky question)
Would you rather … have a Medicine defender pull your shorts down while you’re both chasing the floorball, or be pushed over the floorball boards into a crowd of adoring…guy fans?
I’d definitely rather have my shorts pulled down. I’ll get a foul at least, and who knows, the medicine guy might get a snake bite – I mean a red card. But being pushed over the floorball boards is damn enraging, regardless of whether there is a crowd of guy fans there or not. If it was a crowd of Victoria’s Secret models however……………. ok no. Still, shorts pulled down.
Ang Tze Siong – Basketball Men’s Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
Mmm I don’t particularly have a drive to do well in sports or anything. It’s just that being able to play a sport at a slightly higher level allows you to enjoy it more. So I try my best to become better at it.
The A&F poster at Knightsbridge lol.
(I guess that counts as somebody…)
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
High enough!
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
I run a grand total of 3 times a year. Twice the week following up to IPPT and the IPPT itself. Other than that I try to gym as consistently as I can.
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
I’ve ever only played 2 sports competitively – Badminton and Track & Field. Track and Field for a longer time. So it’ll probably be when I won triple jump in JC.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
I exercise my Article 14 rights under the Constitution and refuse to answer this.
(Even as a Year 3, Public Law still makes life difficult for me!)
Would you rather … shoot an air-ball despite being completely open beyond the 3-point line, or get outjumped by a guy 20cm shorter than you?
Get outjumped. Then it wouldn’t be because I suck, but because the guy is jumping on a pogo-stick or is using some go-go gadget.
(The triple-jump champion has spoken…)
Hirono Eddy – Handball Men’s Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
I just try to have as much fun as possible in sports, which explains why I’m a Jack of all trades, but master of none. When it comes to competitions, I think I step up a gear because I hate losing. I’m a real sore loser, to be honest.
I can’t really pick one person who particularly inspires me, so I’m opting for a group of people. Disabled athletes inspire me most, because they enjoy sport, even excel at it, despite their handicaps.
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
My boys have put in a lot of hard work over the holidays and in the past few weeks of school, and I think we definitely have the ability to win. If we walk out onto the court with a burning desire to win, and we keep our discipline, I think we stand a good chance.
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
It depends, really. I’m kinda lazy most of the time, but I sometimes get hit by random “OMFGMYCARNOWHASTWOSPARETYRES” realisations, which will spur me to run to try to lose a bit of weight.
Right now, I’m at the “kinda lazy” phase.
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
This probably doesn’t count as a sporting achievement, but I think leading the school into the Law-Med Challenge as Sports Secretary last year probably was one of the proudest moments of my life. To end up having lost 2 of the 3 games I represented the school in took the shine off the achievement a little, but I’m back and eager to make amends this year.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
Hmm. Probably a 3 or 4? I don’t like to boast or anything really, I’m kinda shy haha.
1 being handsome and 10 being very handsome right?
Would you rather … have a Medicine player shoot the handball right into your balls or your face?
Well, as a goalkeeper, it doesn’t really matter I guess? As long as the ball stays out. If I had to choose, probably face. Unlike in tennis, you can’t just ask for new balls haha.
Eugene Ong – Football Men’s Captain
What drives you to do well in sport? Is there anybody who particularly inspires you?
I think it is a deep-rooted desire to win. I can’t quite explain it, I just hate losing. It helps very much that I really enjoy sports as well. To some extent I was quite inspired by Steven Gerrard (back when he was fit and scoring Champions League winners)
What do you think your chances are of recording a victory against our friends from Medicine this year?
I think we have a decent chance. They usually have better talent, but I think with a little brains and some luck things can go our way. The ball is round. (most of the time)
I trust your team must be training really hard now, but how much exercise do you usually do, if not for Law-Med?
About once to twice a week! I like team sports, so I’m usually game for whatever people jio me for.
What is the greatest sporting achievement in your life?
Winning A Division soccer!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how good-looking would you say you are?
n+9, where n = what eddy is rated.
(As you can probably tell from the above statement, Eugene is not lacking in confidence)
Would you rather … get elbowed in the face by a Medicine defender or get hit in the balls by a football?
I’d rather get elbowed any day, because pretty quickly I’m gonna dish out more pain back to that bugger.
Nut hits are more … debilitating.
So there we have it, the captains have spoken (it was certainly weird interviewing myself). They will be fighting hard in their quest for glory, and we at Justified hope that you will spare some time to support them when they take to the arena and do battle!
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Article contributed by: Eddy Hirono (Law 3)
Photography by: Lim Zhi Kang (Law 2), Jonathan Liang (Law 2), Kok Yee Keong (Law 2), Jon Low (Law 2), Clarence Tan (Law 1)