VOLLEYBALL

North Zone C Division

Interview and pictures by Leslie Tan
© redsports.sg/soulbreath pictures

Red Sports had the privilege of interviewing Andy Koh, the Captain of the Xinmin Secondary volleyball team, after he and his team mates won the North Zone C Division title.


Andy Koh (no.8) and his team mates smiling at their supporters in the stands.

Red Sports (RS):  What was on your mind just before the start of the final at  Yio Chu Kang Sports Hall? Were you all nervous?  Was this the first final for the team?

Andy Koh (AK): To win and perform at our very best was our mindset then. Of course, all of us were nervous at first. But we managed to calm ourselves down. This was the second final for the team. The last final was the youth cup, where we were against St Hildas. But unfortunately, we lost the game by a small margin.

RS:  What was the crucial moment in the final?

AK:  The crucial moment was when Yishun Town was closing the gap in the second set.

RS:  How long have you all played together as a team?

AK:  Approximately 1 year 2 months.


The Xinmin boys say thank you to their supporters in the stands.

RS:  How often do you train?

AK: We normally train 3 times a week, 3 hours each training. We need to train our teamwork and communication.

RS: How difficult is it to balance your studies and volleyball?

AK:  At first, it was quite difficult to balance as secondary school has more subjects. But slowly, I mananged to plan out how to cope between studies and sports.

RS:  How did you all get started in volleyball?

AK:  It was through selection by the coach. Of course, there was interest too.

RS:  How many boys tried to get in the team before the start of  the  season before the final 12 were selected?

AK:  Everybody tried their best to get into the main 12. There were 16 of us, but unfortunately, only 12 players can be selected.

RS:  What have you learnt playing together as a team?

AK: I have learnt the importance of teamwork and communication.

RS: Xinmin Sec have won 11 out of the last 12 North Zone finals before Thursday’s finals.  Did you all feel any pressure?

AK: There will be little pressure among the team, but we were confident that we will win the final.

RS:  How does it feel to continue the school’s winning tradition by making it 12 titles out of 13 years?

AK:  It feels great to be part of the school’s winning tradition! We are very happy to help the school to clinch the north zone championship.


Captain Andy Koh (no.8) and his team mates.

You can read the story of their victory by clicking here.