HCI girls’ cross-country team: “We were going for gold.”

Contributed by reader Pamela Chia, a member of the 2002 Hwa Chong Junior College girls’ championship winning cross-country team.

The HCI girls’ cross-country team (left to right): Phua Fan Li, Lee E-Main, Emelyne Teo, Louisa Chiew, Samantha Koh, Patricia Chia, Zakiyah Ibrahim, Claire Soon, Delphine Leong, Cheryl Wai, Chong Lingxiu. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

The girls’ cross-country team from Hwa Chong Institution won the A Division Championship title at the recent 49th National Inter-School Cross-Country Championships. Their top four runners came in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th for a total of 15 points. This was by far the lowest score amassed by a team among all girls’ and boys’ teams in all three divisions (A, B and C).

The Cross-Country Championships saw over 1,200 athletes running through the Botanic Gardens and the National University of Singapore (Law Campus). This is the first time that the 3.5km girls and the 4.2km boys races were held there. Over the past eight years, the racing venue has moved from MacRitchie Reservoir, to Sentosa (including running on sand), then Turf City, and this year, Botanic Gardens. Cross-country running is not an easy sport. Unlike running on a track, which is a more controlled environment, you need a keen sense of the ever-changing landscape throughout a cross-country race.

The HCI cross-country girls’ team is made up of Samantha Koh (Captain), Zakiyah Bte Ibrahim (Vice-captain), Chew Li Hong, Lee E-Main, Patricia Chia, Emelyne Teo, Phua Fan Li, Karen Yong, Louisa Chiew, Cheryl Wai, Lee Gek Khim, Chong Lingxiu, Claire Soon and Delphine Leong.

Patricia Chia of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

1. Patricia Chia- Finished 17thin the individual standings
Fav food: Fresh Garden Salad with light French dressing and nice bread.
Fav hobby other than running: triathlon
What's in your head while racing: I focus on the technical details (when to open my strides or take smaller steps)
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: Take a shower.
Describe your race in one sentence: A memorable way to end six years of inter-school cross country racing.

Claire Soon of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

2. Claire Soon- Finished 12th
Fav Food: Mangoes
Fav hobby other than running: reading
What's in your head while racing: It depends, it changes every time.
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: Listen to music.
Describe your race in one sentence: I could have run a better race.

Zakiyah Ibrahim of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

3. Zakiyah Ibrahim- Finished 3rd 
Fav Food: ice-cream
Fav Hobby: Reading
What's in your head while racing: I am strong!
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: Visualize. In the middle of a crowd, it looks like I am meditating.
Describe your race in one sentence: Throughout the whole race, I kept repeating to myself that I can do it.

Louisa Chiew of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

4. Louisa Chiew- Finished 6th
Fav Food: Sushi and ice-cream floats
Fav Hobby other than running: Collecting stamps
What's in your head while racing: Bible verses
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: change my hair tie to a new one and cut my nails.
Describe your race in one sentence: It was tiring.

Emelyne Teo of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

5. Emelyne Teo- Finished 2nd
Fav Food: Cheesecake
Fav Hobby other than running: swimming, cycling and badminton
What's in your head while racing: blank – I just do it.
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: Visit the toilet.
Describe your race in one sentence: It's like in a dream – unbelievable that I have done it.

Samantha Koh of HCI. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

6. Samantha Koh- Finished 4th
Fav Food: Ice-cream and pizza
Fav Hobby other than running: Eating
What's in your head while racing: I talk to myself.
One funny/weird ritual you must do before your race: hug a friend/team mate.
Describe your race in one sentence: Painful, but exciting, because I knew we were doing it together.

Pamela Chia: In 2007, the HCI girl's team was third. This year, you jumped to the top spot. What were your expectations before this race?
HCI: We were going for the gold. We wanted it since we started training for the season, and as we watched the team grow bigger in terms of numbers and become faster, we knew we were one step closer to our dream. Victoria Junior College and Raffles Junior College had strong teams as well. When it comes to racing, we can't control how fast our competitors run, but we can control how fast we run, which is our philosophy in training.

It must have been a sweet win, as the last time the title was in HCI's hands was in 2002, when the school was known as HCJC (Hwa Chong Junior College).
Karen and Cheryl: For all the hard work they have put in, the girls certainly deserved it!

Li Hong: We hope to hold on to the title for as long as we are in HCI.

Patricia: The girl's team this year is immensely talented and hardworking. Everyone single one of them is very motivated and dedicated to training. Even though the boys and girls team train separately, everyone inspires each other to work harder and we all work together as a team! Our coaches are also very experienced and always inspire us to give 110% all the time!

Zakiyah and Samantha: It was definitely a sweet win, especially for the seniors this year. We have really come a long way. When we first joined the team, there were only 3 girls. We trained hard for this championship and we know now that it was all worth it.

Emelyne and Louisa: Yup, it is our long awaited victory. It has been so long since Hwa Chong won the girls team championship and all of us are really happy about it.

HCI won impressively, with ALL 6 runners in top 20 positions. What was the team strategy going into this race?
We just wanted to do our best as a team, and push each other along as much as we can. On race day, we were not very sure what to expect as we have not run against the other schools before.

What you think of the new route and which was the hardest part?
Patricia: I think that the new route can be rather dangerous if the runners are unfamiliar with the route because it has a lot of sharp turns and narrow stretches. The terrain is also not very "cross-country" in the sense that it's mostly pavement/ road and the only "cross-country-like" terrain is the 100m stretch on the field at the start and end of the race. Nevertheless, it has its challenging parts and it was really interesting running a new route this year!

Claire: I don't really like the new route. I think the hardest part is the flight of steps at the 1km mark. The path suddenly narrows, the turn in is rather sharp, and the steps can be unexpected. It can be dangerous if one does not train for it.

Zakiyah: I think the route is interesting and is more exciting to run because of the different scenery. I would say the slope before the Evolution Garden was quite tough.

Gek Khim: I think the hardest part is that during training runs cars can come and disrupt our run, especially between the 400m and 1km mark.

Fan Li: The terrain of this new route is bad for our legs as the hard surface increases the risk of injury. The last slope (below the red brick path) is the hardest as it is almost the end where the runners are already very tired.

What has been the hardest part of cross country training?
Karen: Overcoming the mental fatigue from training

Claire: Trying to juggle it with other school commitments.

Zakiyah and Louisa: Having to sacrifice time with friends and family.

Li Hong: Strangely enough, the hardest part is not the long training hours, but the will to want to persevere right to the end. I think cross-country runners have incredible wills, and I am still working towards that.

Emelyne: The pile of school work that needs to be done after training.

What got you started in cross-country running?
Cheryl: I enjoy running a lot, and love the adrenaline and the need to push myself.

Karen: My passion for long distance running.

Patricia: I first learned about cross country running in Primary 4 because back then, my two elder sisters were members of their school cross country team. I got dragged along (but later inspired) to join them for training sessions and even races.

Li Hong: I was ignorant to the athletics scene and thought that cross-country was just a CCA for recreational running. I loved running and wanted to join it. Before I knew it, I was part of the track and field and cross-country team.

Claire: I started out in Track and Field in secondary school, and I guess I like running.

Zakiyah: I didn't exactly join by choice. My secondary school coach got me into it but I never turned back since then.

Emelyne: My passion in running.

Fan Li: The thought that running is fun!

Samantha: I just wanted to try out training for cross country seriously, because before that I was a swimmer and although I ran for the school, I wasn't training much for it.

Gek Khim: Many things. My priority to be a fitter person, integrating sports into my hectic study life and to gain a professional sporting experience.

Why do you enjoy cross country running so much?
Cheryl and Karen: I love the adrenaline and the need to push myself. It keeps me fit and healthy.

Patricia: Because I love the pain and endorphins you get from running! The HC cross country team is also "the best" because they are super hilarious and fun to be with.

Zakiyah: I enjoy training and working hard as a team. I don't think I would have enjoyed training alone.

Li Hong: Running gives me a high, and helps me think. I like it that cross-country running is more forgiving in that you don't have to have a perfect body (i.e. long legs) to be able to run. You just have to have the will and discipline to train hard, and to believe in yourself when the time comes.

Louisa and Samantha: I am going through this journey as part of the Hwa Chong team.

Emelyne: My passion in running and most importantly the team =D Running allows me to perspire out all my unhappiness and my mood will always be better after running.

Gek Khim: I end up being a better person. I get to socialize with people of the same interest, learn a lot about running and health, character development in terms of discipline.

Fan Li: It provides me with challenges, training me mentally and physically.

Any last thoughts?
Karen, Cheryl, Patricia: Hwa Chong Cross Country Team Rocks!

Emelyne: Run for passion, run for life

Zakiyah: This year's win was a really sweet and memorable experience for me. The journey was tough but I think all the sacrifices we've made were so worth it. I hope the juniors will continue training hard!

Li Hong: People might say that running is an individual sport, but our team knows that we run TOGETHER. With the same goals, our hearts beat as one.

Samantha: Earlier notice should be given to inform us about the route so we have more time to familiarize ourselves with the route.

The HCI girls’ cross-country team. From left to right: Coach Daniel Ling, Patricia Chia, Samantha Koh, Emelyne Teo, Zakiyah Ibrahim, Louisa Chiew, Coach Rameshon. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

The HCI girls' cross-country team after a training session. From left: Louisa Chiew, Lee E-Main, Chew Li Hong, Phua Fan Li, Lee Gek Khim, Emelyne Teo, Karen Yong. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

The HCI girls' cross-country team (in white) before the race start. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

The start of the girls’ A Division cross-country race at the CCAB track. (Photo courtesy of HCI)

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