Synchronised swimming powerhouses MGS and SCGS wow crowd with routines

By reader Belle Ng

CCAB, March 25-26, 2010 - The 1st Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) Inter-School Synchronised Swimming Championship was held last week at CCAB for all primary and secondary schools. This was an inaugural event for all schools and it was a milestone for Singapore synchronised swimming. A total of 79 students from 34 schools participated.

The first event of this competition was the Primary D Division Solo. 18 girls aged 10 years and under from nine primary schools competed in this solo event. In their elaborate make up and carefully-sequined costumes, all the girls were ready to impress the judges with their fanciful routines. Tay Aik Fen from Methodist Girls' School (Primary) won the first gold medal for the day, followed closely by Sara Cher from Singapore Chinese Girls' School who won the silver medal.

Despite the bad weather which disrupted the competition repeatedly on Thursday afternoon, the girls' spirits were never dampened as they cheered enthusiastically for their fellow schoolmates. The first day finally ended with the Secondary C Division Duet event, with the pair from Singapore Sports School, Yap Yu Hui and Lee Mei Shuang, bagging the gold medal.

On the second day which was also the final day of the competition, the much-awaited moment was the team event where four to eight swimmers perform a team free routine. MGS won the gold medal for all team events in the Primary D, Secondary C and B Divisions. Meanwhile, SCGS won the silver medal in the team event for both Secondary C and B divisions. It was certainly a tough fight between the two Synchro powerhouses.

The two-day competition concluded with the prize giving ceremony. It was definitely a memorable event where the girls in their elaborate swimsuits, performed their routines in synch with classical music or catchy pop songs such as Jai Ho by The Pussycat Dolls and Nobody by the Wonder Girls, as they were cheered on by their schoolmates.

There was great camaraderie among the swimmers and the girls had a whole lot of fun even as they were representing their schools in the hopes of winning glory. This is true sportsmanship!

Overall Divisional Champions

Primary Level
Primary Div D - Methodist Girls' School
Primary Div C - Methodist Girls' School
Primary Div B - Methodist Girls' School
 
Overall Primary Champions – Methodist Girls' School
 
Secondary Level
Secondary Div C - Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Secondary Div B - Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Secondary Div A - Anglo-Chinese School (I)
 
Overall Secondary Champions – Singapore Chinese Girls' School

The detailed results are as follow:

Primary D Division
Solo Event
Gold: Methodist Girls' School - Tay Aik Fen
Silver: Singapore Chinese Girls' School - Sara Cher Jia Ying
Bronze: Canossa Convent Primary School - Ashley Lum

Duet Event
Gold: Methodist Girls' School - Christine Mok, Tay Aik Fen
Silver: Methodist Girls' School - Carolyn Buckle, Miya Yong
Bronze: CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) - Freda Chan, Megan Chan

Team Event
Gold: Methodist Girls' School - Christine Mok, Tay Aik Fen, Carolyn Buckle, Miya Yong