“At least you know that someone has got your back …” — Ong Weiyu, Dunman Secondary



Ong Qiuluan and Ong Qiufeng

Qiuluan and Qiufeng, 15 from Jurong Secondary, are an extraordinary pair of sisters who are funny and very different from each other. They are actually from a set of triplets, having another brother who is from a different school. Qiuluan, who is older by one minute, plays the position of a centre spiker while Qiufeng is a libero on the team. Both sisters joined volleyball in Secondary One, with Qiufeng wanting to try a sports CCA while Qiuluan linked her choice to her height and fate.

The captain of the Jurong team, Rachel Lau, shared her thoughts about the two sisters.

“Qiuluan is more sensible. She understands things better. Qiufeng is like the blur one and will go ‘Huh?’ every now and then. Both of them are jokers, but I think the one who is more of a joker would definitely be Qiuluan. She would crack lame jokes or make funny comments at the most inappropriate of times such as during ‘hardcore trainings’. But this helps us because it lightens the atmosphere and helps boost the team’s morale. Qiufeng on the other hand will just go along with the team and laugh at her sister’s lame jokes.”

She added: “Qiufeng is a BIG eater while Qiuluan is a SMALL eater. If you want to find someone to go to a buffet with you, Qiufeng’s the one. Qiufeng is VERY VERY forgetful. She can forget to bring her shoebag for training or jersey for a friendly match. Sometimes even for competitions!

“Qiuluan will never forget things. When the team needs to pay for items such as shirts or socks, Qiufeng would ask Qiuluan to pay, and Qiuluan would always do so. In a way, Qiuluan is like the treasurer of the two, only that the money is Qiuluan’s.”

On being on the same team with her sister, Qiuluan remarked: “It feels weird, especially since we both have been in the same CCA (Concert Band) since primary school till now, though we do not have the same liking for anything in particular. Isn’t that fate or what?”

However, Qiuluan does find benefit in having her sister on the team. She said: “She spurs me on when I don’t play well and gives me advice to improve further. I think her performance [during this season was] great. She “flew” around [the court] and she gave her best for every ball.”

She further shared a recent surprise.

“She offered me cold water after training. That was unexpected of her!”

Apart from being able to play volleyball together on non-training days, Qiufeng felt that having her sister on her team enabled them to give each other encouragement and motivation before important matches.

On her sister’s performance during competition, Qiufeng commented: “ZAI! (very skilled and talented). [She is] so tall and can spike quite well.”

Of course, apart from the good things they have to say about each other, both sisters were always ever too willing to share about each other’s unglamorous moments. During the photoshoot, Qiuluan was very open in letting her sister look shorter than her while Qiufeng seemed more than willing to let others know about the funny moments about her sister. “She likes to sleep on the sofa!” Jested Qiufeng.

Qiuluan on the other hand also had her share to say.

“She likes to [say the word] ‘LOLs’ at anytime and anywhere. She also gobbles her food like a glutton! [Laughs]”