Life at Red Sports is not all about work. The Red Sports Internship guarantees you a whole lot of fun as well. Want to join Red Crew? Find out more at: Red Sports Internship (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Over the years, Red Sports has been blessed to have many young interns with the talent and enthusiasm to cover Singapore sports, especially school sports.
The 2014 batch of Red Crew share their Red Sports internship share their memories of working at Red Sports.
Matthew Lau, Montfort Secondary alumnus, LASALLE College of the Arts
“My passion for photojournalism started when I was in secondary two. I had just gotten my first DSLR and was shooting my school’s softball game. From then I knew I wanted to go down this path. After failing to make it into mass communication in poly, I joined Red Sports to continue this passion of mine. Red Sports has given me the chance to experience how it’s like to be a photojournalist working in real-life situations. Another reason as to why I joined the programme is the lack of softball coverage. Unable to play the sport anymore, I wanted to give back to the softball community by covering games. I got to do so with Red Sports.
One of my most memorable moment with Red Sports is covering A Division Softball, watching students my age play the game with so much passion brings back a lot of memories. Through this I also got to know players whom I played against in the past as well as watch some of my old teammates continue to play the game. On top of that, Red Sports has also given me the opportunity to cover games on an international level. Being able to cover events at the new sports hub was truly a memorable one. The crew also played a huge part in helping me with my stories and it’s great how we all can contribute and help each other. I really like the crew.”
Clara Yuan, Catholic Junior College alumna
“My first test to becoming a REDintern was a rather memorable one, Uncle Les asked me to join him in the Standard Chartered Marathon shoot at 6.30am. Honestly, I did contemplate over whether I was going to go but I was really passionate in joining. Hence, I decided I should be committed. I never regretted my decision that day because I really love being a part of the Red Crew. I made many new friends who share the same passion as I do and we get to do what we love together, thanks to Red Sports.
One of the most interesting encounters I had when covering the games was during the B Division Bowl Semi-Final, where Evergreen Secondary went up against Regent Secondary to compete for a spot in the Bowl Final. Evergreen managed to advance to the Final with a 25-22 win. After I interviewed Evergreen’s captain, Aqiil, I congratulated him upon his win but he was in disbelief. He thought his team lost and he was so elated that he was running around cheering, pouring water over his head. I could feel the sheer joy he experienced and the passion he had for his sport and his team. It made me realise how fun covering school sports can be, because you can’t get this anywhere else.”
Arissa Pang, Seng Kang Secondary alumna, Institute of Technical Education
“It wasn’t easy when I first started in Red Sports. I’ve totally no experience about writing and my O’level English did not even meet the requirement, but I decided to give it a try. I was awarded a chance to try. After officially joining Red Sport, I got to know I was one of the youngest and most inexperience writer and probably the only one from ITE. But it actually motivates me to do better and hope to meet up to my seniors’ standard. My fellow Red crews are all helpful and friendly throughout my whole internship.
One of my best memory was covering the recent North Zone C Div basketball. Throughout the whole North Zone season, I’ve observed many moments that really touched my heart. As a basketball player, not only playing on court make me happy. But as a former North Zone school player, watching some of my juniors play and observing those players feeling happy, nervous and excited whenever we interview them really bring joy to me. Being able to see them smile and feel proud of themselves really warms my heart. Some of them even reminded me the day before to come for their game. I once promised some of them that if they’d make their way into finals, I would skip school to cover their game. I’m glad they did and their performance impressed me. Thanks Red Sports for giving me a chance to experience what I’ve never tried before, this is definitely a best job ever.”
Gabriel Goh, Singapore Polytechnic
“Being a Red Crew has been nothing but amazing. I’ve never pictured myself as a writer, much less a journalist, but being in Red Sports has indeed allowed me to have this experience of combining the enjoyment of watching a sport being played and writing about the happenings of a game.
Over the time as a Red Intern, I have really learnt a lot from Uncle Les about how to write better, like how to phrase my sentences simply. This was a valuable lesson that I learnt as I realised that even simple skills like these help us in the way we speak. It has also been a blessing to learn from the more experienced Red Crew members, being guided by their tips and advice on what to watch out for.
Officially cementing my status as a Red Crew, I feel more confident and more knowledgeable about what is going on in the local sporting scene in Singapore. If you are interested in journalism, or just improving your writing skills, it will be worth a try to learn it at Red Sports.”
Neo Jiexin, Meridian Junior College alumna, National University of Singapore
“Covering the National Inter-Schools Track & Field was most memorable for me, because the events came one after another so it was really draining. Also because I’ve never been at a track event. I remember how we all gathered together after the event to finish up the stories late into the night.
Red Sports has been around since my secondary school days, and I’ve always wondered how the Red Crew go about doing their job. I took an interest in sports journalism during my post-A’s break and decided to join the crew. I’m glad I went for it, as I’ve gotten to know many friends who share the same passion in sports. Going back to AHS and SBC to cover games has also brought back many memories for me. Uncle Les has always given us the freedom to cover games that we want to watch, and opportunities to write about games at the international level, so I’m really thankful for that.
I love how Red Sports focuses on school sports, and I wish we’ll have more volunteers in the years to come, for there are so many stories out there waiting to be uncovered. You’ll never regret it!”
Laura Lee, St. Andrew’s Junior College alumna, Nanyang Technological University
“Covering school sports with the Red Crew and Uncle Les has really been a blessing. I could not have asked for a better crew — such enthusiastic people who repeatedly give their best to do a good story to celebrate school sports. I feel very grateful to have been able to grow and learn so much under the guidance of such helpful and friendly people.
Simply being able to watch young athletes grow and seeing some of their raw talent motivates me to want to share their story. Ever since the time I started experimenting with my father’s DSLR, which he later passed on to me as my very first DSLR, I have always wanted to capture displays of memorable moments and emotional expressions brought about by sports. I remember the rapture I felt when I covered the National B Div Basketball final. It was truly an exciting match. Working with Red Sports has allowed me to do that and even meet these young inspirational athletes. Uncle Les has also kindly given me the rare opportunity to go down and cover international games such as ABL; something I never thought I would be able to do.
I will continue to support Red Sports in every way that I can and I hope other people will too!”
Rebekah Abbott, St. Andrew’s Junior College alumna
“I first started trying to shoot sports during my JC days, after getting my very first DSLR. Numerous A Division rugby and football matches were held in my school. The thrill of photographing these matches, the atmosphere during the game, as well as the live match itself all attracted me. However, it never even crossed my mind that I would go beyond “attending games and taking photos for fun”, until I was given the opportunity to join Red Sports as a REDintern.
One of the most memorable times in Red Sports was the very first game I covered. It was my first time shooting a basketball game, as well as the first time ever watching one. I can still remember feeling slightly scared every time the players came near the sidelines, as I was afraid the ball might hit me (haha).
Another unforgettable time was covering the A Division netball matches, and getting to know some of the netballers after shooting a few of their games. A Division netball this year was also special to me, as my younger sister was playing for her school. Covering those matches as a photographer/writer/proud sister is definitely a once in a lifetime feeling.
On top of school sports, I was also given the opportunity to cover games on an international level, such as the OUE Singapore Open 2014. Being in the stadium, and even in the media room, was simply surreal to me; something I never even imagined I could ever do.
Being able to cover school sports with the Red Crew this year has truly been an amazing, and has taught me many lessons, such as in photography, writing, communicating with others, and has even helped to significantly build my confidence. (I officially no longer freak out when I stand at the sidelines to shoot and actually have much more of an idea of what I am actually shooting). I am really grateful for the time and effort that Uncle Les always puts in to guide, correct, and motivate us along the way, as well as the rest of the Red Crew who are all really passionate about school sports, help each other along, and make covering the games even more fun too. (Not forgetting the A Division Track and Field finals, where we all stayed up together past midnight to complete the stories).
I will really miss covering games with the Red Crew, but looking forward to see more people join the Red Crew next year!”
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