http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfHsdPeHwkA

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Videographer : Addy
Hosted by : Sharina
All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700
All photos taken with the Panasonic DMC-G2

NTU defeated dark horses SIM to win the women’s Basketball Finals with an impressive final score of 55 to 38.

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Videographer : Addy
Hosted by : Sharina
All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700
All photos taken with the Panasonic DMC-G2

NUS staged a comeback victory as it defeated NTU in the IVP Men’s Basketball Finals. The former staged a last quarter surge to win the game 50 to 45. Catch this closely fought match and an interview with NUS team captain, on VOXSPORTS!

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Catch highlights from all these matches, on VOXSPORTS!

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In a thrilling finals, NTU saw themselves go into a 6 point lead only to lose the advantage to their younger counterparts as Temasek Polytechnic came from behind to clinch the coveted trophy. Displaying true grit and a willingness to dig deep, TP demonstrated championship credentials as they overtook their senior counterparts and claimed a memorable win for their school.

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In a pulsating match that witnessed SIM pulling out all the stops and proving their championship credentials and as one of the favorites of the tournament, NYP could do little against their senior counterparts as the former breached their defenses six times to score an impressive 6-1 victory.

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Chiang Mai, 10 January 2011 – The planes have long landed, the New Year fireworks have gone off, the souvenirs have since been given out, even as our local university athletes begin preparing for the 2011 sports calendar as it rolls out, starting with the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) season.

It has been two weeks since the curtains have drawn on the inaugural ASEAN University Games (AUG) held at Chiang Mai, Thailand, that saw 10 days of intense sporting action from university athletes across South-East Asia giving their best in the name of their country, as if providing a teaser for the upcoming 2011 South East Asian Games later this year.

“Some of the Indonesian (sprinters) are in the SEA Games squad, so we might see them again next year,” said our sole Gold medal winner, Elfi, during one of the interviews held after the events.

Singapore gave a respectable performance, despite some of our athletes arriving in Thailand on the back of final-year examinations, which had inevitably burnt up training time for our local athletes thus affecting their performances somewhat.

Coming in 7th among the South-East Asian countries with 30 medals in our name, our Singapore university athletes put up a brave and spirited showing across all sports despite our much-maligned rigorous academic schedule, competing against SEA Games-level athletes who train professionally on a daily basis in their quest for glory.

“A typical day for us (in the AUG) would involve competitions in the day starting from morning, after which we would come back to the hotel by 5pm to rest up for the next day’s matches and unwind,” recalls taekwondo black belt Clarissa Ng, who trained with NTU leading up to her maiden AUG bouts.

Perhaps one might call it withdrawal but I did wake up one morning, days after landing in sunny Singapore thinking I was in Chiangmai Phucome Hotel coming off one of those fun and memorable back-to-back “MSW” nights me and my delegation colleagues had back then.

Alas, I was awake back in my own front yard, coming off a night out with my friends in good ol’ Lion City.

What are “MSW” nights?

It was a way for our work crew (myself included) to wind down and relax after a long day documenting some of the most amazing and competitive sports action we have seen live and up close for some time.

You see, we had our work cut out for us student volunteers, doing what we could, having to compete against time as well as the local sports newspaper, which had a large crew of Chiang Mai University Mass Communication students helming their daily scoop of the previous day’s sporting achievements.

We, on the other hand, only had me as the writer and two professional (albeit very resourceful and well-travelled) photographers in the form of the upwardly mobile Felix Ker, who has the uncanny eye for an excellent shot, as well as the intrepid and hardy Desmond Chiang, who was more than game to click away picture after picture under the harsh lighting of the unforgiving Thailand sun.

And so when the sun had set, we ventured out to explore Chiang Mai in search good, clean “MSW” hijinks to offset the rigours of in-field work in the daytime.

MSW my dear readers, stands for Massage, Shopping and “Warmup”.

The famed Thai Massage is a must-do when one is visiting the Land of Smiles, as it promises muscle relaxation and de-stressing of the highest order involving deep tissue pressure and armlocks that jujitsu practitioners would definitely approve of.

“Oh, you Singapore? Yesterday night, Singapore Womens Basketball team, all come here massage! ,” recalled the chirpy masseuse at Lila, a spa off Ratchadamnoen Road that was a big hit amongst the Singapore Contingent for its good value and peaceful ambience.

Shopping, on the other hand, is a must-do for any Singaporean who travels anywhere as we took our bahts (pun intended) to Night Bazaar and Walking Street in search of the best trinkets and curio to bring back home.

Oh, and let’s just say “Warmup” was our very own uniquely young Singaporean way (read: athletes and delegation staff included) of “cooldown” and unwinding in preparation of the adventures of the next day.

“I’ll miss the weather the most, as well as getting to know the athletes from the other universities,” says SMU’s national sprinter Gary Yeo, the AUG bronze medallist for the Mens 200m as well as the 4x100m relay, on the good memories he will bring back home.

“I’ll miss the trainings and competitions with my teammates, definitely, since we have been training since young in both the youth team and the national team,” comments Jason Ho, Mens Table Tennis captain, bronze medallist for the Singles and Team events.

“We travelled quite a lot last time, but after university and army we have not been training much together and so I’ll miss us all the most,” he added, in retrospect.

“I’ll miss the working dynamics of the athletes, the different contingents and the working committee that made this event a success, in addition to the young and vibrant environment. Despite the long hours we put in, it had been a really enjoyable experience thus far,” said Mr Lim Jun Ping, Sports Trainer for the Singapore contingent, looking back on the AUG experience.

“Of course I’ll miss the people here in Chiang Mai. Their friendliness and hospitality are really top notch and it’s certainly something to look back on with fond memories,” recounts Mr Kenneth Chan of SIM, Deputy Delegation Head for the Singapore Contingent.

The 10 days were indeed memorable, punctuated with exciting non-stop, back to back sports competition, with the natural Chiang Mai scenery, especially highlighted by its looming hillsides, serving up a beautiful backdrop, greeting athletes by the lift lobby upstairs.

Its people, especially the ever-reliable Liaison Officers, resident university student volunteers who essentially were caught smack dab in the middle of their examination periods, were of high initiative, going out of their way winning over their guests with their wholesome sincerity and openness to make sure athletes and delegation staff alike felt at home and welcome.

Beautiful country, welcoming people, intense sports competition, unforgettable experience, plenty of cherished memories.

Me?

I will miss speeding around in the wee hours of the night on a random rickety tuk-tuk, after some crafty bargaining with a driver missing several sets of teeth, while the cool Thailand air hits my face, as I am being surrounded by good company left, right and centre to top off a fantastic day’s adventures.

“How was Chiang Mai?,” asked many of my peers back on the Little Red Dot, upon me handing out the handcarved gifts I had for them.

One word. Awesome.

New Year, New Sports Adventures, New stories to tell.

Until we meet again.

Team Singapore Medal Tally:

Gold (1):

Elfi Mustapa (NUS, Athletics: Mens 100m)

Silver (6):

Mok Ying Ren (NUS, Athletics: Mens 10000m)

Sharman Abdul Rahman Dustageer (NUS, Athletics: Mens 110m Hurdles)

Stephanie Loi, Koh Sock Hui, Low Si Xuan (NUS, Womens Golf: Team Event)

Cynthia Lee (SMU), Grace Pang (SMU), Chan Shu Ying(NUS), Tansyn Tong (NUS) (Womens Tennis: Team Event)

Chan Shu Ying (NUS), Tamsyn Tong (NUS) (Womens Tennis: Doubles Event)

Kristel Oh (SIM, Bowling: Womens Masters)

Bronze (23):

Gary Yeo (SMU, Athletics: Mens 200m)

Dipna Lim Prasad (NTU, Athletics: Womens 200m)

Aaron Meng (NUS, Athletics: Mens 10000m)

Amirudin Jamal (NUS), Gary Yeo (SMU), Lance Tan (NUS), Elfi Mustapa (NUS) (Athletics: Mens 4×100 relay)

Teo Hui Juen (NUS, Athletics: Womens Javelin)

Teo Hui Juen (NUS, Athletics: Womens Shot Put)

Ronnie Cai (SIM, Athletics: Mens High Jump)

Michelle Sng (SMU, Athletics: Womens High Jump)

Dominic Chan (SMU, Athletics: Mens Pole Vault)

Huang Mingli, Ip Pui Ying, Choo Lay Yoong, Guo Min, Lin Ruoci, Sandra Wong, Suthasini, Tang Hui Shan, Chai Kai Lin, Janet Wong, Quek Soo Teng, Ho Jia Hui ( Various, Womens Volleyball)

David Seow (SMU), Krishna Vijay (SMU), Nigel Goh (NUS), Alex Teng (NUS) (Golf: Mens Team Event)

Richie Ong (SIM), Kenneth Ng (NUS), Joshua Leong (SMU), Ong Wei Ming (NUS) (Tennis: Mens Team)

Grace Pang (SMU, Tennis: Womens Singles)

Richie Ong (SIM), Ong Wei Ming (NUS) (Tennis: Mens Doubles)

Grace Pang (SMU), Joanne Toh (SIM) (Tennis: Womens Doubles)

Kelvin Yu (SMU), Tamsyn Tong (NUS) (Tennis: Mixed Doubles)

Lee Han Ting (SIM), Clarence Lee (SMU), Jason Ho (SMU), Joshua Loh (NUS) (Table Tennis: Mens Team Event)

Carmen Choy (NUS), Lee Cyn Li (NTU), Lee Yi Shi (NTU), Lee Wanqi Leeza (SMU) (Table Tennis: Womens Team Event)

Jason Ho (SMU, Table Tennis: Mens Singles)

Carmen Choy (NUS), Lee Wanqi Leeza (SMU) (Table Tennis: Womens Doubles)

Na Wei Ming (SIM), Ong Wei Xun (SIM), Chen Guofeng (NUS), Jarrod Tan (NUS), Law Jia Hao (NUS), Lionel Leow (NUS) (Badminton: Mens Team Event)

Colleen Goh (NTU), Siti Mastura (NUS), Amanda Chng (NUS), Ang Qi Zhen (NUS), Melissa Foo (NUS), Toh Pei Xuan (SIM) (Badminton: Womens Team Event)

Geraldine Ng (SIM), Kristel Oh (SIM) (Tenpin Bowling: Womens Doubles)