By Brian Higgs
Jan. 18, 2007

The NUS Inter-Hall Games official opening ceremony was held in conjunction with the IHG Track Meet at the Sports and Recreation Centre Stadium on Jan. 3. This year’s games have taken a twist with the other halls rising to the challenge set by traditional powerhouses Temasek Hall and Eusoff Hall.

While Sheares Hall managed to wrest the men’s touch rugby gold from perennial favourites Eusoff Hall, the first time that Eusoff Hall has ever lost this particular event, Kent Ridge Hall came in second in both the men’s and women’s track competition.

Second-year computational biology major Zhang Mengqi from Kent Ridge Hall, believes that “better support could be one of the reasons we have been doing better.”

“The track turnout was a lot better than previous years,” she said. “Before matches, the sports secretary will send email and ask everyone to go down to support the team.”

Zhang said residents in Kent Ridge Hall share the belief that hard work will lead to better rankings.

Photo: Brian Higgs

Rousing cheer: Supporters doing a cheer.

“In the overall ranking we’re always third,” she said. “It kind of gives everybody hope that we can actually do better.”

Fourth-year mechanical engineering student Alvin Ng said he does not think “it’s a bad thing that there is more competition.”

“Better players mean the games will be better,” he added.

Ng has been a resident at Temasek Hall for the past four years. He is their softball captain for this campaign, continuing from last year’s edition.

Eusoff Hall sports secretary Benjamin Ng also noticed that “there is a much more level playing field this year.”

“The other halls have been a lot more careful about the freshmen they bring in,” he said. “If you bring in talented freshmen it will increase the possibility of doing well.”

“There are more active hall people who are going to the individual junior colleges to publicise about the halls to their juniors in the respective sports,” Alvin Ng added. “This is how they recruit talent.”

However, Benjamin Ng does not believe that there is a need to be overly concerned.

“We will bank on what we believe in and continue to do what we have been doing the last few years,” he said.

This year’s IHG has also seen a soothing of tensions between Eusoff Hall and Temasek Hall.

Second-year real estate student Seetoh Wei Han and second-year business student Wu Junhan, who are both from Eusoff Hall, said the bad feelings prevalent between the two halls during previous IHG campaigns are now a thing of the past.

“This year, the rivalry between Temasek and Eusoff is very healthy,” Wu said.

“For example, after the sepak takraw finals the team members from both teams took pictures and shook hands,” he added. “Even though there is intense competition, after the games we will still be friends.”

However, Alvin Ng said the “bad blood between Eusoff and Temasek” is a misconception.

“I always thought that it’s just a competition. There are no real enemies made during the games itself,” he said. “Everybody is just fighting hard for their own teams.”

At press time, Eusoff Hall and Temasek Hall are the leaders for the men’s and women’s competitions respectively. Temasek Hall is second whilst Kent Ridge Hall is third in the men’s category. Eusoff Hall is level on points with Kent Ridge Hall in the women’s category. Both Eusoff Hall and Temasek Hall share the lead in the overall IHG championship.

The games will last for a month and a half, drawing to a close on Feb. 15.