The Orcas emerged as the champions of the Inter-College Games (ICG) 2025, securing an impressive 7 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals.

ICG is an annual tradition among the residential colleges of National University of Singapore, where athletes from each college compete in 28 events over six weeks in Semester 2. This year, RC4’s very own brought home gold medals in Contract Bridge, Foosball, International Chess, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Table Tennis, and Tetris. They also claimed silver in Brawl Stars, Captain’s Ball, and Dodgeball, while securing bronze in Badminton, FIFA, Floorball, Netball, and Squash.

Sporting excellence, however, goes beyond the number of medals won. After all, the happiest moments in sports don’t come when shaking hands and receiving medals—they happen on the court, in the heat of competition. Euphoria strikes when teams triumph over rivals, when a teammate makes a clutch play, and when sheer effort turns the game around. We are graced with the adage once again, that it is about the journey, not just the destination.

That mindset is what motivates RC4 Resident Yap Xin Ying (Year 3, Chemical Engineering), who competed in six different sports in this year’s ICG. These include tchoukball, dodgeball, basketball, floorball, netball, Tetris and track. For her, the joy of experiencing different sports at a high-level fuel her passion as an RC4 Super-Athlete.

Super-Athletes are residents who actively participate in multiple sporting events, including the Inter-House Games and Inter-College Games. Xin Ying is just one of many such residents who push themselves like that.

Balancing academics and sports is no easy feat, but for Xin Ying, having the recess week after ICG helps her manage both commitments. Super-Athletes like her embody RC4’s spirit of exploration. The college encourages students to step outside their comfort zones, and ICG provides a perfect platform for them to do so.

Reflecting on her experience, Xin Ying added, “My experience in ICG has been great and really fun, playing aside so many people. It’s also a huge learning experience every time. [I] would definitely encourage people to sign up and experience it themselves!.”

As RC4 athletes continue to try, train and compete, the college’s sporting culture remains stronger than ever. Here’s to another year of sporting excellence!