Home of the Inter-College Games Champions, Again!
The winning RC4 Men’s Basketball team (Pic: Aidan Goh)
Celebrating Sporting Excellence: Home of the Inter-College Games Champions, Again!
Written by Don Han
RC4 has successfully defended their Inter-College Games (ICG) crown, leading the medal tally for the second consecutive year. This year’s ICG featured an unprecedented 31 sports – ranging from physical sports, e-sports to mind sports.
After a close battle over the past 5 weeks, RC4 ended the Games with 8.5 Gold Medals, 7 Silver Medals and 5 Bronze Medals.
For the first time in ICG history, we have a shared gold medal as the RC4 Women’s Soccer team joined forces with the newly formed Acacia College team. With both sides unable to form a full team ahead of the competition, the organizers suggested for them to join forces and compete as an entity for the love of the game.
“It was such a refreshing experience to get to connect and combine with other amazing players from another RC. I had so much fun training with them,” shared Jeann Wong (Year 1, Psychology), RC4 Women’s Soccer captain.
They defied all the odds, conceding just one goal in Round Robin before defeating the heavy favourites in a nerve-wrecking penalty shootout to claim the Gold Medal match. Tight defence was the key to their victory, as they defended the goal with their lives and refused to compromise on the intensity in their games.
The joint RC4-Acacia Women’s Soccer team (Pic: Jeann Wong)
“We've heard that all our opponents, especially NUSC, were formidable teams to look out for, and since our team largely had no experience, I was honestly just happy to be a part of this!” Jeann mentioned that her team came into the competition with no expectations, and it’s certainly a feel-good underdog story for the team!
Our RC4 Men’s Basketball Team also featured a good comeback story – from narrowly qualifying for the semifinals to winning it all, they have certainly made the most of their opportunity.
“The round robin games were tough because we were still working out how to play with each other,” said Aidan Goh (Year 1, Philosophy), the captain of the basketball team. “In the last 2.5 minutes of the semi-finals, when we were down 9 points, something clicked for our team, and we went on a 14-0 run to defeat NUSC.”
Spurred on by their momentum from a high-octane semifinal victory over the unbeaten NUSC, our team unleashed their true potential as they prevailed 61-38 in the final over Tembusu. The team’s victory was particularly special as they had injured and ill teammates who persevered through the entire duration.
Despite being seeded 4th in the semifinals, RC4 Men’s Basketball team went on to win it all (Pic: Ho Jin Xian / CSC Publicity)
Remarkably, this was also RC4 Men’s Basketball’s first Gold Medal in 8 years. With this victory, RC4 captured the victories in both men’s and women’s basketball, a feat which would have been unimaginable prior to the Games.
The Our RC4 Swimming team was our final team to compete in this year’s ICG, and their story was filled with ups and downs. They were an inch away from conceding walkover in multiple events due to lack of participation, but team captain Leslie Guan (Year 1, Business Administration) was not one to throw in the white towel.
He leveraged on the outreach of our College Students’ Committee to help reach out to swimmers who were keen to represent RC4, and within a week prior to the competition, he was able to field a full team.
“A few days before the competition, when we still couldn't find enough girls, we thought we were going into the competition just for participation and just having fun,” claimed Leslie. Participation itself was a victory for the RC4 team, but on competition day they far exceeded expectations.
The RC4 Swimming team put on a good fight! (Pic: Leslie Guan)
The finalized team comprised of residents who had not trained together previously, but their team camaraderie was evident throughout the competition. Their loud, supportive cheers for one another during the races were heartwarming to witness, exhibiting the true spirit of what ICG is truly about – to have fun, to make friends, and to compete for the love of the game!
Impressively, the team came within a point of securing a medal although they narrowly fell short in the closing stages. Nonetheless, it was a commendable effort from the team, and it is a good start to build momentum going into the next ICG!
“Everyone became super motivated and the cheers became even louder. We actually managed to win one of the events (4 x 50m men’s freestyle). I felt that everyone really gave their best and didn’t give up until the very end.”
As the curtain draws close on this year’s ICG, RC4’s successful defence of their ICG overall champions stands as a testament to more than the abilities of our athletes. From our close wins to tight losses, our athletes refused to give up and truly embodied the values of perseverance and teamwork.
Regardless of the outcome, the Orcas can always be spotted supporting one another, pumping each other up during the toughest of moments. Ultimately, the winning formula is playing for the love of the game and sportsmanship. Great job RC4!
List of RC4 Medalists:
Gold (8.5) – Table Tennis, Dodgeball, Overcooked, Captain’s Ball, Women’s Basketball, Badminton, Men’s Basketball, Reversi, Women’s Soccer
Silver (7) – Contract Bridge, Tchoukball, Smash Bros, FIFA, MLBB, Track, Valorant
Bronze (5) – Dodgeball, Volleyball, Netball, Touch Rugby, Clash Royale
