11th April 2014 : The Day I Was Breathless! 12:15 pm : Reached TOA Sports Hall. Both teams were doing their routine warm up. My baby girl was among them….. 2 days ago, one of the teachers advised parents of her school team to put pressure on the school in order to get more spectator supports. The finals was scheduled to be played on today which is also their school’s e-learning day…….meaning no body would come to school and even lesser students would bother to go and support the school team. I agreed initially with the request but I changed my mind later. I told my girl that a true champion does not depends on external support but on internal drive. A true champion would have to shut off all external distractions and focus on the game. Large turnout is expected from her opponent’s supporters as both their Girls & Boy’s team have made it into the finals of the competition. Thus it was no surprise when I stepped into the hall; the number of my girl’s opponent easily outnumbered theirs by 3 to 1…..the noises that they churned out drown out those from my girl’s school. ……. This is the day of reckoning………can the girls do it in spite of the odds???......can they pull themselves together and rise up to the occasion to beat an opponent whom they have succumbed to not once but twice in their recent encounters???......how tough are they?.....what are they made of on the inside???..... would they crumbled as they did in their last encounter??? One thousand and one questions which would be answered in the next hour or more. And my prayer was, “Lord, give the girls calm hearts….be able to focus and bring out their best….may the best team wins. Amen.” It’s easy to be bias and ask for victory for those whom we love…..but I figure that it would be unfair to do so……so I asked for victory for the best team of the day! 12.30pm: The referee blew the whistle and the game began……. As the game progressed, I must say that the referee was one of the best that I have seen; totally unbiased and accurate in his judgement. It was a good 1st game, both teams showing why they deserved to be the top two teams at the National level. The fighting spirits and level of skills of both teams were obvious. Nobody was showing any mercy..…..the score line ding-dong to and fro like a pendulum…..2:2…20:17….24:21….and ended at 25:21. Ngee Ann drew the 1st blood. 2nd Game: 2:2 again!......Ngee Ann girls raced to lead 8:4….then St Hilda girls fought back strongly to level it at 14:14!.......good fighting spirit by the girls from St Hilda! Both teams were pulling out all the stops! Spikes for spikes! Point for point! Some of the balls that these 15/16yrs young girls managed to retrieve were simply amazing! The lightning quick reflexes, the flexibility of the bodies, the dives……..simply a joy to watch! Isabel did some very nice drops and spikes! 18:15 Ngee Ann pulled ahead ….. 20:20! St Hilda pulled level again!.....and my heart beat was racing! I am at the edge of my seat and feeling out of breath! ………..My heart was rising to my throat! 23:23!!!.....madness!!!.....24:24!!!.....I felt a heart attack coming!!! 25:24!!!....OH! SO NEAR NOW!!!.........Can they? Can they?...............26:24!!! THAT’S IT!!! Well done girls!!! As Ngee Ann won the 2nd game, I found myself sweating in that air-conditioned hall! So would they carry on to win the 3rd game and match or would they crumble under the pressure as they did earlier when they were also leading by 2:0??? 3rd Game: Ngee Ann started well to lead 10:7……St Hilda again fought hard and Ngee Ann lost their lead to trail 11:14. St Hilda maintained their lead to 16:20……..Ngee Ann's turn to show their determination and managed to level it at 20:20!.........I was praying that they would get it over quickly with so that I can go down and give my baby girl a big victory hug!!! Coz my weak heart cannot take it anymore!...........but it was not to be……….a series of mistakes by Ngee Ann and good play by St.Hilda gave St Hilda the booster that they sorely needed……25:22…..3rd game to St Hilda! Gutsy fight by St Hilda’s girls! The score stood at 2:1. It was a best of 5 matches, if St Hilda wins the next game (4th), the pressure & odds would be on Ngee Ann…..mentally St Hilda would have an edge over Ngee Ann. I was getting breathless…….don’t think my heart can last for another game…….so I left the hall for some fresh air…….can they stand the heat? Or would they melt? Intentionally delayed my return to the hall with some lengthy phone calls……..took a drink and slowly strolled back to the hall……. the match was over………the result was history……..but who won??? Can’t find my daughter’s team, so I approached students from her school for the results…..and was given the good news! Last year, they were 2nd best. This year, they are the new National Champion! Finally found my baby girl and we had a good hug or rather two hugs…....clinging her sweaty body to mine……just like what she used to do when young …….besides soaking up her smelly perspiration, my shirt was stained with her tears……. tears of relief!……tears of joy! For a moment, I realised that my baby girl has grown…….…grown to be strong………grown to be able to handle pressure….……grown to be able to handle failures & success…… ..grown to be a leader Well done to all the Ngee Ann girls & St Hilda girls! Thanks for the gusty performance!…….You are all champions! For to be able to stand in the center of that sports hall with hundreds of pairs of eyes trained on you and do what you did, it takes courage!........ I would have most probably pee in my pants! Before I depart…….I gave my baby girl a head butt…… and a little peck on her forehead like I always do..…..the greatest joy of a father is to be able to share the life experiences of his children Well done Ngee Ann girls!!!.......the countless hours of training, the failures, the pain, the sacrifices........all that you girls had gone through has finally paid off. You have set a new & higher standard for your school, a legacy that would be engraved in your school’s sports history forever........a milestone of your life! Well done Captain Isabel Lim!.......whether you win or lose, mum & I are proud of you! May you remember the countless valuable lessons learned in these 7yrs and may it serves you well in your adulthood! The best team wins today!