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First Sports Tour to Bangkok 6-12 Nov 05

6 Nov 05 (Sunday)
We arrived at the airport and to our surprise, the organization for check-in was quite chaotic. Due to this, we did not have a good initial impression of the tour company – IPC and the guide attached to us. Still we managed to get all the boys together for a group photo and briefing before checking into the plane. Our principal, Mr Lee was also on hand to send us off with words of encouragement.

After the plane landed, we were received by the local counterpart of the tour company and were ferried past the bustling streets of Bangkok to our place of stay for the next 6 days – Dynasty Hotel. Although seeming somewhat run-down, the amenities provided were adequate and comfortable for our stay. Dinner was a big spread of dishes enough to cater to the tastebuds of everyone. I like the fact that this time is set aside for all sports to gather together and relate our experiences with each other.

7 Nov 05 (Monday)

After another sumptuous breakfast, the highlight of the morning was the visit to Pathun Khongka School. The school was established about 105 years ago as a school in a temple, which explains its steepness in the Thai national culture and religion. I only began to realize now that many of the Thai’s people way of life are deeply seeped in its culture and beliefs. This was especially demonstrated in their demonstration of the rituals they performed in praying to their god. I discovered that even the way they exchange greetings is closely related to their acts of homage.

We were warmly welcomed by the heads of the school and witnessed their war dance as well. It consists of slow and deliberate movements which are coordinated between the two warring parties. I was particularly impressed with its seeming gentleness in the midst of enacting a battle scene. This gentle yet determined feature, I began to understand, would repeat itself in many facets of their way of life.

The friendly games were next. We played against the school’s basketball, table tennis and volleyball teams. Since this all boys school is well known for its soccer achievements, they did not feature well in other sports. Nevertheless, we had an enjoyable time of interaction with our counterparts. We eventually won the basketball game 110 – 48 and the table tennis games, but lost the volleyball games two sets to one.

In the afternoon, we had our first taste of our training grounds at the Ramkhamheang University. It was well built with indoor facilities for many sports and a standard track conveniently situated nearby. After an intense training session, we arranged a surprise friendly game with our counterparts of the University ahead of our actual intended match on Wednesday. The boys then realized what a tough opponent they were potentially up against when they received many knocks and bruises in the match!

After a sumptuous dinner, we conducted our regular nightly team briefings and evaluated the performance of the team as well as each individual. A pleasant surprise for team was the institution of a “Player of the Day” award presented on the person who has displayed the most positive attitude and commitment for the days’ training and matches. This prize was also kindly sponsored by the parents who have accompanied us on the trip. The boys were very excited and Khaw Yeong Wooi was rewarded for his determined performance with a leather Adidas basketball!

8 Nov 05 (Tuesday)
We began the day’s activities with a morning training session back in the University after breakfast. The drills were focused on the boys’ lay up and shooting skills for the first hour and then team tactics of the next hour. Everyone was understandably tired after the previous days’ activities but nevertheless gave their best. Training ended at 11am and we headed back for the hotel.

After lunch, the softball and basketball team proceeded to Kasetsart University to have friendly games with their Laboratory School. Again, we were warmly hosted by the staff and students there. They even went out of their way to arrange the friendly game at a nearby indoor court due to the intermittent rain for our safety.

Our boys put in an excellent performance to win the match 73-34. What was particularly heartening was the way everyone defended and passed the ball as a team. Our team’s performance was very effective in shutting down our opponent’s offence and we scored many fast break points as a result off their turnovers.

There is a marked difference in ours and their way of coaching. Thai people are generally gentler in their approach compared with our more direct approach. They are probably shocked at how we shout out instructions and scolding at our players! But there no mistaking the angry intent in their coach’s and teacher’s instructions despite their seeming gentle demeanour. This was shown in their players’ sheepish apologies for their mistakes during the game. It aptly brought out the differences in our cultures and way of life. We are just more aggressive and direct as a people.

Another startling observation was the effusive hospitality shown by the hosts wherever we go. It seems that Thais go out of their way to make their visitors feel comfortable and welcomed and would apologize at the end of the visit for any shortcomings. I really appreciated their deep and sincere displays of friendship and this is something we can definitely emulate.

The boys were in high spirits for the night despite the long jam back to the hotel. Everyone knew that they had played well as a team and the day’s Player of the Day award had to be decided by a draw. Jason won the ball, but there are still the next day’s activities to look forward to!

9 Nov 05 (Wednesday)

At Bordindecha School for the friendly, we won the match 56-26. But what was really interesting was the way the girls of the school went wild taking photographs of our boys after the match. Especially Shaun Neo and Jie Wei. The surprising thing was the girls were not shy at all but even freely gave their contact numbers and email. Even more surprising was that the teachers of the school seem to give their tacit approval for their students’ behaviour. It was as if this kind of behaviour is understandable and the girls (and boys) had the leeway to express their admiration of their idols.

For all of us, that was truly an eye opening experience. It gave me an idea of what stars actually go through on a daily basis. Although the attention was flattering, it gets tiring after a while. I had to rescue some of the more popular boys from their hordes of fans an escort them to their next destination.

After lunch, we rushed to Ramkhamheang University for our friendly games with the students in their high school. The boys were reeling from the intensity of the program by now and were not exactly in the best frame of mind to play the match. A few of them were injured while Yeong Wooi was sick. As a result, the boys put in a lethargic performance, resulting in our first loss of the friendly matches we have played so far.

10-11 Nov 05 (Thursday – Friday)

With the previous day’s experience still weighing heavily on the boys, we embarked on a long journey to Thewpairngarm School after breakfast. It was reputed to be the Basketball Champion among Bangkok’s Schools in the under-16 category. I could sense that the boys were excited yet nervous about facing their opponents.

One of the enduring features of Bangkok is the long traffic jams. Not only that, some side roads are only passable to smaller vehicles. After traveling about an hour, we had then to transfer to another smaller school bus to reach the school.

The school was totally unlike the winding alley roads we had to travel to reach it. It was well equipped with many modern sports facilities and boasts of an impressive looking entrance. The students were also well behaved and properly attired. The most impressive feature of the school was its indoor basketball court enclosed within four levels of classrooms surrounding it. It boasts of polished parquet flooring and state-of-the-art electronic scoreboards and shot clocks. Together this equipment should cost up to fifty thousand dollars! To underline their seriousness towards basketball, they even hired two well qualified and professional referees to officiate. Everyone was suitably impressed!

The match began under great anticipation of a titanic struggle. The school’s supporters were excitedly gathered around and ready to lend their support to their team obviously used to winning. Their vocal cheers could be heard ringing around the compound even before the games began. Our boys started brightly and were leading 19-2 after the first few minutes. Our team played great suffocating defense and prevented their executing their offence well. Every shot they made was challenged by our defenders, resulting in a poor shooting percentage by their team. On top of that, Yeong Wooi our tall centre (affectionately compared to Yao Ming by the local students) blocked and altered many of their shots as they attempted to drive inside the basket. We scored many points off their turnovers as a result.

This pattern was to continue throughout the rest of match, despite out opponents rotating their defense. They simply could not handle our Centre, who was also the focal point of many of our attacking moves. We eventually triumphed 70-44. The opposing teacher-coach was so impressed he asked if he could come to Singapore with his team for another friendly match at our convenience. We readily agreed and parted on that note.

The boys were understandably in high spirits on the trip back, both because we had ended the training part of the tour on a good note as well as having the rest of shopping tour to look forward to. An added bonus was that the parents who accompanied us on the trip offered to treat the team to a western buffet lunch as a reward for all their efforts during the camp. I feel that the boys are really fortunate and blessed.

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