Passion for water polo unites students from 27 schools

The SP-CCA Water Polo programme which started in July 2022, is among the three centralised, non-school-based CCAs offered to Secondary students. These CCAs allow students to participate in sports  or performing arts that may not be offered as CCAs in their school. Besides water polo, other SP-CCAs include athletics and ethnic dance.

Since 2019, the Ministry of Education has partnered SportSG and the National Arts Council (NAC) to provide opportunities for secondary students from different schools to pursue a common interest through the SP-CCAs. At the same time, students get to cultivate friendships with peers from diverse backgrounds.

The SP-CCA programmes are designed to deliver learning outcomes that are comparable to school-based CCAs. Students enrolled in a SP-CCA do not need to have a school-based CCA.

Like other physical sports CCAs, students in the SP-CCA Water Polo programme get to participate in competitions, such as the annual National School Games (NSG), under the auspices of SP-CCA.

“We will usually publicise the programme in primary schools to the graduating batch of Primary 6 students, so that they know that there are such opportunities to look forward to in secondary school. The programme will also be shared by the schools to their Secondary 1 students during  CCA fairs in school,” says Mrs Fan-Goh Qiumei, a Physical, Sports and Outdoor Education Officer (Sports Education) from MOE.

Mrs Fan-Goh and her colleague Mdm Jeanne Tan, who is also from MOE’s Physical, Sports and Outdoor Education Branch, are team managers of the SP-CCA Water Polo teams.

“It is just like any regular CCA. Students entering secondary school may not necessarily choose a sport or a CCA they have prior experience in. As long as they are interested or have a passion for it, we can build up their skills from there,” says Mrs Fan-Goh.

According to Mrs Fan-Goh, there is little to no prerequisite to participate in a SP-CCA. Students also do not have to undergo trials. For safety reasons however, water polo participants should have at least attained a Stage 3 certification in Swimsafer (a swimming and water safety education programme) or its equivalent or be able to swim 50 metres continuously using front crawl or breaststroke.

The students receive coaching and guidance from qualified coaches from the ActiveSG Water Polo Academy who help them gain confidence in playing the sport while developing their character and life skills.

Like any new CCA team, the SP-CCA Water Polo team encountered challenges and growing pains when it was first formed. Besides logistical and scheduling hurdles that come with managing such a diverse group of students, forging a team culture was a main sticking point for the team managers.

“Honestly, it is a challenge to forge a strong team identity since everyone comes from different schools” Mrs Fan-Goh admits. “The team members do not meet one another as often as they would with peers in their own school. For us (the team managers), it can be a challenge getting to know the students and interacting with them.”

With their shared goal, love for the sport and commitment however, the students and team managers have overcome the barriers.

To connect and bond with the team, Mrs Fan-Goh and Mdm Tan ensure constant communication with the students and show their support by attending every training session. Besides going for external competitions, the CCA also organise regular team bonding activities, such as dragon boating sessions and service-learning trips.

The SP-CCA Water Polo team takes every opportunity to build a strong team bond with activities outside of their regular water polo training sessions.

Once strangers, the students have also forged new friendships as they connect over their shared passion for water polo.

Micah Rae Choo Kai from Pasir Ris Secondary School, the vice-captain of the C division boys’ team, takes the lead in assisting new members without water polo experience. “During the training sessions, he partners them to help them get used to the terminology used in the sport. He also practises with them to help them grasp the techniques better,” Mdm Tan says.

The students across the different teams have also taken the initiative to form their own WhatsApp chat groups and arrange for meals usually after Saturday training session. These “little gestures” are significant to the team managers as a sign of the teams coming together as a collective.

Given that their motivation extends beyond school pride, students in SP-CCA teams would need to put in a certain level of commitment, perhaps more than that of typical school teams, says Mrs Fan-Goh and Mdm Tan. For instance, team members would have to travel to an external venue after school and on Saturdays for training.

On what motivates SP-CCA teams, Mdm Tan shares, “It all boils down to their passion and interest (for the sport). Being a recognised CCA, the players have a chance to compete at the school level and play a sport they love.”

She recalls how a student Phone Mon Soe from Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) had signed up for the SP-CCA Water Polo programme although he had no prior experience in the sport. Currently a member of the B division boys’ team, Mon Soe enjoys playing the sport so much that he decided to attend additional training sessions on his own outside of official training hours.

“We saw how he showed huge improvements in his skills and techniques. Mon Soe was even nominated as a vice-captain of the team by his teammates, which is an acknowledgement of his leadership abilities and enthusiasm,” shares Mrs Fan-Goh. “For someone new to the sport, we feel that he has come a long way.” 

To the SP-CCA Water Polo team, it is the process of competing and gaining new experiences that matters more than the outcomes.

At the ActiveSG Season Finale competition in December last year, a team of SP-CCA boys across different age groups competed as underdogs and emerged runners-up, beating seasoned opponents along the way.

“Our emphasis was mainly to gain competition experience. We worked towards a common goal, and whatever the outcome was, we let that be a motivation,” the team managers say.

As a result, the students learnt an invaluable lesson about teamwork.

“Even though we had a rough start to the competition, we regrouped, and the students reflected that communication among every single team member is crucial. You can never play well, let alone win with one single good player. Everyone must play their part,” says Mrs Fan-Goh.

After the Active SG Season Finale competition, the team went on to participate in the National School Games in August this year.  They did not qualify for the semi-finals; however, the experience fuelled them to work harder for their next competition.