Students' participation a part of the school’s commitment to a mindset of “fitness for life”
SINGAPORE, 20 November 2022 - While most teenagers during the school holidays may still be in bed at nine in the morning, 99 students from the Singapore Chinese Girls School (SCGS) rose before dawn to take part in the 5km race at last Sunday’s Great Eastern Women’s Run.
Rachel See took the win in a highly competitive elite race, which saw her beat her winning time from last year by over a minute (1:22:07), ahead of Jasmine Teo (1:24:02) and Vanessa Lee (1:25:30).
However, for the SCGS participants, the event was simply an opportunity to come together to promote their motto of “fitness for life” and to bond with each other.
The school fielded over 100 participants in this year’s race and have been active participants in the Great Eastern Women’s Run since it was first staged in 2005.
Even after their run, the girls were still filled with energy and chatted excitedly about their experiences.
“For us it was really fun and heartening to run together even though it’s the holidays now,” said Sarah Kum, 14.
The physical education (PE) department in SCGS has aimed in the past decade to link their students up to events outside of the school which they continue to participate in even after graduation.
“It’s nice to see our old girls here as well, who sign up on their own after they have left SCGS, because they know we have a booth every year. We hope the girls, when they leave SCGS, will continue to keep up with their fitness and be role models to everybody else,” said teacher Mrs Caruna Yogeeswaran.
In preparation for the race, the teachers provided a training programme on the Google Classroom platform to help the students acclimatise to a distance over twice the length of a usual National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) run.
But for the students, it was also the camaraderie they built during the run which made it even more enjoyable.
“Even though it was tiring, I was very happy that I was able to enjoy this moment with my friends and that we were able to push each other on even though we were having a hard time,” said Nikita Basant, 14.
Secondary two student Amanda Boh, 14, said that she foresees future runs as opportunities to stay connected with friends and teachers.
She also noted, “I think it’s great that this is on a national scale. With the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, we’re able to run with everyone. Especially since it’s a women’s run, it feels more comfortable.”
Though the SCGS participants may not have finished in the top spots of the run, they had a different objective.
Mrs Linda Lee, Head of Department for PE and Co-curricular Activities (CCA), said, “It’s not about perfection. It’s about the whole process. If you can’t run, walk. It’s about keeping fit for life in whatever form that fits you best, and to enjoy it.”