the deadly TRIALS

I gotta say im totally amazed at how wonderfully strict PJ's badminton trials are. It takes more than to be able rally like 30 seconds non-stop. If you're wondering whats my mood now, I gotta say im tramautised but I got in. So, somehow, i get this irking feeling that the coach Patrik Lim doesn't like me. It's just some feeling I get. scary.

Okay I'll go into today's overall day later. Trials is more exciting and humilating to some, (i will go into greater detail). First trials, now. Everyone thought there was only ONE trial and that is to stroke with seniors, (and woah woah woah how easy can that be? ans:very). and then the the trial results will be decided by the seniors. woah, nice assumption and information from the PAE batch. but WRONG WRONG WRONG. we were caught pants down with Trial TWO, and this was accessed by the coach himself. true enough, it's more intimidating.

To folks that failed trial 1, thanks for coming (as quote from coach), but it really seems that PJC is very strict and competitive. They don't want to waste time training noobs who can't even pass trial 1. Noobs may sound crude, or rather, people with no prior background.

So went there early I started stroking with my classmate Larry who turned out to be a beginner. So my sixth sense is wrong afterall. He didn't get in (obviously). and i was doing fancy stuff while stroking, i wonder if that affected by reputation (negatively or positively?). but either way, i was stroking in uniform and was rather sweaty. Changed after that and proceeded with the actual trials.

First trial is to do general stroking with a senior. I stroked with a guy called Alvin and he was decently equipped with a decent lob ( i think? ). Okay within 20-30 seconds he stopped and signalled me to go to the stage saying that Ive passed trial one. Jonathan Sim took lik 10 seconds of stroking and they call him go stage le. ming xian horribly failed trial 1 and clashed with ALAN and whacked his head. Initially Alan was not in, but later on he was given a 2nd chance and he was one of the 20 people who got into trial 2.

Now trial 2 is one scary trial. First they access our lobbing skills. Followed by Drop shots, then Half Smashes. Next was Netting, and then Serve. Everything went WELL except serving. LObbing, i gave them high quality attack clears lobs (actually i was trying to make them go slower with a greater altitude). And nicely done, I believe. 2nd drop shots, I didn't make any gross mistakes, neither did I make big blunders. all precisely done and I thought it went quite well. Halfsmash was quite okay though I may get carried out and do like 3/4 powered smash but I think that was okay as well. So far everynice. Netting was fairly fine, I did make couple of mistakes but netting is easy to make mistakes. And then NEXT serve. Long service. I gotta to say i was utterly disgusted with myself for hitting 2 consecutive long serves into the horizontal service box (which means wrong court). wtf. I think ive been out of practice for long service. all my singles game use short service and doubles as well (self explaintory) been a long time since I used long service in anything. (and in that case, it will be HALF court stroking which explains everything, like why my long service goes straight). I got it right the third time though. and short service was fine because i was quite an adapt at it. and then me n jonathan sim had an extra test which was backhand.

Now this is puzzling. everyone else didn't had to trial their backhands. when we heard it me n sim were like "wtf". sim obviously doens't have a good backhand, I do think I have quite an okay backhand but my mistakes are alot more evident at the backhand side, so I better not screw up. Pressure was building. I am tested on something that I would get scolded at if I did that. And on the first few shots, I did around the head and it was like an instinct now. (which i am quite proud of such an achievement). changing habits isn't a easy thing.

Okay. I don't know why but later on I just got selected. 10-12 pple got in out of the 60-80 people who trialed. now next thing is school team slot. I wonder if now I can get a school team slot as this year's JAE batch has fairly good/decent players. (and thats why the standard for trial increases significantly form PAE). And well, good news is the standard of badminton rises significantly and now there's more competition. Alan got in as well, and weizhong and jonathan sim. so 4 Bpians among all the people. which is quite a significant number. Now there are 2-3 guys which I may have problems dealing with in singles, and 2-3 which i can comfirm win. and an additional wz and jonathan sim which i obviously can't win. >_< now i probably shoved somewhere in the middle. average, and that doesn't get me anywhere. ...

okay i shoudln't be whinning about school team slots when people like wp can't get in. pity him mah he got got p w n e d by the trials. while we were waiting for the entire 20 people (PLUS an additional like 10 girls) to finish with trials 2, we watched wp do his trial one. And itwas the most amusing thing. Wooohoo. >_<. he was stroking with a girl senior, and he pulled off smashes that smash into the wrong court. not a single noticable full base lob, and plus an half-arsed dropshot which hit the net 50% of the time. now, he has nettings or underhand shots that blasted the net and failed to go over. is that what you call consistancy? well, pwned, failed trial 1. and obviously his movement is horrible so definitely one look everyone knows he has no prior experience. and yes, that is true, if he joined during PAE, he cud make it (if dexter can everyone can right?), but now JAE, with all the new pro people....tough luck. standard rise, and im glad i still can cope with it.

now sch team or no sch team, doens't matter. i'll just have free court ,free shuttle, free training for 1 year and wait for next year. i will train doubling hard.!! woohoo. anyway if play competition is only like....2-3 matches at most anyway pJC is gonna get eliminated. HAHAHAH.

And i like my NEW FRIENDssss!!! wooo, all are decently equiped with badminton skills and i look forward to playing each and everyone of them!!!! nice challenge now.

Oh and xin yi's fren kai ting is also in pJC. lol. i rmb playin with her when i was a NOOB noob NOOB nooB NOob noOB!!!

Oh n today is the ultimate slack day. NO major lessons. One PW, One chinese and then assembly assembly and student coucil talk. nothing much except slacking around n waiting for trials. reached home at a very wonderful timing of like 8pm.

i gotta get used to ths.

now....
monday-badminton school training (4-7:30)
tuesday-badminton group at cck sports hall (6-8)
wednesday-early release day (aka mugging day or social badminton day)
thursday-sleeping day (intense timetable go home must sleep to rejuvenate)
friday-badminton school training...
saturday-mr foo badminton training + jump at church
sunday-church in the morning and random activities/mugging.

nicely layed out outside school time table.

Plus my school timetable

Really looking forward to days ahead (with that much trainings here and there)....