Archery Camp 2008 Day 3

It was a mixture of emotions as the pitter-pattering of raindrops early that morning awakened me. Comforted by the chilly air, I have once more succumbed to the sleepiness that has been empowering me since the second junior’s initiation that was held late into the previous night of the camp. I haven’t had the sense then to realise that the dreary weather outside my window signified change of plans with regards to the ‘dreaded’ biathlon that was to be held later in the morning, the significant ending to the last day of our camp. The initial plan was to run the 179 bus route around NTU and then proceed on to doing several ends of shooting, and all this all be timed, as Farhan has described happily in his gist of the programme the night before during the fake debrief, one more time before we end the camp.

The rain did not give in despite the hours that passed early that morning. After having plucked myself from my warm and soft nest of a bed, I trudged out from the washroom after washing up early in the morning only to find out that our meeting time was postponed two hours later! The message was passed around and so we met in the common area of Hall 6 for the new programme as planned by Farhan and some other seniors.

After setting up all our equipment, we were all ready to go! - Which was, walking the giant of the footpath to the Sports and Recreation Centre. We were led to sports hall 2 to start our training and the verdict: circuit training! The gruelling 2 over hours of short distance running, push-ups, static hold, squats, crunches and bow training without stopping was really something we all should be proud of to have withstood that day! Having motivational seniors like Eunice, Ben, and most importantly Wei Qiang who was not in my group but have shouted cheers throughout, was definitely a spice to the gloom of the day and redemption to our puffy eyes due to the lack of sleep. Three cheers to the seniors who went through such hell with us! And three cheers as well for my fellow teammates who have stayed on and preserved throughout the circuiting training with me too! HIP HIP HURRAY!!!

The day ended like how the rain did as we were chased out from the SRC since it was already 1pm and it was on the eve of Christmas day. The sweet smell of perspiration and exhaustion loomed across the grandstand as we packed our equipment and got ready to set off for home. The emptiness of the field was jarring as the festive mood, or rather the lack of it, hit us with the fact that we have been away from the bustle of our daily lives. The lonesome sight reminded us that all fun had an end, yet there would be more to come in the days to come, when the field is filled with soccer players again, when our range is filled with happy archers, now known to me as teammates. The muscle aches from the arduous training may have remained on us for several days thereafter, but the bond within the team and the fun we had will stay with us definitely for a long time.

Written By : Adeline Tang