double champs for MJ
12:58 AM
July 27, 2007
SPORTS IN SCHOOLS
Floorball sweep by Meridian
Unfancied MJC win all their games to claim Boys and Girls' A Div double
By Royston Sim
FLOORBALL at Meridian Junior College has traditionally played second fiddle to soccer. And for a good reason.
Their soccer team won the ADivision title in 2005 and were runners-up the past two years.
Yet, Meridian JC surprised everyone in the recent Schools National Floorball Championships at Tampines Sports Hall.
Their boys and girls emerged champions after winning every game in the round-robin team competition from July 9-24.
Said Seah Joo Yee, 27, MJC's floorball teacher-in-charge: 'Our boys and girls deserved the honours as they had trained hard.'
She also credited the teams' success to assistant coaches Leroy Joshua Brown, 20, and Peh Wei Siang, 20.
As a sign of the growing popularity of the sport, floorball was officially included in the Singapore School Sports Council calendar this year.
In the past, schools would compete in inter-school tournaments, but the sport was ineligible for the Sustained Achievement Award for Sports.
The game is similar to hockey and played with plastic sticks and a plastic ball.
The A Division is set to become even more competitive next year.
This year saw seven boys and seven girls' teams competed in the A Division.
Next year, the Singapore Floorball Association expects more than 10 teams in each category.
Meridian can be expected to feature prominently again, having made steady progress in recent years.
From being ranked second in the Girls' division and fourth in the Boys' category last year, they are now champions in their respective divisions.
Their success is due to the college's decision to bring the sport to another level.
This year, floorball was included as one of the school's inter-house games and was showcased during their College Open House Day.
As a result, more Meridian students are picking up floorball.
Among them is Chong Shyang Long, 17.
Although a newcomer - he had just four months of training - Shyang Long went on to score two goals in their penultimate match against Victoria Junior College. MJC won 7-3.
A former softball player, Shyang Long said he wanted to try another sport.
He said: 'I was interested in floorball as the boys' team were doing quite well.'
Meridian also focused on attracting talent.
Said deputy CCA Head Eric Chua: 'Through the Direct School Admission scheme and Meridian Sports Scholarship, we have successfully attracted many outstanding athletes to join our college.
'An example would be Glendon Phua, a JC 1 student who is currently an under-19 Combined Schools floorball player.
'We are also looking into the possibility of installing professional floorball flooring in the college hall to improve the teams' level of play.'
oh, the ferris wheel.
