A PROUD TRADITION

In the 1960s and 70s, there were players like Eric Yeo and Tan Hwa Luck. Then came the likes of Lionel Liew and Daniel Wee followed by popular names such as Alvin Lee, Marcus Ng and Yip Renkai who made waves before giving way to today’s stars, including Eugene Teo, Samuel Yu and Yip Yang.

They may be from different generations playing in vastly different conditions but what binds them together is a proud tradition: They have won every SEA Games gold since 1965.

So when current captain Eugene and his team mates clinched victory at the Zayar Thiri Swimming Pool in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, in 2013, they weren’t just winning another medal. They had ensured our 25th consecutive SEA Games gold, protecting an impressive legacy painstakingly safeguarded by many players before them.

Dominance may look easy after a while and fans may start taking it for granted. In reality, winning again and again is never a given. It is made possible only with plenty of drive, hard work and self-belief. In the case of a team, camaraderie matters too. All these are qualities which our water polo teams over the decades have shown — again and again.

Add to these traits the players’ obstinate refusal to change a winning script, even when the odds may be stacked against them. As Renkai puts it, “If you are part of a winning team, the pressure to maintain it is immense. For players of my generation, we grew up knowing the history of our SEA Games dominance. It was part of our folklore, so to speak. So we played knowing that we didn’t want to be the ones to break this tradition.”

This may explain why the Singapore side always managed to somehow get out of tight situations when their status as champions was threatened. Take the 2009 campaign in Vientianne, Laos. Trailing Thailand 2–3 after an insipid first-half performance, they eventually secured a hard fought 8–5 comeback win. Then at the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia, the Singapore boys narrowly escaped defeat by the hosts, squeaking past 12–11.

Renkai, who played a pivotal role in our 2009 success, recalls, “It’s amazing how you get extra motivation when you have a cause to fight for. When we were behind Thailand, we just kept telling ourselves not to give up. We wanted to continue doing well — not just for ourselves but for our nation, for the people who supported us.”

What is especially encouraging, he feels, is the strong sense of renewal he sees in his beloved sport. “At every SEA Games, I see new faces stepping forward even as some of the more seasoned ones move on to other things in life. Each time you have a team with debutants, there are challenges. But we have done well by fielding them instead of just depending on familiar faces all the time,” he says, noting how the 2013 SEA Games team did well in Myanmar with newbies like Samuel Yu, Yip Yang and Sean Ang.

Yet while winning — and keeping the tradition going — is serious business, it is clear that the players value their involvement with the sport more for how it has shaped them and helped them in life beyond the pool. Marcus Ng, Alex Loh and Nigel Eng, for instance, appreciate how the sport has helped them manage their time, relate to people of diverse backgrounds and develop personal discipline needed in working life.