Tri-uni Softball

haven't blogged here in a really long time and today i really felt the urge to blog, mainly because of the tri-uni games. it is something that we can all relate to. the entry is not going to be about how we lost to nus, smu or how we played, but rather, what caused it and what can be done.

alvin and i have also decided to commit some time to help ntu in training and play for them in the league. playing for them is not so much because i n dz are going to US during that period. the REAL reason is really, i feel that ntu cannot go lower anymore. i am sure alvin you feel the same way too.

Training

think about the usual attendance. 7 people? 8? 9? i know i am guilty of this as well, but we all have other commitment, such as school, friends, and for me, hall events. everyone needs to have that passion to train, to improve. but sadly, i cant see that here. it is a direct contrast to ora trainings, where i can really just go down, catch up with old friends and i can feel that difference, ALOT of difference in the mood, atmosphere and quality of the training. what i mean by quality of training is working on our weak points and be really specific, like bunting to third, to first, hitting top spin these kinda stuff. sadly, i dont feel that during ntu trainings because firstly, the people are not close and secondly, the quality of players are not there to be so specific.

People
imagine today, if we do not have lionel, gabriel and farhan. what would have been the outcome? on the other hand, even when we had them, we didnt play up to standards too and it's reflected in our plays. our throws were not sharp and our fieldings and plays werent coordinated. they are proven good players but we still need consistent training to stay sharp. on the other hand, we have a mixed pool of players who arent so polished in their skills, out of which, some show the passion and desire to want to play and train hard, while some are just going down to training for fun. all these boils down to commitment.

Commitment is hard to get from the players especially when the management isnt at its best. let us look at the macro level. darren is trying very hard to coordinate everybody and his hard work can be seen by all. but it's a vicious cycle. the school is not very supportive of softball and requires results before it is willing to commit more attention and fundings to the sport. no ivp status due to the lack of schools participating have resulted in many who are unwilling to play for the school.

with so many administrative issues such as jerseys, equipment and etc to settle, it is no wonder the whole team seems like an abandoned ship. a team that enters a tournament without a set of jerseys for everyone reflects on everybody, not just the manager. no one bothers to help to settle the adminstraive issues, no one wanna push for the jerseys, the fundings, and getting more players to come.

what we need now, really, is just a pool of commited players in the team, each willing to chip in their parts for the team. some of the guys were talking to me just now and i know that there are frustrated ppl too. it's really the people and the passion that matters and someone has to take it up. just look at smu( i am not trying to por you all here). look at their team, the way they bond. you can never see that in ours, at least for now.

i wouldnt mind taking the less experienced guys and work on their basics but i still feel that we need a coach. with a respected coach, ppl will make time to come down for training. but as for now, jieli told me that alvin is very gian to pitch now. that's damn good. i think we share the aim of doing well for the league first.

for a start, i can take care of the training programme with what i know while alvin take the pitching dept. and hanyuan, i hope you can see a cause if everyone is willing to put in an effort to improve. we wont win the league for sure, but i hope to see camaraderie and improvement in skills. currently, they are looking at us as the experienced player to lead the way. one pitcher, 1 infield, 1 outfield, what say you? take up the roles of mentors and see the fruits of our labour in the league.

i believe we can make a difference. it wont be fast, and we still need quality players and a good pitcher. if we can work together, it is possible