Today marks the day of the end of the B division Water Polo Championship. Although we lost, we still gained lots of other things. Winning is not always everything. I saw what true water polo is today. “true” as in how waterpolo should be played. I understand what waterpolo really is and why it appeals to so many people. Waterpolo not only about swimming, ball techniques and skill, outwitting your opponent. What is lacking here is the fighting spirit, the spirit to fight till the end and not give up even if the opponent are stronger. I am sure that fighting spirit also applies to other sports as well.

At the B division Waterpolo championship, ACSI were the favourites to win as they overcome HCI in the preliminary round 6-2. It seem as though HCI will lose and that ACSI will have a comfortable win, as they were arguably the best waterpolo team in Singapore. However, all did not go well for them.

Our seniors did not think about losing. Their mindsets were set to win. They were not about to give up easily as that would mean that all their training they had put in, all the sweats and pain and sufferings that they had gone through would all go to waste if they lose this match. Their sacrifices were all for this one match, the finals. Furthermore, they were looking forward to break the record. To end the drought of B division gold medal for so many years. Lastly, the were lots of supporters there at CCAB, supporting, cheering, screaming their lungs out for them, to encourage them to not give up and aim for gold. The supporters were awesome, overwhelming ACSI’s supporter with their loud and booming voices, even when ACSI was using drums and other tools to make as much noise as possible. They rocked the CCAB. With so many stakes at hand, our seniors were not in the hurry to loss to ACSI.

ACSI was stunned when HCI took the lead with 2-1 in the first half. It was their first time experiencing such situation as they were always having a comfortable lead in front. At that moment, they knew that they had to give it their all or they could just lose the championship title. It was really a very tough fight after the first half, with ACSI taking the lead several times, but HCI always equalized in the end. This was not possible without the centre back help who defended well and snatched away any ball that comes his way. Their defense was solid-rock and this was not possible without the other teammates focusing, as they wanted to win the gold badly and playing their best. However, ACSI forced in a shot in the last quarter and shattered everyone’s heart, making the score 5-4 in favour of ACSI. However, despite this, our seniors refused to back down and attacked relentlessly hoping to land in another shot but to no avail. In the end our seniors had to settle with the silver, though they knew they were the better team and should have won. However, they had sportsmanship and congratulate ACSI for winning the gold medal. They did not fight with the ACSI nor regretted the game they played. They accepted their defeat and held their heads high, thanking the supporters for their help in cheering them on. This is the true spirit of waterpolo.

Seeing that they had done so much for the team, seeing how hard they fought in the water, refusing to give in and seeing their sadness in their eyes was really disheartening but yet inspiring. It inspired me to do better, inspired me to restore the gold medal next year that they lost by a small margin and inspired me to train harder and strive for excellence.

If you are interested in finding out what exactly happened in this exciting match please go to this link:
http://redsports.sg/2010/04/02/acsi-hci-final-waterpolo/