Results:
Terry 0-4 Marcus
Douglas 4-2 Jerry
Ezra 4-1 Joe
Alvin 1-4 Alessio
Shawn 2-4 ZhiHao
Einstein 2-4 Mario
Shane 2-4 Ryan
Azree 3-4 Gabriel
JunYang 4-0 Benny
YuJie 4-1 YipChun
Shaun 3-4 ChunHei
Azkhairy 3-4 GuoLiang
LianKiat 2-4 Nanthini
Final Score: SP 12-14 RP.
Monday; Everyone happy, motivated and most importantly, confident, that we'll defend our title. Six games, that's what we needed. But by the end of the match on Thursday, many left IcePool blaming themselves, claiming how close we were to winning. Losing games which resulted in hill-hill endings, flukes, mistakes, you name it. Year Ones, I know how you feel, 'cause I'm one too. And if seniors are looking at this like, "WhatTheFaaah?!" chill, AhMok asked me to update the blog! Okay, let's not digress, back to the after-thoughts.
First of all, it's a team event after all. No individual is to be blamed for the lost, our lost. If you think that you're lousy, what are you waiting for? TRAIN harder! Don't just keep missing a shot a thousand times, and go, "Walaooo, I damn lousy sia" without even trying to improve. There'll definitely be a senior willing to help, I'm sure all you gotta' do is ask! I quote Daniel, "". I'm guilty of it too, I admit it. But hey, it's about time for a change right? I remember Seniors saying that we shouldn't keep playing 9-ball with ourselves, but train our strokes, spins, drills, and more instead. So let's make training more effective, and TRAIN together, as a team!
I'm in no authority to pick on each individual's mistakes, so regarding the issue, just ask the seniors that watched your matches for help. For now, I'll just write about the general mistakes that we made. Some of the mistakes that I'm typing are my own, that's quite common amongst us during the Friendly.
From what I've learnt from the friendly, take your time at for every shot! Don't rush, breatheee! Do your pre-shot routines and relax! Seniors have adviced us to chill, have fun. IT HELPS. Never give up! Even if you're like losing 3-1, it's possible to fight back. Don't beat yourself down. Like if you miss a shot, don't go whacking your cue on the table (like what I did on the first day). Don't say like, "Waaa, I damn lousy today la". Don't be angry at yourself. Have a CLEAR mind, a positive mind set; Plan your game, own the rack.
And if you've finished or waiting for your game, motivate your team members that's fighting with you! Being there for them is good, motivating them on the other hand, is great! The simplest words can calm their worst nerves down. What have you got to lose anyway? It's a team event; fight together, motivate one another and (hopefullyintwomonthstime) WIN TOGETHER.
Like what Sam said, losing is alright. Know your mistakes, learn from it and never repeat them during future friendlies, future tournaments. Personally, I suggest doing an After-Action-Review, like jot down your mistakes, your good points, what you can improve on. It'll remind you what to train for if you get a table. (It's just my suggestion!) Should you find yourself unable to perform under pressure, join tournaments then! The SPGG National Day 8-Ball Challenge is coming up. I'm sure it'll be a good experience for us. I've signed up already, and to those interested, the forms are available at the front desk.
If you know you're travelling in the wrong direction, don't just whine and continue walking. Turn back, and fix you.
It was a close fight, I wouldn't say we got thrashed. Twelve-Fourteen; That's our score for The Friendly in July. Two months down the road, what do you want to hear? Come on Year Ones, two more months is all we have to the next friendly. We all had our chances during our matches. In September, we'll get another; Let's grab the opportunity! Our cupboard's missing an item, let's claim it back as a team and train harder, togther! Let's go, FIGHTFIGHTFIGHT! :D
-azkhairy
