Human or Fish? - Annual Swimming Gala 2015

by Chery Loh Qian Wen, Junior 1 Cempaka, Class of 2016.

We see them on the starting block, taking their mark and diving in, barely making a splash. Fast forward to 3 seconds later - The spectators scream as they resurface out of the water, about 15 meters away from where we last saw them. Onlookers are baffled, parents are astounded and students shout in excitement, but by the time we manage to grasp the physics of it all, the race is over and the swimmers are out of the pool. The question “Who won?” then stares us in the face - the competition is so tight that you could never really tell at first glance, especially when the actual competition swimmers from different houses faced each other head on.

It’s that one day of the year where swimmers in Cempaka prove to be more fish than human - The Annual Swimming Gala held in Cempaka International Ladies College (CILC). They speed through the blue waters of the Olympic-sized CILC pool, competing against their formidable opponents in the different swimming strokes - namely Front Crawl, Breast Stroke, Backstroke and Butterfly.

Similar to previous years, the Charity Fair was held together with the Swimming Gala, giving students, teachers and parents alike a chance to do their part for charity and have their own booth. There was a stand for practically everything - be it sushi, mac and cheese, root beer floats, chocolate pizzas and even swimsuits!

The actual swimming competition started a little later than normal - instead of the being held in the much too early hours of the day, the swimming events were only set to kick off after the March Past Competition. For the first part of the day, the sky was clear and the sun was a killer so the marchers had no choice but to suffer under the scorching heat throughout the competition.

Ironically enough, it began raining heavily just as the first event was about to start, leaving us with nothing to do for the next two hours. Although this meant that everyone only left CILC at past 10pm, there was also plenty of time for everyone to stop by the booths at the Charity Fair.

We were all feeling more than a little lethargic and drained after the long wait but when the swimming events begun, there was a 360 degree change in atmosphere. Students gathered by the side of the pool with their fellow house members; Banners were held up, and loud cheers filled the air as the swimmers powered through the water.

Everyone was exhausted after the relays but the spirit was still going strong as we made our way to the indoor Badminton Court to hear the results. The atmosphere tensed up as everyone anxiously waited in silence for the results. As Encik Hisham listed each houses’ respective score, a roar of triumph filled the air from the other side of the hall when it was clear that Seladang had won the Annual Swimming Gala for Cempaka Damansara, Cempaka Cheras and CILC with a grand total surpassing 900 points. Well done Seladangs!