Singapore Boys’ Hostel, Singapore – To some, three basketball sessions may not hold much significance, but to the residents from Singapore Boys’ Hostels and Slingers players Wong Wei Long, Leon Kwek, Toh Qing Huang and Ng Hanbin, that was enough to build a memorable bond.
In partnership with SportCares Foundation, the Singapore Slingers took some time off during their offseason to take part in a three week program at the Singapore Boys’ Hostel. During the three weeks, the players worked on basic fundamental basketball drills with the residents, ranging from basic defensive stance, hand-eye coordination, dribbling drills with mini balls, to tiring the residents out with battling ropes. Each session was concluded with a mini game for the residents to showcase what they have learnt in the different drills.
Before the closure of the final session, the residents were introduced to “The Circle of Trust”, which the Slingers learnt about during their training trip in Australia last year. Each of the residents had a chance to share their thoughts on the sessions.
One of the residents was especially thankful for the words of advice from the players. “I would like to thank the Slingers for making the effort to spend time to come and coach us. One important lesson that I’ve learnt from them is that it’s not about how you start, but it’s about how you end that counts.”
Toh Qing Huang seized the opportunity to share an important quote that he learnt, “W.I.N. is What’s Important Now. We can’t do anything about the past since it’s over. Neither can we do anything about the future now. What we can control is the present moment.”
Ng Hanbin reinforced to the residents that they should not see themselves differently just because of the mistakes they made. “Everyone makes mistakes and we can’t deny that some mistakes are more serious than others. It’s not about what you did in the past. It’s about what you’re willing to do now. You’ve got to accept that you made some mistakes, move on and make a change now. If you’re willing to make a change now, nobody is going to remember your mistake ten years from now.”
The Programmes Executive, Glendon Wee and Life Coach, Jonathan Soh, expressed their appreciation to the Slingers for their genuine approach and impactful interactions with the residents.
Glendon Wee mentioned, “Thank you one and all for setting time aside to help make this clinic a success and most importantly, creating memories for many of our residents and showing them that people do care for them. They have definitely taken back more than just skills but also attitude to push further in their individual journeys.”
Jonathan added, “Thank you all for the wonderful friendly match earlier. I think the residents experienced what it was like to challenge the “giants” and we hope it taught them a lesson to never back down in the face of challenges. Thank you Hanbin and Qing Huang for accommodating the residents and allowing them the space and time to step up to guarding you guys or even to try to score on you guys. I saw their initial apprehension change into a delightful pursuit of challenge and their desire to be sportsmen like their mentors, I believe it was very heartening to see the residents do all of that. We will process with them more about the whole experience and get them to draw parallels between “giants” in the game and “giants” in life.”
Before the players left the premises, they gave out exclusive goodie bags, basketballs and autographed posters. In return, the residents presented the players with a handmade poster expressing their heartfelt gratitude.
The Singapore Slingers would like to thank SportCares and Singapore Boys’ Hostel for this extremely meaningful opportunity. It inspired not only the residents, but also motivated the Slingers players to have greater involvement in community outreach programmes.
