7 Republic Polytechnic (RP) students who claimed that they are “confident in winning the game” are here to show off their skills and prove their trainings have not gone to waste. The qualifying round started on the 26th of May 2009. 

The participating students in the youth division are : Aaron Wan, Jonathan Lim Zi Xiang, Edmund Loo Jia Yi, Daryl Ong Wei Siang, Nur Syazwani, Sophia Ang Yi Qi and Nicholas Lim Zi Jing. 

As most of the youth national bowlers from around the world will be taking part in this division, it is “a chance to challenge ourselves” said Daryl Ong. This is the next prestigious division after the Open Division, the Graded A and the Graded B division. Thus, making it more sought after compared to the Under-18 Division. 

Although many of the RP students are qualified to participate in the Under-18 Division, they feel that it is more “appropriate for us to take part in the Youth Division” commented Daryl Ong, whose coach encouraged him to join the Youth Division, as it gives them a chance to see where their standards are at and to challenge themselves and push their skills to a higher point. 

When asked about how the school has helped the students throughout their training journey for the AYG, Aaron Wan replied that “RP is very supportive of us”. The team agreed as a whole bowling is an expensive sport and without the necessary experience and skills, it will be a “waste of money to take part in major tournaments like this”. 

Like many other polytechnics, RP does not have her own bowling lanes, thus trainings are held in bowling alleys outside school such as at Safra Yishun. The school subsidises the fee of hiring a permanent coach and 2/3 of the lane booking fees. This allows the students to focus on their training and not to worry about the cost which they might have needed to pay out of their own pockets. 

Besides being supportive in monetary terms, RP is also concern in terms of experiences that the students get to gain. They are sent out to take part in smaller scale tournaments throughout the school year. This helps them get ready for major tournaments like such. It not only helps the students gain experiences, but also allows them to get a feel of how stiff the competition is in reality. They are also able to share their experiences and pass down their skills to their juniors. 

“Actually we’re very lucky to be in RP, as they are very supportive of us” said Danica Toh, the previous captain of Bowling IG who was there at the qualifying rounds to cheer her juniors on.