 She put on her shoes and the silence allows her to hear her own heartbeat. She moves swiftly and gracefully into position and strikes. Meet Clarissa Yap, a current training squad member from Handball Federation (Singapore).
Clarissa picked up ballet since the age of 4. Striking a similar story as most youths, the key reason why she picked up ballet was due to the influence of her parents. The challenges which ballet presented to her fuelled her passion. The ability to strike unique movements gave her great satisfaction.
“The one thing which I liked about ballet is its movements. The use of movements allows me to express my own feelings or perhaps tell a story. When I perform on stage, it gives me the ability to shine and share with people for those who are interested in watching the culture of classical ballet.” However, the former Ballet Eastern Dance student was sporty by nature and when the opportunity for her to learn handball, she grabbed it with both her hands.
“During one of my PE lessons, we were asked to choose a sport module. I saw Handball on the list and curiosity got the better of me. I tried out the sport and before I knew it, I was hooked onto Handball. I was having so much fun playing it and I never thought it will be so easy to pick it up!” the Methodist Girls School (MGS) student said.
Her love and passion for Handball was obvious to all around her and very soon, her PE teacher, Ms. Su Pei Luan, invited her to try out for the Youth Team in Handball. Ms. Su is also one of the coaches in Handball Federation (Singapore) (HFS). The stage was set and Clarissa soon got her twinkle toes onto the court. It was at the age of 15 where she made the tough call. She was at a milestone of her life where she knew she was going to prepare for ‘O’ levels in 2009. She knew she will have a problem juggling ballet and handball together with her studies, in addition, to being a representative of MGS’s Netball team.
 “I like ballet but I LOVE Handball! My feelings for handball cannot be described with a simple word such as ‘like’. Everytime I am able to get pass the defenders and score, the amount of satisfaction which I get is enormous. There are so many things which we can do in Handball! Bounce, fake, set plays couple with so many different type of shots! The team play and the camaradie which I share with those around me make my training and games so enjoyable!”
Her passion for handball is so strong that she sees the time training and playing handball as part of leisure. The ‘O’ level student added, “My life now actually only revolves around Handball and studies. Any other spare time which I have aside from Handball, that will be the time which I will take out my books and bury myself in them.” In fact, the discipline which Handball had inculcated to her allows her to better manage her time such that she can play hard and work hard.
“It is important for us know that we have always tried our best. This is what I have learnt through the months of training with HFS. Personally, I feel that playing handball is not about any form of national representation, though that will be a very nice ‘reward’!” Clarissa said with a smile.
Naturally, the Handballer went for the recently concluded Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 (SYOG) Handball Selection Trials that was conducted on 26 July 2009 at Jurong West Sports Hall. After the selections, she shared, “I am really proud of myself and my team. We have trained for months for this one precious hour on the court. I dare say that we had achieved the 3Rs which HFS had been teaching us. No Reserves, No Retreat and No Regrets! Going onto the court without any reserves, pouring everything which we had learnt into the game and playing without retreating, always trying our best. We know when we stepped out of the court, we have no regrets!”
 The SYOG Handball Selection Trials adopted a tournament format to test the participants on tactical awareness, teamwork, enthusiasm, agility, skills in passing, catching, dribbling and defense tactics such as blocking and checking. This is a step up which HFS had geared up towards their preparation for SYOG.
“I think Singapore hosting the Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 is a very good opportunity for youths like me and you to show our talents. It is also a time where everyone can share our own culture and showcase our skills through sports.” Clarissa commented when asked about her thoughts of SYOG. “I do hope that I can be selected in the SYOG Handball Training Squad so that I can do my best in SYOG and hopefully bring glory to Singapore. In fact, after the selections, the only thought in my head at that moment was when will handball training resume!”
Clarissa certainly is dancing in her journey in Handball and we are certain the stage is set for her to shine. We wish her all the best for her SYOG Handball National Selections.
|