The Raffles Girl

Went for swimming training this evening. Did 1*300m, then 4*350m. Followed by 4*50m (25m choice stroke, 25m free) 70% effort. And end of training!
But a statement was made during training today by one of the swimmers. Actually it's the first time i saw her at training. Other then knowing that she is rather good, and a national athlete, i do not know her all that well. But one thing we had in common was that she was a Raffles girl. During training, while we were chatting in the middle of a set, she made this comment. How come the rest time is more then the swim. Frankly speaking, i would suppose a statement like this would piss some people off. But as with everything, i see two sides of the coin here.
To speak for her, i would totally agree with her. Training is just training. What's the purpose of going for training? To work out and get better at whichever sport we do. And if, at training, you're not pushing yourself hard, then obviously you won't see results or improvements. Or you might see results eventually, but with a longer time frame and curve. So i guess if i put myself in the shoes of a serious athlete, who came down to train, then i would be pissed as well. And i would be rather upset that here are bunch of athletes who are spending more time talking then swimming. Probably like how i felt after one of the beach swim session we had.
To speak against her, then i suppose she could have choosen to swim in another lane if she felt that we were not all that serious about training. I guess to a certain degree, i felt it was disrespectful to be saying that to the coach, given the circumstances of which this training was about. Here was a guy, who gave his time freely, to get a group of people together to train. And he doesn't even get paid. He does it out of his own good will. So, i suppose if she was unhappy, she could have left at any time or not turn up for swims in future.
But i guess the incident was carried over to dinner where we did touch a little about the Raffles girl. Xiao Ying and I are both from Raffles. And there is a part of me that can really understand why she said what she did. I suppose it stems out from the fact that i went through a Raffles education program. In school, we were thought to think and more importantly, to speak up when things weren't right. We were thought to do our best in whatever we chose to do. At trainings, i remember we pushed ourselves hard. There was no such thing as failing. I remember in sec3, when we were training for cross country, the team would get together to run before school starts. And that was like at 6.30 in the morning, so that we could clock at least 5km before morning assembly. And we did that not because our coach asked us to, but because we all wanted to win.
Excuses and slacking off wasn't tolerated. And everyone had a high standard that we aimed to achieve. That was also the year where we felt that we had a remote chance of winning the cross country title. But that was how we were brought up to think.
And so, the Raffles education really brought out the best in most of us. And that is evident from the number of high flyers we see and the high number of people who succeed in their own field. It was being told that we were the best, the cream of the crop, that we would one day be very successful and we were all going to be leaders in our own field. More importantly, it was a point that was driven home by almost every teacher we had. Daughters of a better age. But i guess what was flawed in the Raffles program was that we weren't taught to be empathetic. We weren't thought to be considerate to the feelings of others and those around us. Being empathetic was a sign of weakness. Was there really ever a good reason for not doing as well as expected? Was it merely an EXCUSE? And while we were taught to be the best, we forget that around us, there are those who are not as fortunate as us girls. There are those whom, if given the right opportunity and chance, might be better then us. But the flip side is, we generally think we worked our ass off for it anyway.
So, i guess the debate will always carry on. For myself, i have toned down a lot since my secondary school days. I'm no longer as arrogant only because i have come to understand that there will always be a bigger fish out there. I can be the biggest fish in my little pond, but when i move to a bigger pond, there will be a bigger fish. And often, it is better to be humble, and to learn from others. Pick out the stuff that you like and improve on them, and discard those that you don't like. And being empathetic is not an excuse for me. It is being able to understand the situation and circumstances that others are in. Of course, it doesn't stop me from giving my best coz as long as i carry on and not tolerate excuses from myself, and set my standards high, i can still be great at what i do.
To end this note, i need to clarify that i have totally enjoyed my Raffles education. And if i could go back in time, i wouldn't change it for the world. If i have kids one day, i would want to put them through the same education i received if i had a chance. But of course, i would also teach them about dealing with people. And failing once does not mean being a failure for life. And that end of the day, it is one thing to be successful, great, talented, smart etc, and yet, it is still important to be humble and willing to learn and listen to others.