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Don't mess around with these chilli padi....
This week we interviewed a player from Albatross Floorball Club - Evangeline Poon on her Floorball journey as a team player and goalkeeper. Reading on as she share her journey with you.
Evan is 21 years old, currently pursuing her studies in Singapore Management University (SMU). She plays in the goalkeeper position in Albatross Floorball Club and currently training with Singapore National Womens’ Team.
Evan started playing Floorball in 2010, and since she pick up the sports she has bag herself with 6 years of playing experience. She picked up when she was in Raffles Institution (Junior College) during her CCA selection trials. With a mind of trying new sports, Floorball immediately caught Evan’s attention and immediately she grew interest with the sports and shortly after from interest it became her passion. Floorball, for me, is the perfect combination of dynamic game play and fast-paced action, there’s never a boring moment. And of course, the wonderful people I’ve met and friendships forged through Floorball has been a great motivation to continue playing.
With her sports background as a Softball player since Secondary School, with good psychomotor skill and hand-eye coordination Evan has picked up Floorball goalkeeping pretty fast. Just a few months into starting Floorball as a goalkeeper, her coach (Jill Quek) invited her to join her then newly established club – Albatross Floorball Club and that where her Floorball journey took off. She has been playing for Albatross for 5 seasons. Evan mention that “Floorball keeps me very satisfied.”
When I asked Evan to use one best that best describe her, she replied “Hmmm, I don’t really know how to describe myself, but I hav been called Chilli Padi before because I’m “small and spicy”. When we discuss about having
Evan shared with us one of her greatest moment while playing Floorball is – “ One of my favourite playing moments would be being a part of the 2014 World University Floorball Championship Singapore team. The most memorable match was against defending champions, Sweden. Although they won the match by a large margin, it was such a refreshing experience playing against European players from the elite levels. It really exposed me to a higher level of play and motivated me to train even harder to hone my skills.”
She share with us her greatest achievements in Floorball is – “I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of an amazing club, who has held the Division 1 Champions title for 4 years running. Beyond that, I was also part of the 2013 SEA Games Singapore contingent, where Floorball made its debut appearance in the Games. Though it was not an official medalling sport at that time, the team excelled and clinched the Gold medal. Now, Floorball will be one of the new competitions introduced to the 2015 SEA Games; as a member of the growing regional Floorball community, I’m proud to be part of this achievement.”
My dream is to share the joy that Floorball has brought me to as many people as possible, especially students and younger players, and be part of bringing them to discover their own Floorball journeys. Since I discovered my passion for Floorball, I would say most of my time has been invested in trainings, physical conditioning or watching Floorball videos online in my free time. However, there’s always room for improvement to be better than who I am as a Floorball player right now.
When I asked Evan does she think that perseverance can help one to achieve greater heights in any area/field he/she is focus in, and her response was – “Definitely, in fact I would say it’s the only way to achieve greater heights. If you have a goal in mind, you need to have perseverance to push yourself all the way, regardless of any setbacks you might encounter.” And Evan also mentions that it is important for athletes to posses values such as perseverance and self-discipline. Evan strongly encourage young athletes to pursue their dreams, and she belief that sports teaches values that are essential and is far beyond a court or game setting, something that will be extremely helpful in their futures.
