On 12th April 2010, Mrs Jessie Phua and the board of council members appointed Mark Chay as a Co-opted Member of the Council.
Mark represented Singapore at the Olympic Games in 2000 and 2004, and is a multiple gold medallist and record holder at the Southeast Asian Games.
In 2002, Mark was given the honour of Singapore’s flag bearer at the Busan Asian Games.
He was awarded the Sportsman of the Year in 2001, as well as Sportsboy of the Year in 2000 by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Singapore Sports Council (SSC) for his achievements in swimming.
At SingaporeBowling, Mark would be responsible for the promotion of the sport of tenpin bowling in both local and international schools based in Singapore and all liaisons with CCAB.
Being an ex-athlete, Mark has also been assigned to look after the interest of the national bowlers, speak up on matters concerning them and to conduct causal dialogue sessions with the bowlers/ parents to ensure that the interests of athletes are being taken care of.
BOWLinks started in 2005 by SingaporeBowling to allow children and adults from the special schools and associations to enjoy a balance of life, through bowling as a recreational activity outside their school/work and home.
At our recent BOWLinks event on 5th August, students and adults from various associations such as APSN Katong School, WEDC MINDS and the Handicap Welfare association gathered together at National Service Resort and Country Club to participate in the bi-monthly challenge.
“The students always look forward to coming here to bowl” said Mrs. Rani a teacher at The Association for Persons with Special Needs. This event helps the students to understand and realize the importance of good sportsmanship as well as allowing them to have fun outside school.
Mrs. Rani with her students
Whenever a team from APSN Katong School wins one of the trophies at the bi-monthly challenge, teachers will arrange for a small presentation ceremony in their own school on the following day.
“This helps them to boost their confidence and also motivates the other students that are plenty of ways to excel not just academically” shared Mrs. Rani.
Through the charity events, students and adults get to interact with society. By mingling with the staff and volunteers, students are able to get exposure to the world around them and it helps build their morale and interpersonal skills.
After the 3 game series, SingaporeBowling had the honor of having Ms Michelle Tan, president of Bowling Association for the Disabled to help give away the prizes.
The second runner-up went to students from WEDC MINDS and first runner-up went to bowlers from APSN Katong School. Last but not least, the champion title went to bowlers from the Handicap Welfare association who had a total of 1257 pinfalls.
The next round of BOWLinks Bi-monthly challenge will take place in October 2010. Stay tune for more updates!
They didn’t just win one medal home; in fact they won three medals for Singapore.
National bowlers Jazreel Tan, Daphne Tan, New Hui Fen and Shayna Ng brought home two silver and one bronze medal at the recent World Youth Championships that was held in Helsinki, Finland.
In the Girls’ double event, it was their strong determination and motivation for each other, that helped New Hui Fen and Daphne Tan win the silver medal.
Team Singapore winning their second silver
“I was glad to have Hui Fen by my side. She provided constant support and that gave me the motivation to perform better” said Daphne.
Singapore's second pair of Shayna Ng and Jazreel Tan topped the second squad of the Girls’ doubles event with 2575, ahead of Colombia's Laura Fonnegra and Maria Jose Rodriguez on 2535.
However, during the semi-finals round, the Colombian pair scored a 412 and advanced to the final round, leaving Shayna and Jazreel with the bronze medal.
In the Girls’ Team event, the Singapore team had a terrific start to the game where they finished second in the second block of the game with 4971 pins.Ahead of them was team South Korea with 5024 pinfalls.
Singapore’s girls managed to advance to the final round after beating Malaysia with a total score of 860-769. The girls eventually took home the silver medal with a score of 785. Team South Korea won the gold with 839 pins.
Though they were thrilled by their third win, the girls were undeniably disappointed on not being able to win the gold medal.
Hui Fen expressed, “It was really close from the eight frame onwards. It’s a pity we’ve gone so far only to get a silver.”
Among those who shared the joy was National coach William Woo, who couldn’t be more happy for them.
“To see them put in their maximum effort despite the intense pressure is really heartening”.
He added,“It’s the performance that matters, not the results”
Not only are the medals a symbol of hard work that paid off for the bowlers, it also establishes Singapore’s position among the top bowling nations.
Singapore came in third in the Girls’ medal tally beating England and USA who are in fourth and fifth position respectively. In the overall standing, Singapore came in fifth just behind Colombia.
Through the years, coaches at SingaporeBowling have placed more emphasis on teamwork and progressive training and it has paid off.
“In the past, our youth teams lagged behind the United States and Malaysia, now we’re ahead of them” said Coach William.
He expressed,” The future looks bright for the next few years”.
