The Athlete Features shine the spotlight on talented young athletes from Sport Singapore's ActiveSG Academies and Clubs as they compete with passion and determination in this year's National School Games, striving to achieve their personal best and represent their schools with pride.
In this article, we hear from Student-Athlete: Radiance Tan
Radiance Tan, a dedicated member of the ActiveSG Volleyball Academy, has witnessed her passion and proficiency for the sport flourish with the help of her coaches since she first started playing at the age of 8. This year, she proudly represents Chung Cheng High School (Main) in the National School Games B Division Volleyball Championships.
ActiveSG Circle: How did you begin your volleyball journey?
Radiance Tan: I was fortunate to start my volleyball journey rather young when I was in Primary 2. Since I joined volleyball CCA as my second CCA on top of my badminton CCA, I had to juggle my academics, my different commitments and try to keep up with the volleyball team. Training with various coaches through the years in Ai Tong School (ATS), and working with my team, we pushed through and improved together; absorbing the different styles and techniques from the coaches.
Through the years, I pushed to do beyond my best and worked on being a better team player by leading the team and mastering the basic skills. Though at times it was a struggle, I was graced with the opportunity to represent my primary school in various national competitions in both CCAs. Thereafter, I was able to join Chung Cheng High School (Main) and enter into the school team as well.
ActiveSG Circle: What served as your inspiration to choose volleyball as your path?
Radiance Tan: My siblings have always been the biggest inspiration to me when it comes to sports and academics. Having an older sister and brother who joined volleyball, I chose to join in so that I would be able to connect with them better. Back then, their CCA times would be during my recess time, and I would occasionally pop by to watch them train. As a young child, I could see their fighting spirit, their never-say-die attitude and the camaraderie of the team. I believe this was what inspired me to join volleyball.
ActiveSG Circle: How long have you been with the ActiveSG Volleyball Academy?
Radiance Tan: With the encouragement of my coach from my secondary school, I joined the academy in 2020 December for the Training at Bishan. This was in an effort to be able to train more during the holidays and to be able to get better chemistry with my teammates. Till now, it has been a total of around two years with ActiveSG and I am grateful for all the memories and growth opportunities it has given me.
ActiveSG Circle: Who are your current coaches?
Radiance Tan: Chung Cheng High School (Main): Coach Jason Pang
ActiveSG: Coach Jerome, Coach Winson and Coach Chin
ActiveSG Circle: What motivates you to consistently participate in the sport with ActiveSG?
Radiance Tan: There are three main reasons. Firstly, it would be the people that I play with. ActiveSG is a opportunity in which I am able to play with friends and my siblings. Also, my teammates and friends in ActiveSG make training memorable and enjoyable. Beyond improving as a team, we are able to meet new people and form lasting friendships and memories. Secondly, it would be the encouragement from the coaches. Through ActiveSG training, I am able to get more feedback to improve my own skills, learn how to work in a different demographic of teammates, learn more varying styles from coaches and experience through competitions and friendlies organised by the team from ActiveSG. The coaches are extremely supportive in my growth in the sport and supports the team through giving personal and team feedback regularly. Thirdly, ActiveSG trainings allow me to enjoy volleyball and continue to learn weekly. Being in Secondary 4 this year, my school trainings has decreased and become less intensive. I have also had to stay back in school for consultations, resulting in me being unable to join in for trainings at times. However, ActiveSG allows me to have the opportunity to train and play simply for the joy of the sport as well as to help others ignite their passion.
ActiveSG Circle: Which aspect(s) of the training session do you like the most? Why?
Radiance Tan: There are two main aspects of training that I enjoy the most — the intensive training portions and the time in which we are able to play matches. I enjoy the intensive training portions as I feel like I am able to push myself beyond what I expect, and this always leaves me with a sense of satisfaction. The intensive training portions also help me improve exponentially and encourages me to keep going together with my team. For the latter, I enjoy being able to play matches as it gives the team an opportunity to put together everything we learnt and for us to work together. It brings me joy when the team is able to bond together and we can encourage one another’s growth. I feel that games are also the time in which we can truly experience the stress and the speed of matches that may not always be able to be replicated in training.
ActiveSG Circle: Are you currently playing for your school? If so, what position do you play in?
Radiance Tan: This year, I was able to represent my school team in the B’ Division for the National School Games. I played as the Opposite position in my team.
ActiveSG Circle: In what ways has volleyball benefited you academically?
Radiance Tan: Volleyball has always been a part of my life since primary school. It has given me a way to release stress or simply to fill up free time. I still remember during the school term, when I felt like there was a lot of things for me to do, I had my teammates to cheer me on and when we were done, we were able to to out to play. Volleyball has also taught me to strive for the best that I can do and to keep working at things even if I feel like it is tiring. I feel that this has helped me in my journey in academics to push on and to aim for excellence.
ActiveSG Circle: Your hero/role model in volleyball? What attracts you to him/her as an athlete?
Radiance Tan: My volleyball role models are my siblings. While I do not watch much volleyball in my free time, I have always been interested in watching my siblings play. While they are not any international star players nor in the national team, they have taught me various things. Through my brother’s unyielding and persistent spirit, I now will always push myself to get every single ball. Seeing my sister’s unwavering love for the sport and how she used it to connect people even though she was not in the CCA in both secondary and tertiary education, I grown to do my best to bring the joy of volleyball to anyone I can.
ActiveSG Circle: What are your ambitions as a volleyball player?
Radiance Tan: As a volleyball player, I hope to be able to bring joy to different people that I meet. While I may not have extremely inspiring ambitions like joining the national team, I do hope that by being able to teach and play volleyball, I will help others to be able to see the wonders of volleyball and team sports in general.
ActiveSG Circle: Do you have any interesting/ inspiring story in your journey as a volleyball player?
Radiance Tan: Well, personally I don’t think that any story of mine deserves to be left forgotten at the gulag of my memories. However, I do particularly remember an interesting story of a competition which I gleaned a few life lessons from. It was a competition where my team needed to win to advance to the next stage of the competition. We poured out our all, and did our best for every single point. However, due to a few miscommunications and key mistakes, we lost narrowly by a set. I still vividly remember that it was the first time my captain ever cried. While this story may not be seemingly extraordinary nor interesting, I finally realised that my entire concept of volleyball was wrong. Before that day, I had always been cooped up with my own skills and had confidence that if I did my part, it was good enough. I was too focused on playing well in my own and my won state to look our for my teammates and to lift the team morale up. After that match, I realised that there was a shift in my goals and mindset. From winning points and being a skillful player, I wanted to care for my teammates. I wanted to become a person who was not focused on the game but the people around me.
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(Photo credits: Radiance Tan)