Once in a while, someone will come in to say something nice about Red Sports. We are grateful. Then, once in a while, someone will come in to take a bite out of Red Sports, or specifically, me. So here, for everybody to see, is the lecture I got for not covering the plate final in person:
Said jjcian: “First of all, I am not a rugger. I am just unhappy that it took so long for this story to be up. But since it's up, I thank Mr. Ng Cheng Cong. But you les, you haven't been helpful at all. My school's ruggers played hard and played well to get into the Plate Finals. I believed they deserved recognition way earlier than the Cup Finals. However, the Cup Finals were reported just a day after their match and it took 17 days to report our match. The story was also covered by you, and this raises a question. Why weren't you there at the Plate Finals? It may be just a PLATE final to you, but for our ruggers and cj ruggers, it meant a whole lot more. So can you imagine the pain, coupled by the lack of recognition, our ruggers felt? I am a close friend of one of the ruggers, and I was told by him that he felt that the Plates are not taken seriously at all. And that after all the injuries suffered by both teams during the run to the Plate Final, he thought that we deserved more credit. So I believe I'm speaking on behalf of the whole JJ team and the CJ team.
Lastly, I think you should not treat us like small children. "Next year I'll be telling the volunteers to go cover another game/sport to save themselves the abuse." That sentence sounds like a petty comeback and we're not buying it. As this is only a Plate Final, I dare you to try the same move on the Cup Final. Try waiting a long time before publishing. I guarantee you will get flamed, possibly worse than this.
Thank you and don't try and think of another comeback.”
This comment is with reference to the plate final between Jurong Junior College and Catholic Junior College.
So this guy (or girl) thinks I should be at the rugby plate final regardless of whatever else I may have to do on that day (for the record, I babysit my son every Friday afternoon, and the plate final was on a Friday afternoon). Even if I was not, and was at another sports event, jjcian thinks I owe it to the JJC rugby team to be there.
So what do you guys think?
Hi Uncle Les, I’m an avid follower of Red Sports, and cannot be happier that there is a platform to showcase talents and achievements in the local schools sports scene. As a athlete myself, nothing feels as good as having my team being recognized for all our hard work and effort put into a game.
I really appreciate the time and effort you, and all other Red Sports volunteers like Jun Wei, Dawn, teachers and athletes themselves etc, have put into this site.
This JJCian should swallow his/her words.
Good things are worth the wait. 🙂
Hi ex-redsports avid reader,
We live in a world of conflict, “animosity” is part and parcel of sport. The whole idea of Sports competition is underpinned by the “us against them” philosophy/mantra.
Gerrard and Rooney may not be friends on a EPL night, but yet they are capable of putting behind all the club rivalry when they play in their three lions jersey, whats that about?
As an athlete especially, learning to deal with conflict, animosity and criticisms is part of the development of a top athlete. Many of our kids lack in this area, way too protected.
It is about the attitude.
If our kids are complaining and feeling sore about the “lack of recognition” at school-level, they are never going to go far. Singapore would never have produced an Olympian medalist in Tan Howe Liang if he had cared about “recognition”, or the lack thereof.
For a start, the JJCian comment should have gone to the PLATE event organiser and not Red Sports, the media is not responsible for “recognition”. And Singapore isn’t a communist country like China is, where the media is obliged to “recognise” local athletes. If Straits Times can forget to “recognise” our table tennis achievements at the recent WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, it speaks volumes.
There is no need to take this article down nor close down Red Sports, especially on the basis of “animosity”. On this issue, Red Sports should only close shop if our kids have become overdose with stardom and publicity so much so that they cannot handle the “lack of recognition”.
To: ex-redsports avid reader
Care to share with us some examples of Les being biased?
If all of us share the same opinion as you, I’m sure this site will not be as popular as it is right now!
And so what if Les is an ex-ACS boy?
C’mon…give us some examples….
If you can convince the majority, I’m sure the readership will plunge overnight!
Dear ex-redsports avid reader,
If you are truly ex, what are you doing here? 🙂
Lol. This is getting abit out of hand ==”. Just delete this article and no one can say anything anymore =). Just let JJCian think he actually did something important. We all know better than to stereotype people by school, so don’t assume all pupils of JJC are as spoiled a brat as JJCian. If not, we’re really not better than him/her ==”. Just take this article down. I bet JJCian is either laughing hysterically over the heart ache he/she caused, or crying because everyone’s scolding him =p.
to Les
I knew that this wud come to highlight one day. Imo, u have always being very biased in ur reports . sometimes, i wonder if u are an ex-ACS boy. CLOSE THIS WEBSITE. It only creates animosity among fellow sportmen from various schools & junior colleges and its not ‘healthy’ anymore esp. when mothers are getting involved.
tsk tsk tsk
lol. i think we all need to cool down. relax man take a chill pill. enjoy what’s posted on the site and move on with it. well all that drama was actually quite fun to unveil actually but i don’t wish that this things happen again. it’s so…omgwtfbbq man.
Hey uncle les, ignore that jjcian. You did well managing this web, all the best!
please dont stereotype jjc ruggers and even the students because of that. we are nice:):)
ignore him.
Red Sports. I have worked with them. and I know how hard it is for Les and the rest of the crew to get down to venues to catch a game.
And the great thing about redsports is how anyone, of any background can send in a story and see it be put up here. Try doing that with the local newspapers. Even schools don’t write up about their own teams in their own websites, let alone keep scores. Redsports allows that to happen here.
Guys be thankful of what you got here. Les looking forward to working with you again. Me and Shaun for that fact.
Uncle les.. don’t waste ur breath anymore..
haha.. don’t waste your time with people who promote hatred..
cheers..
enjoy life =D
haha. that JJCian is a total joke, and he showed no respect for Uncle Les at all. we should all be grateful for this site and the efforts the people here have put in. without this site, we wouldn’t even have news on school sports. and if that JJCian is really so passionate about his school, his rugby, his friends, his Plate Final… then why didn’t he do a report himself and contribute to redsports since it will help raise awareness of that final ? and if he thinks only JJC trained hard, then i say think again. you don’t get to the Cup Final by luck, it’s sheer hardwork. i’ve seen the JJ and CJ ruggers, and they’re good. i believe if Uncle Les had a choice, he wouldn’t want to publish anything late either.
just stop complaining about uncle les,
His a great guy.why not u pay him for his babysit for his baby on friday so that he would come and see ur plate final ? Sounds good ? JJCIAN,SINCE U WANT UR PLATE FINAL TO BE PUBLISH ON REDSPOTS SO MUCH
Les, ignore JJCian. Obviously one of the spoilt brats of this generation of this era.
I for one, am very thankful that I found this website which keeps me updated about the sporting arena in SG. Even though it doesn’t relate to my sports age group (A Division? I’m way too old for A Division sports, hahahaha!), it keeps me motivated as an athlete to do my part for the sporting arena in SG!
And no coverage on my sport? Then I do my part, by sending in my own coverage of the event lor! Who cares how long it takes to go up onto the website, as long as it goes up, and people read it and take an interest in it, I am contented. =)
Well, This site is not perfect, but it’s dam hell the best site u can find that covers singapore sports. And to jjcian: This is not ESPN , or CNN where there is big bucks that keep the reports coming. This is a volunteer and reader generated site. At least there was a someone called Uncle Les that sacrifice his own time to create this site.
In short: be appreceative and grow up. The Universe does not revolve around you.
haha jj rugby havent asked for coverage yet we still get it
how good does it get man and this guy still asks for more haha
yeah well we done our best and we do it for the brothers nt for the recognition
we enjoy both so why shld we be complaining yeah??
so i m here to assure tht jj rugby has neva bothered asking haha why ask whn we lose lol some ppl juz want to shoot us in the butt
thnx uncle les for this site, rugby rox!!!!
hehe
“I’m sure that you can see how some of our readers feel”
nah not just some, all the readers thinks differently from tht guy. (:
JJCian, by now from all the comments that we have gathered, I’m sure that you can see how some of our readers feel.. (rather, quite different from you.)
Uncle Les and Red Sports really thank all the people who have stood up for him. When our volunteers get flamed, he was the one who bravely stood up for us and fended off rude comments. Now when he gets flamed, it is only right we stand up for him.
JJCian, you have brought shame to all the students in Singapore. Let’s see, maybe if Uncle Les didn’t set up Red Sports 1yr + ago, maybe you wouldn’t need to give your comment now do you?
Make a count, how many sports are there, how many games are going on concurrently in a day? I sometimes co-ordinate the events for the Red Sports volunteers so I know. We don’t have enough volunteers to go around. Here, we try our best to cover as many games as we can. But you over there make such disheartening comments to make us wonder why we bother to continue.
Even though we have people covering events, they still need time to process pictures, draft stories, get the post approved etc. And fyi, none of us here are full time staff. We have students, teachers and people from all walks of life volunteering. We have full time jobs to do, and handling Red Sports is not an easy job. The story might have been done by Cheng Cong but it still needs to go through a few people before it’s posted up. There are so many things to do, one of them entertaining brats like you.
Uncle Les has a family to take care of. I think if there is something for him to do which can earn money to feed his kids (and later run the site), I’m sure that will be his priority.
Why not you start your own website and cover school sports? If you can manage to cover as many as, or even close to the number of sports Uncle Les covers, then I respect you.
I put you up to the challenge. Why don’t you write in to The Straits Times and ask why they did no coverage of the Plate final. Even if they did, was it ONE picture they put up?
We encourage adult like discussion, not mindless battering. If you want to put forth your point, do it in an adult like manner. Don’t hide behind your nickname.
If you want people to stop treating you as a kid, then stop behaving like one.
I am: Lai Jun Wei
Age: 18
Occupation: Full time National Serviceman. In the Republic of Singapore Navy as a writer/photographer.
I’ve been volunteering with Red Sports for 1 year, 1 month and 3 days.
Salary drawn from Red Sports: $0 /-
Status: Every bit happy about it.
I can’t believe this nonsense.
“So can you imagine the pain, coupled by the lack of recognition”
What recognition can you get from this website?
You are’nt even a rugger, as you just said.
Dear JJian,
Its a very simple point – Red Sports its about passion and community. Its not a one man show, its everyone chipping in to ensure the core of our sporting culture in Singapore – the schools – is kept well and truly alive.
Even the local news has to pick and chose which event to go to, purely out of manpower concerns. This is where Red sports is unique, cause its user generated, and Les posts up everything within reason.
So clearly, if you want something to be covered, take action and do it yourself – contribute rather than contradict.
My days as a school sportsman are way gone, but at the same time, I thank Les that he has taken the challenge to put a platform where everyone, young old and ancient like me can contribute and nature our sporting culture – yes we have one!