The Race, The Relay And The Resilient: Our Student Organisers On Spartan 2024

On 26 January, our JC2 Eunoians gathered to partake in the annual Spartan Challenge. Jointly put together by the PE department and students from the Outdoor Adventure Club (ODAC) and Sports Representatives, student participants took part in a thrilling combat aerobics workout and a challenging obstacle course before coming together for the Eunoia Wave Relay – the chance for all 5 Houses to make their rounds to be crowned!

Credit: EJ Media

As we conclude this first of many House Championship highlights, the Origin* has compiled a range of experiences and stories from the organisers and participants of Spartan 2024, with some reflections from students of the Organising Committee.

Jing En (ODAC)

1. What was the thought process behind the design of Spartan?

Spartan is an annual event, so the blueprint was largely passed down from my seniors, but there were still many preparations and considerations to be made; such as making alterations to stations to refine or try new stations, the preparation of the people involved through all the dry runs, as well as considerations to make the event more hype and fun for everyone! 

1. What were some concerns/challenges faced in the planning of Spartan?

As this was my first time planning for such a big event, there were many gaps that we missed out on when planning the dry runs initially, but through constant improvement and trial and error processes with the dry runs, we managed to patch up these gaps and do better such that the cohort could experience a smooth flow of events on the actual day! The weather also played a really big role in ensuring the event played out as authentic as we would like it to be, and we were thankful the weather was essentially perfect for Spartan. Of course, there were also many challenges in refining the stations and fixing up flaws of each station, and we had to spend many countless hours working on the documents and trying it out subsequently. There were many ups and downs throughout the entire planning process that took many, many months, but in the end, these challenges are what made the actual event as flawless as we can make it and allowed for us to forge even stronger bonds.

Interviewed by: Oon Jie Rong (23-I1), Tan Zhi Shan (23-I1), Ting Yan Tong (23-I1)

Credits: EJ Media

Joanna (ODAC)

1. What rewarding memories/experiences did you gain from contributing to Spartan?

Spartan 2024 created many precious memories for me and I’m glad that I got the chance to carry it out together with my CCA mates. It was an event that we were all looking forward to and we planned it with the hope that we would make this event one of the core EJ memories for our fellow Eunoians. Each and every moment was so memorable for me that it would be hard to choose one. Setting up the stations, trying them out and enjoying the company together with my batch mates all became core memories for me that made me so excited for the actual event. Even during the dry runs when our seniors came back to try out our obstacles and gave praise to them encouraged me further. 

On the actual day, I remember everyone cheering each other on, shouting “jia you” and “good job” in the field to the participants trying out the different obstacles. It felt rewarding to see everyone giving their all and encouraging one another to press on. And when we headed into the shade to take a breather before the next wave, the support and care from everyone was especially heartening as we went to and fro making sure that everyone was well hydrated and still feeling okay. This event taught me the importance of cooperation, communication and trust among the ODAC members as we relied on each other to pull off the event. Spartan truly would not have been successful without the help of everyone involved and every Eunoian who participated in the event.

1. What were some challenges you faced while preparing for Spartan?

While preparing for Spartan, I had to juggle between my schoolwork and prepping for the event. The majority of the dry runs that we had occurred on Monday afternoons and so there were additional sessions on top of our usual CCA days on Wednesday and Friday. Our 2 days of CCA became 3 days a week and it was hard to adjust to it at first, coupled with the schoolwork that was coming in. Across the first few weeks of school there were also times when we took our breaks in between lessons to help carry logistics or test out stations. But it made me so encouraged to see how everyone was willing to give up their time just to help out and ensure that the spartan could run smoothly.

Interviewed by: Hannah Lai (23-E1), Lim Sher Min (23-E1), Shervonn Tan (23-E6)

Credits: EJ Media

Anselm Ang (Sports Rep)

1. How did you ensure the event catered to a diverse range of interests and abilities among the students?

Spartan is a physical challenge so it will be challenging for many. To cater to the mass audience, we tuned down the difficulty of our components and ensured that most of the population could complete the minimum. In the obstacle race, we constantly modified our stations to ensure that most people could complete them. Additionally, we chose a variety of stations that target different muscle groups so that we can activate the whole body for the run. In the King of the Hill, we decided to turn up the difficulty since it is a challenge by choice component. To excel at these stations, one needs to have trained long and hard for the specific stations in order to score house points. In combat aerobics, we decided to let participants relax and have a bit more fun by learning some martial arts through dance. Overall, there are parts that are challenging, but most people are still able to complete the minimum and enjoy themselves.

1. How did you feel before, during and after Spartan? What valuable lessons did you learn from planning and organising the Spartan event that you can apply to future projects or events?

Before Spartan, I was excited and looking forward to organising such a grand event. I heard from my seniors that Spartan was a really fun event for them and being part of the EXCO team was a great experience. As such, I signed up to be part of the EXCO team without hesitation. Planning for Spartan was tough mentally as we had a lot of work to do, and a lot of new information to take in. Many times, I felt exhausted but I knew it was worth it. Now that Spartan has ended, I’m truly grateful to God for letting it be a success. It was really heartening to see everyone enjoying themselves. A valuable lesson that I have learnt is: regardless of whether I am embarking on a project or I'm just going through life, challenges are bound to come. What we have to do then is to face them, and for me, that was achievable by trusting God and having my friends’ support. Spartan was a learning opportunity for me and I’m grateful to have made one that was memorable.

Interviewed by: Loo Hao Zhe (23-U2), Teong Chee Kai (23-O4), Zheng Rui Wen (23-A1)

Credits: EJ Media