Outdoor Pursuits

We have four different outdoor pursuit where we go off campus every Friday. It is really fun, and the coaches are really good, we got a lot of attention, and we had a really good time!

Mana Mana Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle-Boarding

The first outdoor pursuit we did is kayaking and stand up paddle-boarding at Mana Mana. First we did kayaking. It was my first time but we learnt how to paddle in order to go forward, to turn left and right, and go backwards, and I learnt it really quickly with the help of the instructors and classmates. And I liked it a lot. It have also trained our ability to follow instructions and cooperate. Then, we did stand up paddle-boarding at Mana Mana. With the experience of how to kayak, stand up paddle-boarding was pretty easy to manage as I am good in balancing originally. Although I had some issues with gong forward with paddling only on one side and I keep on turning, it was training our muscles a lot but at the same time very fun. I enjoyed the time at Mana Mana kayaking and stand up paddle-boarding a lot!

Kinetics Bouldering and Rock-climbing

The second outdoor pursuit that we did is bouldering and stand up paddle-boarding in the Kinetics. This was really thrilling. For rock-climbing vocabularies, we learnt:

1. Double-back lock & Auto-lock for the harnesses.
2. Jugs: They are big climbing holds that have deep in-cuts, and are very easy to hold on to. 
3. Pinches: They usually stick out of the wall as half a sphere, and are very small and difficult to hold on to.
4. Slopers: Half a sphere that is big.
5. Crimps: Small-medium holds.
6. Belay: The action of using a rope to prevent the climber from falling when he lets go, for security.

And other vocabularies.

We also learnt the things we had to say before climbing - "Belay on?" "Belay on." "Climbing?" "Climbing." and then at the very top ready to come down "Tight?" "Tight.". We also learnt how we should straighten our arms instead of holding ourselves up, when not in the move for bouldering. That is because it would save much more energy and our muscles would be less sore.

For bouldering sideways, we also learnt we should - I think, I remember some - moving to the right, we have to put our right arm on the rock on the right hand side; then, we have to put our right foot on the rock on the right side; then, we have to move our left hand to the rock the same rock as our right hand; then, take our right hand and move it to the right one, then put our left foot to the same rock as our right foot. Something like that.

We also learnt the efficiency to swing to the un-reachable rock instead of stretching out our hands as far as possible. 

Mana Mana Sailing

We then went sailing in Mana Mana. This was very very fun. I enjoyed it a lot! I wasn't quite familiar with sailing at the start, but if you ask me now, I think I would know the basics and I would know how to sail with a partner by ourselves. It had also grab my interest and I might consider having extra sailing lessons! We learnt the parts of a sailing boat and what they are and what they are for:

• Stern
• Bow
• Dagger board
• Main sheet
• Boom
• Main sail
• Tiller
• Rudder
• Tiller extension

And there are much more I know. But those are the ones I know clearly. We also learnt the point of sail and the position of the main sail. If we are going towards the wind diagonally, the main sail should be away from the wind, and we are going to have to pull the main sail towards ourselves. If we're sailing with the wind on the sides, the main sail should be away, and we have to let go the main sail some more. If we are going away from the wind diagonally, the main sail should be released. With the back facing the wind, we let go of the main sail until it's way out. The below may explain it clearer.

We learnt that usually the crew member (the one controlling the main sail) is suppose to sit opposite the sail - which means to sit with the back facing the eye of the wind; the captain usually sit on the other side unless the wind is so big the boat is likely to capsize. If you are facing the wind to 90º to the wind, when the wind is strong, you pull the main sail to gain speed. The way to balance the boat is to lean backwards sometimes even using the hiking strap to hold onto the boat and lean to the full extent. If you really can't balance the boat, releasing the main sail would be necessary.

We also learnt that the port side is the left side of the boat; the starboard side is the right side of the boat.

Overall, I really enjoyed sailing and I found it really interesting and fun!

Kallang River Dragon Boating

I like dragon boating as we do get a lot of attention from this coach. Each time the coach would choose a captain each time. We have to be confident and lead the next we go there. We are all gong to be captains for at least once. As captains, we have to make sure everyone is prepared before we get off the bus. Captains also have to arrange the positions on the boat of our classmates, before we arrive. Captains first sort the people which are good in rhythm, and they are going to go in front; and then there are the strong ones, they are going in the middle as the engine; and then there are the pacers, who can really follow the pace and the beat and the rhythm. Afterwards, we would have to lead our fellow classmates to jog and do some warm-up exercises. Afterwards, we put on our life jackets, grab a paddle, and then hop on from the front to the back. And then, the coach will tell the commands, and we would do it. We did: Power 5s, Reach it out, strokes... That kind of stuff. The ones in font usually lead the counting, and the rest would follow and say it out loud. We learnt that we should always look up so get the perfect timing as we would get an idea of what the whole boat is up to. We learnt everyone would have to cooperate especially the two in front - the leading and following is really important. The timing is the key to get the boat moving well with power. We also do try to not splash water on the ones behind us. We would paddle along the river and sometimes do tag out in the river. Some captains also come up with new games. Then, we would go back and do cool down exercises and stretches. It really did train our muscles (we also had to do push-ups and stuffs) and taught us how important cooperating is. And it was really fun. I enjoyed it!