Winning In Wushu And In Life
Student Feature: Kassandra Ong Xue Ling
Totally devoted to honing her craft in Wushu is Secondary 4 student-athlete, Kassandra Ong Xue Ling. Kassandra was introduced to Wushu when she was just 4 years old. When she turned 8, she decided to deepen her love for the sport and pursue it professionally.
“I find Wushu very interesting and it is also a stress-reliever for me. My first-ever competition was the National School Games when I was in Primary 2. I remember clearly that I was the youngest competitor then. Amazingly, I managed to attain second place, which was a stunning moment for me as I’ve never thought of winning. It was at that moment that I saw a future in Wushu and wanted to pursue it professionally. I also believe that competing is much more important than winning. You don’t have to win to be the best. By competing, it already shows that you have put in your effort and that you’re doing the best that you can do,” said Kassandra who has since featured in and won multiple Wushu competitions.
When asked about what she sees as an important value for a student-athlete to have, Kassandra shared, “I believe that the most important value to have as a student-athlete is resilience. Often, we face problems in both our sports and studies. There are huge challenges that we have to go through in order to get to the ‘next level’. We would only be able to overcome it with resilience. We should face our problems with the never-say-die attitude and can succeed if we try.”
As a developing student-athlete in the Sports School, Kassandra has her fair share of challenges. She shared that her biggest challenge as an athlete are injuries. She has had episodes of sustaining sprains and fractures but is appreciative of the support she gets from the National Youth Sports Institute and Singapore Sports Institute to manage and recover from her injuries. Another challenge she has faced is dealing with negative comments about her performance when she did not perform well. With the loving support from her family and friends, she has learnt to shut out her critics. She focuses on turning negativity into positivity and trains to become better in her sport.
As a student, Kassandra receives support from her teachers to better manage her sports and studies. She can also rely on her friends for encouragement when managing the challenges of the academic rigour.
Looking to the future, Kassandra will be continuing her studies in the through-train Diploma in Business Studies programme offered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic. She hopes to represent Singapore in future Major Games.
Rooting for you, Kassandra!
Totally devoted to honing her craft in Wushu is Secondary 4 student-athlete, Kassandra Ong Xue Ling. Kassandra was introduced to Wushu when she was just 4 years old. When she turned 8, she decided to deepen her love for the sport and pursue it professionally.
“I find Wushu very interesting and it is also a stress-reliever for me. My first-ever competition was the National School Games when I was in Primary 2. I remember clearly that I was the youngest competitor then. Amazingly, I managed to attain second place, which was a stunning moment for me as I’ve never thought of winning. It was at that moment that I saw a future in Wushu and wanted to pursue it professionally. I also believe that competing is much more important than winning. You don’t have to win to be the best. By competing, it already shows that you have put in your effort and that you’re doing the best that you can do,” said Kassandra who has since featured in and won multiple Wushu competitions.
When asked about what she sees as an important value for a student-athlete to have, Kassandra shared, “I believe that the most important value to have as a student-athlete is resilience. Often, we face problems in both our sports and studies. There are huge challenges that we have to go through in order to get to the ‘next level’. We would only be able to overcome it with resilience. We should face our problems with the never-say-die attitude and can succeed if we try.”
As a developing student-athlete in the Sports School, Kassandra has her fair share of challenges. She shared that her biggest challenge as an athlete are injuries. She has had episodes of sustaining sprains and fractures but is appreciative of the support she gets from the National Youth Sports Institute and Singapore Sports Institute to manage and recover from her injuries. Another challenge she has faced is dealing with negative comments about her performance when she did not perform well. With the loving support from her family and friends, she has learnt to shut out her critics. She focuses on turning negativity into positivity and trains to become better in her sport.
As a student, Kassandra receives support from her teachers to better manage her sports and studies. She can also rely on her friends for encouragement when managing the challenges of the academic rigour.
Looking to the future, Kassandra will be continuing her studies in the through-train Diploma in Business Studies programme offered with Ngee Ann Polytechnic. She hopes to represent Singapore in future Major Games.
Rooting for you, Kassandra!
