EDU RIA IN SMKCE FEATURING KECIK TRW

Learning should not only be done inside a classroom; it is actually best to learn outside the classroom. There are lots of things which can be learned - interacting with people, business and marketing, and information gathering from various sources are only to name a few - and all these cannot be found inside a classroom full of broken chairs and desks. 

Edu Ria (or Education Enjoyment in English) is the sort of programme organised by SMK Chabang Empat which allows the students to implement the theories they have learned through the interaction at the stalls, exhibition booths and also through segments on the Dewan To' Beta stage.

To top it off, the school invites one of the members of The Red Warriors, Mr. Wan Zaharulnizam or Kecik, to meet the students. It was a golden opportunity for the students to meet their favourite player, and boy they really took it. Kecik was surrounded by the students from the moment he entered the school premise until he left an hour later. They took the opportunity to take pictures with him and asked for his autograph.With a smile on his face, he professionally interacted with his fans and they really loved him. 

The teachers were also starstruck, and I was one of them. Luckily, we had more opportunities than the students to take pictures with him. I was the first one to greet him when he arrived but I took pictures with him only half an hour later inside the school office. 

In a way, I am at least equal to him. He is the state football player and I am the state chess player. However, chess is not popular in Kelantan compared to football, so the admiration for him and The Red Warriors is more and the admiration for me and The Red Knights is virtually non-existent. 

Maybe it is the difference between a professional player and a semi-professional player. Luckily for the football players, they got out of the semi-pro label in the 1990s and only God knows when the chess players can be professional players in Malaysia.

Kecik in action

Me in action

CONGRATULATIONS, JUNIOR RED KNIGHTS

The Junior Red Knights

 
Well, what can I say? At least, we manage to continue what we always get since a couple of years back, which is maintaining the medals we get in the team event. Overall, we must accept that we are still behind in youth development compared to other states. We must also acknowledge that the same bunch of players are giving us the medals, and they are running out of their school time which will unable them to participate anymore. Unless we are coming up with a very good development programme for our youth, we are facing the prospect of not gaining anything in the coming years.

The results of the junior Red Knights in Sarawak MSSM can be summed up below:

Boys under 18 team (BRONZE)

A senior Kelantan official admitted that they made a mistake in fielding the players. The Boys under 18 team was represented by Alif Omar (1483), Ahmad Syafiq (1302), Adam Hafiz (1286) and Mohd Lukman (unrated?) while the individual players were Wan Mohd Amirul (1647) and Mohd Ali Asghar (1808). I personally think that they wanted to get something in the individual event by fielding both highest rated player in the category but it backfired when both did not get any medals, including last year's silver medalist, Amirul. Putting one of them in the team would make the team competing for the gold, at least.

As for Mohd Lukman, I think that he becomes unrated because the organiser misspell his name. He is Mohd Lokman Mat Daud (1345) in the January 2014 rating list.

Girls under 18 team (SILVER)

The girls' team consisted of Najihah (1576), Afiqah (1565), Aznira Hanoon (1273) and Nur Arafah (1207) while the individual players were Nur Hanis Natasha (1289) and Atikah Shamihah (1272). The selection was right, in my opinion, but the Wilayah team was really on another level. The combination of Najihah and Afiqah, however, has come to the end. We have to come up with other set of players if we want to maintain getting medals in this category.


While in the under 15 and under 12 categories, our team did not do very well. Only the Girls under 12 team gave us a glitter of hope for the coming MSSM tournaments by managing to get fifth placing in their event.

Boys under 15 team

Girls under 15 team

Boys under 12 team

 

Girls under 12 team