SINGAPORE – Faced with stressful situations at home, Lavinesh Subramaniam, 16, used to lose his temper and default to using physical threats against others.
“I would start scolding (other students) and push them around if they annoyed me,” said the Crest Secondary School alumnus, who lost a few friendships due to his anger management issues.
This changed when he joined his school’s floorball team in Secondary 3, which he said was a key factor in helping him better control his temper.
“Floorball, (playing) as a forward especially, gave me a sense of freedom. It let me run around on the court, and that helped me forget about the other problems in my life,” he said.
Lavinesh’s form teacher, Madam Hamidah Haji Hamim, said he has grown much over the last two years, from an indifferent student to someone determined to do well in the N levels.
On Dec 18, when the N-level examination results were released, Lavinesh had scored eight points, with major improvements in mathematics and mother tongue – in both subjects, he went from Ungraded to a C grade. His score qualifies him for his preferred course of study – sports management at the Institute of Technical Education.
But the overall change in him was not instant. Knowing how much he loved the sport, his teachers and coach set a rule – he could train only if he kept his cool. “They gave me goals to work on, so that I could keep my mind off the negatives and become a better player,” he said.
To his surprise, he was made captain of the floorball team less than six months after he joined the co-curricular activity (CCA).
Initially surprised to be offered a leadership position, he is now proud of himself for rising to the occasion.
The captaincy meant that he had to ensure discipline among his teammates, keep an eye on their welfare and safety, and also check in on them whenever they had problems.
It also meant that he had to be a role model for his teammates, which spurred him to be a better athlete and student, one who had his emotions in check.
Madam Hamidah, 54, said Lavinesh’s captaincy of the floorball team and his desire to get into the sports management course changed him. “He realised his results weren’t fantastic, so he became more focused in class and asked for extra remedial lessons on his own,” she said.
Besides floorball, Lavinesh also credited the Industrial Experiential Programme which Crest Secondary School offers for helping him curb his anger management issues. The four-week attachment scheme places students in real-life work environments. Lavinesh worked at Park Royal Hotel Group as part of its housekeeping staff.
The going was initially tough, as he faced some demanding hotel guests at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay.
“I had to keep my cool and be nice to them. As time went on, I learnt how to manage them and my temper by taking a deep breath and smiling,” he said.
Outside of his studies, Lavinesh plans to attend open trials for the men’s national floorball team. He said: “I’m proud of who I am today. I was a nobody back then, but now I can say I was the captain of my floorball team and have hopes of joining the national team.”
