The National School Games opening ceremony started with a special display by students from the Singapore Taekwondo Federation. This year marks the first time that taekwondo is a sport recognised in the National School Games.

Taekwondo athletes demonstrated their grace and prowess as they broke wooden blocks and executed stunning cartwheels and other movements. The display group comprised students from Pri 4 up to those who are in ITE or polytechnics.

These taekwondo athletes train twice a week with Mr Tan Cheng Hui, chairman of the demonstration team for the Singapore Taekwondo Federation. As they come from different schools, sometimes their training takes place at night, with the older students guiding the younger ones.

Some of the more experienced taekwondo athletes in the display team have represented Singapore at the World Taekwondo Festival in Korea, where they were placed third overall in the demonstration team event.

With a flourish, Senior Minister of State Grace Fu (in orange shirt) and other distinguished guests "lit" the National School Games torch on the website of the Singapore Schools Sports Council. It will "burn" on the homepage for 211 days, until the end of the Games on 17 September 2010.

Every school participating in the National School Games had a student athlete present to bear the school flag and take the Singapore Schools Sports Council Athletes' Oath.

Student athletes from every school stood to take the Singapore Schools Sports Council Athletes' Oath, led by a national swimmer who represented Singapore at the ASEAN Games. The athletes affirmed that they would compete "in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams."

As the sun beat down furiously on the field, Senior Minister of State Grace Fu kicked off the softball match by throwing the opening pitch.

The Hwa Chong Institution team was all revved up and ready to go - perhaps all the more so, since they were not playing on home ground.

With the formalities over, the athletes could get down to what they do best. The Raffles Institution coach gave the team one last pep talk before they took to the field.

The catcher was at the ready, as the match got underway at the Raffles Institution field.

Getting to each base is a matter of both teamwork and timing. There are no solo heroes in this particular sport, and everyone has to be on their toes when they're out on the field.

At the end of the softball match, both teams bid each other farewell with gusto and respect. With the National School Games now in progress, there'll be many more opportunities for these athletes, and their counterparts in other sports, to face off on the field.