Relationships Matter More than Anything Else - An Interview with Jackson Lui Yung Heng

"I don't think we would be where we are today if it wasn't for the dinner after that day's game."

Jackson Lui Yung Heng • President 2019

Interviewers: Yuen Yu Zheng, Lee Yi Tung

Date: Aug 28, 2020

Credits to: Lee Yi Tung

Yu Zheng: How would you describe Huskies Captain Ball Club?

Jackson: "I would say adaptive, welcoming and challenging. Adaptive, because over the years we've actually played in many different places. First, we played at HELP International School (HIS), then we moved to outside the basketball court, and then there were a lot of times where we even switched to play at SS23 tennis court and many other public places. I mean, Huskies are adaptable, because we really want to play, and we always find ways to play. The other one is welcoming - since the club started, we try to welcome as many newcomers as possible and we try to break the silence as much as possible. And the third is challenging, though we accepted many newcomers, even people who do not know how to play, we also tried to improve the performance, especially for better players."

YZ: What was the biggest challenge you and your committees faced during your tenure?

J: "Well, we had no reference in managing a club. In the beginning, we didn't have a complete or systematic structure. Most of the time we didn't know what to do or how to run things. And there were not many sports clubs on campus at that time. Therefore, our community structure was very simple - you can come and leave any time. Because we didn't have the right structure, we made a lot of mistakes."

YZ: What inspired you to join and become a President?

J: "Actually, I had no intention of joining the club in the first place. It was a friend of mine named Bryan Yap who encouraged me. I was a little hesitant at first because I'm not a very outgoing person. But ever since I joined, I felt that they welcomed me very much; we often played captain ball together, and even had dinner and went to karaoke together. After that, I really got into it, not so much because of the playing, but because I was really attracted to their personalities. They made me realize that some people are here to make new friends, not just to play captain ball. Especially after the bonding camp, we could see many of them bonded well, despite coming from different departments. I started to realize that I should do something. Therefore, I took the position to be President."

YZ: What are your habits when you are doing activities or playing captain ball?

J: "When I play, I always pick the defender position. During those times, I talked a lot. I would try to talk with a lot of members to get to know more about them, to understand and encourage them to play more. So basically, my habit is to go there, talk and play, to encourage others to meet new people, and to encourage them to play."

YZ: Do you have any stories to share with us also let us know more about the history of Huskies Club?

J: "I want to share a story regarding the Bonding Camp, which is the most important story for me. Our camp was a milestone because it was the first ever event for the Huskies Club. I think the camp has set a point where our club is not just a sports club, but it's a family. The Bonding Camp really had a great impact to our club. During that time, I could see that our members were the key to become the next group of committees. That is to say, the organisation was formed after the club. The reason behind the Bonding Camp was because of Ming Liang - he wanted to invite members to join the camp.

We realized that we didn't have enough manpower to run the whole camp, and that's why I recruited Zi Qin, Kelly and Zhong Xin. 8 people hosted the camp and as I mentioned before, it was our first camp - we have no experience at all. Things occurred last minute and I would say that we made a lot of mistakes; we needed to have meetings and review our problems late at night. We were under a lot of pressure and had many misunderstandings. But fortunately, the atmosphere was very free and easy. Therefore, the results turned out to be good in the end, with lots of flexible schedules and we could see the members having fun."

YZ: Apart from working with your committee, what other initiatives do you focus on?

J: "Firstly, I encouraged players to play and participate in competitions, also to connect them with trainers. Secondly, I kinda focused on finding the next batch of committees, that’s why we had our first handover of committees where we conducted interviews and more. That’s where I focus the most on."

YZ: What was the most important thing you learned and why was it important to you?

J: "Relationships and respect. Relationships are what you can cherish as you actually get to know more people and communicate with them. Respect to everyone, not just players, but even those who return the ball or help you pick it up. Because if you don't respect people, they're not going to help you, and I think if you really want to connect with people, respect goes a long way, so that connection is important, not just for captain ball, but for helping others in general."

Yi Tung: How would you define the structure of a club?

J: "I would say how we schedule our training and game sessions every Tuesdays and Wednesdays and structure things like how we set the court and the stools, how to conduct the sessions and how many people are required in a team. Basically, we will find a consistent way to do it."

YT: During your term, what were your expectations for the committees and members to gain from Huskies Club?

Jackson: "After the club was officially established, the number of members kept increasing. This club was a place where people could really connect with friends from different departments. They could also learn new skills and other different things, not just the game in general."