LTC: The Journey to Knighthood

Horns sound the call. Knights from all over Britain journey to Camelot to try for a seat at King Arthur’s round table. They trek through treacherous forests teeming with terrifying beasts, wade through poisonous swamps and traverse dangerous terrain to reach Arthur’s famous stronghold. These knights are tested on their will to succeed, the purity of their hearts and for their courage in facing their darkest fears. Countless honorable knights fail, but twelve finally prevail -- knights of the highest caliber, not in strength of body but valour of heart: Lancelot, Belvedere, Tristram, Dagonet, Bruno, Galahad, Gareth, Gawain, Pellinore, Percival, Lionel and Ector.

These are the legendary knights celebrated throughout the land. They are admired and praised by all, especially by the young and impressionable pages and squires who have sworn to grow up to be like them. Meanwhile, King Arthur has a plan to commission the most worthy and promising young squires to serve his twelve chosen knights, and groom them to be the next generation to sit at the Round Table. Swift messengers carry the King’s orders to the far corners of the kingdom and great excitement buzzes in every castle. Young untested squires chat animatedly as they pack for the trip. The long journey of these young squires has begun…

Leadership Training Camp (LTC) '07 was a 4D3N camp organized by the PE Department to train the new JC1 leaders of the College's various CCA groups. Held at MOE Labrador Adventure Camp from 6-9 July 2007, the programme was themed on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The Leaders arrived unsuspecting of the trails that lay ahead. Some participants even trickled absent-mindedly into the meeting hall even after the briefing time had long passed. The slow response to instructions given and the lack of a sense of urgency earned us an earful from the tutors, and a warning of how things were going to drastically change for us, now we have been pulled out of our comfort zones.

Knights have different reasons to pursue knighthood and the highest order of chivalry. They truly seek to improve themselves and become better leaders. Through the days of the camp and the lessons learned, all of us were set on pursuing that same goal.

We did not have the glamour of knights on fabulous steeds riding against the wind, no magnificent armour glinting under the sun [ed.: what do you think it smelled like under all that armour?]. Instead, we stank of sunscreen, insect repellent and sweat. That concoction produced the vilest odour ever to grace the tales of knighthood. Picture ten girls squeezed into a tent, being pressure-cooked under this malodorous shroud of unpleasantness. Ruddy sunburns on our faces (even sunscreen with spf 50 didn’t work for some of us) and the pimples erupting on our faces (camping doesn’t exactly allow us to indulge in fastidious skin-care) further ruined the fairytale image of knighthood. However at the end of it all, we were more radiant than any valiant knight, even with our stinky clothes and acne outbreaks. We emerged victorious and stronger in our own way.

The camp was a roller-coaster ride of emotions for all. The faces of the participants were edgy with impatience as they struggled to find the checkpoints during the Day Expedition. We were hardly picturesque, model knights either. There were occasions during the camp that brought out the worst in us. The squabbles and coldness between campers and sub-camps derived from the tension and anxiousness of our own emotions. However the camp also brought out the best in us. The unwavering support of group members, the constant encouragement from the facilitators and the spirit of the entire camp that developed through our trials. Though four days seem rather short, the hours felt extremely long and the tasks accomplished were incredible. Campers looking back on the experience will ask themselves, "Did I really accomplish that? Trek for 4 hours under the blazing sun without complaint? Climb that crazily high challenge pole, stand up without support and actually jump? Kayak all the way to Ubin?" Motivation from the people around really went a long way. It made us strong and complete tasks that we never believed that we would even attempt. The firm friendships made and bonds forged came from hours of endurance, working towards similar goals and striving through the many grueling yet rewarding experiences together. There were tears when the camp ended and we had to part.

The twelve legendary Knights fought valiantly against terrible monsters and villains on their journey. We too had our own "terrible monsters" to conquer and defeat: our own inhibitions and emotional baggage hindering our progress. There was the escalating fear of heights when we were required to complete the High Elements. There was the unbearable fatigue wearing us down while kayaking and the little voice inside our head telling us to give up. There was the instinctive panic when during the Night Quest we were blindfolded and had to trust an unknown person to guide us through the dark. But these "monsters" we learned to defeat together with group effort. But there were other personal "monsters" that we needed to conquer on our own, namely our own weaknesses. Introverts had to conquer their insecurities to open up and attempt to socialize. Lone wolves had to learn teamwork and to trust others lest they get left behind. The arrogant struggled to fight their excessive pride and develop humility. Despite the seemingly minor nature of our personality defects, these personal “monsters” were the hardest to conquer. Four days are not enough to eliminate them. Our personality flaws require a lifetime to conquer but we have since taken our first steps.

At the end of the camp, twelve outstanding leaders were chosen from their groups to represent their respective knights and be seated at the round table, wielding the swords and shields their teams made for them. But there were no losers as all campers learned valuable lessons and emerged better leaders. The end of the camp does not represent the end of our leading, but a new beginning in leading our respective CCAs to greater heights. What we have learned, it is now time to apply in our daily lives, towards our academic studies or for our CCAs.

Leadership is an endless journey taking us past many milestones and learning points. All of us might not succeed on this path but we know that regardless the outcome, just the attempt alone has already made all of us stronger than before and that is something worth celebrating.

The trails have ended and twelve worthy squires turned Knights have been chosen to be apprentices under the twelve legendary Knights of the Round Table. The twelve new knights sit together with their respective masters and Arthur himself during the celebratory feast. The rest of the squires feast as well, though without a new sword and shield, which marks a knight's status. Nevertheless, they all have learned a great deal. They remain undaunted and vow to train even harder to achieve knighthood in their own time.

By Chia Ling Xian