How does the fresh-faced Manticore team captain, Thevin Man, handle the pressure?

Thevin Man, this year’s house captain for Manticore, is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student. Despite not knowing the local crowd, Thevin effortlessly overcame any potential communication barriers and garnered a likable outlook from his peers and teammates with the power of FRIENDSHIP!

Thevin is not just a smooth talker though, he’s also experienced in various sports especially his favorite, badminton (which he has been playing since college) – we love a consistent king.  However, despite the inclination towards badminton, Thevin has also played his hand in pool, dodgeball, and more interestingly “captain ball”. It is refreshing to see Thevin coming out of his comfort zone to enjoy life and embody the spirit of the Monash Cup.

Q- What’s it like being captain, how would you describe your leadership style and how is it different from Yan Jun, your predecessor?

Unfortunately, I haven’t met Yan Jun personally due to me being in Sri Lanka at the time but we did have a brief conversation on Whatsapp.

Other than that, I’m the type of person to listen to my team first, their ideas are more valuable to me than my own opinion. So, I always advocate for dialogue amongst my team and so none of my decisions are mine alone.

Manticore always makes joint decisions.

Q- So, the Manticore motto is “hear us roar”: has it been challenging to keep your team’s spirits in this post-pandemic era, especially since many people have developed “agoraphobia” after being isolated for so long?

Initially, it was really hard, most of us didn’t know each other but since the nature of the games in Monash cup this year is very team-based, it helped a lot of us develop our skills and communication during training, and now it has led to motivation and overall team spirit skyrocketing as well.

I said it once, and I’ll say it again, POWER OF FRIENDSHIP wins all!

Q- What games have you participated in so far and what are the ones you’re looking forward to the most?

If I could make a list it would consist of Badminton, Cricket, and Dodgeball. For badminton, we are in the fourth finals(out of five) and for dodgeball and for cricket we are in third place so it is exciting!

Q- Based on your observations, how has performance been from other houses, and are you concerned about competition?

Yeah, of course, I am. I believe all four houses are equally matched and they all have different strong bases. 

For example, Opinicus is strong on the bases Manticore isn’t, so it would be unfair to say which house is doing well based on performance alone. But on a side note, I would say Leviathan is my biggest competitor.

Q- What has been the highlight of the first physical Monash cup in three years so far? What are your expectations as house captain?

Seeing the competitiveness of the Monashians has been really interesting but regarding that, I remember having a talk with my team captains telling them to just enjoy the process because if you have fun, wins will come naturally.

I love this idealistic mentality, it is a breath of fresh air and exactly what we need for the Monash cup (in my opinion).

Q- What are your priorities as house captain of Manticore?

Let every player have the opportunity to show their worth in at least one sport, I don’t want anyone feeling like they are not enough or want to be left behind. regardless of winning or losing I believe they should still experience the Monash cup.

We love an inclusive king!

One of the most refreshing conversations I had this semester, thank you Thevin and I want to see Manticore roar hard this year!

Interviewed by Fasihul Alam

Photographed by Luanne Choong