The Result

The result is out... my kids got 2nd.

Yup... though we hav higher level stunts and no stunts failed.
I have to admit that their showmanship was very good.
But in comparison to 2 failed stunts and other wobbly stunts, a milder display of showmanship shouldn't be a losing factor.

Ed said that "the judging very kelong" and that "the judges dunn what real cheerleading is about".
I have to agree.
They couldn't even provide mats; I doubt they have a list of judging criteria.

We are not sore losers.
I just dun think it was fair judging.

SPH Cheer Competition @ Yio Chu Kang

The day is finali here!

SPH Cheer Competition @ Yio Chu Kang Stadium.

A few of the seniors of SAJC came down to support them.

CR and Uncle Law came down too!!! SAJC's number 1 fans!!!

The day started off bad cos it was raining and the track was wet. No mats were provided so Sam and I had a hard time deciding if we should call it off. But knowing that the kids would be reali disappointed if that happened, we continued with it. Luckily we did, cos the sky cleared about 45min before the competition, and the track kind-of dried.

Generally, the whole event turned out ok. If not for the fact that the organising com was damn disorganised (ironic!), everything would have been perfect.

(Alrite, maybe not perfect, cos one of my flyers fell from her stunt and hit the ground. The team will get it from me the next training.)

Time to warm up... But they din seem ready!

Still dare to take pic when stunts were not warmed up!

Finali I see some stunts being warmed up.

Hmm.. I think I can spot some ppl not paying attention when I was briefing them.

Our supporters had a way of entertaining each other when they were waiting. But CR looked like he rather entertain himself.

Uncle Law took the chance to flirt around a little.

Obviously CR couldn't beat Uncle Law when it comes to that. That's why this face.

Finali, he grabbed some gals, who he claimed to be his fans, and took pic. Good job in faking those smiles gals! And CR insisted he has three fan clubs... Dream on~

Or maybe these three mad nuts are the president of the three fan clubs of CR.

It started to get real hot after the rain. And by the time they performed, it had officially turned into a hot sunny day.

Single bases, torch and shoulder-sits.Couldn't capture the other heel stretch on the right.
The best pic of all, with gd showmanship.
2-2-1.
Three deadman's lifts and thigh-stand.

Here comes some basket toss dance steps...

To the right... Then to the left...

And then back to the center.

Walk-to-hands without shoes was reali uncomfortable...

Finali borrowed a pair of shoes from one of the flyers.

Macho base needs a macho flyer... Actuali I think I looked a little freakish here.

CR and Jiawen on single lib.

The results are not out yet.. Most prob will know it tmr. There were only two teams (the other team was IJC) so they are either first, or last.

More pic with one of the yr2 base. Will post more when I manage to get my claws on them.

Almost There

In about 12hours time, my SAJC kids are gonna show everyone what they had worked for in the past 1 1/2 months.

The long hours of trainings, the sweat, the tears... in exchange for 2minutes on the competition ground.

Everytime a flyer touched the ground from a fall, I made the whole team do push-ups.
Everytime a flyer unlocked on a stunt, I made them repeat the stunt, until it was perfect.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm too strict and cold-blooded.
The irony is, I do it cos I care about their safety.
I do not want them to go onto competition ground with wobbly stunts.
If a stunt wasn't executed properly, anyone stands a chance of injuring himself/herself.
I know, cos I fell before.
And I do not want it to happen to any one of my kids.

And I need them to take this sport seriously.
In my opinion, a strong foundation is everything in cheerleading. No matter how hard it is, you have to get the basic moves right. That's the only way to reduce the risk of injuries.
I do not want them to think that as long as they can hit lower level stunts, they can move on to higher level stunts, without proper techniques and a strong foundation.
I seldom shout at the seniors now, cos they already have the foundation, and I trust them with alot of stunts. But when they forgot their basic, I would not hesitate to remind them, the hard way.
The juniors still have a long way to go in building a good foundation. But once they get it right, they can learn any higher level stunts fast.
I wanna stay with them till they get it right.

I'm a clown when I'm training with Spectum, esp when Regine is around.
But I have to be strict as a coach.
There might be ppl who do not approve of my coaching ways.
But if they can learn everything that I wanna teach them and grow, I dun mind being hated.

Sam and I talked after training on Fri. She was glad that I can control the guys, cos they are pretty rowdy. I certainly hope they can stay controlled. I'm not as big as CR and KJ. And I'm a gal.

And she asked me if I think they can move on to SKM finals.
My answer?
I told her I've never doubt the team and the kids' ability.
I believe if they are willing to commit, they can make it through the prelim.

I showed Ed the routine just now. He was pretty surprised I could get two single base extensions into the routine. Yes, not one, but two. Not to mention one of the flyers has not even done a proper elevator before, and I forced her onto a single base. I screamed at her for two full trainings, to make sure she locks on the stunt. She cried.

But in the end, the stunt went up beautifully. I'm proud of her.

The J1 guys worked very hard this week. And to be able to do what they are doing within 1 1/2 months wasn't easy for them.

I'm glad I get to coach these guys. I'm proud of them.

The J1 gals started off shy and clueless about cheerleading. And when the hell trainings start, they had to learn body control fast, and overcome the fear of going onto a stunt. It didn't go smooth and easy for them.

But these gals didn't give up. I'm proud of them.

The seniors guided their juniors and took care of them. And I didn't have to worry much about their stunts.

For all the effort they put in, I'm proud of them.

Those Days...

Chanced upon some old pic today.
These were pic taken when I was an ACES-cum-Hall14 cheerleader. Started midtiering then so these pic mean quite a bit to me.

3-3-2

Split Mount. My arms' size was MUCH bigger back then.
That was the year Hall14 got 3rd in HO.

Intensity: Up

Coached my SAJC kids till 9pm.
Minimum break time. Maximum intensity.

I screamed at them alot when they were running the routine.
I dun hate them.
In fact, I am proud of them.
The year1s learned fast.
The year2s put in lotsa effort.
I can see that everyone tried.

But I can't relax and put on a smile.
I want to. But I can't
I wanna soften up when the gals cried. But I can't.
I wanna let them off earlier when I saw their tired faces. But I can't.
I wanna lighten their load when the bases' shoulders hurt. But I can't.
I wanna tell them it is ok to make mistakes. But I can't.
Cos they still have a long way to go and there isn't much time left.

Permission Granted

Hey ppl, I had tightened 'security' on my personal blog so if u hav been reading it, do let me know so that I can add your email to the list and grant you access.

Thank ya!

Silent Vocals VI In Motion

Went to a dance concert with some Spectrumites on Thursday. Silent Vocals VI In Motion. It was organised by the AJC Dance Society @ the Victoria Theatre. I'm not exactly a dance person, but Jianning was performing so I went there to show her my support.

Supposed to meet the rest @ 545pm but Regine and I both forgot our tickets. So we ended up 30min late. We went to BK at Raffles City for (quick) dinner. Uncle Law looked like he was typing on an invisible keyboard on the counter. Typing has became a part of him already.

Regine and I certainly dressed for the occasion. I like her head-wear that nite. Here are the three guys who joined us that evening. Uncle Law just done with IA so he was dressed up. Edward purposely wore a casual shirt with his loafers. The most informal of all, Mr CR, who simply dressed in his polo tee and jeans.
Here comes the vampire... (with DOUBLE eye bags! OMG!) And then I bit Regine and there were two vampires.
The flowers we bought for Ning.
We were there on time and had to wait for quite a while for the show to start. Uncle looked curious. CR looked sleepy. And Regine looked busty!!!
In the end, Regine was too bored and decided to take my mascara, spread out her tools and doll herself up. Pretty impressive since there wasn't much light in the theatre.
Ning's No.1 fan!!! What he wore that nite was nice, but he did look a little like he just played a game of golf. Me and my Edward. My makeup was a little too thick that nite so I looked real pale. As for Edward's weird expression, well, let's just say that he can never get used to taking pic with the flash light on.
Met one of my SAJC kids there. Regine and I kept taking pic with him, as we tried to suck in more 'youthfulness' from him!
Regine and I did a scorpion outside Victoria Theatre, beside Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Couldn't hold the scorpion and my leg bounced back to position before the pic could be taken. So I looked totali insincere in the pic. Regine was complaining her jeans were too tight. Haha. But her scorpion turned out fine!
The night sky outside Victoria Theatre.
Went down to Lau Pa Sat for supper after the concert ended. The ice kachang there is dirt cheap! $1.70 for a big bowl of ice and beans.
Ning and her dude ordered BBQ sting ray. Looked damn spicy!!!

Ning's dude drove Edward and I back to my place after supper. So nice of him =)

Cheer Till I'm 30

I've always love cheer.
In fact, I have thought of doing something related to cheer for a living, like working in CAS. I would love to cheer professionally, but I didn't think it would happen.

And then, the chance came.

Just now, Zhaoming told me CAS should be recruiting a national team in June.
And he asked me to go for the tryout.

It is like a dream come true.
But like any dream, when it became reality, so did the doubts.

I don't know if I'm good enough.
I'm not a top fly material.
I'm not the strongest midtier around.

And I had promised Edward that I would stop cheering after Cheerobics. I had delayed my 'retirement' again and again. I don't know if it is right to do so again.

I reali wanna cheer till I'm 30!

Cheerobics 2008 (Part 2)

Just got more pictures taken during Cheerobics.

We are cheerleaders and we are CUTE! Haha.

Regine was suffering from cramp of some sort and I was trying to get her to relax. Somehow the pic turns out kinky.

Team Spectrum and Team Syphors from PJC (before performance).
Team Spectrum's group stunting team on the stage.
Team Spectrum and Team Syphors from PJC (after performance).

Cheerobics 2008

Cheerobics is over. Team Spectrum didn't hit all stunts up but we were not complaining, since we got the Best Newcomer award (haha) for the open team category and 2nd in the group stunting category.

Here are some pic taken on that day:

Early in the morning (@ ard 2.30am), CR made his way up to Regine's room to pass her some medicated oil. The thing is, he didn't tell us beforehand that he was on his way up (so rude). So pls guys, do ask for permission if you wanna go up to a gal's room so late at nite (or so early in the morning).

Here's CR rubbing Regine's back. Regine commented that CR's strength was not comparable to Veron's and WF's haha.

Here's the competition ground @ Kallang Leisure Park. I didn't even know such a place exists. I think the rent was cheap due to the crowd (or the lack of it), so CAS decided to use this place. We were there early so it was pretty empty. The toilet is usually the 1st stop for the gals. Since I needed to shit (must shit early in the morning and before stunting!), the gals took the time to practise their dance.
The moment the guys found a nice and comfortable spot near the competition ground, they decided that it was time to catch up on their sleep.
Isaac looke like some homeless beggar with his rolled-up pants and sleepy face.
The beggar realised that no one was giving him any money so he decided to give up and get some rest. He even brought his own shade.
The rest of the guys just hang around. I took the opportunity to sneak up on Isaac. He tried to play along. Oh look! So happy together!

In the end, Isaac just couldn't be bothered anymore and just let me do whatever I wanted.While collecting ID for verification, we found that there are two long lost lovers in the team! They look so good together!
Chuanyan tried to dry his socks in the sun. Maybe next time when we have an assignment in the morning, we can all bring our laundry and air it at the holding area to save time.
Zhenda was not shy to show the world his sleeping pose.
Ah Liang made himself comfortable at a little corner and enjoyed his fav tunes. I hope it wasn't the routine music he was listening to.

Junhui and Kinwei lost in their world of comic books. KX, CR and Regine did a final confirmation on their group stunting music. CR looked happy so I guess Regine finally got it rite! (I wonder what KX was looking at?)
Uncle Law waited patiently for his ladies while they do their mkup.
Regine and I in the morning, before prepping for the competition.
Regine and I in the evening, after competition, with melting mkup (but still with the same smile as the morning one)
I can see Ah Liang's tummy!!! In transition...
Yeah, our liberty! Ah Liang been through alot learning this stunt and the timing. Got alot of scoldings from CR, Chuanyan and me. But he didn't give up. And the liberty we did for the actual competition was goooooooood! It was one of his best!
The group stunting team (minus Ah Liang and Junhui in the background). They worked very hard within the (only) few hours they had and created a miracle! You guys rock!
And finally, here I'm with Spectrum's best newcomer award.
Every cheerleader needs a man behind her, to catch her when she falls.
Was having rashes cos I was allergic to the uniform fabric, and I was in it the whole day. Kind-of made me frowned quite a bit. Plus things din turn out too well for Team Spectrum on the competition ground, I just couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone. Ate a Cornetto ice cream to try to make myself feel better, but I still wanna cry the moment I saw our supporters after the competition *sob*

To those who came to support Team Spectrum, thank you so much!

Thank you Edward, for being there to take care of me when things got tough! Thank you Sally, for rushing down after work! Thank you Jason, for being our spotter! Thank you Kangjun, Weida and Munhong, for being there for us, as Spectrumites! Thank you Jianning (and her dude), for coming down, and doing the gals' hair! Thank you my SA kids and Sam, for cheering us on no matter what happened! Thank you to those who came down from hall, for the faith you have in Spectrum! And thank you everyone out there who believe in us and showed support in one way or another.