Lots and lots of emotions about Cheerobics, about Steppers, that I don't really know where to start. Guess I'll just talk about the day itself first. Do take a look at our video too!
[My blog is too small so just go http://www.youtube.com/v/lOLYPLfK0s4&hl=en to look at the video!]
Woke up early in the morning to meet the steppers, and started doing the flyers' hair for them. As I was twirling ribbons into their hair, I thought about a year ago when step used shimin and I as her first guinea pigs for the hair design, and how she was my first victim too. All three of us, the three captains ended up getting the worst hair do last year. Heh. That was all so long ago..
It felt really different this year, as a captain. Having to make sure everyone got nice hair, having to consider and take charge of so many things..
And so we were doing our hair until the bases came in to rush us (as usual), with calvin saying they needed things to throw. O.O It took me quite a while to get that. We're flyers, not things! But it was quite funny anyways.
Running of the routine wasn't as smooth and successful as when we warmed up the stunts that morning. Got chunting and I rather stressed out. With the competition in just another 8 hours, I guess we really couldn't take it that our stunts were still not going up.
Somehow I calmed down when I was on the bus. Wasn't as nervous as the night before. Some of us started giving each other notes and food of encouragement (:
Time seemed to pass rather quickly at kallang leisure park and the wait wasn't as agonizing as I thought it'd be.
Butterflies started appearing in my stomach when other squads arrived at kallang. Some familiar faces, some who looked real intimidating and probably all with a passion for cheerleading.
Watching the other squads warm up and some of the group stunts compete, stress started to build up again. The standard and difficulty of stunts had risen so much as compard to last year! Confidence dwindled a little but I still believed our squad had what it takes the compete with the rest. The group stunts girls did well, with their very cute performance and all stunts up. I was so proud of them, and thankful for their successful performance that boosted the team's morale.
Soon it was the team's turn to get ready for our performance. I was glad that the whole squad was already so familiar with our routine. Our dry run and warm up for stunts was good, and I felt all prepared to perform. Couldn't wait in fact (: Really wanted to show everyone what KR Steppers was made of.
Just before we spirited onto the mats, we heard our KR supporters cheering 'Let's go KR Let's GO!'. That really pysched us up and made us even more eager to perform. Thank you to all who were there for your support. It really meant a lot to us. Then came the two and a half minutes of performance. The two and a half minutes that we so trained so hard and so much (300hrs) for.
Our performance at kallang stadium was definitely the most energetic and spirited one out of all KR Steppers 07/08's performances and I was very, very proud of the squad. The routine might not have been perfect, but it's really the process that mattered, how everyone gave it our all and truly enjoyed performing as KR Steppers. (:
On another note, I was glad that I managed to reach my personal expectations. Those being my jian zhi hou shou fan hou zhi and b toss back layout. Though these were personal expectations, I really wanted to achieve them for the squad. I wanted our squad to possess the best tumbling pass, and I wanted our squad to have b tosses comparable to the top squads' standards.
It was difficult, having to accomplish those. My lack of practice coupled with an injured elbow and no muscles (as the coaches would say) really made me rethink if I could manage the tumbling. My phobia of back layout deterred me from giving it a go earlier than a week before cheerobics. But I'm glad I plucked up my courage to try, and I'm glad I didn't give up on my tumbling. Of course these were not achieved alone, so much of it goes to the coaches and my darling squad members. Thank you coaches, for making me try my first round off back flip (ugly) back tuck in years. (and then abandoning me to train myself when you guys were gone) Thankyou junkang and siyong, for spotting me and giving me the false sense of security when i tumbled. Thankyou xxy, for inspiring me with your beautiful jian zhi hou shou. (: Thankyou bases; junkang, weeps(despite your weak heart) and siyong for encouraging me, tossing me and most importantly catching me (: Thankyou steppers, for spotting me and giving me the courage when I was scared.
Back to the competition day, everyone was still in a high after our performance. However I soon started to get nervous. Despite my ultimate aim of cheerobics being a good routine performed by us, I secretly hoped we'd get rewarded for our hard work. I hoped we'd get a place in the top three positions. Hope started dwindling when I watched ACES perform. They're truly the best team without doubt, with team A performing an almost perfect routine. Team B, despite being the 2nd ACES team, also put up a very exciting performance with all stunts up. With magnum, and the two aces team in the run, it was pretty difficult for the steppers.
Then came the much awaited prize presentation. It was a huge disappointment when best spirited award didn't go to us, because spirit is really important to steppers. It is our spirit that brought us this far and it is something that steppers definitely cannot do without.
Just before the 2nd runners up position for the team category was announced, the flyers held hands and I could see how much we all wanted it. But it wasn't us, we didn't get it. Hands were let go, and tears started swelling in our eyes. Many thoughts started running through my mind, how I felt so bad the steppers weren't going to get rewarded for all the hard work they have put in. We all thought that was it. We thought third place was the most possible award we could get. But we were wrong.
KR Steppers were the 1st runners-up!!
When the result was announced, I almost couldn't believe it. It was the first time I really felt like I was dreaming. I wasn't sure if it was all real, because just moments ago I was tearing over our loss of the 2nd runners-up position.
All the flyers cried. Just like last year. It really isn't easy to cry out of happiness, so you can imagine how happy we were. The bases were elated too, I could tell. All jumping around (: I'll definitely remember that moment forever, and I still can feel the combined happiness of all the steppers and the KR supporters. The magnitude of the happiness. (:
We cried and we laughed. Cried out of happiness, laughed at how our make up was all messed up by our tears. Then we took photos. Many many photos. We were the last to leave the venue, and I can confidently tell you we were probably the most happy team that day.
We were not the champions, but 1st runner-up was enough (:
