Hi Spectrum,
I believe you all had received Cheng Yee's e-mail on the list of cheerleading squads, both international and local. She sent the e-mail on her own initiative, spent hours collating the links and searching for the teams' websites, with the sole intention of exposing all of us to cheer, and what we can aim to achieve in future. Good job cheng yee, and thanks a lot! *HUGS* So guys, do visit the websites, or search for the teams' videos in youtube, you'll be amazed at what others can do, but more importantly, it can give you a better idea of what you can do too!
One of the teams she mentioned in the e-mail is
KR Steppers. Like us, KR is a hall team. Like us, they started from humble beginnings. KR is one of the teams I really look up to, and when I read the blogpost below, I was really touched.
http://krsteppers.blogspot.com/2010/10/steppers-history-steps-speech.htmlThe entry talks about how KR was formed, how they stand up strong amidst the obstacles, and perservered to be where they are now. The message is simple: Do not forget where you came from. Do not take what you have now for granted.
I did not come from the pioneer batch of Spectrum, nowhere near, cos I'm not as old as Uncle Chaang (oops). But I heard a lot about them. I can feel the Spectrum spirit they left behind. The closest you can get to them physically is lying on the (smelly) mats and the crash mats. Hahaha. Fyi, our seniors bought the crash mat using their own money, for the intention of practicing our gymnast more safely. So, I get really pissed off whenever I see people lying/sleeping on the crash mat during training times. OKay, that aside, I am really grateful of the foundation that our pioneers laid down for us.
Stepping down as Vice-captain is truly a happy thing to me. Not because I can finally put down all the sai kangs and nua, but because I know Spectrum has grown one more generation. I know I have found the right group of people to entrust Spectrum to, and I trust that they have the same passion that I have for Spectrum.
No, I don't feel emotional at all, because I know I'm still part of Spectrum, and Spectrum will always be a part of me. From year 1 till year 4, my entire uni life is filled with memories of Spectrum (and hall 13). Almost everyone who knows me knows that I am a Spectrum cheerleader. And I'm very proud of it.
I can still vividly remember the days when I just joined Spectrum. Together with yin xue, adeline and teresa, we endured stretching, locking exercises, going up and down shoulderstands and elevators. The seniors were like angels, and chaangru, the devil. Hahaha. They would always protect us from chaang, divert chaang's attention away from us, and console us when we get f**k updownleftright by chaang. Chaang is the big baddie. But without him, there would be no Spectrum. He is the person who formed Spectrum. He is also our coach, critique, direction-setter, team manager, music maker, nagger and many many things. He is now the Vice-Chairman of
Wildcards. I know some of our seniors will go, "veron, dont por cr so much, he will fly." but I really remember him doing a lot of things for Spectrum. And I never truly wholeheartedly appreciate it until I become the vice-captain myself. Every team needs someone like him. Chaangru, even though you have left Spectrum, I still want to say Thank You.
The next person I want to thank is Goh Kah Xian, now known as Victor Wu Zhao Heng, for convenience sake I will call him uncle. Uncle was my HGL (anouka!!), and also the the person who brought me into Spectrum. If not for him, Spectrum would probably have one less pretty flyer (LOL! =P) Uncle would always be very patient when he's teaching stunts, very encouraging, and very impartial. Although he's very busy, he would always make it for cheer trainings. I don't know why, but I feel that he's happiest when he is cheering. He taught me a lot, about cheer, life and work. And I believe he has taught many of the current Spectrum members a lot too. I feel so weird thanking him here, but yah, thanks uncle!
I dont want this to become a thanking entry so the last two people I wanna mention here are Wen Feng and Sirong. My favourite Captain-cum-topfly, and my favourite mid-tier, respectively. Ah feng has really guided me a lot in terms of managing and training the team. Besides, she constantly pushes me to go beyond my comfort zone and she's always always there whenever I need her. Xiao rong was my GL (anouka!!) and she's the sweeeetest girl ever! She always has a kind word to spare and gives good advices. Ahhhh I miss them soooo much! Thanks ah feng and xiao rong, pls pls pls come back for training more often!!
Being a cheerleader has changed me in many ways. It made me a better person, I feel. The major reason being that cheerleading is a team sports. Every single member counts! I can do hundreds of project in school but I cannot truly say that I am a team player. Being a cheerleader gives me the damn right to say "I am a team player!". HAHAHA this may sound very mindless to some, but that's how I feel. The way we train together, discuss our failures, continue from where we fall, spur each other, celebrate our successes and never giving up on each other - that is a team. I love my team.
Being a vice-captain taught me a lot, too. A team player recognises that every member is unique, a leader identifies that uniqueness, and develops it to contribute to the team. No one is perfect, but in a team, we complement each other. Just like I am not the perfect vice-captain, but my team mates gave me their utmost support and trust that enabled me to do my best for them. Sometimes, when I'm really tired and depressed and frustrated that I am sacrificing so much time for Spectrum, the mere presence of the team being there for trainings makes me feel that everything is worth it. This one year is not without obstacles and setbacks, but every situation I face, I learn something out of it, and I emerge a stronger person.
There is so much I can say about being a team member and a vice-cap, but that would be too long to read, so I'll stop here.
I remember every single detail from my journey in Spectrum, every face/name that comes and go, every stunts I did, every performances - these are all memories that I cherish. However, my journey is not over yet, and there are still more memories to collect.
