Hey Alphas, nationals is round the corner and we're now entering the toughest period before it. This will be a long long entry so please bear with me alright? I've been wanting to type something for you all since forever but have no idea how to put my thoughts into words. After yesterday's long debrief, I've decided to try and consolidate some of the things and yea hope you guys will take time off your busy schedule, spend some time reading it (: Just my personal thoughts, please feel free to comment!!
Firstly, here's a little something to share with you all, especially the flyers (: There's always this fear in us whenever we do stunts, especially high level ones like different elements in basket tosses etc. I realised that fear is always one of the obstacles between a higher-level stunt and us. For me, though at many times I swear that im extremely afraid of doing them, but those were the times that I think about this few long quotes that I've came across at different times and compiled them together myself. I tell myself to - CONTROL, CONFRONT and CONQUER.
Dont let your fears get to you, dont let them scare you and dont let your fears choose your destiny. Instead, do what you fear most and you CONTROL fear. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You'll soon find that they haven half the strength you think they have. CONFRONT your fears, list them, get to know them and only then you will be able to put them aside and move ahead. When you're afraid, do what you're most afraid of and soon you'll lose fear of it. You can CONQUER any fear if only you'll make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesnt exist anywhere except in the mind.
A more real life application is say... a stunt like btoss backtuck. It used to be this thing that haunts me every day and every night. (Now its btoss layout! Haha!) Will we be doing btosses during training today? I hope coach wont ask us to do btoss today. Lets pray hard coach dont remember that we haven done btoss for a while already. Everytime I hear coaches or anyone saying 'okay, lets do btoss backtucks', my mind will go 'oh no.... sh*t........no.........'. There's always always an easy way out to this (e.g dont attend trainings, tell coach that I dont want to do it/that I feel too unwell to do it or simply dont do it etc.) However, running away from your fear is like suicide - A permanent solution to a temporary problem. Fear is only a temporary problem because it will only exist until the point we overcome it. And the earlier we do it, the more 'temporary' the problem is. So thats when I tell myself to CONTROL my fear and CONFRONT it by agreeing to do the stunt. Everytime I do my btoss backtuck, I talk to myself on the way up the basket (im serious about this because there's really quite alot of air time to do so) : To tuck or not to tuck, to tuck or not to tuck, to tuck or......? The split second when I've decided to 'aiya!!! Just do it and tuck lah!!!', I know I've CONQUERED that fear (whether or not the btoss backtuck is anywhere near perfect). (: Yay!
This may be useful for guys as well when it comes to things like tumbling that feels kinda suicidal honestly (: Fear doesnt exist anywhere except in the mind. That, I personally feel that its really pretty true.
Our coaches and Mrs Keong have always told us in one way or another that if we put in 50% effort, we're only going to get an outcome of < 50% or equiavalent at most. Which is why I believe what Liyuan told us is right. We have to do not only our best, but more than our best. We may not get 100% results but if we were to only put in 50%, we definitely will not get anywhere near 100%. If we want to be a champion, we have to train like a champion. There is absolutely no shortcut to this except to cheer as if your life depends on it. You dont always have to win, but you need to know what it takes to be a winner.
Techniques, skills, stunting and gymnastics aside, I would like to share some other stuff too.
Liyuan gave a long debrief during COL yesterday and he mentioned this particular poem that he got from my blog which I posted for Sports Awards performance. He mentioned the first few stanzas but here is the whole poem to all of you:
It's not how much you accomplish in life
that really counts,
but how much you give to others.
It's not how high you build your dreams
that makes a difference,
but how high your faith can climb.
It's not how many goals you reach,
but how many lives you touch.
It's not who you know that matters,
but who you are inside.
Believe in the impossible,
hold tight to the incredible,
and live each day to its fullest potential.
You can make a difference
in your world.
Don't undermine your worth by comparing
yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Don't set your goals by what other people
deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them
life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.
Don't give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.
It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly;
and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don't dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
to be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don't run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you've been, but also where you're going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored
each step of the way.
Cheerleading too, is not a race but a journey to be savored. Yes, we're going for nationals in 2 months time, but ultimately it is not the ranking that matters like what Liyuan said. Because years down the road when you look back, you would want to remember the things you took back home from this: the team mates that trained their hearts out together with you, the team mates whom are not just team mates but more like your friends or rather your family, the words of care, concern, motivation and encouragement given by them whenever you need, the hard work, effort and sacrifices everyone gave in order to come thus far etc. Remember, its not the medals that you want to take home, but those people and things that have touched your hearts. (:
Being in this sport for more than a year, I've learnt many many things besides stunting/tumbling and I really want to say that it has taught me alot about life, especially about living my life to touch/inspire others. Liyuan asked each and every one of us to think about the no. of lives that each of us have touched. Dont fret if you cant think of any, because one thing's for sure, each and every one of you all have touched mine in one way or another. <3 Really. And believe me, many, if not all of us feels that same too. (: So, dont stop doing what you all are doing. Dont stop showing care and concern/loving your teammates even though at times they may seem minute, insignificant or appear unappreciated. Dont stop doing your part as a flyer, a base, a spotter, a teammate, a friend or a family. Continue to touch the lives of one another, continue to inspire one another like how our coaches did. JIAYOU JIAYOU.
Life isnt about how many people call you and its not about who you've dated, a, dating or haven dated at all. Its not about grades, clothes, or colleges that accepted you or not. Life isnt about if you have lots of friends, or if you're alone, and its not about how accepted or unaccepted you are. Life just isnt about that. Life is about who you love and who you've hurt. Its about how you feel about yourself. Its about trust, happiness and compassion. Its about sticking up with your friends, and replacing inner hate with love. Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building character. Its about seeing people for who they are and not what they have. Most of all, it is about living your life to touch someone else's.
Because trainings are only going to get tougher into the semester, many of us will feel burnt out im sure. To juggle cheer trainings with studies, assignments, labs, tutorials etc is definitely nowhere near easy. So thats why we need each and every one of us in this team to cheer each other on and pull each other along.
'Nobody said it would be easy, they only said it would be worth it. Nobody said there wouldnt be tears, but lets promise one another to be there if there was. Nobody said you would get the rainbow without getting through the rain, they only said that the sun is always brighter after the storm. ' <3
Lastly, to end off this long long long (im sorry! >.<) message..
Our goal may seem really far away as days past. Like Pat says, we only have 32 more trainings before nationals. One way to think about this is to tell yourself that its impossible, we're not going to make it with just 32 trainings. Yet another way to think about it is because we've already came so far, there's nothing thats going to make us stop/slow us down, and lets just keep going (:
Keep your dreams alive. Understand that to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, consistency, determination and dedication. Remember : All things are possible for those who believe. Believe and act as if its impossible to fail. And though at times it may seem too difficult to continue, hold on to your dreams. One morning you will wake up to find that you are the person you dreamed of, doing what you wanted to do, simply because you had the courage to believe in your potential and hold on to your dreams. (:
Always remember, you're smarter than you think, braver than you believe and stronger than you seem.
JIAYOU ALPHA VERVE!!!! <3<3<3
Keep Holing On - Avril Lavigne
You're not alone
Together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold
And it feels like the end
There's no place to go
You know I won't give in
No I won't give in
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
So far away
I wish you were here
Before it's too late, this could all disappear
Before the doors close
And it comes to an end
With you by my side I will fight and defend,
I'll fight and defend
Yeah, yeah!
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Hear me when I say, when I say I believe
Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
