What Endurance Means

People tend to use the terms “stamina” and endurance” interchangeably but there is most definitely a distinction between the two. Not so much in actual definition but more in what you understand from it. Stamina is being able to do something again and again and again and still being able to do it well. Or maintain your performance level over a prolonged period of time. Endurance is, put simply, to finish what you started. Stamina has a more physical element about it; endurance is all in the mind. To succeed in whichever task  ( something that involves physical activity ) you undertake, you need both to succeed.

 

You wouldn’t associate stamina with activities that are not so physical but endurance, however, is relevant in everything you do. The runners in a marathon. The overweight man who goes  on a diet. The muslims who fast for an entire month during Ramadan. These are just a few instances where endurance takes center stage. Everyone has their own reasons why they develop the patience and determination to see the task they undertake through to the end. It is this reason that motivates them, the constant reminders of it which helps them through the pain or discomfort faced in their journey to conquering their task. For every thing we do, we must be clear why is it that we do what we do, to find a purpose because that is the only way we will do our best and make it worth the effort.

 

One amazing thing about endurance is that it is worthy of respect. In fact, the greater your struggle, the more widespread the appreciation and respect you receive from those who watch your journey as it comes to a triumphant end. This however, is not in the minds of the people who are attempting to complete something they undertake. It’s a consequence of their actions, an ode to their determination, a celebration of the spirit that never dies. The greatest achievement for them is that they finished what they started, everything else is secondary. It’s a beautiful feeling, one that spreads positive energy and inspires not only yourself to do greater things but also those who are watching, to have the belief that they too can do it.

 

In cheerleading, both stamina and endurance is necessary in order for us to put up a winning routine. While we constantly try new stunts and develop our potential, there will always be that element where we train resilience, physical as well as mental. Repetitive as it may seem, if you do the same thing again and again and again, assuming you are doing it right, the chances of success are much higher. The more you train and condition yourself, you put yourself in a better position to endure through the pain and fatigue that comes with intensive, high-octane activities like cheerleading.

 

Sailing smoothly through something or winning deserves its fair share of applause but there is just that something more when you see someone fall, then get up and start moving off again. The idea that we may not be perfect, we may still be prone to mistakes or injury is what makes us human but the realization that come what may, we will get back on our feet to finish what we started, that is the essence of life. So those of you who have fallen hard, gotten up slowly and limped your way to the finishing line, have you really lost? I don’t think so. You may have lost the race but you won people’s hearts and the pride you feel when you say “I did it”.

 

I have a video here, that is really a summary of what I have been talking about. I salute this man because he showed everyone that when you don’t give up, you cannot fail. Some of you may have seen this video as it has been circulated widely in the internet but I still felt that you have to see this and understand what endurance really means. To everyone who happens to be reading this, remember for whom we are doing this for and why…. it will give you that adrenaline to, like I have mentioned so frequently in this post, finish what you started.

 

Defeat is not when you fall…its when you refuse to get up. Your family, your friends are with you all the way. For those of you struggling or in pain, like what this lyrics from a tamil song says, Your heart is full of bravery, why then are there still tears in your eyes? 🙂

Just Updates, Thats All

I haven’t really had the chance to speak to Jimmy and Wei Wei about the Malaysian Nationals they attended as I haven’t seen them much over the last one week( apart from when they are scrutinizing our stunt techniques to help us improve; not the best time to ask). So pardon the delay, I will do the post dedicated to Malaysian Cheerleading very soon! Oh and did I mention that I don’t know how to approach the Malaysian cheerleaders to get information for this post, could it get any more random?

This weekend is pretty eventful, with the Wildcards Stuntfest on Saturday followed by our Singa Cheer Cheer Cheer Part 2 on Sunday! Stuntfest, from what I’ve heard about it, is basically a mass OTOT (Own Time, Own Target) session, meaning you can do whatever stunts you want, with whoever you want, whenever you want. Most cheerleaders love OTOTs because that’s when they can experiment new stunts or perfect stunts which they are currently trying to hit.So for those of you who are interested, come on down to Ulu Pandan CC from 8am onwards to support the Wildcards and let your cheerleader spirit come alive! Oh and Wildcards, we’ll settle the payment due to us for promoting your event later… 😛

As for Singa Cheer Cheer Cheer Part 2, as you would have seen from the pictures in Singa Cheer Cheer Cheer Part 1, we’re going around Singapore and taking pictures as we stunt! This event also marks the official unveiling of the new members of Denvers. You know, we realize that we’re running out of locations to go stunt at. Singapore doesn’t have that many unique attractions after all, from a cheer point of view. Oh wells, we can stunt anywhere! So what these two events really mean is that we have lots of pictures to share with you. Videos too, hopefully, though I know you might not be convinced given the number of videos uploaded in this blog so far is, well, one. We’ll surprise you!

Right so you’ve read the title, you’re expecting just updates. Well yes, that was the plan and I’m done with it. Though I must add that we do have a fresh batch of photos uploaded, taken during training itself. You’ve seen many of our performance photos but hardly anything from training right? Ok so here’s some pictures, same stunt, liberty, done by different bases and flyers. If you’re really very bored and free, feel free to entertain yourself by trying to spot the difference.

Fazall with Sharon

Glenn with Lijuin

Melvin with Chloe

Teck Pin with Sharon. Tian Jun overreacting for no reason.

Whats Been Happening At The Top

It’s easy to get caught up in all the things happening here in Singapore but its good to take note of whats been happening in other parts of the world as well! Cheer-related of course, the rest of the stories you’re bound to have heard it on the news. Quite a few significant things have been happening outside our sunny(but nowadays heavy rainy) island.

First and foremost, a very important announcement by the International Cheer Union (ICU) with regards to their application to be a member of SportAccord. I was equally as clueless as you as to what this association was about so I did us all the favour and googled it. They are an “umbrella” organization for all kinds of sports, formed to promote communication and cooperation among various international sports federations. You’ll be surprised just how many sports have associations to manage its advancement in the international arena. For one, I bet you didn’t know that there is a Tug-of-War International Federation. They are just one of 91 member international sports federations. This organization works closely with other organizations in promoting sports around the world, including the main sporting spectacle of the Olympics.

Why is this important for us? It means the association representing cheerleading is recognized as legitimate and earns it the right to be called a sport, a milestone for us. Soon enough, people will be able to associate cheerleading with being more of a competitive sport rather than as free half-time entertainment during Soccer and basketball games. In time to come, you may no longer feel that slight inhibition when you tell someone that you’re a cheerleader. There will come a day, hopefully not too far from now, when your children will watch the Olympics and share your pride as a cheerleader when they see its magic unraveling on their television screens. This has always been the cheerleader dream and the thought that it could soon be a reality is one that excites us very much indeed.

So now you know the background information, let me get to the actual news. ICU had planned to submit an application this year to be a member of SportAccord. However, there were some issues with their current proposal and more time was required to draft an agreement which was favourable to all parties concerned . After much discussions, The ICU and the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), current member of SportAccord, have reached a consensus in working towards finalizing an agreement by the end of August 2012 with the support of SportAccord. In view of this, the ICU has agreed to postpone the SportAccord membership vote to 2013 in return for FIG’s full support of ICU’s SportAccord application next year. Thus, we will have to wait just a little longer for that recognition that we’ve been waiting for. Though like how it was blatant that Spain were going to be Euro champions again after scoring that 4th goal…our game is done, we’re just waiting for that final whistle to celebrate.

 

This is important news that needs to be shared so we at least know whats happening on the international front with ICU fighting for us to eventually become an official sport at the Olympics. You can find the link on the update here!

 

Malaysia’s Charm Cheerleading Championships (C3- their equivalent of our Nationals!) had just concluded 2 weeks ago so that is another interesting event we’ll try to cover. We’ll have to depend on our coaches Jimmy and Wei Wei for the report though, as they were there to judge! I’ll get some pictures from the Malaysian teams’ Facebook pages with their permission so don’t worry, there will be more colour in our next post. Yes, I know, reading long texts for two posts in a row is not easy on the eye. On the bright side, get ready to be enthralled by the rapidly evolving Malaysian Cheerleading scene!

 

 

On a sidenote for now but soon to be the “main-note” if there is such a word, Singa Cheer Cheer Cheer Part 2 is happening next week! 😀

The Forgotten Heroes

When you hear the word “Cheerleading”, you think of muscular men, flexible flyers and a team sport which can really wow a crowd. Everyone sees the colourful uniforms, the energetic dances and that trademark cheerleader expression. Right in that picture perfect frame of an extravagant pyramid, you may catch a glimpse of some “less glam” men surrounding the stunt. Nobody seems to care about them.

 

For the longest time, we’ve always downplayed the importance of spotters. Not on purpose but by ignorance and a certain “Oh I just need you to help spot” mentality, making it seem like it is a very simple thing to do. It is far from that I assure you. To know that you may get injured in the process and still be committed to saving the flyer in case of any unexpected outcomes, that’s a very difficult thing to accept but these guys take it in their stride. They take up this responsibility of being a part of the stunt and provide their own feedback where necessary. Of course, for seasoned cheerleaders, it will seem like a task that is not very demanding but the same cannot be said for the rest of us who are less experienced. Especially when you add an extra element to your usual basket toss, that’s when things can get complicated and like Teck Pin usually says, your balls may shrink. I apologize for such language but only that phrase can do justice to the feeling I am describing.

 

Nevertheless, no matter how he feels about the stunt, the spotter puts himself into the fray and protects his flyer. He can see how a flyer is falling but regardless of the way in which she falls or the ways in which he could injure himself while trying to cradle her, he will still put in that one arm to reduce the impact of the fall. Sometimes while the flyer is in mid-air, two thoughts will occur to you as a spotter. The first question is “How do I come in to help the bases?”. The second question, as part of natural human tendency to recognize oncoming danger, is “Am I going to get hurt in the process?”. Usually, the first question is answered with experimentation, you just go with your gut feelings based on what you can see, the accuracy of which improves with experience. The answer to the second question in most situations, turns out to be a “Yes” but their reaction still remains the same. A good spotter should be able to perform his duty without getting injured himself but sometimes, sacrifices have to be made. They put their bodies on the line for the flyer.  They have no control over the execution of the stunt itself but they do their very best to ensure that it is as smooth as possible.

 

That is not all. Have you tried doing stunts without any spotters? Whats the difference between that and having 3 guys helping you to spot? They give you confidence. It is one of the best gifts anyone could ever give to you and it comes from people who are largely ignored. Sure, self-confidence,  the belief that you can hit your stunts is important but sometimes, we need that external encouragement, sometimes even that pressure. As well as that assurance that in case something goes wrong, you and your partner will still be able to continue training for your routine because 3 guys would risk themselves to ensure your safety. Especially when you are trying something new. With spotters you feel like you could try anything and everything you want and eventually, you will see a breakthrough in your stunts. So just think about it, how much of a role do spotters really play in your improvement as a cheerleader?

 

Having said that, learning to do stunts without spotters is an important step for any winning team. This prepares you for an actual situation during a competition routine where certain stunts may not have spotters at all. Even if they do, you would not want them to be involved either.  That is the reality in a competitive team but as far as training is concerned, they are due more credit than we give them. Being a spotter isn’t something easy and what they do deserves our respect. It’s a small gesture but always thank your spotters for being there when you needed them, appreciation is always a beautiful thing which can only develop the mutual respect two people have for each other.

 

Personally, I have had some minor injuries on a few occasions in the process of spotting. It’s not just me, most of the guys would have hurt themselves at some point or another. However I speak for all of us when I say that the pain that comes from the wound or the impact is nothing compared to relief we get when we know the flyer is safe. At that point of time, nothing else matters. Blood can be wiped off but the guilt that we let our team down, will remain for a long time. We’ll continue smiling through the pain so long as our efforts don’t go in vain.

 

Spotters. There’s a reason why they’re in the same frame as the performers themselves; they deserve to be in that picture because each of them played a small  but without a doubt, significant role that helped cheerleaders become what they are today.

Thanks guys, we love you 🙂

Happy Birthday Victor!

Happy birthday Victor!

So June 20 happens to be the birthday of one of our most treasured team members, Victor. He’s the Team Manager for Denvers and the go-to man for any administrative or public liaisons. Sometimes we must ask ourselves, just how long will we continue to have the fire in ourselves, to continue believing and developing our passion? People like Victor prove to you that come what may, if you want to do it, you can. He was there when Denvers was founded in 2001; he’s still here now, forming the core of our team. Despite his sometimes rather unpredictable work schedule, never did he allow that to dilute his hopes and ambitions for this team. He has been constantly supporting the team to the best of his abilities all these years and we here at Team Denvers, salute him for showing us what it means to live with the cheerleader spirit.

Now that you know a little about Victor, let me share with you another monumental occasion in his life; his marriage proposal to Yan. You know when couples are together for some time and the age clock continues to tick, the question is not so much about “Will they?” but rather, “When will they…?”. Denvers had the pleasure and might I add, honour,  to be a part of this very important day for the couple. Victor comes across as a very serious person when you first meet him but after getting to know him, you’ll realize he’s quite a jovial fellow who will stun you with random actions and comments, which actually turns out to be rather amusing. It is with this fun attitude that he came up with his masterplan to propose to Yan at our Denvers Sentosa outing. Oh she didn’t see that coming, did she? Haha the idea was simple but had the required ‘shock effect’. The couple would take the luge ride down together with a few members from Denvers. They would on purpose leave her to be the last one down the slope. As she approaches a bridge which she will have to go under to reach the end of the ride, a banner saying ” Yan Will U Marry Me?”(he made it himself) will roll down and she will, well, be shocked. In happiness of course. Haha and it went according to plan. Though in her shock she kind of turned the steering wheel to one side such that she was stuck. No real issue however, as Indian commander Raj was on hand to rescue the situation so part two of the plan could go on. See, all meticulously planned by my man, Victor.

Meanwhile, at the same time that the luge ride was happening, brisk preparations were being made to form a huge heart in the sand. It was too close to the water so we had to build a rather ugly great wall of Sentosa protecting the heart from damage. We shifted some sand around to make this runway-like path down from the walkway to the heart and decorated the scene with the wild flowers we found near some bushes. So now lets link stage one with stage two of the proposal. As soon as Victor reaches the drop-off point for the Luge ride, he sprints towards our sand heart where aides were present to pass him a bouquet of flowers and help him look more like a proposing man by helping him to wear his blazers. He then hid behind the bushes waiting as the girls accompanied Yan slowly(all planned of course) to see that the banner she saw earlier had been transported to be right in front of the first man-made heart of sand and thankfully, covering that “eyesore-ish” sand wall. She walked down our pathway, cheers erupted, by now she would have figured out what was happening and after a short while of applause and Yan staring in half happiness half shock at the banner, our hero emerges from the bushes behind her and walks up to her and kneels to align himself with traditional proposing posture. Yeap, we definitely attracted a lot of attention. It’s a proposal in Sentosa on a Saturday afternoon, how low-key could it be? Soon there was a whole group of unofficial paparazzi snapping away at our beaming couple. We of course, being key members in the execution of this wonderful proposal, had exclusive rights to close-up shots of the couple. So now you’ll see  a storyboard of how the proposal progressed through pictures! I tried my best to do justice to the way this whole proposal went about but as you might have guessed, things like these have to be experienced to be understood.

 

 

 

So this is how it all began, the purchase of the Luge tickets. No, they didn’t give a discount because of the proposal.

Nope, planned as well.

Unsuspecting, zoned out Yan at the back and the rest of them who already know whats to come.

She sees the banner and subsequently gets stuck.

Raj to the rescue, using his lib-trained arms to push Yan forward. Yan looks like she might be giggling to herself.

Aww cho chweet! The remnants of the great wall of Sentosa is visible in the background….

well like duh, she said yes. Another Denvers couple soon to be married! 🙂

So that’s how it all happened. It was lovely that each of us to were able play our own small role in their happily ever after prelude, it’s not everyday you see this kind of thing eh? This proposal also led to more mad laughter in our post training dinner where we discussed all the possible ways in which a marriage proposal could go wrong. I am unable to reveal the contents of each idea for a proposal as these have been patented by Yikang who will be charging $50 for each of his ideas. So if you need any ideas, feel free to ask him, he might even do a video role play for you 😛

With that we come to the end of another post. Wow how time flies, it’s already been a month since this blog was started and the response from you guys(and girls) have been really encouraging! We’ll do our best to keep you updated with whats been happening with us every four or five days but if for a certain period of time it seems we’re taking some time to put up a new post, please bear with us, we assure you that each post will have proper content and not simply a single video or one quote. We take pride in what we blog and we want to give you real, honest insight into life as a cheerleader in Team Denvers. Thank you for your support thus far and I just want to tell you one thing; There’s more from where that came from 😀

Another Performance

Sentosa pictures were taking forever to be uploaded so we thought we’d wait for pictures of our next performance event to be up before blogging. Apologies if you’ve been following our blog diligently! Yes i guess we could have posted something like the previous two posts but we preferred not to blog another emotional post. We’ll take a break from all that seriousness to bring to you some light-hearted moments.  As it is,  I have the pictures from our Potong Pasir Family Day held on 17 June so lets get right into it.

So the Family Day was the first event organized by the Potong Pasir Youth Executive Committee in some time so arrangements were made to make it as grand as it could be. As Denvers has a long-standing association with the YEC, we immediately obliged to perform on their request. They probably did take a video of it but I’m not too sure of the quality of it so pictures only for now, video later. Yes, I know we owe you quite a few videos but please bear with us, the technical knowledge of blogs in our team is laughable. This entire blog was actually created as an experiment and we’re pretty sure we’ll figure out how videos get uploaded here too 🙂

CK thinks he’s very cool in pointing out how short Simin is. CK, so you think you look real cool in an oversized uniform eh? 😛

 

You know, I don’t ever see the guys taking a separate group shot, it must be the girls.

Melody acting cute.

Of course, we have our STRAP ( Stunting Time Right After Performance ) pictures.

Darrell with Bernie

he rarely ever tries this so good job Teck Pin!

Wah strong only ah Sharon. Purposely asked the rest to move away so we could all see that she is doing it alone.

Victor with Simin. Victor what kind of smile is that…

Pictures like these are the reason I blog. Wenjie’s expression can’t be explained in words, just laugh only. Bernie must have bought a leg extension kit from Mustafa. Simin….is overshadowed by the actions of the other two main characters.

Well yes, that’s about it. This is just a sample of some of the better photographs taken, our facebook page should be uploaded with the rest of them. There will be a special post coming up in a few days time, in celebration of Victor’s birthday! It will mainly be covering his proposal to Yan, on the day of our Sentosa escapade. Yet another Denvers couple preparing for their big day in the near future. We’re so happy for them!

So I leave you with some food for thought; When are you getting married? 😛

A “way-too-long” break in this journey

As I write this post, I can actually see the two years in Denvers flash past. I still remember when I first came to Denvers, did not come in a group, so did not know any one other than BB and YQ, who brought me here. What struck me most is that after the first day, I practically knew everyone there, and it was at that instant I decided that for the next few years, the 1.5 hour journey from NTU to PPCC thrice a week is definitely worth it. Not a single day have I regretted that decision. Today, two years from now, I am forced to take a 6-8 month break, and I kept thinking that you know, it s fine, no big deal. But today when I stunted for the last time, it finally struck me that I m not gonna stunt for a good 6 months, I m not gonna be on the mats feeling the adrenaline you feel when you hit a stunt, or the disappointment at not getting it right. Yeah it may seem that hey, I am not retiring, I m coming back soon, but for someone who has been cheering continuously, its like snatching away the favourite pair of toys from a kid and saying you are not gonna have that for a LONG LONG Time.. I will always remember this feeling, this knot in the heart, cuz this is the feeling that is gonna make me push myself during recovery phase, and I promise I will be back soon.

I would like to take this chance to just say a few things. Cheerleading, and Denvers has made me realise that,

1. The true meaning of team: I have never felt that teamwork is so important before. Anything that I have ever achieved is due to constant help, encouragement and guidance from the people I step on the  mats with. BB YQ, thanking you for bringing me here, and pushing me on all the time. I really will always be your student. Harlis, and Hakim, for teaching me the way you do the best, that is scolding the shit out of me till I get it right, honestly I can say Harlis my two handed stunts are stable only because of how you drilled a proper liberty gripping to me. ZhangMei, for always being there to listen, and talk to me for anything and everything, and also for finally making me hit the EVER-ELUSIVE cupie. Sharon and TP for always believing in me and making me a part of WHUA, and also for always being so supportive. Bernie, for always being happy to stunt with me, and never ever complaining for the multiple times I failed, Fazall n YiKang, stupid asses who always gave me solid tips and motivation, despite the fact that you put me in the same list as…… -.- (Faz I still hate u for that) … Jimmy WW for helping me improve a hell lot, with OTOTs in NTU. The list goes on and on, but all i can say is I am nowhere without my teammates, so guys, appreciate what you have, because you may not find this elsewhere, where we push each other, and always are there when we fall.

2. There IS an I in team: And that I is : “I WILL DO MY PART”. Trust me, if we all do what is required of us, we can progress way faster as a team. When a stunt fails, dont complain the flyer didnt lock, base was not stable enough, not enough height etc etc. Yes these maybe true, but did YOU do what was required of you? If yes, did YOU give that extra 10%, because who knows if YOU did, we might have just hit it. After SNCC 2012, I started learning slightly advanced partner stunts, and one thing I learnt is, there is never enough you can do. If my flyer is not jumping enough, why not I toss higher, if my flyer is heeling, why not I support more at the heel? I was made to think these things, and slowly I started hitting my stunts. SO guys, always remind yourself, regardless of who is at fault, there is always something YOU can do to help, so “JUST DO IT”

3. Cherish your time on the mats: I ll be the first to agree that in my 1st year I was guilty of not doing it. But then in 2nd year, I always saw others surpass me , and kept wondering, how come I am still at toss hands – lib. And thats when I started to push to try and attempt new things, and cherish the little time we have to push our personal boundaries. I was a shoulder stand for most time, but that doesnt mean I cant learn how to pitch, and it definitely doesnt hurt to toss higher right? And once my surgery was confirmed, it came crashing to me how little time I had. If you noticed, I was super enthu about coming early and stunt, maybe that was because I was left with a few weeks before my op. And I wanted to absorb as much as I can. I regretted not getting this motivation earlier, as I learnt a lot as I was pressed for time. I will never wish an injury upon any of you, and so I do hope you realise and learn how to fully utilise and cherish your time on the mats, before you have to do it the hard way like me.

Ok enough with this, and I admire those of you who have reached here. Just like to end it off by saying that I am gonna miss Denvers terribly, not just when I am in India, but even after I am back. I really hope you all push yourselves as a team and as an individual. make use of the chance you have, you have a good captain who is structured, and coach who is technically sound,(not to mention a SUPER ah lian treasurer :p) and enough manpower to stunt any time you want. So go ahead and make use of it, make yourselves and Denvers proud.

I will be back in August and hope to see some twisting btosses, and a marked improvements in Partner stunting. Mark my word I will be back, and I will fight for my spot, but I hope I am given a run for my money and each and every base is way better than me. Wish you guys all the best . I leave Singapore with one goddamn heavy heart this time, and I can tell you its because of this team. I will miss you all man.

Denvers, One team, One Heart!

Signing off: R@J

Cheerleading : The Reality vs The Appearance

Cheerleading, to those who have only seen glimpses of them on television and on the internet, is easy to assume as an activity where the girls are hot and the skirts are short. With pompoms of course. Oh and the guys? You probably could never figure out why they would ever want to be involved in something as “unmanly” as this. For most people, they would not even consider Cheerleading as a sport but instead as a pastime, a hobby to engage in because you think we have that much time. Parents see it as a waste of time, never quite on the same league as other team sports like Soccer or Netball. The first reaction when male Cheerleaders tell their guy friends that they’re into Cheerleading is “Wah, you’re a lucky guy, can touch girls for free”. Even if you don’t say it as frankly as I did, that’s exactly what you’re thinking when you give us that smile with the raised eyebrows. We do not blame you for having such opinions, you would only understand something from the way it is portrayed. However, I hope you will be open to new ideas that we will present to you about Cheerleading and maybe, just maybe, at the end of this post, you will understand and respect our passion for Cheerleading and acknowledge that it is indeed a sport just like the rest of them you see in the Olympics 🙂

 

As a Cheerleader, as the word suggests, we lead the cheers. So what do we expect from someone who is leading a cheer? Liveliness, great expressions, sharp movements and positive energy that will permeate throughout the audience. That is exactly what our performances are about. If we want audiences to cheer with us, be it for our team or for an organization which has hired us to perform, we need their attention. Precisely why our uniforms are so bling bling.When they look at us, a curiosity builds up inside each of them as to what we’re going to do and having got their attention, we go about doing what we’re best at, Cheerleading. I’m sure they would look at us if we suddenly started doing stunts but most people won’t notice until midway and that’s where the attention from our uniform helps us. Our full performance will be seen and they will be looking out for us. Imagine if your fans only came to your football stadium in the second half to watch you play, the first half would just lose its beauty. The crowd is the 12th man and it is no different for us. Nothing wrong in wearing bright colours to attract your attention in return for  guaranteed entertainment right? 🙂

 

Our performances aren’t just about shaking pompoms though. Today, a Cheerleading routine consists of stunts, gymnastics, dance as well as cheer. This takes a lot of practice and strong focus. Just like any other sport. Strength is not enough to hit your stunts, you need the right technique. When you have the technique, you then need to develop your stamina to maintain your energy levels throughout a 2.30 mins routine. on top of all that, you still need to look good while you’re doing it. No other sport can boast of such a demanding scope, to carry on with a smile on your face even when your body is screaming for you to stop. Beneath every wide smile you see from a cheerleader on the day of competition, is their tears and perspiration from their road to Nationals, an ode to the Cheerleader spirit that will flicker every now and then but will never die.

 

There’s not that many parents who would openly support their daughter or son when they decide to continue cheerleading even at University. Not as a career, simply as a passion they are willing to develop. The importance of education cannot be stressed enough in these troubling times where even degree holders are having problems finding jobs with competition from better qualified foreigners. The obvious solution to parents would then be to push their child to make themselves more employable, be it learning other languages, engaging in further education beyond a single major and things like that. Cheerleading does not quite fall into the same category. Why do you do this, what can you do with it, they ask. The truth is, not much. Do you need a reason to do something that makes you happy? If it clouds your judgement of what is important in life, maybe. Although for most of us, we are clear what this is and know that at the end of the day, life still goes on once we step out of the mats. We try hard to balance our time so we have time to study as well as cheer. It is our responsibility as sons and daughters to show that we have grown up and we know what we’re doing. This can only be done in being at the very least moderately successful in our juggling act. So we’ll work towards its but a little support along the way, would really help. Cheerleading means something to us but your silent approval in place of the reasoning with us about how we’re wasting our time, or that “good luck” while you’re reading the newspaper as we leave for our competition….that means the world to us. Let us go where our heart lies, we won’t let you down.

 

Being a base in a cheerleading team is not something everyone can handle. You need guts, lots of it. You face the world knowing that they don’t have a very good opinion of you but you believe that you’re there to change just that. We execute our stunts with confidence and style, we make audiences think to themselves, “Wow, I wish I could do that.” There is a lot of pride when we hit stunts, especially when we know it is a difficult one. We understand that we may only be successful after the 10th or the 100th or even the 1000th attempt but there was never a question of giving up. We take care of our flyers, their safety is above ours and we’d rather take the blame for a failed stunt then burden them with it. We exert a lot of strength and energy during the performance and it takes great resistance to keep a smile on our faces. We know the focus is usually on the flyers we support with our bare hands but we don’t let our egos take over, we do what we’re supposed to do for the team, bit-part or main, whatever it may be. Win or lose, we cheer for everyone with our hearts and congratulate them. Regardless of age, experience or background, we learn from others and push ourselves to better our own achievements.A  professional, a sportsman and  a gentleman. The aspiration that Victoria School in Singapore has for its boys. Now that’s what I call a man.

 

In a Cheerleading team, there is an unspoken mutual understanding between bases and flyers. I assure you that no girl, Cheerleader or non-cheerleader, likes to be touched by other guys. Though they understand that it is necessary for the stunt to happen. We can’t toss her up in the air with our eyes, we’re Cheerleaders, not magicians. They may wear uniforms that reveal their midriff but you should also understand that it provides a better grip for the bases to do the stunts. As a base, I do remember feeling nervous each time I tried stunts with a new flyer, the responsibility in your hands weigh down on you almost immediately(literally) and your focus remains on just that. A girl’s modesty is one thing she wishes to uphold at all times but she brushes aside her discomfort and puts complete trust on her bases so the show can go on. The bases put their bodies on the line to make sure that no matter what happens, their flyer remains safe. Once in a while, usually when fatigue sets in, the stunt may fail and the flyer may injure herself. When we know we’re at fault, it is one of the most depressing feelings you could ever have. We exhaust ourselves on perfecting our stunts and all our energy and concentration is geared towards the stunt, where anything can happen in an instant. We enjoy training together as a team but we deal with the pressure of being there for our flyers all the time. We are a team that is built on trust and there has never been nor will there ever be a situation where this will have to be discussed in the open. So for those who think cheerleading is a fun ride for guys, I urge you to come try Cheerleading to find out. Sometimes, we make it look easier than it really is. A few toss to hands and a tryout as a spotter for our pyramid, I assure you, you’ll change your mind. We respect women and you should too 🙂

 

I hope that this post has set you thinking about the disparity between the portrayal of Cheerleading in the media and the reality of it from those who have been there, done that. We are not criticising or blasting anyone but we would just like to help you understand that Cheerleading is very much a sport like the rest of those you’re familiar with. The tone of this post is different from the rest but our purpose here in this blog is to give you an honest portrayal of what we deal with as Cheerleaders and real emotions that come with it.We have a passion for cheer and we continue to push hard to redefine the boundaries of our achievements. This means a lot to us and we hope you’ll give us the support and appreciation we need to carry on believing that it was worth the blood, sweat, tears, time and everything else. So the next time you see a Cheerleader, smile at them because you know what they went through to be able to put on that uniform.

 

Cheerleader and proud of it.

Coverage of our Performances in May!

We don’t quite have insiders within Singapore Press Holdings(yet)  so I guess The New Paper isn’t going to feature us at events which really have nothing to do with Cheerleading… Ah well we figured we’ll do a coverage of our performances here instead. Every performance brings with it a story and we’re here to bring that story to you!

Our first performance was on the 6th of May, at Geylang Serai  Community Centre. It was a community event and we were asked to showcase a short routine and teach the crowd a cheer. Due to injuries, overseas trips and all kinds of unfortunate circumstances, we had just 3 days to put this whole performance together but like what we’ve come to realize, we perform best under pressure. We gave a good performance and it was nice that our efforts were much appreciated by our lovely audience made up people of all ages. It was also great to see Victor busy managing new contacts for future performances, it gives us that “We  must have done something right” feeling and that is just amazing. We will do our best to go to every venue we perform and leave our mark there! “Denvers was here” is not something to be written on any surface except in the hearts of our audience 🙂

The video should be up on the performances page in a few days but in the meantime, we have some photos for you.

Raj, trying to fly is it? Dae, this one not Tamil movie, gravity still exists here.

Preparing for the cheer we were asked to teach, hoping and praying that no one we know recognizes us. You’ll know why when you see the video.

As usual the scapegoat leads the way in teaching the cheer to some members of the public and the guest-of-honour.

Must be the effect of doing this cheer. Once again, you’ll only understand once you’ve seen the video.

If you’re a girl walking towards your car alone late at night and a stranger stands in front of you with this smile, call the police.

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Our 2nd performance this month was at the new Marina International Cruise Centre. This event was in celebration of the maiden journey of the cruise ship “Voyager” of the Royal Caribbean Cruise line. Denvers cheerleaders appeared out of different sections of the Departure hall and raised quite a few eyebrows as they ran towards their performance area. Soon enough though, the raised eyebrows gave way to nods of approval, wide smiles and the sudden urge to clap for the rarely seen spectacle before them. We’re really glad that we got this opportunity to perform for an international audience and we hope that we continue to reach out to a whole range of spectators as we’re confident that everyone will enjoy our showcases! 🙂

We were told to mingle with the passengers before the performance so we could kind of “blend in”. Not going to happen when you wear a uniform like that. But good job Raj and Teck Pin who actually managed to strike a conversation with this passenger from China.

Ask him go mingle with the crowd, he went to flirt with the crew. Though this is Flirting Without Benefits since, as of latest reports, he did not attempt to ask these girls for their numbers.

Some had different interpretations of the word “mingling”. Apparently, you could do it alone. No one would have really noticed one person sitting down but the two chaps on the right, who were staring at him, foiled his plan.

We don’t quite have pictures taken during the performance itself as we only had one camera which was used for the video but as usual we have the post-performance stunting.

The highlight of this picture is not the stunt, it is the expression on the faces of the spotters and bystander Raj. Spoiling the market by making it look easy

Yeap that’s us!

We’re still chasing our people for photos from our Sentosa outing, as well as our performance videos, so there’s a lot more to look forward to in the coming days.

For those of you who are here for the first time, this is the new blog for the Denvers Cheerleading Team. We started this blog as we’d like to share with you what it means to be a Denvers Cheerleader. We take you through our lives as a team, on the mats, as well as all the fun, joy and laughter off the mats. Perhaps then you’ll be able to understand why we hold this team close to our hearts.

Do spread the word that we’ve moved to this new url : http://www.teamdenvers.wordpress.com and come back often to read our new entries! It must be annoying when you find a blog and return to it, only to see that it has not been updated. So why not save the trouble and let us notify you when a new entry has been posted? All you have to do is to type in your email on the bottom right hand corner, wordpress will handle the rest for us. Don’t worry, this isn’t like subscribing for the deal.com or groupon offers, you’ll receive 3 emails a week at the most so we won’t be flooding your inbox. Alternatively, do come back to this blog every 3 or 4 days, there will be a new post up for you to read. If you have any feedback for us, please feel free to fill up the form in our “Join Us” page. No, you don’t have to join us in order to provide feedback 🙂

Teams aren’t born, they’re made. Witness the birth of a new generation of cheerleaders who have it in themselves to forever change the landscape of Singapore Cheerleading. The countdown to our Golden Age has begun.

A Tribute to last Season

We are brimming with excitement for the new season but we cannot quite move on without appreciating the experience of the previous one. Today we have a new direction and a master plan for success but we might not have felt this need to increase our expectations and hopes for the future of this team, were it not for Season 11/12.

A special shout out to Raj and Zhang Mei, our previous Captain and Vice-Captain respectively, for their dedication and perseverance in ensuring the team gave a good performance despite having to rebuild a new team almost from scratch. At the pace that we’re going at, it may seem like we’ve forgotten the contributions of our previous committee but I just want to say that it has been a pleasure being in the same team as you and sharing your vision to be the best that we can be.

Raj and Zhang Mei

Zhang Mei – You are what resilience is about. Your story, having been injured twice just before the competition for the last two years and then to recover and make a comeback like how you did at SNCC 2012… It was like in the movies, simply inspiring. Just like you, we never gave up 🙂

Raj – it was a challenge for you because it was only your second year in Denvers and you did not have the luxury of a seasoned team of performers. Nevertheless, you stepped up, brought us all together and made us believe that we have what it takes to go to SNCC and put up a performance worthy of the reputation of our team. Which we did! Thanks lah dae, now go for your surgery and come back stronger than ever for the coming seasons! 😀

Every experience is vital to our plans for this year and I would like to take this opportunity to present to you a mini photo journal which was collated from a few key events, as a tribute to season 11/12.

Singa Cheer Cheer Cheer

Imagine this, going around Singapore, from place to place in a specially chartered bus, from morning to evening and taking lots of pictures as we stun the public with our stunts ( Hows my word play there? 😛 )

We must have taken a few hundred pictures but here’s just a few of the more memorable ones :

Erm location quite obvious right?

Sharon doing her scorpion with Teck Pin. You know, it’s really tempting to say something lame like ” Wow, she’s taller than MBS! ” but i shall refrain considering the negative reviews I have received about my humour sense.

-__- Raj, please ah, control a bit.

3 Indians Liberty. South Indian on the left, North Indian on the right and Half-Indian in between.

Impossible is Nothing.

Vertical Planking at RWS Sentosa

Christmas Eve Stunting

Doing stunts in the middle of Orchard on Christmas Eve? Been there done that. As usual we provided a free thrill for the shopping crowd on crowded Christmas Eve afternoon. Part of Denvers tradition over the years 🙂

Teck Pin’s cupie with Sharon and our Mascot

A pose at some tentage outside Ngee Ann City. The setting was made to resemble a bedframe. You can see some of the girls in the background pretending to be asleep there!

Well they were having this free-photo-taking option inside one of the shopping centres and we managed to squeeze all of us inside.

A collage done by Wenjie. If you’re wondering who that blonde girl is, she’s actually Ida, a gymnast from Estonia who comes to train with us every year 🙂

Others

Pyramids with Wildcards during our exchange

Harlis invited us over for Jalan Raya after Hari Raya and we duly obliged, dressed to the occasion. Oh and he has the best baked beans and corned beef that we have ever tasted!

Denvers chalet, where all members, past and present, as well as friends, gathered together for some BBQ and catch-up session

As you have seen thus far, we do have a life 🙂

And now for the penultimate collection from the pictures, those taken at the Singapore National Cheerleading Competition 2012.

The run-in before we take our positions on the mat to perform. The emotions and thoughts that run in our mind during that short run-in is amazing.

When we are officially accepted as a member of Denvers, each of us is given a mini mascot. We bring our mascot for our performances as a form of good luck and likewise, we placed our mascots in a circle together with our big mascot in front of our performance area.

The return of the 3 indians, stunting after Nationals

Some dreams were fulfilled that day, including Yikang’s wish to be a shoulder stand, with Bernie’s dream to be a midtier.

Don’t know why he had to but as you can see, he was trying hard to immitate our mascot.

Team Denvers season 11/12

Our circle of mascots 🙂

SEACO 2012

The finale for this post has to be from Southeast Asian Cheerleading Open 2012, where although we did not compete, a very special event took place. The occasion turned out to be the perfect marriage proposal by our Coach Jimmy to Wei Wei! Thank you for giving us a chance to be part of this important milestone in your lives 🙂

What Wei Wei saw when she turned around after taking photos

Need I say more? 🙂

Like one big cheer family 🙂

And there you have it, season 11/12 in pictures. They say a picture speaks a thousand words but for some of these pictures, you’ll need more than that. Here’s to an even more eventful 2012/13, with the hope for beautiful memories to be etched in our hearts in the year ahead 🙂