Right. Wrong.

One year ago, I put my name on the sign-up sheet for Cheer Clinic because the other guys in my OG also did the same. We did it so that the cheerleaders will stop pestering us. Of course I didnt have the intention to turn up at the clinic at all. And I really didnt go.

One year later, I am the one knocking on the doors of freshies, making a nuisance of myself just so they will put down their valuable names on the cheer clinic sign up sheet. Knowing that out of the 80 or so names that we collected that night, only about 10 or so will turn up for the clinic. And that out of the 10, we will be lucky if half of them decide to join the team eventually. It sounds pathetic yet somehow that is the truth we have learnt to accept. My friend Michael commented that Cheer always need to resort to hardselling in order to recruit people and I can only shrug my shoulders. He isnt criticising and besides, its an undeniable fact. Im not for hardselling, Im not that sort of person. I absolutely dislike interacting and mingling with strangers. I wouldnt be doing it if not for the team. If not for the fact that, as the captain, I have the responsibility to put together a team so we can at least compete in HO in January and our seniors can have the graduating performance they deserve. It is a recurring theme in Hall 5 Cheerleading. Get as many names as you possibly can for cheer clinic. Do whatever you can to retain the rare few that do come down for the clinic. When all else fails, hopefully JCRC will help out. HO requires a minimum of 18 members to form a team to compete. Usually we just about make up the numbers. Kind of sad case I know. Yet every year we try and try again. Because cheerleaders arent supposed to give up easily.

“I joined cheer to help cheer initially. But after some time, I realise the people are nice and it was the family feel in cheer that made me stay and continue to fight with everyone! Without the family feel, I would have stopped cheering.. ><” – Ser Kun

“As a freshie, I wanna join cheer because Im looking for a family. People that can support me, encourage me and never lose faith in me. And as a freshie, I was hoping to find that in cheer” – Indora

“I join cos cheer made me realise that I dont need wings to fly! (: But it’s the people who made me stay on!” – Hui Wei

“The company of fellow cheerleaders, the blood sweat and tears we have been through and lastly, the joy of hitting stunts!” – Jia Da

“You only live once, I want to live life to the fullest by giving new things a chance” – Sze Jie

“Its a place where everything is possible!” – Derrick Ong

“I dont really cheer to win one la. Its you guys =) ” – Ronald

I believe cheerleaders are fated to be. During FOC, my friends will tell me ‘hey that guy looks damn strong, ask him join cheer la!” or ‘that girl so small-sized, can be topfly!” But I feel that its no use forcing people to join cheerleading just because they LOOK like they are made for cheerleading. We will try our very best to get them to come for cheer clinic but from then on, its really up to them. Once you have experienced cheerleading, you either love it or hate it. I have no problems with people not wanting to join the team after the clinic. I only thank them for giving us and giving themselves a chance to try out something that, in my opinion, is life-changing.

Cheer clinic is next week 23rd August Tuesday. I am worried. And yet, I also know that when the odds are against me, I need only remember the reasons my teammates cheer for. And for them I will keep trying too. When have we ever stopped trying anyway?

We may not have the numbers to officially call ourselves a team yet (only 10 so far), but it is an honour to lead this group. An amazing bunch of people. You guys never fail to make me feel freaking proud of you all. Lets go all out to make history again with Vikings 11/12