Saturday, February 26, 2011

IHG CLOSING 2011

GOOD JOB FOR IHG CLOSING PERFORMANCE STEPPERS!


It was the first time we wore our spankin' new uniform! Designed by our very own beloved coach(: Yod did an amazing job, the team looks really smart! Kinda miss my old dark blue uniform because it's so precious to me because the alumni wore something similar and so it's full of history, but i love the new one equally too. 

Our handsome bases showing off their new uniform.

Front view.


Back view:


Flyers showing off the pretty girls' uniform:






KR BLED BLUE THE PAST FEW MONTHS, AND OUR FIGHTING SPIRIT SHOWS IT. FEEL PROUD OF YOURSELVES, KENT RIDGEANS(:



Final wall with Enya and Ying Ting on top.

IHG Closing performance was something I really looked forward to because it's the first and only time this year we're able to train with a full squad, including our beloved Ying Ting and Enya. For those who aren't in the know, Ying Ting made it known to us from the very beginning that she wouldn't be able to join us for Nationals because her Dentistry exams clash with the intense training practices the weeks before Nationals, and Enya unfortunately had to move out of Hall. The Nationals team is always so focused on training for our Nationals routine that it's really impossible to always include these two lovely freshie flyers during training all the time, which is something really unfortunate and something that has never sat well with me. That's why I'm so glad they joined us for our training camp in Thailand; we got to spend quality time with them (they're super retarded, Enya drunk is too funny to watch and Ying Ting is such a bimz) and they got to stunt with the RSU bases (double twist on the first try ohmygod!) and made the trip even more precious for the team. IHG Closing performance was the only time I got to stunt with them (the seniors were in Thailand for ATCI during the freshies' first cheer performance in hall), and IHG Closing was Enya's first cheer performance too. And what an awesome performance it was! Loved everyone's smiles and energy! It was an amazing performance, considering that we only ran the full routine one day before! You girls looked great flying top for final wall, and dancing and smiling your sunshine smiles for all 6 Halls to see, loved it so much! It was your day, hope you enjoyed it(:

Great job everyone, lovin' the fighting spirit.

20 more days to Nationals! Keep fighting, everyone!

Love, Kat

Monday, February 07, 2011

Thai Cheer Camp at RSU!


Sorry I've been neglecting the blog! 

This is one whole month late but just for fun, this post is going to be about our trip to Thailand's Rangsit Univeristy for our annual Thai Cheer Camp! For those who don't know, we're really privileged to be given the amazing experience of being flown down to Rangsit, Thailand every year to train with the cheerleaders there. We never fail to improve vastly, gain loads of life experience and precious cultural exchanges every time we go. We love our Thai friends, new as well as old, and got to meet our beloved Oat and May, who supervised and added-on to what the team has already learnt in Singapore. The team really enjoyed themselves this year!

Let the photos do the talking!

The RSU cheerleaders prepared mattresses, pillows and blankets for us and the team slept together in the old gym besides the sports hall. (The air-conditioning was freezing cold!) But it was great team-bonding, and all of us got to know each other better.

This is the old gym, where all of us slept!






Where we spent every morning, afternoon and night...

 the mats of the RSU Sports Hall:

Does this bring back memories, team?


Couldn't have survived without our handy giant fan!








seXXY cover-girl











Even though we'd be dying by afternoon, I'm really proud of everyone for pressing on, for running around the hall for warmups again even though every single muscle is aching, for giving your all, taking care of your bases/flyers, being receptive to the different teachings we were exposed to, being flexible and willing to try new things and not just stubbornly sticking to what we were taught. 

Blood, sweat and tears... Everyone pulled their weight, and, I'm sure, took something away from each day of training.

We wouldn't have survived without..

 7/11 

ahaha seriously! Everyone made several trips there daily for food, Red Bull and to buy presents for our Thai buddies.


May!


Foremost on everyone's mind was the amazingg Thai food. We ate like kings there (and came back several kg heavier ahaha)

The awesome strawberries that everyone lusted over!


Waiting for beef noodles! 



A restaurant on a boat!


What you put into your beef noodles.


Our beloved coach <3


We had a free day in the middle of the week because the RSU team had a performance lined up so the team went out to play!

More good food!









Aw, look at the happy faces!



















Joy on extension!


Chee-ling the choir girl (inside joke!)






At night we went to support the RSU team. 

Shots from while they were preparing for their performance:



An inspiring performance put up by the Thai team (as always!)


And in Thailand, how can one not go SHOPPING??!

The team and their buys!


 Last day of training:


COMM 10/11 <3 
(eden you are sorely missed!)


Comm 9/10! 
(please turn your attention to weeps' really spastic face)


Freshies 10/11! Cute and innocent!


... ohkay, maybe not.


(nic and danial look like perverts.)



Introducing the flyers from KR Steppers:
Enya, Yingting, Elvina, Kathleen, Xinyi, Melissa, Chee Ling!



And our male flyer, Deo!


Couldn't find a photo of the bases though!

The block with the most cheerleaders: D-Block!


We also celebrated Byrant's birthday in Thailand with loads of fun, laughter and booze (photos of which shall not be placed here ahaha) 

Happy birthday Byrant!


The party the RSU cheerleaders took the time and effort to put up for us + Gift exchange with our buddies:



All the good food and alcohol they painstakingly prepared for us! Thankyou RSU!
 






Exchanging gifts with our Buddies!



Captain 09/10 and Captain 10/11, looking good!





But alas, all good things come to an end. We were all really sad when it came to the last day of Thai camp!


Thankyou RSU! We missyou already! 

Can't wait to see our Thai friends again when they come down in March to watch Nationals. 


I'm really thankful that Hall sends us off to Thailand every year. Steppers really is extremely lucky to be given such an amazing opportunity to grow and mature as a cheer team. We often forget our humble origins, how the team started out with nothing (Expect Nothing), Did Something, and got somewhere. We cannot take what we have now for granted! It was the hard work and determination of our seniors before us that have gotten us to where we are today. They fought really hard for us to gain the trust of Hall, and have helped established us within the Singapore cheer scene as a qualified squad worthy of competing against. We have so much now: mats, a coach, roll mats, crash mat, shoes, uniform, annual Thai camp, precious Thai friends, Oat and May, fixed MPSH timings allocated for cheer (our seniors had such a hard time fighting for MPSH space). 

Don't take any of these for granted, because none of them came cheap.


The team really, really enjoyed themselves in Thailand, and everyone had withdrawal symptoms when we came back! FB statuses were all about missing RSU and Thailand, and not wanting to go back to school.

CNY is over, and it's..

Six more weeks to Nationals, jiayou everyone!

Hope this post put a smile on everyone's faces! Remember to start on your assignments early so we won't flounder and drown during DP/Nationals period!

See you guys back on the mats tonight! 

Love, Kat