7th entry for January VoM

Another video by Chew Long, this time the cheerleading showcase by Team LJ from Alpha Verve Cheer Camp 2010. Good jobs guys

6th entry for January VoM

6th video entry for January VoM is by Chew Long from Alpha Verve. This is the first time she made an entry for VoM. Chew Long is a promising flyer from NUS Alpha Verve, has good body control and determination; just need to be a little more confident with your own abilities ok.

The video posted by Chew Long is the cheerleading showcase by Team Shaolin from Alpha Verve Cheer Camp 2010. It was a simple but very entertaining performance put up; the sort of performance apt to round things off for a Cheer Camp. Really glad to see everyone in the camp having such a great time.

Weights Training

"Technique and Strength, which is more important?" This is a debate that never ends. From the first day I joined cheerleading till now, I have heard many who tell me that technique is more important and also many who tell me that strength is more important. I myself also has gone through phases when I think strength is more important and phases when I think technique is more important. This is the 2nd time I am touching on this topic on my blog, the first time was back in April 2008: weakest guy that can do cupie (cupie back then is not so simple as it is nowadays)

A little extract from my previous post:

If one is in cheer long enough, one will get to experience the constant grapple of strength and technique. At some point of time, your technique will be more than sufficient for your strength, and then at another point of time, your technique is not enough, then at times your strength is alot and yet you do not have the technique to use it. There are some stunts, having overpowering strength, and you do not need much technique to do it, also there are some stunts, having all the strength in the world with no technique, you still cannot do it. One will have to learn to juggle between this 2 entities as they work their way up the ladder of cheerleading.

It is pretty cool to be reading your post from almost 3 years ago and find out how some things had changed and how some things had remained the same. It is also very comforting to know that I had shown improvements in my strength department. As of today, my answer to the debate is strength and technique is equally important.

Another question that was constantly bugging me since the early days of my cheerleading is, "how strong is strong?, how much strength is considered sufficient? what is the gauge?" The frustrating thing is that while there are many videos or articles showing and explaining how (the techniuqes) to hit a particular stunt, but there are very few or no videos or articles to tell you how strong you need to be. I think just like weight, this (strength) may be a rather sensitive issue too, so it is seldom brought up and discussed openly. When I just started doing partner stunts, I always wanted to find a reference; like when I see that guy can do a full up in a video, I would want to know how strong he is in quantifiable ways (i.e: how much he can bench? how much he can squat? etc), so that I can train harder if required.

Does anyone share the same kind of frustration as me? Things are not so bad now compared to the past, information is more readily avaliable; but still not everyone knows where to find them. I have put together a little video showing the 4 main exercises that I do in gym, in fact they are the only 4 exercise I ever do these days because of my hectic schedule. Pls pardon me if my form is not "perfect" in the video as like I always tell people, I am not a body builder, I do weights to specifically increase my strength for cheerleading only (In the gym sometimes I do some "cheerleading specific exercise" that will seem damn crazy to people).

I must say that I am not the biggest or strongest around, but I just wanted to share and hope that it helps. My aim for the video is to give some insights to people, a form of motivation, or a sort of gauge or anything that you can get out of it. I know my own frustrations in the past, and I do not wish to see new cheerleaders feeling the same frustrations, confusions or disillusions that I had back when I just started.

Enjoy the video.



Remember while technique is important, strength is very important as well.


P.S: I am still working hard to take on bigger weights.

5th entry for January VoM

5th entry for January VoM is uploaded by Weihan and tagged by his brother Weicheng. Weihan is definitely the the present of SG cheerleading now. Well done Weihan and Tinglei for hitting the Full Up Cupie. And also Weihan also showed us that hitting the big stunts and tumbling are not mutually exclusive. Simply well done for your Round Off Back Tuck too; this officially makes you the best cheerleading base in Singapore. And also not to forget this man is not even 20 years old yet, the potential is limitless. Jiayou.





P.S: 2 back to back VoM entry displaying Full Up Cupie; it is starting to get more and more common now. Full Up Cupie a basic soon?

4th entry for January VoM

The 4th entry for January VoM is by Ruth and tagged by Ochi. The video is about Ruth's Front Hand Spring journey, from 2 years ago when she just started and then now. The video also started with some teaser of some of the stunting skills of Ruth's - Full Up Cupie and Rewind. Ruth not only is able to hit big partner stunts, but also constantly strive to be an all rounded cheerleader too, working hard for her gymnastics as well. Overall a very well done video with very nice effects too.

X-Out

It is never too late to learn.

Scorpion

Xuewei was never known for her flexibility; in fact many (especially those who done B-Toss with her before) often complained she was hard as a rock. However once again hard work wins the day against all odds. Pulling a scorpion may be as easy as raising an arm for some, but for Xuewei it is indeed a big acomplishment; if she can do it, so can everybody.


P.S: Do not take your talent for granted, for there are many who has to work 100 times as hard just to be on par.

3rd entry for January VoM

A video of ACES during training in their warm up attire for Nationals 2008 uploaded by Ruth. ACES 2008 was a year when they totally blown away the competition, and also the 1 and only time a team in SG had a different attire for warm ups and the actual routine. This really speaks about the confidence they had back then. Really thanks to Ruth for posting this video up; we seldom see the warm up attire "in action", and it was not even in much of the photos of Nationals 2008.





P.S: Wonder if anyone else will come up with 2 sets of uniform for next year.

2nd entry for January VoM

The 2nd video entry for January VoM is by Vincent Yeo and tagged by Hann Bin. This is a video showcasing the gymnastics abilities of Vincent, the fruits of his hard work and training in gymnastics. Vincent, you are really amazing, to learn from scratch and achieve what you did; I really respect that as I know it is very tough.

1st entry for January VoM

The 1st entry for the 1st VoM of 2011, January VoM is by Elvie Na from KR Steppers. The video is a compilation of some footages of their training for ATCI 2010. The video is very light hearted to watch and must be very memorable to those involved in it. It showed many attempts and failed stunts, which is something that can never be missing on the road to any competition. It is through these falls that we learn. And as Elvie Na said, "In the end we still ASU =DD". Without failures, there can never be success.





P.S: Miss the feeling of training hard for a competition

Video of the Month December '10

I apologise for posting this up late, it was in my drafts for a few days, sorry if I kept some waiting. For video of the Month December we have 4 entries. So let's not keep you waiting anymore, recapping the 4 entries:

1. Video by Evanns tagged by Sont
2. Video by Hann Bin tagged by Chaang
3. Video by Ochi tagged by Hann Bin
4. Video by Matthew and tagged by Jaslyn

And the winner of the VoM December goes to.......

Ochi for his video on Hann Bin doing and extension back hands cupie (or was it his promotion for DIY again). Ochi will share the prize with Hann Bin for tagging it.




A short video showing us the amazing potential of Hann Bin, getting his first ever cupie on his first session trying it. I also have to give credit to Ochi again for his constant "spamming" on whatever channel he can; he does not even let go the chance to promote DIY "hijacking" the success of Hann Bin. Though some of his FB friends may find it irritating (esp those not involve in cheer) to keep seeing his notification about DIY flooding their wall, but Ochi stuck at it and did not mind being "scolded" for flooding. Sometimes being "hated" for doing the greater good is a worth it. Great job Hann Bin once again for hitting the cupie.

Ochi and Hann Bin you 2 won yourselves $50.

Having already won the BPoM this month; Ochi is now winner of both the BPoM and the VoM, showing everyone that it is indeed possible to win both together. Continue to support both BPoM and VoM.


P.S: It is time for me to take a leap of faith

Blog Post of the Month December '10

This month we have many great entries; a total of 6 entries for BPoM December and they are:

1. Blogged by Ken
2. Blogged by Ken
3. Blogged by Weiwei and tagged by Harlis
4. Blogged by Ochi
5. Blogged by Ochi
6. Blogged by Veronica

Please continue to post quality posts and be rewarded for it at the same time. And the moment everyone is waiting for, the winner for BPoM December goes to...

The post by Ochi on "Kungfu Master Theory". Congratulations Ochi, you have won yourself the prize of $50.

Ochi's Blog Post: Kungfu Master Theory

Ochi's post once again highlighted the importance of sharing what you know in cheerleading. It is the only way to move forward as a whole SG cheer community. If one's mind is only fully focused on winning and afraid that by sharing they will lose their competitive advantage, then cheerleading will not develop at such a fast pace but remains stagnant. Often it just takes the first person to start sharing to a few, then the few to a few more, then a few more to more and more. This is the "snowball" effect, and power of multiplying.

Beyond writing the blog post, Ochi is a man who practices what he preaches; his selfless helping and pushing of not only his teammates, but any cheerleader as well for DIY said it all. Ochi might not have realised himself the impact and contributions he had made to the cheer scene yet, but I can tell everyone, what Ochi had done is already beyond measurable.

Comments by Chaang:

"Ochi's is sharing the ''kung fu master theory'' to enlighten those who are ''subconsiously selfish''. On top of that, his post not only helps 'enlighten' selfish non team players to work within a team and raise the level of proficiency within the team but also in a sense seeks to raise the standards of the whole cheer community too through sharing.
"

A round of applause for all who contributed. On behalf of Chaang and myself, we thank all of you once again and hope that you all will continue to help promote cheerleading through blogging by sharing different points of view and experiences.

Winners of VoM and BPoM December will be announced shortly...

Prize Presentation for VoM November'10 Winner

Winner of VoM November by Kerry and Ruth from ASTROS. They won themselves $50





Noticed the difference for this month's VoM prize presentation? If you guessed the prize instead of being in the form of a cheque, but it is in the form of cold hard cash, then you are right.

From now on, I have decided to present the prize for VoM each month using CASH, instead of cheque. I guess the feeling to receive cash is much nicer and seems more "real". By doing so, this also effectively takes away the effort to bank in the cheque; and the cash is ready to be used immediately. Hopes this small act would encourage more people to take part in VoM, now that there is no excuse of being troublesome to bank in a cheque.

BPoM November Prize Presentation

The winner for BPoM November is by Veron and Wee Keat from Spectrum. They won themselves $50. The prize presentations.

Veron recieving the prize

BPoM 6th entry for December

The 6th entry for BPoM December is by Veron. The post is on the 5th anniversary celebration of Spectrum. It is really nice to see from the pictures the big family of spectrum over the past 5 years having fun together. I can remember the year spectrum started, everyone in NTU halls taking part in HO have their eyes on them, full of anticipation of the stunts and performance they are going to put up. Ever since that year, Spectrum has always been one of the halls to look forward to during HO.

Special mention had to go to Chaang, for help the formation of Spectrum and then building it to such a great team it is today. I remember Chaang telling me how he literally went door to door to get people to join back then; to unearth all the hidden talents of the hall. Chaang especially had this magical touch with him to attract guys, and not just guys, but big and macho ones like him too. I would say that without Chaang's selfless efforts and singleminded ambition back then, Spectrum would not have been possible. Though Chaang has left Spectrum now, I believe that Spectrum will always have a special place in his heart and that his spirit lives on in Spectrum too. We will always remember the feet stamping cheer off which Spectrum still does till today.

Check out the post by Veron: 6th BPoM December entry or here

BPoM 5th entry for December

A second BPoM entry by Ochi, though I am not so sure how this post is link to cheerleading, after taking away the fact that these 3 cute, pretty and hot girls are all cheerleaders. haha. I guess all I can say is that cheerleaders not only excel in cheerleading, but also excel in other areas. It is the lessons that you take away from cheerleading that is going to help you along for the rest of your lives. (i.e: cheerleading teaches you make up skills and to be presentable?? A very important skill all females should have these days.)

Check out the post by Ochi: 5th BPoM December entry or here


P.S: Tried my best to link the post the cheerleading. haha.

BPoM 4th entry for December

The 4th entry of BPOM December is by Ochi, the incoming captain of Wildcards for his post on Wildcards Blog, "Kungfu Master Theory". Once again a great post from Ochi. The gist of this post is to encourage everyone to give and teach wholeheartedly. If you are a master in certain skills, always help others to achieve it too, without witholding any information or the last bit of tip that would make it hit.

All that is summed up into 1 sentence:

Most importantly, are you willing to teach beyond your 100% and help your peers improve to a level beyond yourself and in return squeeze that 10% in return?
-Quote by Chaang

The post went on to illustrate many examples of the above principle and how it had helped Ochi and his teammates to speed up their learning curve. I shall end off with a quote from Ochi in the post:

So cheerleaders guilty of the Kung fu master theory do remember this. What you teach is what you get, embrace the power of social creativity. Don't be shy to teach in full and teach it well because very soon, at the end of the day in a 16 man routine it is the collective ability that counts. At Nationals, if you can do a full twisting rewind and your teammates can't do a basic lib, it just counts for nothing.


Check out the post by Ochi: 4th BPoM December entry or here


P.S: Ochi is still promoting his DIY subtlely in this post

4th entry for December VoM

The 4th video entry for December VoM is a video posted by Matthew and tagged by Jaslyn. It is a video of Wildcards performance on the 20th of November for Ulu Pandan Family Day. An all stunts up performance and great work everyone. Though you guys went through a busy month and had to deal with some illness and injury issues, you all still managed to pull through as a team and delivered when it mattered.

3rd entry for December VoM

3rd video entry for December VoM - A video by Ochi and tagged by Hann Bin. The video shows Hann Bin doing extension hands cupie with Yvonne. Like the previous VoM post of Hann Bin doing single liberty, this is even more amazing. A got his cupie in such short time and in a single session. Though I think the limelight should had been on Hann Bin in the video, but Ochi managed to turn the limelight back onto his DIY session. haha. A huge applause also to be given to Ochi and his incessessant promotion of his DIY. Nice video in all.

2nd entry for December VoM

The 2nd video entry for December VoM is by Hann Bin and tagged by Chaang. The video shows Hann Bin doing a toss extension back to hands single liberty with Jasmine. Simply well done Hann bin, it must hand been less than half a year since you joined and the progression is already amazing. I think this is a perfect example of the result you get for of doing your best and with the best. Always give in your best to the things you wanted most.

BPoM 3rd entry for December

The 3rd entry of BPOM December is by Harlis on behalf of Weiwei for his post, "A Note for everyone…", based on Weiwei's note on facebook. This post by describes Weiwei's views, thoughts, and emotions about coaching a team. It definitely speaks out the many unspoken difficulties a coach often faces and the type of struggles that a coach goes through.

A point in the post that I want to highlight is "3) If the stunts cannot be hit, I feel that I have let the team down by not being a good coach."

Like Weiwei, as a coach, this is a thought that always pops up in my mind whenever we fail a stunt. As much as coaches do not wish to feel this way, but this is just one of the mental struggles a coach faces. And as a coach, you are the strong one, you have to carry the burdens of the team, to push the team forward. A coach may appear calm outside, but a thousand thoughts/worries are simultaneously running through the mind as he/she watches and supervises the training.

So players, please do your part to help our your coaches; you may feel the physical stresses which ends after a couple of hours during trainings, but your coaches feel the mental stresses that does not end even as they lie on the bed. Do the things your coaches tell you to, the conditioning and exercises they give you.

As Weiwei pointed out: "Unless I am your mum, I am not able to constantly monitor your physical fitness, flexibility and strength training.".

I think even mums nowadays may not have 24hrs to constantly monitor you; it really is all up to oneself.


Check out the post by Weiwei and tagged by Harlis: 3rd BPoM December entry or here


P.S: How you do anything is how you do everything