ALMOST A YEAR AFTER NDP 2008. (:

It has been almost a year since the NDP cheerleading performance.

When the school recruited students to volunteer for NDP Cheerleading performance, the first thing i had in mind was the job of a motivator, the one who interacts with the crowd and public, teaching the crowd dance moves etc. However, it was not how I expected to be. NDP Cheerleading is not about performing in front of the smaller group of people in the area that you are assigned to, but to everyone there in the crowd. This definitely make me nervous.

I am glad that i persevered till the big day, even though there were many occasions that I had compromise other duties to turn up for the trainings. When the training was though in the beginning, the thought of quitting and pulling out came into my mind very often. However, my friends and teachers encouraged me not to. With the encouragement and that i did not want to disappoint others, i stayed on, and I am glad that I did.

On the actual day, the weather was not on our side. We had to be extremely careful as it started to drizzle once it was our turn to perform. The floors were slippery and we cannot afford to slip or back out. The stage was ours for barely 5 minutes (but the training took around 4mths) and yet, each of us gave in our best. The regular trainings on saturdays paid off and we put on a specticular show for the nation.

After the entire NDP 2008, i realised that my saturdays became empty, as we no longer need to attend trainings. This made me realised how much time and effort we all had put in.

In conclusion, the entire event is a fruitful learning journey for me, and i am sure that i am not the only person who has benefited from it.

Love, Yunni (08S06)

NDP 2008, an event i will never forget

NDP 2008 will always be a significant event in my heart. Not only is it my first time performing to a large audience, it is also my first time doing cheerleading. Its a once in a lifetime experience that i guess not everybody will have. 

I remembered the period when we were having mass practices with other jc, I was in doubt whether I should continue with the event. I feared that taking part in cheerleading would affect my promotional exams results. My parents were reluctant for me to join too. However, under Ms Tan's encouragement, i finally persuaded my parents and promised to dedicate my time for the event. In fact, i did not regret being part of the cheerleading team. Although my promotional results were not that well done, I am still able to learn things that i would not be able to in my studies.   

From this event, I've taken a lot of things from it. Firstly, I have made new friends from other CCAs and civics classes. I would never forget the happy memories we had throughout the whole cheerleading programme. Secondly, I've gain more confidence in myself. Performing to a large audience was not an easy task, however, i was able to stay cool and focus during the performance and did the best i could. Thirdly, from NDP, I understood how difficult it was to organize and carry out a large scale event. Timing and precision was vital for the NDP show to be successful. Any small errors would lead to disastrous effect. 

In conclusion, I would definitely consider NDP 2008 to be a significant event in my life.

Zheng Jie Andre (08S05)

My wonderful experience

When i first heard about the cheerleading recruitment annoucement, i wasn't interested at all. I was thinking since i have no sense of rhythm, i guess i can't cheerlead as well. Furthermore, exams all coming and my homework load are piling up. The annoucement soon was completely off my mind.

However, fate brought me to this issue again when my friend offer me poiletly whether would i want to join the ndp cheerleading programme together. I hesitated for a moment. i wanted to reject the offer but could not bring myself to turn down the offer since it was ask very sincerely with very much hope. Not to disappoint my good friend ,i decided to give in for once without much enthusiasium.

Very much to my surprise, cheerleading is not as tough as i thought it to be. It was fun and soon my enthusiasium level got up with every practises. Every expereince is different in every practise, though the steps are the same. i got to learn new skills, make new friends and experience what is't like to perform on stage with thousands of crowd. I truly enjoy myself in throughout the cheerleading event, especially the moment on stage was super.

I hope that there will be a second chance next time and i look forward to joining such event again. Many complaint that training hours are long but trust me, it all worth it. Last of all, i want to thank the friend that pull me into cheerleading, all the new friends that i made, all the instructors that always try to be patient with us and all their guidance and our teacher in-charge who always pamper us with delicious food, great support and doing her best to make all these a successful and wonderful experience for me and everybody in the tpjc ndp cheerleading 2008.

Regards, Chan Pei Rong o8A01.

The experience and lessons learnt from NDP cheerleading have been abundant.I did not expect to reap such great outcomes initially but the results at the end have proved to reflect the hardwork and effort we have all put in.

Every practice was a chore for me as i regretted each time for getting myself involved in cheerleading.The only consoling matter was that my SGC would not be empty. However it was during the real NDP performance, did i realise the full impact of it all .

I was in a blank state of mind as i saw thousands of eyes watching the show.But as soon as i got onto the platform, the feeling of anxiety vanished instantly. Before i knew it, i was out in the open doing my moves.

The satisfaction that i gained from the whole journey was truly sufficient as i learnt how to perservere practising under the scorching sun and found out the power of my mental strength. It has taught me to prioritise my work as i tried balancing my studies and cheerleading. This journey has indeed been a meaningful and fruitful one for me and i m glad that i was part of it.

~shamaani 08A04~

When we're done with admiring the outcome, don't forget about the the journey. (:

NDP 2008 cheerleading segment: a memorable showcase of teenagers performing a cheerleading item to evoke enthusiasm into the crowd gathered at the Marina Bay Floating Platform to celebrate yet another birthday of Singapore. I'm sure that a large majority of the cheerleaders will agree with me when I say that all the intense training was well worth it when we were rewarded with the load cheerss and clapping of the crowds. A once in a lifetime moment that many will never get the chance to experience. Yes, the outcome was spectacular. However, we should not forget the journey that each and everyone of the cheerleaders undertook to get there.

Honestly speaking, I was invited to join the NDP cheerleaders as my council friend told me that he needed more people to join. At that point of time, I didn't know that I was going to substitute his place as a cheerleader. During the first practice, I felt completely lost in the sea of TPJCians who had friends to accompany them throughout this ordeal. Hence, it was absolutely hard to enjoy the earlier trainings. My anti-social nature only made it more difficult for me to interact with the more enthusiastic cheerleaders. I started to dread trainings and pushed myself by telling myself that it would all end soon.

However, as time passed, I made friends with the friendlier bunch of the cheerleaders. I guess it's hard not to make any friends when you meet them so many times in the week, especially with the weekly saturday practices. The NDP trainings also allowed me to catch up my PAE friends from Anderson Junior College (AJC) as well as some of my friends from Victoria Junior College (VJC). The main point I want to emphasize on is that NDP cheerleading did more that just help me make friends. It essentially chipped off a layer of my anti-social shell that hindered my social life. After going through the NDP experience, I found it slightly easier to talk to people and make friends with them - a skill that will definetely serve me well in the future.

In a nutshell, I really enjoyed this experience and I want to thank everyone who was a part of my journey. As for the teachers who put their time into watching over us, I really appreciated the effort and the encouragement. NDP Cheerleading 2008 is an experience that will always be etched in my heart like an indelible tatoo. Thanks for everything guys. :D

-- Jeremiah Tan

NDP 2008 !

August 9 2008 was a memorable day for me- A day where we finally put up a fantastic performance after months of hard work. :)
Initally, we faced alot of drawbacks but i am glad that we still perserve on and did our best in every training sessions. I am always fascinated by the performances put up by experienced cheerleaders and the gorgeous attire they had. But, the sad thing is- our school didnt have cheerleading as a CCA. So once i heard about ndp cheerleading 2008- i signed up without having a 2nd thought as i knew that i did not make a wrong choice. Indeed, i never regret at all for joining it. Not only it will make our SGC look nicer but also, the things learnt from it- perservance, teamwork and hardwork.
IN CONCLUSION, NDP CHEERLEADING 2008 ROCKS! :)


sAmAntha 08s08-

Memories of NDP

I feel that I am really fortunate to have participated in NDP 2008. The whole process was filled and fun, joy and laughter. Its true that when i signed up to participate for cheerleading, i was hesitant. I was worried as a JC1 student whether i could manage my time with my studies. But the time i spent doing cheerleading was never wasted. It really made me experience many new thoughts and feelings. I made many friends through this NDP. I became more socially. It made me realise that its nothing wrong to always make the first move in anything I am willing to do.

The thought of waiting for our to participate, munching the food provided and watching the Singapore Flyer is really memorable. When all the students cheered together, i felt the feeling of unity and teamwork. As i was one of the flyers being carried, i experienced a great feeling. Its really scary to see the audience at the floating platform while being carried. But i was very proud of myself that i even lifted my chin slightly very proudly. Come to think about it, NDP has also taught me how to manage my time well.

rasina