~JcZw

So finally comes the night I'd dreaded for so long, just before the National Cadet's (Under-17) Individual Fencing Tournament. Tiring day, esp since I stayed up til 2 am this morning to finish my zuo wen (and I bet its all fouled up anyway).

After staggering through the school day (and getting prodded awake numerous times in Bio Lecture by my namesake), I went back to AHS to see the SJers. It made me realise one more thing.

One of the things St. John taught me was to go for a goal regardless of how impossible it is. On the way to Fencing Masters from AHS, I thought of all the PT and discipline we'd gone through.

Run up the Chang Cheng in 20 sec?
Run from the classroom block to the old parade square, falling in in 10 sec?

Some of the tasks that we were given as SJ members we were meant to fail, meant to get punished for it. But we just went full spate, pushed ourselves past our endurance to try and attain an impossible goal. And this attitude reflected itself later on as well.

OCC knew as much as I did that going into the National Competition last year was a vain hope. With so many parental objections, personal objections etc plus settling into the new storeroom, the lack of equipment, the unstable schedules, we weren't going to make it.

My team, together with the NCs and my squad nursings still did our utmost during the competition. We scraped through National 4th, as well as best in footdrill for my team (tied with Dunman High, although mysteriously, they didn't announce during assembly, or give us any trophy for it). Happily, the comp teams this year are much better prepared than we were.

Tomorrow, our chances of winning aren't high, even though there is so much at stake. But I hope I can continue to adopt this attitude, and duel well, calmly and intelligently tomorrow. They might win, but they'll know they had a scrap with the VJ fencers, if I know my guys.

My cell group prayed for me tonight. Not to win, but to have the ability and energy to do my best. To resist the overwhelming heat at Clementi Sports Hall. To have the endurance needed. For safety. I trust that will be enough for tml, on top of all our training in the past few weeks.

I guess I should be pushing off to sleep soon then... g'night!