~JcZw

Blogging again barely an hour after the other one... I've got more stuff to get off my system.

I really need God's peace at this time of my life. Under a lot of pressure to perform. Actually its just for fencing cos my parents don't really have that high expectations for my exams (although, of course, they expect me to study hard and do my best).

Today only 10 people turned up for practise. 10 out of 18, and of these 8 absentees, the one that I can credit for having the basic courtesy to actually tell me the night before was Jomaine, the VIPer rep in the exco. She's still a sec. 3 age, she was feverish n all, but she beat all these able-d bodied Year 1s to informing me that she couldn't come. Kudos to her... talk about setting a good example =)

End result, we were late, and wasted our training time in the process. 20 min late to be exact. But the point is, if you want to be treated like a sport, then we must BEHAVE like a sport!

Remember at the start of the year when Mr Tan told us that we were just a "recreational CCA"? Remember how we vowed to pull fencing up? Iiiiii remember the things I said during the exco interview. And I do not intend them to be empty promises. But things don't seem to go well all throughout.

Look at girls' soccer... just set up this year and they're already widely known, they have their own training schedule and all the members MAKE SURE they STICK to the training schedule. Its hard to forget Charmaine showing me the picture of her n her fellow 'keeper, muddy from diving in a wet field, or SiHui telling me how they had to run through the rain. They train regardless of rain or shine. But fencing? People don't come cos they forget to bring equipment... cos they have tests... or simply cos its not on their priority list.

I don't know what they feel, but every member who doesn't come is a nail in the fencing coffin, then they will come n argue abt "why do I have to pay $40 when I only came for 2 trainings" like HELLO?!?! You took a committment when you joined the CCA?!?!

The point is, the fencing club will never become established while we only have 1 training a week. How fast can you improve like that? Ok, so there are the extra free fencing sessions throughout the week. I don't make it compulsory. I CAN'T make it compulsory cos we're the only sport who has a non-PE teacher who doesn't understand the value of training and who's only concern is our results and getting home safely!

But look at the results! Today who were the people that held the piste? Maurice and I who come every week to fence! Who seeded highest in the Under-17? The results are all evident to see. How can you do anything great without committment?

How does a captain inspire his members? Gerry and George seem to get it done fine, inspiring their RCC members. But of fencing... the circle of committed members is small and still shrinking. The threat of "we will close down your club" is still very real, and I don't have the solution.

Sighz