girls in unison

choral speaking.

what in God's green earth is that? when i was in primary school, which incidentally was roughly when brazil took permanent possession of the jules rimet cup, the group activities (now called the politically- correct term "co-curricular activities") i was exposed to games like badminton & rounders, or the more sedate stamp-collecting & gardening. is it any wonder that i have no lasting memory 0f what i did outside of reciting the alphabets & baa baa black sheep, & playing one-leg during recess?? oh wait, i did remember that i was teacher's pet but i digress.

but the kids have it good now. just these few days, i read of cheer-leading competitions amongst schools at state & national levels. i think having young girls prancing around in mini-skirts & tights, & flexing their nubile bodies to the sound of rock-and-roll would have given dear matronly Mrs Thumboo an apoplexy. but i am glad we have moved with the times & the powers-that-be have accepted & encouraged such healthy sports as much as tug-of-war or rock-climbing.

when i 1st heard my then 10yr old daughter in practice for the state-level choral speaking competition some years back, i was pleasantly amazed that pre-teens could be coaxed & coached to speak articulately in unison, & still maintain a musical ring to it. ah, the wonders of young, intelligent & impressionable minds!! her school went on to represent the state at national level & it was indeed a proud & memorable experience for her & her friends to do honour for the school. perhaps, as 1st timers, expectations ran high as they had anticipated a top 3 finish but their naive aspirations came to grieve (literally!!) in the face of fierce competition. they cried & were momentarily inconsolable when the results were announced.

this year is the 3rd one running that they have gone on to the national finals. the team came in 5th out of 15 schools. the girls must have matured (or did they just got used to not being in the top 3??) because they had a blast of a time despite the disappointment. no tears, no wailings, just good fun! i'm personally relieved that they realised winning would be nice but is not everything. i hope they remember that when the UPSR results are released.