comp stuff...

a recent discussion with a friend of mine brought up some more interesting issues on team spirit, competition, and etc. hmm i know i haven't said much abt my comp experience so i'll share it with everyone now...

the interesting thing abt wushu competition is that it seems like an individual effort. unlike a performance, u are responsible for the 1.5 min u spend on the carpet on competition day. and apart from other ppl doing your routine, no one else can really help you out...

in many cases, it *is* an individual effort. all too often, you see 1-2 individuals with exceptional abilities single-handedly win the title for their school... makes u wonder abt the value of a team trophy... but anyhow it is easy to just see competition as an individual challenge, of no consequence to the team...

funny thing is,i felt closer to the team during competition than during the performances... in the sense that for once u are not like taking care of others... everyone learns to take care of themselves... and you realise that these ppl are not liabilities... but actually ppl who do have some fighting spirit... and i guess u can empathise more when they share what you experience for once.

i guess that experience alone merits the entire competition experience. a very interesting thing i noticed abt the recent competition results is that we always assume we are the best... and that there is some shame in loss. i don't really feel that there is any shame in losing a fair fight. maybe it is cos all the competitors for an event line up together b4 we go on the carpet... maybe it is cos i can see the pressure and nervousness on their faces too... and maybe it is cos i actually admire some of them for their technique... anyhow, if there's a winner, there will be losers. it is silly to assume that u will win everytime, especially if u know your opponent and you know your own limits. beats me but if i win my event cos my opponent was good but messed up or something like that, i won't really feel that happy...

hmm a lot of my thoughts aren't very clear at the moment--> and this is probably my most lucid distillation... but i feel that since this is probably my last comp effort... i might as well appear mature for once and accept everything with a calm and peaceful frame of mind. in the end u realise that what u gain is much much more than just a simple medal on your neck.