The Last March

It all came down to this.

All the time sacrificed to march up and down the fields,

all the aches and burns and lethargy,

all the spurts of creative juices just to weave a formation,

all the emotions,

all the dedication.

They'd be lying if they said they didn't want to win.

It all came down to this. After the last few practices early in the morning, contingents of all colours stood aligned behind the hall, butterflies struggling to escape the depths of their stomachs.

Things are different if you're part of Sports Day. It's definitely different when you look around to find familiar faces around you. Aaa...Joyce, Hsu-Cherng and Natasha up-and-ready in Red, Chai Mei in Blue, Huey Lin in Yellow, Yuet May in Purple, and finally managing to bring in Mei Yee(now addicted to marching) in Green, along with Sooi Kee and reuniting with Chee Min yet again.

The road to the front of the stage seemed so short yet so long. Everyone was oblivious to their surroundings. Timing."Kiri, kiri, kiri, kanan, kiri!" as loud as possible. Hands, 90 degrees. Mascots, without their antics, anxiety might take over me.

There we were soon enough, lashing out all we could.



Some gave us thumbs up. Others told us to not put high hopes. It was enough to pull us into doubt. The past two years flashed in my mind. There is pressure to mantain 1st place for the third consecutive year. 2nd place, for all we know, was far enough.

Thanks, Genevieve and Yu Ning, for giving me a smile again. Even if you didn't know you did.

What's done is done.



With every mention of a win, roars of cheers pierced through the wind. Things are different when you are part of it.

It was obvious who would win first place for marching. Sooi Kee felt we were bound to lose, and she could see I was in anxiety. No one wanted to be the cause of the Green House downfall.

But, well, we still have a chance. Maybe a slim chance. I mean, even if we don't win, I'd have been part of two wins out of my three years of marching, right?


"Naib Johan ialah...(2nd place goes to...)"




Silence.




"Rumah Hijau.(Green House)"

I never knew we could scream that loud, or jump in such a hysterical manner.