in thoughts...

Was on the bus coming home yesterday
They were showing the gymnastics of SEA Games
Singapore had 2 or 3 representatives (couldn't really see/hear cos was quite far from the TV screen)
One of them looked really young
but well actually most of them looked really young
probably all that springing around helps
keeps you on your toes
the gymnasts reminded me of birds somehow
like birds preening.
dun ask me why preening. always thought it was a beautiful word.
one of those words i felt were very "right". Like when you know the word and its meaning it all makes sense and you never forgot the meaning nor the word again.
the way they have to balance, stretching those arms out
stretching it all the way back to take their bows
make them look like birds - stuck out chest and wings behind
but they are interesting to watch.. :)

turns out that one of our young Singapore representatives did really well in the first event
so when she fell not once, but thrice, off the beam upon losing her balance
all the commentator could say was "Unbelievable!"
came as a shock cos one, you dun expect them to fall so many times i guess
two, perhaps expectations for her were higher because of her good performance in the first event.
she held her tears till she finished her sequence, there was one very apparent shot of her clenching her fists in the air in an effort to not cry so she could continue the routine.
oh and the other comment that the commentator kept saying was how disciplined these girls are.
and it's true.
she really didn't cry till she finished (at least from where i was sitting and what i saw on the TV screen)
and when she finished it was still normal smile with "wing-like" bow
before she turned to her coach and fellow representatives and really bawled.

but she had a most amazing comeback in the last event.
if i did see correctly, she got a gold medal in the end.
:)
in the short span of the time of the competition, she has experienced what many people may experience in their lives - the up, the down and the up again.
she's only 14 i think.
sometimes when i think of what my ex-jc principal says about athletes,
i think she's right - they can really go the distance.
she wanted them to do well for their sport but when it came to studies, she pushed them real hard too.
and well, my classmates who also were in the sports really did do well for their finals in the end.
and tho singapore may be a bit far from really winning all those medals in the big games, i think someday our athletes may just bring her there.
Athletes go the distance. :)