ICC Cheer Competition 2017
August 28, 2017
Learning Outcomes:
2. Skills
4. Perseverance
5. Collaboration
In my school, Colegio Roosevelt, the high school has Interclass Competitions also known as ICC. They last for a week; which is the most competitive and best week of the year. That week starts off with the Cheer competitions which are basically stomps and student-made music that relate to the theme of each grade for that year. I am currently in my Junior year at FDR which means I have experienced three ICC's and I have proudly been part of the Cheer team for those three years.
I really can't begin to explain how much effort is put into this presentation. Learning the stomps and songs is extremely hard and it requires intensive practicing. As much as I love the sensation of presenting something that I've put so much effort into, the process is very stressful. As we, as a group, learned our strengths and weaknesses throughout the years, we've increased our practicing time. In the first year of ICC, we practiced about two times per week for 1 hour and a half. This past year, we practiced three times a week for 2 hours and one time for 3 hours. As expected, it is tiring. A lot of perseverance is required, especially because not all of us can learn the steps easily. I am one of those. It takes me a lot of practice to be able to perform the steps perfectly and in sync with the other girls. Because of this, I always make sure to get extra practice at home and whenever I can. I ask for the help of my friends and record myself doing the steps so I can see what I can improve on.
What's also really intense about this whole process is the amount of time we spend together. Clearly, to produce a performance with music and do all of that synchronized, a lot of collaboration is required. We have our leaders every year, but regardless of who it is, we are all putting our best effort. For me, the biggest challenge is not letting the stress get to me. During the practices, I'll often snap at a girl or scream because someone's talking which (as though it is good for us to move forward) can get it in the way of a good environment. On the other hand, as a group, we are really good at separating things. We try to let go of the snaps and aggressiveness in the practices as soon as time's over so that there are no conflicts and we can still continue as a supportive group to one another.
No matter all of the strengths or weaknesses we have during the process, the feeling of presenting the performance and hearing the applause and cheering of the crowd along with us, always leaves me speechless. It is completely worth it.
ICC Cheer Practices
U-Lead Perú
Operation Smile LEA Model
Learning Outcomes:
4. Commitment and Perseverance
5. Collaboration
As you might have known from my multiple reflections, I have been a part of Operation Smile since 2015. It has been a big part of my life especially because I have been so active and present in the activities of the organization. However, for the past two years, I have been a cabinet member. Being a cabinet member and representing OS directly in my school, I was able to be much more involved with the national organization of OS rather than only at school.
Being a part of the national organization of OS in Peru, I had the opportunity to help organize U-lead. U-lead is a model of LEA, which is a conference held in any part of Latin America that gathers volunteers around the continent that are making a change. U-lead started as an idea to call people's attention to go to LEA because there are hardly any people from Peru in the conference.
Being part of the organization of U-lead required a lot of commitment and perseverance and that's my first learning outcome. Waking up early on a Saturday to lead activities for people to have fun and be interested, isn't the most fun activity. Additionally, organizing matters during the event can also be overwhelming. Still, since I am committed to the organization and to the success of it, I woke up early and stayed all day doing the activities and helping organize them. I wouldn't be able to have done it as well without the help of my peers; from my school and from other schools as well. That brings me to my next learning outcome: collaboration. Especially throughout the sports activities, it required a lot of collaboration because while we needed to be active and also do the sports, we needed to simultaneously organize the participants as well. Collaborating with each other allowed us to have the activities flowing well and everything worked out.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Strengths and Limitations
4. Commitment and Perseverance
Including Sports in my Life
Establishing my gym routine
My mom has always encouraged me to include sports in my life. I have never been a kid who played any sports because I never liked to. So when I reached an age where practicing sports was necessary for my health, my mom wanted me to include it in my routine and I understood the necessity of it.
My first learning outcome throughout this process was identifying my strengths and limitations (in terms of sports and organizing myself to include them in my life). What I found was that it was hard to find time for it amidst my other obligations. But once I identified that challenge, I decided to prioritize it. And once I established a routine, it was easier to go every time. To be able to exercise to my full potential, my personal trainer made a program for me to follow to mantain a healthy sports routine (you can see it below).
Following the program and going to the gym at least three times a week required a lot of commitment and perseverance and this brings me to my next learning outcome. Like I said, it was hard to include it in my priorities at first because sometimes I got caught up with homework and other obligations. However, through this learning outcome I was able to maintain that routine of going to the gym and working out. Now, I am able to keep going with that routine consequently having a healthier lifestyle.
