One
of the members, Noel, even had to make the difficult decision to
postpone his Mother Tongue examinations before he could go to the
competition, while several other members were faced with inadequate
funds to participate and the team had to undertake fundraising in the
midst of busy competition preparations.
Then to add to their problems, a
valuable team member could not make it to USA due to personal reasons.
Despite all these setbacks, which were further compounded by the need
to completely overhaul the competition script and create new props in
a single month to make the skit more competitive, the team valiantly
pressed on with a firm trust in God, allowing Him to convert every
obstacle to a victory.
However, that did not mark an end to
the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that the team faced. In an
almost comic twist of fate, they stepped onto the tarmac of Detroit
Metro Airport, only to find their luggages missing in transit!
Thankfully, their props for the competition were intact. Perhaps, the
deprivation of clean clothes magnified their desire to win.
The
ACJC Odyssey team stayed focused and gave of their best on competition
day to receive a standing ovation. There were some anxious moments
when their raw scores reflected a 5-point penalty and the team thought
they had lost all hope of gaining the championship.
However, on the way to the second part
of the competition (the spontaneous problem), a stranger approached
them and his comments that their performance earlier had him laughing
harder than he had in a long while really encouraged them and gave
them strength to deliver their best yet again. Perhaps, it is God’s
mysterious ways of sending His people to encourage the ACJC students
that day.
The wait to the awards ceremony was
tremendously nerve-wrecking. Just when the tension was becoming
unbearable, they were pronounced World Champions, sharing the title
with Ithaca College, with a difference of 0.4 points.
The entire Singapore contingent cheered
for them. It was then that they truly savoured the fruits of their
labour, with the 8 magnificent minutes of performance playing over and
over again in their minds like a broken recorder.
The
team’s success in replicating ACJC’s 2005 success brings honour and
glory to the college and Singapore - thanks to the teachers-in-charge
(Miss Choo Wan Xian, Miss Azlina Bte Majid and Mdm Ng Cheng Cheng),
their alumni coaches (David de Winne and Jill Ng), and many faithful
schoolmates. Special thanks also go to the many individuals who
contributed to their fundraising efforts, and especially to the Lee
Foundation and National Youth Council for their earnest support.
Upon reflection, the team members could
understand better the many obstacles faced, the fear of failure,
moments when they allowed their hearts to give up; restricted by their
humanness, but God who is sovereign once again assured ACJC that ‘A
man’s heart plans his way, but it is the Lord who directs his steps’
(Proverbs 16:9). We saw in part, but God sees the whole.
