Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A cheerless future?

It’s easy to assume that my return to blogging after a long hiatus coincides with the recent OBW that we had last weekend. In a way it does although it’s not my intention to provide a review of OBW2008. In fact a review from me wouldn’t do justice as I wasn’t there for a sufficient duration. I really went for the STAROBA AGM, being an election year. I felt that I had to do my democratic duty to prevent lazy undeserving wankers from serving in the committee. Oh yes, since my batch (and my firm, in part) sponsored the rugby jerseys for the boys I was interested to see what value our advertising ringgit bought.

The rugger match that afternoon turned out to be between STAR and Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (SSAS). It was the inaugural Arshad Ahmad Trophy annual match between STAR and SSAS. For those who don’t know, Arshad Ahmad is an old boy who taught and coached rugby in STAR and later went on to do the same for SSAS (he’s their current coach). It was the first time in my memory we played rugby against SSAS who I must say turned out quite impressively. It wasn’t just their smart Carisbrook kit (complete with matching socks) that proved that they meant business but it was obvious from their demeanour that these boys lived and breathed rugby. Of course, if these were MCKK boys in similar garb and mien, a thump on the head would prove to be quite necessary.

Our boys in contrast were quite a sight. The impact of their sleek new Cobratasha jerseys were significantly reduced by the shocking state of their …. socks.

It looked like they were undecided on whether to wear long or short socks and of what colour. Or in fact to wear any at all. But fashion sensibilities notwithstanding, I still had high hopes for them. After all, I was told that these boys were the Perak champs that year, demolishing MCKK 11 -5, in the process. There were moments when our boys seemed quite lost during the game but in true Starian spirit they rose to the occasion and delivered a 17-17 draw.

But during the game I was quite to disturbed to see a number of things.

Firstly, there was no “Cobratasha!!” battlecry by the rugger players. There were some noises made during the group huddle but not our familiar rallying call.

Secondly, while the match was going on, quite a number of boys were ignoring the match. Football games (which I’m sure were not part of the official OBW agenda) were going on with the players oblivious to an important rugby match underway.

Thirdly and most worryingly, the boys were not cheering. The old boys egged them on by hurling a barrage of old cheer songs (although some words slipped our minds) but we were met mostly with deadly silence. But encouragingly, there was one moment when SSAS was trying to convert and some noises were beginning to emerge. Were they going to chant “Push them back, push them back, way back!” like we used to do? But all the boys could manage was “Tak masuk, tak masuk!” like a bunch of unschooled fairies. At that point, I felt like just walking across the field to kick their sorry fairy asses.

I’ve heard this rumour that cheering is now banned in STAR but I refused to believe it. Why would anyone want to do away with a tradition that promotes self-esteem, camaraderie and self-identity? But apparently the school authorities do not see it that way: it should no longer be because it promotes the “bullying culture”. Like WTF?

I raised this issue in my batch’s yahoogroup discussion yesterday. Don commented very rightly, “Seriously, we are beginning to see the homogenization of the SBP. Traditions and individuality are being destroyed in the pursuit of churning out exam-scorers. In a decade, you won't be able to tell SDAR, SAS and STAR apart - might as well rename them SBP1, SBP2, SBP3.”

As I remember , the individuality of Starians were well-displayed during the 1986 PPM. We were in SMS Kelantan and at every basketball game we would be treating other (quiet) SBP denizens with our deafening renditions of “Ayak-ayak gantung”, “Dunlop”, “Rukun Tetangga” and other old favourites. So much so that the SMS Kelantan boys who got very pissed off (and by then were conscious of their nondescriptness) were planning to beat us up one night. The refreshing thing that came out of that was the boys from that other great cheering institution in KK felt it fit to put aside our usual rivalry and offer to lend a hand if it came to blows. Nothing happened and we quickly resumed our usual hostilities, much to everybody’s relief.

Anyway, in case cheering is reduced to an extinct anachronism in later years, I feel it to be my obligation to preserve at least a piece of our history in this blog. Show them how it's done, Pot and the lads …………


58 comments:

Encik Rasis said...

the non-existence of cheer makes me feel that i have no more connection with the current batch of boys.yes, cheering was banned at our alma mater a few years back, fearing that it will "menggalakkan" (what the English word for it?) bully.

tradition and individuality is no more emphasize at SBP, not even a premier school SBP like SDAR, STAR & SSAS. all that matters to the school administrator is that they would be able to churn out maximum numbers of straight A's students every year.

it seems like to the current batch of SBP students, it doesn't matter which school you are from but what really matter for them is how many A's they get for their SPM.

p/s: can't make it to this year's OBW. have some personal matter to attend.

Anonymous said...

btw, i've move to http://fromtheviewofacommonperson.blogspot.com/

afsi said...

It really saddens me indeed to hear the tradition eroding. It really was the identity and pride of the school. To hear the cheers from the sidelines or while playing was really something else, really. One has to experience it to really know what the atmosphere is all about.

Nice jersey tho.. wish we had these jerseys back then rather than the old white or red jersey :)

Oh I did play rugby back then and to wear the STAR jersey was a privilage

akula said...

Whats the connection between cheering and bullying?

It seems to me that the school's principles and administrators are getting dumber and dumber.

We cheered, we kept our traditions intact and yet we still made it in life.

That should prove something.

akula said...

Principle - principal. :)

tigerlaneboy said...

Rasis .... sad that you have confirmed it's true. memang takde connection with the boys langsung. will update your link.

afsi .... we even did the one where we cheered each player's name. I hope they appreciated that OBs pun take the trouble to find out their names and cheer them on.

akula .... i noticed some of them did try to cheer (maybe they made up some impromptu songs because lagu lama semua dah pupus). Habislah semua tu kena DC.

Encik Rasis said...

lirik masih disimpan oleh pelajar-pelajar sekarang, tapi diorang tak tau macam mana nak cheer.

sedih...

Encik Rasis said...

akula.....tak tau la macam mana school admin kaitkan cheer dengan buli... sampai sekarang masih pening pikir perkara tu...

that's why I'm not interested to go back to STAR, to teach in STAR...I can't relate my experience with the boys...

Anonymous said...

Adoi... mana tak lupa lirik, cheer lagu "STAR Nama Yang Diberi", sebuah cheer yang mempunyai lirik yang kompleks serta ritma tepukan yang bertukar-tukar.

A rousing performance nonetheless, lads. Spirit - that's all that matters.

tigerlaneboy said...

Rasis ...... lama2 jadi museum piece lirik2 tu. Boleh hantar ke arkib negara for the next pengkisahan.

Don ...... terkejut badak Ahmad Merican & Wan Ahmad Kamal (the writer and lyricist - of "Tanah Pusaka", the original song) kalau tengok budak STAR cheer lagu tu

Unknown said...

ade potential??? ahahhaa

nway, which batch are you from anyway?? batch of 25?? starian816? fivers 88?? batch nomenclature :P

tigerlaneboy said...

syafiq .... tengok kat baju budak2 tu. jelas trang-tang-tang. Macam ni kena refund duit sponsorship nih.

Anonymous said...

syafiq. still remember our pe'no kene expelled. kalo tak salah psl cheer rite?

tigerlaneboy said...

Anonymous ... kena expel pasal cheer? teruk tu. Please elaborate.

Encik Rasis said...

expel sebab cheer? junior tak suka kena train time cheer kot... report kat admin yang tak paham pasal cheer, terus buang senior tu...

agaknya la... can someone verify it?

Anonymous said...

Tanah Pusaka

STAR nama yg diberi
abg form5 yg kami sanjungi
berkumpul disini
memberi sokongan yg kami relai

semangat yg kami curahkan
tidak dapat dipendami lagi
wahai budak STAR semua
kita tetap terror depa kalah jua

11 pemain bersatu
pahlawan gagah sekolah ku
kemenangan sudah tentu
itulah matlamat sekolahku

STAR nama yg dipuji
utara ke selatan negeri
bersama menyanyi
dari awal hingga ke akhir nanti

ini la lirik yg kalau x silap dalam ingat2 lupa (genap 10 tahun tinggalkan STAR)..ada sapa2 yg boleh verify?

Anonymous said...

Dunlop:

dari padang menghijau segar
singgah di padang ini sebentar
kami bersemangat waja
agar trofi kami punya

Ayaq2 gantung:

ayaq2 gantung
nasik lemak kak melah
attack star attack
sudah tentu depa kalah

ada siapa yg boleh kasi starting verse rukun tetangga? x dapat nak recall la..

tigerlaneboy said...

aku ktulu ... tanah pusaka 2nd line tu, macamana "Abdul Rahman yang kamu sanjungi" boleh jadi "abg form5 yg kami sanjungi"? ni mesti ade cheerleader egomaniac yg ubah lirik. Patutlah cheering kena ban.

Rukun Tetangga

Kami ini penuntut
Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Datang ke padang/(gelanggang) ini
Untuk menyokong pasukan kami
Kami semua berharap
Agar kita 'kan berjaya

Marilah kita nyanyi
Agar dapat kita menang lagi
Mari kita berdoa
Agar dapat kita bergembira

Chorus:
Wahai pemain STAR
Seranglah kubu lawan
Agar nanti kita
Beroleh kemenangan

(Repeat beginning)

Encik Rasis said...

tigerlaneboy...
usually 2nd line tanah pusaka tu (for the younger generations, if I was not mistaken), kitorang akan reserve untuk pengetua yang faham dengan jiwa pelajar. back in my time, nama Tn. Hj. Adnan & En. Dawa akan dinyatakan di baris kedua ni...

kalau dah letak "abg form 5 yg kami sanjungi" tu maksudnya pengetuanya tidak disukai oleh form 5... hehehe...

tigerlaneboy said...

rasis ...budak2 ni kecik2 lagi dah pandai berpolitik

Encik Rasis said...

hurm...mana yg lbh penting?
politik or education?

Unknown said...

ermmm....to staroba.

but bravo to 'the tigerlane boy' for keeping ole memories going..

tigerlaneboy said...

Encik Rasis .... tak pernah dengar Pink Floyd: "we don't need no education"

Pay Payne .... sorrylah if the memories are not ole enough

son of Dulla said...

My intial comment., the rugby jersey was utterly disgusting! If the design is supposed to compliment the 'batlecry.. cobratasya cobratasya.. syinasyian STAR!' then I guessed that person got it wrong. STAR rugby team had always been associated with white (i.e. England) thus the continous rivalry with MCKK's All Black (New Zealnad). The spirit is not there simply because it was wrongly placed.
STRAOBA Orange is another misconception!. Orange is more associated with Holland?! Holland got no rugby man!!
Anyway is nice to know hat Pak Chat has organised such a trophy! Whatever happened to Hashim Awang Trophy!?. Is the tradition still continue?

Salam from Son Of Dulla (Batch 73)

tigerlaneboy said...

The design was chosen by the boys. Nobody in our batch wanted it so designed another one which fits our late 30s image. No idea what happened to Hashim Awang Trophy. I linked your blog btw. See you around.

Anonymous said...

You are right, it is exact

Anonymous said...

I think, what is it ?a false way. And from it it is necessary to turn off.

cialis said...

In principle, a good happen, support the views of the author

Anonymous said...

buy soma online no prescription order soma online from usa - soma brand vs generic

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.001casino.com/]casino games[/url] coincide the latest [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com/]free casino bonus[/url] manumitted no store perk at the best [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]casino compensation
[/url].

Anonymous said...

buy soma soma bras retailers - buy soma online ship florida

Anonymous said...

where to buy tramadol tramadol 93 58 pill - legal purchase tramadol online

Anonymous said...

Hi, bupropion online - buy bupropion http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#buy-bupropion , [url=http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#generic-bupropion ]generic bupropion [/url]

Anonymous said...

Hi, zyban no prescription - zyban without prescription http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#zyban-without-prescription , [url=http://www.wellbutrinonlinesale.net/#zyban-bupropion ]zyban bupropion [/url]

Anonymous said...

Drug Rehab Centers Is California generic finasteride no prescription - buy cheap propecia http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#buy-cheap-propecia , [url=http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#buy-finasteride-5mg ]buy finasteride 5mg [/url]

Anonymous said...

Nuclear Medicine Consulting Service ciprofloxacin price - cipro no prescription http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#cipro-no-prescription , [url=http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#order-cipro-online ]order cipro online [/url]

Anonymous said...

Ojibway Medicine Man propecia without prescription - buy finasteride online no prescription http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#buy-finasteride-online-no-prescription , [url=http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#propecia-pills ]propecia pills [/url]

Anonymous said...

Humor Medicine order ciprofloxacin - ciprofloxacin online pharmacy http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#ciprofloxacin-online-pharmacy , [url=http://www.cheapcipromed.net/#generic-cipro ]generic cipro [/url]

Anonymous said...

Illegal Immigration Drug Traficing propecia for sale - order propecia online http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#order-propecia-online , [url=http://www.propeciahowtosave.net/#propecia-online-pharmacy ]propecia online pharmacy [/url]

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol hcl tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg get high - tramadol qt prolongation

Anonymous said...

tmd [url=http://www.cytoteconlinecheap.net/#cytotec-200mg ]cheap cytotec [/url] - cytotec 200mg - buy cytotec http://www.cytoteconlinecheap.net/#generic-cytotec-no-prescription ,

Anonymous said...

buy carisoprodol carisoprodol detection drug test - carisoprodol soma 350mg

Anonymous said...

cheap cialis 20mg cialis daily efficacy - buy cialis for cheap

Anonymous said...

can you buy xanax online xanax side effects uti - what does a 2mg xanax pill look like

Anonymous said...

buy cialis without doctor prescription buy cialis jakarta - cialis patent

Anonymous said...

cialis no prescription overnight buy cialis online us - generic cialis no prescription usa

Anonymous said...

20000 :) order celebrex online - buy celebrex celecoxib 200mg http://www.celebrexpharmsite.net/, [url=http://www.celebrexpharmsite.net/]order celebrex [/url]

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol online tramadol ultram controlled substance - where can i buy tramadol usa

Anonymous said...

http://www.integrativeonc.org/adminsio/buyklonopinonline/#1735 klonopin side effects pregnancy - hydrocodone klonopin erowid

Anonymous said...

buy tramadol cheap online buy tramadol online yahoo - generic tramadol ingredients

Anonymous said...

http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#51726 next day tramadol discount - tramadol for dogs and humans the same

Anonymous said...

07 Imitrex No Prescription - buy generic imitrex http://www.cheapimitrexbuy.net/#imitrex-online, [url=http://www.cheapimitrexbuy.net/#imitrex-price]Purchase Sumatriptan[/url]

Anonymous said...

tramadol online safest place buy tramadol online - where to buy tramadol for dogs

Anonymous said...

klonopin without prescription klonopin dosage cfs - klonopin side effects with alcohol

Anonymous said...

buy klonopin online klonopin 5mg - erowid klonopin dose

Anonymous said...

klonopin without prescription klonopin and alcohol erowid - klonopin dosage equivalent

Anonymous said...

http://southcarolinaaccidentattorney.com/#90864 do drug tests test carisoprodol - carisoprodol 350 mg - 90 tabs

Anonymous said...

pertahankan kubu

pertahankan kubu serangan lawan, semangat berkorban untuk kemenangan,
rela berkorban untuk kemenangan ,
sekolah tuanku abdul rahman,

maju selangkah sekali bergerak,
merempuh musuh sekali serentak,
pantang undur mara dan terus mara ,
itulah star yang ternama.