You know we are the CHAMPIONS when.....

I asked myself 'Am I dreaming or is this for real?' whenever I thought about SMKDJ's victory in bringing back the prestigious Datuk Wira for the 3rd time today. This post will not go on full details (check Calvin's blog for precise, accurate details of the debates) but rather it will encapsulate the essence and the core of our journey to victory.

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when the Selangor champion forfeited and we came in to replace them

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we did in 10 days what others did in 6 months

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we have extremely dedicated coaches like Puan Mag and Puan Koh

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we have 7 young, committed debaters who were willing to skip exams and stay back until 4.30 pm everyday to prepare for the debates

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we worked as a team and helped each other in the best way possible

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we worked so hard in Kelantan that we even forgot about dinner

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when the best compliment we received was that we were well-mannered and knew how to carry ourselves well

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we waited for 9 months before we reached the finals

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we listen to the painful post mortem from our coaches after each debate and try our best to improve the next time around

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we have the whole school rooting for us to go all the way to the top

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we have such supportive ex-DJians who helped us tremendously along the way and always wish the best for us

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we won a lot of hearts at the national level by just being humble and humourous

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we (hopefully) will become a better debater, a better teammate and a better person with the experience we got from this victory

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we proved our doubters wrong when they initially thought we couldn't make it

You know we are the CHAMPIONS when we created history by being the only school in the whole of Malaysia who has won the Wira cup thrice

This had been a really exhausting yet invaluable journey all together. We, the WIRA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS '08 would like to dedicate our victory to those who have played a vital role in our success. Those who made the impossible possible. Those who urged us to reach our dreams and supported us all the way 'till the end.

Puan Koh, Puan Mag, Kevin, John, Marc, Andrew, the form 3s, our parents and of course the debaters (Keefe, Daryl, Sophia, Jay, Calvin and Rachel) themselves. I could not have asked for a better support system than this.

No man's an island. No man's a debate team and certainly not DJ's debate team.

This is a story of success. And it is OUR story.

*pics will come later