Striving for excellence and reaching for the stars
14/04/2018
The ability to continually strive for excellence is one of the key qualities found in a successful leader. Cecilia Yeung, Hong Kong’s high-jump star and one of the star instructors of the JC Youth Football Leadership Scheme, exemplifies this quality perfectly, as she has broken a number of Hong Kong records in the women’s high jump.
At the age of 23, Yeung is Hong Kong’s first female professional high jumper. Before turning professional, she encountered several road blocks, but continued to work hard and even broke through the boundaries she had set for herself. In early 2016, she demolished the Hong Kong women’s high jump record, and then kept on going, breaking her own record more than once. Yeung is ranked among the world’s top ten high jumpers and second in Asia in the category she competed in last year. Her achievements are unparalleled!
A first-time instructor for the Scheme, Yeung conducted a fitness workshop for the young leaders, teaching them warm-up exercises and core muscle training. Not shy at hiding their admiration for the “high-jump goddess”, the class showed their leadership potential by eagerly asking questions and volunteering to demonstrate in class, which elicited a great deal of laughter from Yeung. The fun, however, did not sidetrack Yeung. She demanded that everyone accurately perform each movement, as she believes that being strict on oneself leads to excellence. Even simple warm-up movements did not escape Yeung’s eagle eye, as she insisted that they be done with scrupulous attention to detail in order to achieve perfection.
From time to time, Yeung would correct the young leaders, pointing out how they could improve by personally showing them how to do it and explaining that each and every movement in fitness training is critical. She had made the same mistakes when she first learned them; therefore, she could understand what they were doing wrong and which muscles were not being used properly. She hoped that the training could make them appreciate the stringent requirements of movement in sports, so that when they conduct community service events and organise district carnivals, they would treat every detail with the same level of seriousness. She suggested that when they lead and teach children how to play football, they should start with basic warm-up skills to prepare them for football training and matches. They should always demonstrate their professional leadership skills in front of the children to bring them the most fun with football.
Whilst the fitness training had some physical benefits, Yeung said the key takeaway should be the spirit of striving for excellence. According to Yeung, “no one knows your body like you do. There are many ways to perform a movement, and no matter how much your coach teaches and reminds you, you are the only person who knows if you have done your best.” Fitness training can easily get a person down, but with persistence and self-motivation in doing a movement right, it is always a self-rewarding experience that drives improvement.
Besides talent, a successful leader is also required to set a good example. Yeung reminded all members to walk the talk and lead by personal example. As the community service events and district carnivals draw near, the young leaders should maintain a serious attitude and strengthen their physical fitness to lead their teams forward as they strive for excellence and achieve their goals.