Parting is such sweet sorrow

It's so hard to say goodbye

	So long, farewell © UB
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

It's been a bitter pill to swallow. Kind of surreal. The immense adrenaline rush of winning the semi-final, followed by the intense anticipation of the final. The first-over rush when Kumble got Gilly out, and the hope of victory when Ross Taylor was going big guns. It has been a maelstrom of emotions.

Yet as I sit here making my final entry for this blog, there is this sense of calm. True we are all a bit upset. Who would not be, if the team you supported for a month, who came back from the dead in the middle of the tournament, who went out there match after match in the hope of glory, in the search of victory, lost in the finals? And what makes it even harder is that it was not a one-sided affair. The boys fought till the end. From the oldest member of the squad to the youngest, the intent to win was shown clear on the field. But then i guess things like this happen in sport.

But somewhere I am happy. In my entire career of cheerleading, there have been so many times that we have cheered for teams who just could not get their act right on the field. Not so here. This team was right at the top. They turned around, fought with conviction and never gave up easily. It was matter of pride to cheer for them. Because they lived by the game and they fought for their belief.

There is this feeling of a vacuum. Of realising that the roar of the crowds has been silenced. Today evening or tomorrow there will not be another match with 20,000 people screaming their lungs out when a wicket falls or a six is hit. Tomorrow we won't shiver on the stands in the cold of the night. Tomorrow we probably will be back home where people do not really know what the fuss is all about when you talk about cricket. Tomorrow it will be watching a Knicks game on television. I guess it is time to pack up and call for the taxi to the airport.

Every journey has an end. I guess that's the beauty of any journey. Sure, it's been tiring, it's been cold, and for once i am not complaining about going back home for some well-deserved rest. Living for nearly a couple of months on the road and sleeping in hotels can be hectic, and the thought of home definitely sounds nice.

Will I be missing this? Hell, yes! How can you not miss the crowds, the excitement, the adulation and the experience? Both South Africa and India have been etched in my consciousness. From the busy bazaars, to the animal safaris; from the land of the diverse to the land of rainbows - it has been a journey like I have never undertaken before.

So yes the bags are packed and the adieus said. In a matter of a few hours we should be across the Cape, flying back to our families, our friends, Papa John's and Starbucks. Homeward bound.

The last ball has been bowled , the umpires have taken the bails off and we have been left with some snapshots for our family albums. I guess it's time for the closet writer in me to retire as well. Until next time - if there is ever one - adios!

The excitement builds

Semi-final, here we come

	The girls take a break during practice © UB
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

We are actually at the doorstep of creating possible history. What a turnaround it has been! The team is raring to go, and boy, are we going to cheer them all the way. The girls are pretty excited and there is this sense of belief that the team can do it.

There were celebrations all round after yesterday's victory and we cheered our throats sore. But somewhere the feeling is starting to sink in. The tournament is getting over. Another two days and this wonderful safari will come to an end. No more endless travelling, no more shivering in the cold. It will be time to head back to "Sweet Home Alabama". But right at this moment is an adrenalin rush and the wait is killing. It is like a suspense thriller. The boys are practising hard and so are we.

Going by the way the IPL has caught on in South Africa, the grounds are going to be packed. All the better for us: to cheer in front of a huge live audience. We do not want to get our steps wrong and so we spent the morning doing flips, dips, cartwheels, lifts et al, but for once the thought of the semi-final is overriding all else. Being so long with the team, we almost feel like a part of it. When they win, we are happy; when they lose, it automatically affects us.

I have heard that Chennai and Bangalore are in neighbouring states, so I guess back in India as well, the excitement is terrific. For us it has reached a crescendo. So I won't go on further. Need to get some grub, because I am famished after practice. Next post after the semi-finals. Adios.

More shopping, more cheering

...And a visit to the Nelson Mandela Museum. The girls' tour of South Africa rolls along

	Strike a pose: the girls do the tourist thing © UB
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

Yesterday, Jacques Kallis and Ross Taylor displayed their prowess on the field once again, taking us a tad closer to the semi-final. It was an action-packed match and we were tired after all the cheering their performances called for. Well, it was a good day's work done and it's now slumber time and some breathing space till the next one, which is gonna be the critical one.

I was just thinking to myself earlier today: it's been almost a month since we have made this vibrant country, South Africa, our home. Quite a few of the last few matches have been nail-biting thrillers. I'm looking forward to the remaining few with lots of anticipation.

I literally feel like I'm back in high school, with a bunch of gals on a school trip. I mean, really, it has a bit of everything. New sights, sports, shopping, interesting people, and most of all, hyperactive gals wanting to let their hair down.

Some of us have been staying awake past our regular bedtime, exchanging tidbits on which celebs we spotted, the gorgeous men of the rainbow nation, and other pillow talk. It's almost like a daily pyjama party.

Recently we were in Johannesburg. The real pulse of a city can be found in the local markets, and in Jo'burg they pretty much reflect the spirit of the place and its people, along with a bit of its history. I also had time to check out some famous landmarks, and some malls, including two of South Africa's biggest, Sandton City and the EastGate Mall. We wore our most comfy shoes on this jaunt, since there were more than 250 shops to visit. I tell you, it was retail therapy to the hilt.

Another key attraction was the Mandela Museum, which is this tiny home Nelson Mandela shared with his first wife, Evelyn. It had some fascinating photographs and some knick-knacks. Among the exhibits was also a letter from the State of Michigan asking George Bush Sr to apologise for the role the CIA played in Mandela's arrest in the sixties!

Till next time, cheers.

Reflections and breakdowns

America's culture of instant gratification, and the joys of pushing a stalled bus

	The girls put some shoulder into it © UB
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

During this trip I have started to realise how self-centred we as an American culture can be; sometimes we are so unaware of other people in the world aside from ourselves. We have grown to not only enjoy, but also expect, to have things "our way, right away". Fast, cheap and convenient is the name of the game nowadays in the States, and it takes some time to get used to the slower-paced culture here in South Africa, and in India as well.

We are all accustomed to being able to run to Wal-Mart at midnight or later and buy snacks or hairspray or lipstick or new flip-flops or stain remover. We are familiar with not eating dinner until 9 or so at night, and being able to hop in our cars and grab Wendy's fast food, or even a late night pick-me-up at Starbucks. Here in South Africa retail stores close at about 6 and restaurants about 9. There is no Domino's or Papa John's pizza that will be delivered to you in 30 minutes or less at any time of the day or night.

Additionally, we Americans want everything as cheap as possible. Many big-box American retailers get much of their raw material from overseas, from countries where human labour is cheaper. This, in my view, is at the expense of local merchants and craftsmen who can also produce the same products, just not mass produce them, therefore costing the American consumer more.

I think there is something to be said for supporting local merchants at the markets in South Africa and India and buying items that someone has poured their blood, sweat and tears into producing, to make a living.

To get back to the cricket - it is the games that start around noon that are the hardest. Standing in the scorching sun, I end up with the craziest-looking tan-lines on my back from the skinny red, white and blue straps on our White Mischief uniforms.

The past couple of matches, Ross Taylor has been saving the day for us. We all kind of get excited whenever he walks in to bat these days, expecting the ball to be flying out of the stadium in no time. The number of close finishes at these dying stages of the league competition have got all of us completely hooked on to the game. Wow, what finishes! Almost every game has been a potential nail-biter. We really have to get the ball rolling on bringing this fine sport back home to the States.

I don't know what exactly our bus driver does during these matches in Pretoria, but it seems like he turns on his light and blasts the radio and the air-con for several hours. Recently, for the second time, we returned to the bus to find that the battery was dead as a doornail, and so our bus was, again, stuck parked on the side of the road in front of the stadium.

For the second time, we had to literally push the bus into the road while in neutral to attempt to "pop the clutch" and get it moving again. However, this time, we pushed and pushed but the dang bus never budged. We were convinced the driver actually had the bus in "park", rather than "neutral", or had the emergency brake on. We waited nearly two hours for a new bus, but eventually just got enough man power to get the bus moving again. Finally we were on the road back to Jo'burg.

Big hits and a twisted ankle

The girls attend to an injured colleague while cheering Ross Taylor on. Now that's multi-tasking

	Tricks before the slip © UB
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League

It was a performance tailored to perfection. Ross Taylor sure did take Kolkata by storm. Boy, we were seeing sixes and fours go into every part of the stadium - so much so that for the last half hour we could hardly get off the podium as we were cheering every single shot. For a moment it almost felt like he was playing baseball and every shot was being hit for a home run!

It's been almost three weeks on the road and now we're on the last leg. The excitement is palpable. Everyone is excited to know which four teams will make it to the semi-finals.

In the middle of all this excitement, it's not just the cricketers who have injury concerns - the cheerleaders seem to have caught up! It was during the last game that we suffered our first injury casualty.

It was a momentary lapse of concentration on our part, I must say. We had been practising our drills on the grassy patch and everything was going fine until Sandra decided to do a flip roll. However, she mistimed her jump and we were out of position. The result - a resounding thud, and the next thing we knew, Carrie was lying on the ground, her face contorted in pain. We all rushed to her, trying to gauge the extent of damage, and after a moment of careful observation we could find that it was her ankle. Poor girl, she had twisted it during the fall and it was rapidly turning blue. It was definitely time for some medical assistance.

Thankfully the team physio came to our help, and in no time Carrie had her ankle buried in ice cubes with the physio checking on whether she had a fracture. Thankfully she hadn't, which was a big, big relief for all of us.

It was a pretty hectic moment. There we were rushing up to the podium to cheer every six or four and then back to the dugout where Carrie was undergoing treatment. It was actually quite funny, come to think about it in hindsight. We were actually running all over the place doing jigs, bringing ice cubes, blowing kisses, and cheering for Taylor's sixes. Talk about multi-tasking. We women are just awesome!

The good news is that Carrie has only had a sprain. The physio has said it will take a week to heel. The poor thing is now enjoying all the attention, with all of us doing our bit to help her out. At this rate she should be cartwheeling in no time.

Smells like team spirit, doesn't it?