Describe a prize you won / Describe a competition you took part in

Speaking of this topic, the first thing that actually came to my mind was a musical competition I took part in when I was in high school. Even though it happened quite a few years ago, I still remember it very clearly.

It was a musical theatre competition held in our international department, and the theme of our program was Beauty and the Beast. To be honest, I didn’t want to join at first, because I was in Grade 12 and extremely busy applying for universities and dealing with heavy schoolwork. I wasn’t really interested in staying after school every evening to rehearse. However, under the encouragement of my mom, I finally decided to give it a try.

I wasn’t Belle or any other character who got to sing on stage. I was actually the leader of the prop crew. I was in charge of giving orders for scene changes and moving props in and out during the show. Of course, I helped move chairs and tables myself too. We wore all black clothes because we had to work in the dark while the play was going on.

Before the competition, we had to go through intensive training. We rehearsed over and over again, and I had to polish my communication and leadership skills. During the actual performance, my heart was racing, but I managed to stay focused under pressure. I remember so many parents and classmates were sitting in the audience. I was nervous, but I kept reminding myself of the sequence in my mind.

Even though I was not on stage performing, I felt proud because we were also an important part of the team. We couldn’t have done it without each other. In the end, we won the competition — we got first place! I was so happy. The photo we took together afterward is still saved in my album because it’s such a precious memory.

This experience taught me that hard work really does pay off. It was more about the experience than the result. And honestly, it’s something that will always stay with me.

Well, speaking of this topic, the first thing that actually came to my mind was a musical theatre competition that I really wanted to take part in back in high school.

It happened during my final year in high school. Our international department had a big musical competition, and our class was responsible for putting on a performance of Beauty and the Beast. To be honest, I was very excited when I first heard about it, because I’ve always been interested in stage performances, and I thought it would be a great chance to try something new before graduation.

Unfortunately, just around that time, I hurt my leg badly while playing sports, so I couldn’t walk properly for a few weeks. Because of that, I had to give up on the idea of joining the performance. It was really disappointing for me.

One of my close friends joined the competition as a member of the stage crew. He was part of the props team and actually became the team leader. He was in charge of coordinating the scene changes during the show. Even though he didn’t perform on stage, he still played a very important role behind the scenes. I remember listening to him talk about the intense rehearsals after school and how nervous but proud he felt during the actual show. I felt so envious of him.

What made me feel even more regretful was that their team ended up winning first place. I saw the group photos afterwards, and they all looked so happy and proud. Even though I wasn’t part of it, I still kept a copy of that group picture in my album. It reminded me of something I really wanted to do, but couldn’t.

So yeah, that’s the competition I always wished I had taken part in. Even now, I sometimes wonder what it would’ve been like if I had been able to join — even if not as a lead role, I would’ve loved to be involved in any way I could, just like my friend.