return of the ironmonger
star wars music starts. the orchestra plays and the trumpets
blast. then he walks in, a picture of self assured calm as
he prepares to dispatch any challenges in his path. yes!
the ironmonger/ terminator/ muscle war champ is back. oh,
how the mortals tremble at the sound of his name.
rowed quite a few good sets today, but thats lucky for me
because they were mainly long sets which allowed my
recuperating lungs to keep up. the champ did his part
beside me and i hope he took away the lesson on increasing
stroke rate today. one of the issues we need to remember
is that we always row as a boat, hence the pacers must
always keep the backpack in mind just as the backpack must
keep the pacers in mind. we adjust accordingly to each
others limits, because we know that we must be cohesive
to be effective.
i'm not quite sure if the rest of the boat understands
what i was trying to do by keeping down the stroke rate,
but i'll try to explain. basically, a hard effective
stroke results in a forward movement of the boat in the
water. the boat moves faster when more of these strokes
are applied. of course, we want to do more of these
strokes, so naturally a faster stroke rate results in
a faster boat. however, it was NOT part of the training
plan today. and i would rather have lost to the other
boat than compromised the training plan for these reasons.
the aggression of the stroke is in the execution of the
stroke, so if we had stayed effective, pulling hard
each time, we have enough time to come up and do that
stroke again. i did not want to lose this effect because
the rowers on my boat need a strength endurance to pull
hard strokes than to just rely on jacking up the stroke
rate to increase aggression. ( a point to note is that
the other boat had to be 4-7 strokes faster to catch up
with us) we want to be effective at a low rate and still
be able to pull this number of times to the same effect
when we go for a higher rate (which we eventually will).
i was afraid (and eventually proven right) that
uncontrolled increase of the stroke rate is unsustainable
in my boat simply because many still havent mastered
pulling hard at a low stroke rate. ( clues to this
include a very weak exit, this means your body twist
is not strong enough to end of the stroke snappily.
the resulting implication is that, there is a slower
recovery. the resulting conclusion is that the stroke
length is shortened and power is ineffective) this is
not what i intended, because i believe effective
training means staying in time and doing an efficient
stroke. if i know that my boats recovery is cui? i
think it is very foolish to lose my glide. the rowers
must first strengthen themselves before they can be
effective at high speeds. ( clue woodchopper, if they
raised recovery is slow..... there is a lot to work on)
hence there needs to be composure and control, not to
react to the higher rate of the other boat (yes! for you
detractors, i KNOW we must get it up eventually but
eventually is not today, and that is what i correct
in my small boat, and twisting sessions). this means
that, those behind the pacer MUST be alert to changes
in the stroke rate and have trust and faith to follow
his stroke rate. the other boat followed alv when he
did a higher stroke rate and they caught up a lot of
ground, but can we control our rate, keep in timing
yet have a much stronger stroke in the water? i
believe it is possible and i believe fast recovery
training will be around another day. objective first!
oh well, till tomorrow then. i feel sad that some
believe that their improvement is not urgent but
choose to leave the rest whom they consider
"siao on" to shoulder the burden of their weight.
what do you really feel for the people in the
team? i guess you think that you have no affinity
with them. do remember, it will be their hard work
that you will take the credit for when they push
you across the finish line
cocky?
i heard it from mr bicepts (the original) and the caveman
today. some seniors have been saying that i am cocky. lol.
this is just getting better, now after doing that running
stunt i'm gonna get the backlash like this? come on,
wheres your manliness? say it to my face man. dont bitch.
ask jeff, if i have a problem, he knows. i dont bitch.
i tell it to his face. now that takes trust and balls.
trust that he will respect my opinions and balls to face
a potentially uncomfortable situation to make things better.
now in this manly sport, please dont act like a sissy.
if you have a problem with me, tell me. how the hell
can i make your life better if you dont let me know how
i piss you off so i can try not to piss you off?
and look if you dont even have the confidence to tell a
fellow brother he has an attitude problem, thats probably
because you have one too. your problem is a lack of self
confidence. cant even stand up for your own friggin rights.
i wish i had the face of our rival school. i'll flex my
muscles and tell you that you are physically and mentally
weak. then i'll tell you the weights and pull ups i do.
come on lor, the competition is hot and it will not
always be nice. if i can screw your mind acting the way
i do, theres no way you can survive the pressure when
suddenly some big guy tells you how lousy you are.
competition is not a nice easy road, there is no family
culture amongst competitors and there is a reason why
we cannot lose. enlighten yourself, or else talk to your
favourite bugbear(me).
blinding sunlight
the weather is very hot indeed, i want a new pair
of polarized facewrap shades, some long sleeved exercise
shirts, sunblock sponsorship and a frickin cleaner boat
to row in. all the sand inside the boat cant be good for
my poor feet, gives me lacerations when i kick.
today was enlightening in a certain aspect. rowing mid
again, i felt very at home. but i realized that i hardly
hear juniors from my batch commanding the boat, take away
qz, ed, cg and the rest just loose their balls somewhere
down their throat. is it just my glut of "overconfidence"
or is it that no one else (save the abovementioned) knows
when to assess, call and react to the race conditions?
its funny, because if i didnt get my facts wrong, i'm
supposed to be the sick one, and we are a university
team. so we should be "thinking" people. the point that
links both premises would be how to maximize performance
given the conditions everyone is in. you could be sick
too, but is giving strength the best way to maximize
performance? you could have adjusted to 3/4 or half blade
where you could still keep the stroke rate constant and
stay in timing without overexerting. ( and i'm assuming
that recovery is the most important point here, afterall
its no point to make yourself even more unwell after
training) think about it? you could have learnt how to
keep staying alert and not miss timing, or learnt to
experiment with the different feel of recovery or when
your blade is in the water. that way, you have a deeper
understanding of what you do. predicting your action and
the resulting reaction give rise to experience.
ok so i know that those before you didnt really keep the
timing as well so partly, you're forgiven. but i guess
if i always train yourself to look far ahead, we make
fewer rookie mistakes like caterpillaring.
hearing jh's point about bringing the boat with him cut
my heart. we actually have better glide than the new
boat. our stroke rate was slower and the pick up less
aggressive (although i really appreciate that A forcing
the stroke rate up gives the other boat more training
to adapt to a higher cycle rate) so we could really be
more efficient. but we need to work on our execution
because we need to sustain the effectiveness. so capt
mostly had 1 cui boat when he asked jh to bring up. and
for someone as experienced as he, it must be damn sad
when no one support him lah. esp when it took his 5th
rower to call out that people miss timing. as a pacer
i understand your pain.
i cant stand the kan cheong spider mentality. want to
cheong right, must be prepared. you think pacer want
then can suddenly bring up ah? the back must support
mah. then when one shot you want to back him up go
and whack sure end up chasing what. so there is
planning involved. associate an action to a timing.
last 30secs must prepare to bring up and charge already.
race where got conserve until like that one. 0.01 secs
slower and you lose.
oh well, please take a good rest then, because you
really need it that much. if i can increase my
workrate, fall sick, work and still manage to do
my light training and improve... please think how
you can catch up before i get well and make you eat
my backwash. this is a tough man sport, if lance
armstrong who has only 1 ball and took 2 hits in
the video i posted can still chiong and finish
first, then you shouldnt be such a weak pussy.
oh well, waiting for the intense training to start.
for one, i know i have quite a few younglings to train,
all the while maintaining my extra trainings to ensure
they wont be stronger than the dark lord. lol.
i will think of them eating popcorn and fatty food
when i go for my extra trainings without their
knowledge. almost feels like nationals again...
fulfilled?
guess you could say i'm really very happy that nic is back.
afterall, that means that todays 985 bus ride to kallang
wasnt a lonely one. so you could say i'm pleased as punch
hes back training. although i think he will need more work
to improve his fitness, i think it is good to see in his
resolute attitude a dedication towards training henceforth.
i value the small boat sessions more as the days passes. i
realize that sid and lapcheong twist more, and i got to cox
which was very enriching for myself. figured i can go straight
if i leave the rudder in the water, but the tiring part comes
when i try to bend down and take it out. then i would get a
nice ache on my lower back. then somehow i lose control because
i dip the paddle in the opposite angle which results in the
boat turning in the wrong direction. so that sucks because
i'm not going straight, but i figured out how to correct
eventually. so, great! the coxswain club has a new member.
but one of the things training has brought to my attention
again is the farce of male ego. you see, there are zai people
and there are wannabes. i really appreciate being told my
mistakes because it keeps me humble and i improve. what is
laughable is that some people correct your mistakes whilst
making the same mistakes themselves. lol. so i find it very,
how should i put it, pot calling kettle black? or just...?
well i'm at a lost for words. you see, i dont mind lets say
when A tells me i made a mistake, or maybe the champ if
he talks about my punching arm(well his looks nicer now, maybe
later when i improve, mine will be nicer. but i concede now)
because i look at them and i go, yah, they're right! so i
change. but the rest when they make the same mistakes
and try to correct others, makes me wanna laugh. because
if i look to the corrector then i should see the right thing.
because if i follow the corrector and he makes the same
mistake, i dont improve. get it? so while i have my mental
model, what happens to the people who dont, and follow
the person who corrected them? more rubbish, of course!
so yes please correct me and all those whom you can, but please
do the right thing first. if you want to look important, like
you know your stuff, then please demonstrate properly.
i'm irritated when i see that you cant do it and then you're
telling everyone else how it should be done. ok maybe its
my mindset, but i see different yous both on and off the boat.
i guess its really easy to repeat what the seniors say, but
only if you truly understand will you be able to do as the
seniors say and explain after that. but i still love all of
you if that helps.
i really hope more people can make it for the small boat
sessions, especially if they are from the right side. because
while i know that some have the strength, the mastery of the
stroke is essential. the race is not just one good set. its
one great set, again and again and again. what if you have
3 events and you have limited rest? can you keep doing a
great set or will it be 1 great set, 1 good set, 1 ok set
and the rest are all cui sets? i remember bentten telling
me to sleep well so we will not cui the last 200m. but the
essential part is your body will cui unless you train it so
that it wouldnt. and your body will cui faster when you
are doing the wrong thing instead of the right thing. the
perfected stroke is very relaxed and power can be applied
without straining the smaller muscles (read, bi and tricepts)
too quickly, as a result recovery is faster as well.
as the days go by, i'm also thinking of the big and small
questions to ask our candidates for leadership. at least,
the legacy i leave behind when i go may be the direction
for the new team. afterall, i definitely refuse to teach
all the people who think they know so much about sports how
to improve. my breath is wasted on you insisting to do it
your way without basing it on any other foundation then your
resistance to change. at least i know if i say anything or
demonstrate it i would have researched it well enough to
advice. you? you argue based on how you feel. totally stupid
if you ask me. but i'm a burger king man. have it your way.
pussy.
why my computer so like that
the post says it all, 2 breakdowns so far and now
i can't even play my star wars game on it. i am so
annoyed because i have been waiting one whole sem
for the opportunity and time to play and this shit
happens. i paid blardee 60plus bucks for an original
star wars game and this happens. its past warranty
now so theres probably nothing i can do. my comp
also works perfectly so i guess there really is
nothing i can do. but i still cant play my game!
i'm not yet a sith lord! i've only completed the
jedi parts of the game. how fun is that? i want to
be the bad guy before i end it. why lah? why lah?
next time i will just be a bastard and buy pirated
stuff since original versions give me so much
problems anyway. greedy big corporations never bother
about small time consumers right? damn bastards
will pay! argh!
Another fruitless discussion?
Finally we had our long awaited meeting which was
another long awaited let down. Hur hur. Whats new?
Well lets just say that attendance was not spectacular
and those who really needed to hear what was being
said were not there anyway.
So the same trite points were raised in my monologue.
I thought everyone had Plenty to say but maybe it was
just me, or maybe because it was all pre written
on this trusty blog. And according to my argument style
I figured that my friends need more exposure to different
concepts before we can have a finer discussion
which is not just based on emotion or intuition
but facts and proven methods.
Well, this post was not meant to be a rebuke
because we probably have enough of that at the moment,
rather, I would like to pen down a eulogy for my captains
who are stepping down soon. I would rather prefer
to go down to battle grateful for what they have done
then with a heart that is against their person.
Capt
thank you for being the best captain I had
so far, I will always remember the first
instance when you told me about family culture
and love. That will always be the memory I keep in
my heart because it was in that act when you surpassed all
expectations I had of leadership and of the standards
I have of myself. Love is and emotional plane I never
operate in because I would never allow myself to
feel. For that act of vulnerability, you have my respect
for an action I would never have the guts to
seriously put into action.
I remember the times when you have taken a
small boat out with some juniors to correct us in
December, because I learnt a lot then too. But
I did not have my enlightenment until I did more
research to understand the sport. That was a pity
because I know how to put in words what is demonstrated
by actions, and I could have been a great help to you.
I remember the family culture you tried
painstakingly to cultivate and the brave
front you put on when we lost. It must have
been difficult. I remembered you listening to my
concerns with sincerity, and I stayed on twice
upon your urging. Such are the sacrifices I would make
for the people I considered my close friends.
For all I have learnt, I am grateful.
Vice capt
thank you for being the best motivator I had
on the boat. Nothing beats a like spirit motivating
one on the boat. Your talk after the master series
made the most impact on my growth as a rower and
I will be grateful for that. I always identified with
your role as the disciplinarian because it was a role i
had to play all too often. It takes more guts to be
reviled by lesser men who may never truly see the
importance of such a role.
I am also grateful for the effort that was
put in logistically to make each training and
competition happen, for the car, and how you
would clean up and pack up afterwards. It must
be hard to stomach since it really is our
duty to take care of our belongings.
I remember our talks and your encouragement
when I wanted to leave,I was touched when you
said that you left for a while also in your first sem.
actually leaving made me realize how much I would
miss out if I did not Stay on for one season at least.
Thank you for preventing me for making a rash choice
but more importantly for being so honest. I may not care
much for personal details which you stress before
one can label another a brother because it was never
important to my family as I grew up. But those details
pale in the sincerity and honesty we share when we treat
each other truly as brother. For all my growth I am grateful.
Right, so maybe there will be a silver lining
in my sky of grey when my fellow juniors shape up
to BE good rowers instead of just strong people, clue:
machine. But for now, and those whom I row for,
clue: machine, I hope they improve quickly and spread
the correct practices and enthusiasm. when there is
still hope, and the race is not done, we must do what we
can. For our cause, because the best is yet to be.
sacrifice
today's training is just a big farce, but what
was funnier was the debrief. i think the classic
statement was by the captain wannabe who is
usually absent for training, "we need to sacrifice
for the team, but i'm sorry ah, have to go and meet
my church friends later" ( this was when he was asked
to eat lunch with the team) lol. what a shameless
hypocrite. sacrifice ah, but just not me, ok? my
meeting is only once a week. you guys sacrifice for the team.
(oh and the classic finisher when I reminded him
what he said, oh I don’t care lah) well obviously
you don’t. you never did. Many seniors just go through
the motions anyway. Is every lai gouda an encouragement?
Have they ever asked themselves how people like fashi feels?
How champ feels?
my understanding of the word sacrifice means that
there is loss. something was given up for another thing.
management on the other hand is different. you can still
have the best of both worlds but with a compromise on both
ends. the big joke here is i can bet that most people
think of management when the word sacrifice is used. but
is that the case? is it simply a misunderstanding or is
it outright hypocracy and double standards?
We always talk about EQ. but hey ask who started
applying the pressure first? Juniors this, juniors
that. Think about the unrealistic training program
and then expecting people to produce results. Think
about all the people the team failed when they do
team training so much but cannot see results. Its
time someone spoke up because these people are certainly
not weak, slackers, or people who don’t care about YOUR team.
Instead of being nice, how about lets do something.
Zw and A bother to come down do stroke correction. Tell
you to see video, tell you about training. All you care
about is train, train, train. Instead of telling people
sacrifice for the team why not you sacrifice your stupid
pride and do the right thing? If training suits you
because you are stronger, don’t make everybody do the wrong
thing because it’s a team thing! You’re not even kolonic.
Yes you have been a great, fantastic and inspirational leader
who has produced results in your time. But the legacy you left
the next batch to suffer in leaves them little choice in their actions.
When people say they cannot even recognize our newest
national team member from the person he was 1 year ago,
it cuts my heart in certain ways. That was a man I rowed
and trained for, I put aside my issues just to train in
his team. The person who told me about family culture
and I accepted it with my whole heart because he practiced
what he preached. Is he still the same? Some people say no.
bitching behind peoples back, which he mentioned
definitely did not start with the juniors.
I think this post gets more cynical as it goes
on because it just digs out the rot that everyone
has left festering without doing anything about.
Action I mean. We can talk forever but seriously
nothing will ever be done. We are too contented
to change the status quo. But change is what we need
to see. Do I sound like a radical, madman or team hater?
Well then it proves my point.
Do you really think it was a matter of pride where all
the lai goudas got to me? The heat of the sun? how about
the hypocracy that a “brother” is sick and no one knew.
It was performance, performance, perforamance. Is there
any surprise why Emms said that he felt negative energy?
The list starts a long way back. There are non performers
and there are people who were performers but harmed by training.
Imagine this, mr bicept holds and appointment, do you
think he does not want to run? Is everything about
running, pull ups and doing things AS A TEAM? Or is
there more to this? I’m very sure there are objectives
behind all these types of training, but I’m also very
sure that training as a team does not always accomplish
all of it. Sometimes it could even be pyrrhic when we
achieve it at such a great cost.
Firstly, in the case of long runs, starting with such
a fast warm up is damaging to the body. The first rule
of performance is to ensure that we do not get injured.
Secondly in law there is the ‘thin- skull’ rule you
take the person as he is. Would it make a difference if
you could be the one that caused harm to your “brother”
or teammate because u cannot be flexible? Thirdly, how
much team spirit is there when we always go down to the
level of the lowest performer? Those who are better are
just denied a chance to improve. Must it be done in a
team? How about batches? How about having better ones
train the weaker ones by giving them individual attention?
I remember the honesty and straight forwardness of
my batch. My heart was touched when bettenn told
me how much he would want to be there for training
but he had other commitments to his family and girlfriend.
Qz when he said that is was his dream to row in
this team. Dick, peh, sid, ed. Do we look like a bunch
of people who just want to screw up the team? But really
how do you treat us? I remembered when ray said you bitch
and told everyone of all my problems I was having, how I
always complained to you. Why cant u make it simple and stop
lying to me and just kick me out of the goddamn team for
goodness sake! I’ve told you forever that I don’t make a
difference so stop lying to yourself and insisting that I do.
I was in pain when I put on my shoes to run. I never complained.
I don’t complain. I tell you bluntly and in a
straight forward manner. I know I’m a junior and you
have been captain 4 times ( like so many of us haven’t)
so its never worth telling us. its ok. I don’t know what
changed, but at least I can react to the value you put
on us better. This is still my team that I am passionate
about and will row for, along with the many brothers I
hold dear. I will burn, I will suffer for my views. But
just like the time I voiced out about honesty in mcra500,
I will do what I believe is right. Because it takes courage
to stand and point the way even when there is no one here with you.
there are many issues to be addressed. what are we
here for is a good starter. we progress to what we
row for and train for. and then we bring in the idea
of family culture which is the environment we hope to
train in. but along with the macro picture, there is
the mirco picture which applies to rowers and the
leadership individually, basically it is specific to a person.
Hate me for being me. I’m not angsty, nor upset.
But there is something that needs to be done. Love
and discipline may seem different, but they are not
the polar opposites that playing the bad guy makes
them out to be. I still fight for the team, its ideals
and what I have always kept in my heart when a certain
new captain welcomed me into this team and told me,
lai brother, love family culture and we will win this
p.m cup together. I row for that man, that friend,
even though he is missing now.
professionalism
its hard to forget your upbringing, flaws and all.
lemmie reminisce on the past a little. and that
would start with badminton.
i remember when i first had training in sec 1 in
the school badminton team. br was in its heyday then.
we were in the nationals every year and always in the top
4. what was training like? 3 times a week. for at least
5 hours. now think about it, 5 hours for a growing boy.
15 hours a week was the bare minimum assuming that you did
not play for the clubs or anywhere else which we all did.
when the tournament approached, we trained 5 times a week.
and that was without the twice a day training that would
ensue when we went for club or national training.
and those are just minor training details. training was
always a humbling experience. because we always washed
the floor before we started. what has that got to do with
training for badminton. plenty. discipline we bascially
did something we hated. speedwork. it had to be fast
as we ran with the mop from one end of the hall to another.
oh well, and thats just part one.
part 2. i pioneered track in my school, representing it
in the 400, 800 and 1500 events. this was on top of badminton.
(yes this was in sec 3) i made it to represent school again.
no medals but in i knew my stuff, when i could improve at
such a rate where i made the top 32 by just seriously training
for half a year.
but my point is this, after pointing out my background
i know my stuff and i know competitions. and suddenly
i have to take stupid advice by some senior who
"thinks" (not even a sportsman in my consideration)that he
knows competition by being in a few races? excuse me but
i have more freaking representations than you even if you
were to take another 2 ccas for some time. lol.
and training is essential to competition and knowledge is
essential to training. if you cant even tell the state
of your boat you cant blame me for overcompensating because
in all teams there must be a catalyst to start things going.
whats the point of having so many training debriefs and
corrections if you will never put them in practise?
in any form of training you need to push yourself. its a
sportsmans pride. if the sun doesnt set when you lose, i
think you really dont know anything about competition or
improvement for that matter. seriously. i will bet you
cant even understand why you train the way you do with your
drills and all, and thats a shame. we are here to help
each other improve so we can spur ourselves to improve even
more.
all the "scoldings" are the best form of love you can get
when it comes to sports. if you are not important. no body
would bother to correct you. no one should exert energy,
emotion and the opportunity to be viewed negatively by
the rest just on a personal ego trip. wake up! if you are
so proud that you can even take it harsh, hard to swallow
as it may be, you are just not worth respect. because
you are not teachable and definitely not humble enough.
this is a sport, we are in a guys team, you want sayang?
just look at my front pack today. the champ was in
outstanding form, bennett gave fantastic support with qz.
who wouldnt want to row for such people. look at the champ
come in so chui but his improvement has been stellar.
but that is what hardwork, determination, humility
and the willingness to learn will get you. results.
think about the half baked rowers who are not interested.
they dont come for trainings and expect to perform.
lol. when they know shit about training any little bit
of training helps.
screw it. i row for my batch and the seniors that matter
because i owe them. i never forget a favour, it is paid
back with gratitude. now all i need to do before i leave
is to pass on what i've learnt. wonder if the core group
i share with is good enough.
oh one more thing. when we are single-mindedly focused
on a goal, we realize we have no more time to be emo.
just time to do what you must. sportsman maturity. i dont
feel sorry for a competitor who is not improving, rather
i'd be the happiest person in the world. what must it take?
another loss for you to realize that there are no
tears left to cry. just actions that need to be done?
spill blood droplets during training so when you hunt
you spill the blood of the prey's, never, never, your own.
there are no tears left to cry, regret now and do
something about it while you still can.
in the words of sunny - a respected senior.
make it happen. indeed. a simple and effective rule to live by
Thoughts after McRa 500
this may be posted a little late, but at least it will
serve as a memory after time leads us to forget.
My brothers,
The hunt after Mr500 has ended, and it is time to
take stock of what has transpired. Reflecting on our
performance, some of us are experiencing different
extremes of emotion. Yet, there is value in the fact
that we still feel, that the costs and sacrifices weigh
in our hearts. For that, I am grateful. As for myself,
the events conclusion left a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
Inevitably, we are forced to ask piercing questions as we
assess ourselves. Taking in mind where we started from,
what we have achieved and where we have missed our targets.
Though that begs the question if we had targets in the first place.
I will place great emphasis on the assumption that each
junior had a target that they sought to achieve. That it
was measureable and that it was in preparation for the race.
I will not rail against those who know they didn’t, but I
will point out that your lack of objective and focus was
your first great failure. If MR500 ended and you did not even
realize that you have been hit, then we have not learnt anything
at all from master series and regatta. One test would be
if we as juniors expected this result.
Indeed it is the fact that we have not learned from
the lessons that we took from our previous defeats that
pains me the most, not our lack of achievement which
was the result of not learning.
It is the precious 1 second that was the difference
between 1st and 4th place. A place in the finals, and
a place to be forgotten. It was that precious 0.01 second
that was the difference between a gold and a silver in the IVP race.
My brothers
I say this with tears and great emotion, when will
you start to believe in yourselves? When will you
realize it is not ok to be just slightly behind the
senior boat during training? When will you realize
that your job is to pull your brothers weight so
very much more than your own? When Jeffery had paddle
issues in the IVP race, every senior was pulling for him.
Race conditions (lane, unexpected occurrences, discomfort,
wind and current) are never ideal but the difference
between the two boats is this, the heart and willingness
to fight to the bitter end. That is the difference that
we could emerge victorious in the IVP and we could manage
a 2nd place despite the odds against us in lane 1.
My brothers, where is that fight in you even as
you train in kallang? We know why we joined and
more importantly why we stayed but have we progressed
to the mentality of why we win and continue to win?
My brothers
Dragon-boating calls for many sacrifices. Our ego
as we have to be humble to learn from others and
respect their opinions. To submit to the authority
over yourself even when you disagree with them. to
take care of your health by avoiding certain habits
and activities that could undermine your wellness
so that you do not fall sick on race day. to be
willing and able give your utmost during training
and allocating sufficient time for rest and this is
just a few, along with time, effort and money.
The list is non-exhaustive.
My brothers, know that a sacrifice isn’t unless
it hurts. The value of such a gift is meaningless
if it costs you nothing.
Our hardened hearts and attitudes showed again
when MR500 ended. People stubbornly refused to
take responsibility for their personal equipment
and left team stores for whoever was left. There
were unclaimed life jackets and bum pads with litter
strewn all over the area. Joseph was left with
the cooler and medicine balls.
As someone who has represented my schools in tournaments
at national level, I am saddened because I have never
seen an ill disciplined team victorious. You may hate me
for saying what I did, and the implications that discipline
carries but I still hope that you will come to realization
one day and be better for it.
My brothers, we must take on the mantle, up the ante
and step up to the responsibilities that will be
thrust upon our shoulders. In a few months, we will
be the next seniors. In a few months some of the teams
strongest rowers will leave. We have to know who we
will and must replace. We have to earn our places to
deserve our juniors respect. We will have to remember
that we are the bearers of a legacy that our seniors
have entrusted us to pass down.
My brothers
Let me end on a note of love. That in this team,
you are important to me. Every one of you help me
stay on. It is in the same manner that I want to
encourage everyone to love your brothers, faults and
all. Reach out to them to help and counsel them before
you condemn them. It is always your blessing to be in
a position to deem others inferior, but a man of greatness
is judged by how he treats those who are in no position
to do him any good at all.
I love you guys and I believe in our family culture,
even when you don’t. even when you feel alone. I want
to reassure you that you are not. Seek comfort in your
brothers. For one never knows his embrace is rejected
unless he reaches out.
Lai guo da!
