from green to black

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.

posted by green unseen @ 1:31 AM