from green to black

early bird

i like going early to the site and taking out a kayak
and going out on my own. its really relaxing and i
know that i have to be pulling my own weight. i think
i'll do it again after competition. its scary to know
that this big "test" is coming up and despite all the
sound bites i dont think we're ready.

there is nothing to fear but fear itself. the hardest
thing is to know that everyone is trying hard, but not
out of confidence or desire to be the best, but out of
desperation. we're doing it by ourselves and not the
team. if there was anything i'd say, we're less giving
to each other. we could be strong, but we're not together.

i'll prove it. its an amazingly huge gulf between the
2 biggest batches. why? its disgusting and definitely
not part of our tradition. people are so quiet and they
call only for their batch. what sucks is this feeling
of selfishness. i remember what was being said about
rowing alone, so tell me, now that we accept that others
cannot sacrifice as much as us we're happy living with
the consequences of not pulling for one another?

have people changed despite criticism? i've cut down
on fast food despite joking about loving it all the
time. have the heavy people lost weight? did the
inexperienced master the stroke technique? do people
make it a point to actually come down for training
despite having to make sacrifices instead of just
paying lip service? does the training regime reflect
the teams needs? we've gone to obs and yes results
take time to show, but results only show if people
take the first step which is doing the right things.
before people can teach the right things they have
to learn the right things. and consistency is important.

you cant have close links as a united group when
there is no united message being passed down. or
a united culture. that being said, kudos to those
who stay back to train more and harder. though i
hope there will be more juniors than glen whom i
see doing such things. its great that the machine
can attract people to train with him. but what about
the other seniors training the rest? how are we
supposed to jio juniors down for double and expect
them to like us enough to come even when they dont
feel like it when they wont even do it or give more
now? and if it happens eventually, do you have the
confidence to pass down the correct stuff
(peer reviewed, lol) to them. peer reviewed is
important because of standardization and 1 of the
more important "peers" is coach. do you engage coach?

a coach isnt just there to give you training regimes.
your captains do that all the time. heck, even i
can do that. but a coach also corrects your understanding
and eventually execution of your craft. just like
how people have consultations with their lecturers
how come people dont consult coach. and kick uncle
away if you think he's talking to coach for too long.
your school fees pay for coach too. ask coach to
correct you and remember what he says. awareness is
an under taught skill that greatly aids self learning.

sports is the story of perseverance through suffering.
if you're not suffering right, you're not persevering
past anything.

posted by green unseen @ 7:35 AM