We Came! We Rowed! We Conquered!

What a day that was!

2 capsizes, 3 "casualties", countless sunken flip-flops, a pair of shades lost but 2 pairs won, free beer and loads of adrenalin-pumping action for all our rowers, drummers and coxswains! I believe everyone had great fun that day.

For a fun event of this nature where one's paddling technique hardly comes into play, I believe the deciding factors between winning and losing boiled down to strength, weight & will.

Obviously for some of the challenges, we were outclassed by the other teams in terms of strength and weight but we more than made it up with team spirit and willpower! Even when we lost, we did it with grace.

The scene of our Ultimate DragonTug Showdown 2008 finals taking place under the stars and moonlight will always be etched in my mind. From more than half a boat's length behind, we actually caught up with the other boat and surged ahead of them despite the water gushing in from all sides. Though I knew you guys were tired and wondering in your minds when the whistle was going off, you all never gave up and kept on pushing until we surpassed the other boat. Even when our boat was 3/4 submerged into the water, our rowers never stopped paddling hard. This kind of never-say-die, fight-to-the-end attitude for the team is something intangible yet so real; I could felt it that night. Inevitably our boat sunk and eventually capsized, thus losing by default. But to quote Chen Yen, "In our hearts, we know we have won".

I am so so so proud of our team. Let's always remember this feeling and replicate it during race sets training and actual competitions. The will to win for the team is a powerful thing, as some of us experienced first-hand on Saturday. It is greater than the self and will allow the individual to transcend all negative "I" thoughts to make way for positive "We" emotions.

A soccer player once said - "Even when you have played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork you'll remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates.” How true indeed.

So let's all continue to train hard together by showing up and giving our 110% during all training sessions so that we can excel in the June Race. Remember, when the going gets tough, think of the team!

Counting down to the June Race (28 - 29th June) - 47 Days - 12 water, 7 gym trainings left.

By Team Coordinator (Evelyn)