Dear all,
As I am penning this email, I am looking at a poster in my room that says: "When facing difficulties, do not become bitter…instead become better." And I'm thinking, how appropriate a quote it is for our team right now.
Losing is always a bitter pill to swallow. Especially so when you know that victory was (almost) in the bag. Without a doubt, this SAVA Sprints is the most emotionally tumultuous event PLK has experienced as a team. Over the 2 days of competition, we all experienced extreme highs and lows for many of the races, thanks in no small part to the numerous false starts and re-races.
I know that our hearts are still aching from the near-misses... but recover from it, we must.
PLK will come back better and stronger, no ifs and buts about it. Adversity can only make us stronger, as individuals and a team, as long as we persevere and keep our eyes on the ultimate season goal (River Regatta).
Let's all take some time to reflect and learn from this SAVA Sprints experience.
My personal take-back from this event:
- The importance of a good solid start in a short race. This can only be achieved when everyone remains focused at the start line and gives their all in the first 10-20. There were a few occasions when all in the boat agreed that we had achieved it. Now let's work towards 100% good starts every time.
- Some things are beyond our control e.g. lanes, wind & weather conditions but we do our best to eliminate these variable factors in our equation to success. We hope for the best but we must prepare for the worst. So the key is to train, train, train and train and leave nothing to chance.
- The will to win must be accompanied by the will to PREPARE to win. As Coach has said before, "we reap what we sow." Let's view this experience from a half-cup full (versus half-cup empty) perspective. SAVA Sprints is not the ultimate race for us. Our heartbreak and grief today is a wake-up call for the team to work harder for the Regatta in November.
- I believe everything happens for a reason. Strength of character does not come from winning. It is the struggles and hardships we face and how we deal with them that develop our strengths. Dare I say it? Perhaps we PLK needed this setback to remind ourselves that the path to the peak of the mountain is fraught with challenges and never easy.
- The palpable sense of disappointment and pain we're feeling right now is an indication of how much we truly care for our team-mates and the team. I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering sleepless nights. But the time for grieving and negative thinking is past; let's pick ourselves up and get back into action fast for the upcoming races happening on 4 & 5 Oct.
For a team barely a year old, PLK has come a long way. We have grown in terms of membership strength, abilities, team ambition & expectations. Just a mere 6 months ago, in March, we took part in another race organised by SAVA called MR500. Back then, we could barely make up the numbers to send in a mixed 20-crew boat. Our team managed to row only twice in the Heats & Repecharge throughout the weekend. Compare that with our performance this weekend, we took part in 6 event categories and PLK made grand appearances in a total of 14 races! Flashback also to the June Race, we were delighted with a bronze medal win then. But yesterday, we felt profound disappointment when we received a silver medal. I believe it is because we know what our team is capable of and we're not ready to settle for anything less. Yes, it was a tough loss but great teams never give up. We'll redouble our efforts and we'll push on!
For the PLK rowers who raced with us for the 1st time yesterday, I hope the SAVA Sprints has whetted your appetite for competition and you are geared up for the upcoming 5-crew race in a fortnight! All of you did really great and I sincerely thank you guys for your support and patience. Once again, let's not lose sight of our season goal which is the River Regatta whereby the selection criteria for rowers will be mainly based on individual fitness scores and time trials. SAVA Sprints is just a warm-up race set for PLK...the best is yet to come.
Before this email becomes a 10,000-word thesis, I want to thank everyone who helped out one way or another for the event. Thanks also to the moral support from our well-wishers and die-hard PLK fans (you people know who you are)!
Dear beloved fellow team-mates of PLK, let's all take a deep long hard breath and exhale slowly to get rid of the negative energies in our bodies and souls. Let's learn from this episode and look forward to the future. We may have lost the fight today but the battle is far from over. As a team, we must be united in spirit and encourage one another to gear up for our next fight. This time, PLK will be ready and there'll be no holds barred.
By Team Coordinator (Evelyn)
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