This Saturday was a record-breaking turnout for this year.
A record Low of 5 (+1) papillons! - Jessica, Kenji, Dawn, Dennis and Jon were the 5 musketeers who came down. Luckily Coach Patrick was back with us and so we spent the session practising our new stroke.
We did pair rowing, individual 1-minute rows, whole-boat rowing. From 1 stroke per whistle blow, we progressed to 5 strokes per whistle blow, 30 strokes per whistle blow... and eventually, 1 minute rows. It was difficult and felt somewhat unfamiliar in the beginning, but as we rowed on - the movement felt less unnatural and gradually we were gliding along quite well... It's all about practice!
Been a while since we saw Vets at water training, but yes, they are back and even floated by a couple of times, wanting to 下战书 to 踢馆。 (What better time than this when half the Papillon boat is missing??) But, being ever focused on getting the new technique right rather than sparring, we humbly declined. The Vets then scooted away to look for kiddos who were learning to paddle. (Well, boh3 hir2 hey2 ma3 ho4, right? - "No fish, prawn also good." Kidding, kidding!)
While resting in-between, we did some reflection with Patrick emphasizing that we need to have better attendance at water training, if we are to regain peak form and retain the gold this year. If we turn up in drips and draps, every training will be spent re-teaching those who weren't around the last time. Those who have reached "Level 3" will be stuck while Coach repeats "Level 1" for the umpteenth time. For the 5 of us who were there, we nodded in agreement and were glad to be progressing towards "Level 3" and beyond!
More reflection: "Are you a Passenger, or a Driver?"
A boat cannot afford to have passengers, who are only there for the ride.
In this Papillon boat, once we have decided to join in, let's all be Drivers, driving our boat forward, together. Anyone who doesn't pull his/her own weight, will only drag the boat down.
I hope that, as we progress through more trainings and finally hit the races - all of us can confidently say this:
A record Low of 5 (+1) papillons! - Jessica, Kenji, Dawn, Dennis and Jon were the 5 musketeers who came down. Luckily Coach Patrick was back with us and so we spent the session practising our new stroke.
We did pair rowing, individual 1-minute rows, whole-boat rowing. From 1 stroke per whistle blow, we progressed to 5 strokes per whistle blow, 30 strokes per whistle blow... and eventually, 1 minute rows. It was difficult and felt somewhat unfamiliar in the beginning, but as we rowed on - the movement felt less unnatural and gradually we were gliding along quite well... It's all about practice!
Been a while since we saw Vets at water training, but yes, they are back and even floated by a couple of times, wanting to 下战书 to 踢馆。 (What better time than this when half the Papillon boat is missing??) But, being ever focused on getting the new technique right rather than sparring, we humbly declined. The Vets then scooted away to look for kiddos who were learning to paddle. (Well, boh3 hir2 hey2 ma3 ho4, right? - "No fish, prawn also good." Kidding, kidding!)
While resting in-between, we did some reflection with Patrick emphasizing that we need to have better attendance at water training, if we are to regain peak form and retain the gold this year. If we turn up in drips and draps, every training will be spent re-teaching those who weren't around the last time. Those who have reached "Level 3" will be stuck while Coach repeats "Level 1" for the umpteenth time. For the 5 of us who were there, we nodded in agreement and were glad to be progressing towards "Level 3" and beyond!
More reflection: "Are you a Passenger, or a Driver?"
A boat cannot afford to have passengers, who are only there for the ride.
In this Papillon boat, once we have decided to join in, let's all be Drivers, driving our boat forward, together. Anyone who doesn't pull his/her own weight, will only drag the boat down.
I hope that, as we progress through more trainings and finally hit the races - all of us can confidently say this:
"We're Drivers too."
- This is our Esso slogan, let's apply it to the Papillon boat too!
PS: This post is not targeted at anyone, nor is it meant to be a "howler".
(Remember Harry Potter? - http://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=en&q=harry+potter+howler&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=)
It is just a call for Papillon to think about how committed we all are, towards repeating the magic that we did last year.
Remember the elation, the cheers from all around, the applause... and most importantly - the sense of satisfaction from our within.
= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =
(Remember Harry Potter? - http://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=en&q=harry+potter+howler&btnG=Google+Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=)
It is just a call for Papillon to think about how committed we all are, towards repeating the magic that we did last year.
Remember the elation, the cheers from all around, the applause... and most importantly - the sense of satisfaction from our within.
Are you ready to feel that, again?
= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =
No comments:
Post a Comment