14 March 2009 - The lull... is over! Papillons gather.

*Blows the dust off papillonem.blogspot.com*

YES. - We are back.

Slightly more than 2 weeks ago, scattered members of Papillon had already planted themselves in various Dragonboat Carnival teams in an attempt to sooth their withdrawal symptoms from approximately 2+/- months of not rowing.
Those who didn't get to row, went one step further by immersing themselves in a frenzy of planning since Dec last year, to orchestrate the grand event on 28 February.
Nothing, however, beats our Captain Courageous Jonathan's (what a long name) dedication to the sport - he donated his birthday to the DB Carnival.
(Happy Belated Birthday, Jon!)

To quickly summarize the above - Papillon was once again a contributor to noise and buzz and whatever action there is. Kudos to Ben (Chua), Jon, Dennis, Su Li and Dawn for taking up the challenge to Connect EM Families; and the rest of us for rallying the EM Families that took part in the carnival!

Fast forward to present...
On another early Saturday morning, Papillon had their very first water training of 2009. Sleepy Heads Jon, Jessica, Desmond, Kenji, Xiuhuan and Dawn successfully dragged themselves out of bed and gathered at the laodifang (usual place).
(PS: It was a very nice feeling to finally hold our competition paddles again, vs the clumsy slabs of wood used during DB Carnival.)

A very auspicious beginning it was - with Dawn condemning her barely 2-weeks old New Balance sunglasses to the depths of the basin right after we rowed away from shore. On hindsight, we deemed it as a generous (albeit very sad) sacrificial tribute to the Water God/Deity to avert all disasters and bless Papillon with a smooth sailing season ahead!

So a new start for the new season - as usual, Coach Patrick had something unusual to gai4 siao3* to us.

*gai4 siao3 = (hokkien) verb. introduce.

Yes, you guessed it - a revamped stroke!
Do not be alarmed - it is actually the same piston-motion stroke, but refined and broken down into steps for execution. The aim is to synchronize all of our movements -
Bring torso into upright position to set up stroke,
Punch down into water (aim for seat in front), and
Pull through strongly until hip,
Exit paddle (with a small twist outward by rowing arm) - tiniest of pause,
(repeat) Bring torso into upright position to set up stroke...

Sounds advanced, I know. (Sounds tiring, too - you're right.)

But it is a powerful stroke, which will be even more devastating once we perfect our movements together.
This is another step in our evolution to become better.
So let's open our minds, unlock our muscle memories, and embark on another learning journey together. The fun is in finding better ways to defeat your opponents, no?

So the 6 of us gamely took up the challenge (what else could we do...)
We beached the boat and casted away some heavy teammates so that Patrick could give individual tutorials by pairs - which involved some masterful puppeteering by him, using the life-vest to tug us into position at various stages of the stroke.
Meanwhile, the pioneer batch of castaways whiled away their time tossing dead nails-like snails into the water while relating some "asking-to-be-bashed-up questions" (ie. super lame jokes disguised as questions). Know the feeling of the lull before the storm? - This was it.

Because when we finally got onto the boat - HWWOAAH. Every stroke was tiring, man! But it was good practice for the new technique and probably felt difficult because we had to wake our hibernating muscles and reconfigure its memory/timing.

A fruitful and spent training it was, but it felt good!
(The aches are already here...)
Let's have more Papillons the next time, shall we?
(So that the boat is easier to row! HAHA.)

The season has started - let's train together, be focused for that short time during training, and have fun after/before! We've built on the past and reached a peak of triumph in 2008 - but there are always more peaks to scale.
The fun is in doing it together, as one, and better.

May our Beat be as One, and Strokes, Mighty.

= Chief Editor d.l. signing off =
(Yes, I'm back too. *wink*)

29 November 2008 - Su Li and Jui Goy's Wedding

As they say - a picture is worth a thousand words.
For Papillon, as usual, we need many thousands of words to express our wishes and joy for Su Li and Jui Goy's wedding!

Enjoy the pictures - courtesy of the very efficient event photographer, very impressive indeed how quick you see our mugs in person and a few seconds later, straight onto a piece of paper.

Looking back on the things I've done...

What a tremendous year.

Papillon began the season with an enjoyable family row - where our loved ones got to experience what we subject ourselves to every Saturday morning, namely:

Testing our resolve to wake up ultra early in the morning, trudging our way to a not-very-extremely convenient part of Singapore, embossing our palms with intricate tarmac prints while doing push ups, sniffing lovely scents emanating from the life vests, and finally, getting onto a boat ride where *horrors of horrors* we have to row the damn thing ourselves?!?

Yes, that is what we do. For several months too. March through to July.

But in the end, it all paid off. We achieved what we always knew we are capable of. Amid the oodles of fun doing it.

Make no mistake, there were bouts of uncertainty and of tentativeness, as Papillon faced a myriad of changes:

• A new stroke - This was never going to be easy for those of us who have gotten used to the usual stroke of yesteryears.
• Role changes - We saw William rise capably to the challenge of the right pacer position.
• Personnel movements - Samuel and Freddy moved to our Vets team, a tremendous boost to their firepower, yet, as ever, continue to show Papillon the greatest support in heart and spirit.
• National service - Nation being first, we released (albeit reluctantly) our Yen Nee to heed the PM's call for more Singaporean babies.
• Trips - Business trips, vacation trips and plant trips were always going to inject some hiccups into our training plans.
• Fresh blood - Joe (not -that- fresh but still considered fresh la) and Ben (very fresh) eased into the sport and our team like fish to water.
• Changing landscape - Kallang was undergoing major cosmetic surgery, which came with complimentary ruckus, too.
• Government intervention - THEY CLOSED THE BLARDY STADIUM GYM.

How Papillon got through all these - I don't know. But we did. It did prompt a little 'wake up email' from Captain Jon midway - after which we rallied admirably to get our act together. I guess it was a timely trigger - for us to dig deep into ourselves and rediscover our movitation for why we were doing this ('this' = refer to blue section in the beginning of post).

The timely moment of reflection took away all the distortions from the changes and uncertainties, and refocused our goal for this year, that is:

To fulfill our potential.

(Which, by the way, would logically result in medals - judging by the quality of our team.)

And that was about 1 month before our first competition - the 800m SDBF race. So our drive was now aligned - GOOD.

But still, there were kinks. For example, our start pattern. 10hard-20fast was proving to be ineffective for our new piston stroke - despite the rapid strokes, we just weren't seeing the speed. Plus, by the end of it, our breaths were literally taken away... and we still had two-thirds way to go?!?

And here's where Coach Patrick came in, again. He just kept tuning. And finetuning. It was always going to be a challenge to introduce a new stroke and have us bloom in time for the races. But Patrick never wavered - he threw in all the tricks - bailers, tyre, Trivium paddle, GPS, his coaching brain - it was as if he had a Doraemon* pouch.

* Doraemon is a Japanese cartoon character with a magical pouch that can give you anything fantastical that you can ever imagine.

In the end, we formulated our ideal start pattern in time - The 30hard. Of course, it took a heck lot of testing both starts, before we concluded without a doubt (nor strength left) that the latter was more suited for Papillon. That, was the week before the 800m race - talk about "Just in Time"...

In that 800m, we did well to beat away many teams - including all-men ones - to land a semi-final slot, in which we finished a commendable third place.

Sounds like a good start to the race campaign.

The CCG was another kettle of fish (shorter fish - only *nervous laugh* 250m niah). Although we bettered last year's result by capturing Silver, a tinge of 'wasted'ness* lingered as the finish was so warrau-eh-close... there was a feeling that Papillon could have taken the gold, if we had that something.

* Wasted - a very Singlish word with no real English equivalent. Chinese equivalent would be '惋惜', which translates as 'to feel sorry over something that should have happened'.

So, what was 'that something'? Papillon spent the next two trainings finding out. Again, the "Just in Time" team shone through - we hunted down that renegade Aggressiveness in Seletar reservoir, wrestled it into submission and shoved the damn thing into our Psyche (then moved it into the Stomach - where it could run amok and - just as well - kill all the nervous butterflies before J.I.).

After that - boy, were we ready to rock and row. Even when we learnt that Patrick wouldn't be able to cox for us - no matter. He had said before that we have already matured as a team - so yes, Papillon would take to the battle, strategy all mapped out and all that's left to do is the flawless execution. Sounds easy huh.

Not so easy.

Post-photo-reviews (accidentally captured by our EM photographer) showed that we were all over the place towards the end of our heat race - kinda looked like a reenactment of the 1000-armed Guanyin (seriously, not kidding). No wonder we didn't feel any surge at all as we charged to the finish (1:22:45). That was why, in spite of the runaway lead, Capt Jon seriously said that we can do better.

Which we did.

Indeed, the semi-final was better (1:21:11). But all that wouldn't matter, if we didn't fly in the Final. So the Papillon boat was remarkably focused as we lined up at the starting buoy for the Final. The Police were in as well, and so was SRC (whom we had to give the gold to last year - compensation for crashing into their vehicle) - but that didn't matter too - for the greatest enemy was ourselves.

It was THE amazing race. By the end of our 30hard, we were flying. Maintenance was a cruise, before we let fly with a ROARING charge to the finish (1:20:38). Blown away - that's what our opponents were. The second placed boat was three-quarter boat's length behind us! And we were in the correct lane - so, no dispute there, sorry, uh-uh, nah, no way we gonna let you have the gold.

ExxonMobil was jubilant. Papillon was jubilant. And each of us was delirious - from both the win, and atomizing every molecule of our energy in the race.

We did it; You did it.

Whatever difficulties and initial tentativenss there were, Papillon pulled through, with shining results.

• Individuals with an inexplicable sync - check.
• Coach with a kaizen* philosophy - check.
• Commitment and determination - check.
• Goals and medals - check.
• Achievement and satisfaction - check.

* Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement.

Be proud of yourselves, you deserve it!

= Chief Editor signing off =

26 July 2008 - J.I. race - Of gold, ghost, and goals.

This year, we landed our first-ever gold medal,

An awesome race that saw us banish the ghost of 2007 J.I.

From words to reality - our goals came to life.

Heats 1:22:45

Semis 1:21:11

Final 1:20:38

Mixed Category Champion:

Papillon

Sounds like heck of a season!

= Chief Editor signing off =

19 and 20 July 2008 - This is sheer intensity.

19 July, Saturday, Kallang Basin

Today was at Kallang as usual. But unusually, we were in our battle gear. Ahhh - it's for the camera. (Everyone now - look cool and row properly - die-die must synchronize ah! Now SMILE and wave!)

Coach Patrick decided to try a new charge called the PRESSURE charge. After a few attempts, we abandoned it. Simply because the phase was too long - we lao4 hong1* in the midst of our charge to the finishing. So we reverted back to the good old 'hard-10, kiyah' charge. With the distinct preparation and execution phases, it showed better results.

* lao4 hong1 = punctured.

With Pierre cameoing as our coxswain of the day, steering was done with great precision - afterall he is the most expensive imported coxswain in Singapore (for the day la). Estimation and instructions were excellent - most importantly, we didn't notice his presence much - which is good! (Like referees, the good ones are those who stay unnoticed while facilitating a smooth flow - ie. no zigzagging, no crashing, etc.)

Cosy Bay was not so cosy today with the tremendous atmospheric noise from nearby construction work. Our lip-reading and God-of-Gamblers-style 'ear-twitching' skills were put to the test as we strained hard to hear Patrick. (Guess it's good practice for our ears to listen out for charge calls next Saturday!)

Our favourite sparring partner - Vets! - then floated alongside to bask in the noise and challenge us in three pace sets. (Excellent neck to neck stuff! - Well done to both teams.) In our desire to win, everyone pulled out all the stops - but Ah Ben wins hands down for maximum effort - he collapsed in the back seat with a little toe cramp.

During this time, we found ourselves in a unfamiliar area towards the Aljunied/Geylang side - it was quite a peaceful scene except for the occasional dragonboat scurrying by in the canal.

All in all, there was good pace and progress, though something seemed to be missing. Nevermind... we'll look for it tomorrow. Sunday at Lower Seletar Reservoir - preparation at the actual battle ground!

_______________________________________________

20 July, Sunday, Lower Seletar Reservoir

Today, we turned out in our finest too - but there was no camera crew. (What the..!?) To think Christy went to set her hair and we all secretly did 500 push ups in the morning to improve muscle definition just for the camera.

The place was much better than yesterday - it was an idyllic sight with sprinklers creating dancing mists at the golf course in the distance, and bright orange slimy algae on the pontoon and boat hull - which Dawn gleefully scraped off amidst exclamations of "grossss..."

We rowed towards the starting buoys, rehearsing what to expect next Saturday for the Jurong Island race. We counted the buoys, marked out where the alert zone for charging was, and did many MANY starts and race sets. Searching for that 'something missing' from yesterday - aha - it's the aggression during charging. Strangely, with each set we did, it seemed to pick up. By the final few sets, Papillon was roaring with each charge we did. "YES! - that's what I want to see." - Patrick.

Friendly Vets were again out in full force today. So we paced with them, with good result. Could have something to do with imagery - we imagined them as our No.1 opponent - the Police, with very muscular and intelligent* ladies.

* High forehead = intelligent... (Note: This is extremely disguised humour for the select few who get it.)

Finally achieving what we had set out to do, and finishing strong, Patrick decided to release us. Papillon whoosh and paddles/life vests/bum pads all packed into Ken's car (Thanks Ken!) - we were finally off for the weekend!

__________________________

Paps - remember - although Patrick might not be in time to steer us for the first 2 races, it doesn't matter - we are ready.

In fact, we have already done everything that we could have done - build up of race experience in the weeks before, gym, water training, final recce and practice at the race site - we cannot be any more prepared.

So, have great faith in yourself, in us - that Papillon is ready for the big one.

Rest well and recover by Friday. And most importantly, let's be mentally strong. I know you will be feeling a tingle inside you from now until race day - but fear not. For that is not nervousness - that's Excitement.

Make it happen.

= Chief Editor signing off =

12 July 2008 - CCG Dragonboat

Yes - the day has finally come. After a week of killing stomach butterflies, Papillon (oh, the irony!!*) gathered at Bedok Reservoir this Saturday for CCG dragonboat.

* Irony because, if you recall, 'papillon' = 'butterfly' in french.

We were in good time to catch our guy teams in action during their semi-finals, doing well to secure 3 of out 6 slots in the Final and eventually emerging proud winners of the Silver and Bronze medals. Congrats all around!

With the Men's category done and dusted, it was now Show Time! for the Mixed cat. The opening ceremony was made more lively by some Rather Boisterous Spirits amongst the teams, and it was with good cheer we dispersed to get ready for our events.

Papillons warmed up for the heats (haha), listening intently as Coach Patrick quickly schooled us in the art of 'Drifting to Victory'. We were duly confused; but Ah Ben, with his extreme intelligence, condensed all that into a simple: 'Ah Beng Ah Seng Start' - in other words, no room for gentlemanliness. Ah... understooded.

Time's up - off we went - Initial-P* drifting smoothly down Lane 1 in Heat 1. When the command was given to 'GO!', we burst off to a good start with our gears nicely engaged. After the 30 strokes, we maintained a strong rhythm before launching into a short charge towards the last 50m. Video replays captured a phenomenal surge that pulled us clear ahead of the other boats. What a finish! - 1 min 18 sec - NICE.

* P for Papillon la.

Next up - Semi-finals. It was to be... a heartstopping race. Having been very prim and proper all our years in EM, Papillons were not used to the 'Ah Ben Ah Seng' start and were flummoxed by the not holding water during 'Hold water', paddling during 'Are you ready', etc. When we finally shot off, we were not able to gain the edge like in our heats. It was a nail-biting race to the end, but we managed to edge out Citibank by a whisker, to book a slot in the Final.

A serious debrief awaited us - which we solemnly absorbed and resolved to do a Perfect Start in the Final. By this time, limbs were limp and lactic acid was oozing from our pores. But we steeled ourselves for what was to come.

The start of the Final was a noisy affair. Loudhailers blared away with new rules and warnings and blah blah... but Papillon was focused. Focused on Patrick's calls.

This time, it was Perfect.

We got off on a good start and rowed hard. A charge was called in the middle, and we squeezed out 10 hard strokes to try and pull ahead. (What seemed like) mili-seconds later, came the final charge. The feeling was incredible - it's like your head, lungs, arms and muscles were gonna burst. Crossed the finishing line, we finally looked up and around. It must have been very close, because there was an uncharacteristically subdued moment - much like when a striker that looked offside scores a goal and everyone is wondering if it would stand.

Credit to OCBC (haha!), they were the faster team and deserved the Gold.

But let me say, my Papillons - You can hold your heads high, with your valiant effort that has brought us one better than last year's bronze. I know each and everyone of you 'hocked' out everything you had, so there is no shame in that - be proud of yourselves!

CCG now over - let's look ahead to the J.I. race. There is still room for improvement - and that is in pulling our efforts together when charging. Remember I said that we all threw in everything we had? - Yes we did, but if we can time our gut-bursting strokes together even better... oh, what terror we would cause!

So Paps! Let's all work on that during next training. Build the habit of listening for and echoing out the charge calls - so that during the mayhem of actual races, we are alert and ready to charge together - RAAARRR!

Last but not least - a Special Mention to: Eddie Tan! who gamely took up the highly dangerous position of Papillon drummer, quietly stood by us throughout the races, and did a swell job each time without falling into the water.

PS: We had a little celebration at Pierre's place, where helicopters flew the national flag in our honour and the RSAF Black Knights did a nice air show for us (loop-de-loops, 'arrow in apple' [off-spec heart, actually], and the works) before they popped by the NDP rehearsal. How nice. Dinner was a tad late as the four Golden Pillows had to be constructed from scratch - waiting for the chicks and lamb to grow before they were qualified to be cooked as our dinner, collecting the charcoal to bake the bun, etc. Luckily, the food was GOOD and it was great fun. Thanks Pierre for hosting us! And Ben for ordering the food!

= Chief Editor signing off =

05 July 2008 - Bang4 zai3 zai3 *.

* Bang4 zai3 zai3 = 'BE STEADY' in hokkien.

Right - quick summary.

Basically we did a good long warm up row, then went in search of the Vets to do pacing. It was a difficult rendevous, because whenever we rowed towards them, they rowed in the opposite direction. BUT but, finally finally, all our EM boats gathered and it was a nice heartwarming scene which would have been even better if we had sung "I lub choo, you lub meee, we are happy familyyyy..." But no, we replaced that with an "Are you ready. Attention... GO!"

So off we went. It was a breathtaking race (literally, too) which saw Papillon in a photo finish with Vets, Blades and Ace. Our adrenaline was bursting through the roof so we went for another round. This time, Paps were BRILLIANT.

Key takeaways:

• We're sticking to the 30-start.
• Although it is a sprint distance, let's not work ourselves into a frenzy by rushing the strokes - instead, focus on catching the water well then pull hard to the hip.
• During maintenance, catch our breath and recover quickly as it won't be long before we go on our final blaze to the finishing line..!
• Finally - above all - Let's work the perfect Paps coordination.

Coach Patrick's words to remember:

Other teams do not matter.

You are your greatest enemy - can you focus enough to row your best?

Looking back, we saw how we have progressed since training started in March. We used to struggle against Lilies... now we give our mens teams a run for their money.

Let's maintain that strong, unwavering determination that has brought us thus far - in the next two races it will lift us to greater heights.

Finally, Paps: Gym this week to be no later than Wednesday. Leave Thurs-Fri for recovery and we'll be in good shape to swipe some serious water this Saturday at CCG.

= Chief Editor signing off =