27 June 2009 - It's always darkest before the dawn.

Dear Papillons,

Although we didn't make the cut to the finals, I think today was still a meaningful outing. It's the first ever Inter-Corporate Mixed event for SDBF 800m, and held for the first time at the Marina Barrage too. Weather was good, kites were flying high, race starter was corny - we really can't ask for more. (OK, maybe we'll ask for Ramlee burger the next time.)

Anyway! On a more sensible note...
If you ask me - honestly, I can't think of any reason why we should have won today; but I can think of a number of reasons why we did not win.
Strangely, this gives me hope -
Because we now know where we have to buck up, because competition won't wait for you - they only get stronger.
It also makes me excited -
Because I imagine what we can be, if we train hard, together.

And that's why I'm not dismayed by today's race - because we are now aware that we still have some way to go, and we know exactly how to get there. (Just as well that it hit us now - better now, than at J.I. race! 15 August...)

So... let us get goin, shall we? :)

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

6 June 2009 - Counting down... revving up.

Kallang, oh Kallang - we love you so much, we can't bear to train elsewhere.

This Sat, Papillons were still at Kallang! Where there always looms the threat of an eternally grumpy half-naked man barking at you, for various reasons eg. taking an extra sawed-off mobil1 bottle, taking life vests from other racks than the first, returning the boat 1 second late... blah. Oh well - life is not perfect, so what the heck.

But training was GREAT! Previous Sat we got started on race sets, and this week we continued on that track - and about time, too. We began the season by learning the new core-power twisting technique, spent subsequent weeks drumming it into our muscle memory before working on team coordination.

And now we have reached the stage where we put it all together, in a race set!
So far, things are looking good - but we will never know our true prowess, until we get the boat fully loaded with Papillons.

In these coming weeks, Coach Patrick will continue to try and bring up our stroke rate so that the boat can glide even faster without 'dipping' in-between strokes.
We can only do this, together! So let's all do our very best to make these last few trainings.

The 800m SDBF race has traditionally been an Open category - but this year, they have actually introduced a Mixed Category. Which means that we have a very good shot at it - but only if all of us are of one mind, to want it.

Let's revv up on the gym workouts (but please ah, don't overstrain) and more importantly, water-fitness - nothing beats a good solid rowing session with fellow Papillons!

See yous this Sat,
(The race looms - I am excited and how 'bout choo? ;)

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

23 May 2009 - The Awesome ('all-sng') Pyramid /^\

It was a special Saturday.

Coach Patrick was on special assignment in Malaysia,
Ah Ben made a surprise appearance after an early morning landing from Houston,
And Papillon, being short on numbers and coach/coxswain, spontaneously hijacked a boat as Jon, Dawn, Xiuhuan, Joe, Lin and Ben gleefully hopped in with our friendly guys from the mens + vets teams.
(Must thank the guys for gallantly welcoming us to join the boat!)

But most of all, what made it special(ly xiong/terok), was the combined training led by Wee Kiang and Adrian. After a good warm up row towards Sheares Bridge, we were introduced to... The Pyramid. This endurance training consists of ascending sets of 2-min, 4-min, 6-min rows, before descending symmetrically in 6-min, 4-min, 2-min rows. During the sets, hard10s were freely called, and Papillon limbs threatened to give way. *Oof poof* - This must be the most punishing session so far this year.

And so my memory became a bit hazy. But I vaguely recall that we did two pace sets with the guys, both times employing the hard-30 start - and that worked well to bring the boat up. Although we were tired out by the time of the second set, I must say that our 'cut & paste' combined boat didn't do too shabbily at all! The surge was definitely there, but maintenance could be improved, if we want to keep up a powerful glide.

Overall it was an exhausting session, but it felt really good to work our core muscles hard. Post-rowing, the motley bunch of Paps + Mens + Vets gathered for a mass warm down by Cowan Lee-Gym-Trainer-Wannabe, followed by debrief. Our boat's coxswain Derrick rightly highlighted that we lacked stamina, and this showed in the pace sets when we couldn't sustain the power.

To overcome that, let's maintain a good balance of cardio and weights training in our gym routine! Interval training on the rowing machine and/or running will help alot in building our heart and lungs power, so that we can pull harder for longer without feeling faint during water training.

Build it up, build it up...
And keep the attendance coming!

PS: Please stretch your backs properly and rest well!

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

9 May 2009 - I smell blood.

New blood - that is.

Our EM orientation boat that has been quietly manufacturing future champion rowers the past weeks, has finally finished its run - and the newly passed-out recruits were seeded into our assortment of EM corporate teams.
So this week, we are happy to have Eileen Cai and Tan Yan Geow (conveniently renamed "Yan" / "Yan Dao") join Papillon at training. The two arrived in matching yellow tops - perhaps to highlight "I am new to the boat - please be nice to me"?
No problemo - Paps are always nice to everyone in our company - we all laugh and suffer together! *evil laughter*

(Sidetrack: Earlier in the wee hours, there was a raging thunderstorm which eerily made not a few Papillons smile secretly in their dreams. But the rain stopped, day broke, and the dream shattered - yes, training would go on as usual. Valiantly fending off the sleep monster - Jon, Desmond, Dawn, Jessica, Ah Ben, Yen Nee, Lin, Eileen and Yan Geow turned up to form a good crew of 9.)

Warm up was a friendly 50 push ups after 30 uncoordinated jumping jacks.
While launching, our tipsy boat was observed to be near drowning after excessive water intake from the thunderstorm earlier. A line of 5 boats threatened to break away from the pontoon as our dreamy(dreaming) Captain Jon uncharacteristically flailed in vain to pass the rope over while trying to berth our boat for safe loading. Miraculously, we still managed to eventually load up and row away... (Must be the blessing of Vesak Day.)

Our boat was listing to the right due to an imbalance of yin yang - too many guys on the right and girls to the left. A box of water soon restored equilibrium as it partnered Ah Ben as a silently supportive benchmate.
In between rows, while Coach Patrick imparted the Papillon stroke to our freshies, Jon tried in vain to introduce himself - but nobody seemed to be interested - to the amusement of the very entertained Dawn, Des and Jess who would have rolled on the boat laughing if it were not for safety concerns and space constraints.
Awww... where is the love?? Respect lei???! (HAHAHA.)
Meanwhile, a few of us were secretly happy that Patrick was well-occupied with questions from earnest student Lin! Wah good, can rest more.

Technique and coordination being the order of the day - we did 1-min pair rowing and the 20maintenance-10hard routine. We rowed from bridge to bridge - from 'Suicide Bridge' (aka '奈何桥'), to 'a Bridge too far'. Focus was on pulling hard in the water, not fast. I guess we must be getting it - because Patrick didn't have to correct us as frequently as he did the previous sessions. With the power and glide, when he asked "How do you find the boat movement?" - our answer was unanimously "GOOD!"

60 dips and a customary Papillon whoosh drew a nice (wobbly) fullstop to the session.

Paps - we are picking up now, the power and glide is there, and coordination improving too. Fitness-wise, will be restored with regular gym training. Let's build up to our peak and aim to repeat our feats of last year! As I remember a wise saying (from Crissa): "Winning does not grow on trees." We cannot expect to do well, if we don't put in the effort. I always believe: If you are going to do something - might as well make it good.

Some notes... (not meant to 'scold', but to remind) -
Warm up: If we cannot manage 50 push ups... it's time to hit the gym, really. We will eventually ramp this up to 80 (the number last year) - if anyone really cannot do it, then just stop and step out while the rest attempt to. Let's not stop others among us from achieving what they are capable of.

Punctuality: As a mark of respect for fellow teammates who arrive early (and bring out the paddles/life vests/bum pads for the team) - I'm sure we can all make the tiny effort to come on time so that as a team, we make the most of this once-weekly water training. 7:55 AM is the magic hour for starting warm up.

Attendance: If you are not able to make training - please inform Jon and myself in advance, so that we know the numbers to expect and hence whether we need to book the big boat, how many paddles/bumpads/life vests to take out, who to wait for... etc. Jon always makes the effort to email/sms a reminder to EVERYONE - so let's show him some love and just email/sms your one reply back.

Rest well Paps and have a great week ahead!

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

25 April 2009 - Friendly tug of war.

This Saturday, Coach Patrick was away at PA race, but Papillon continued to train on our own initiative. Jessica, Jon, Kenji, Dennis, Lin, Desmond and Dawn took to the water as usual; little bit of unusualness was the change in the pacing pair! Well actually, it was a familiar pair from before - Desmond resumed the right pacer role from two seasons ago. (Good Desmond, let's try it out for a few more sessions and see how it goes, yea? You and Jon will be great :)

Although there was no Patrick to correct our technique, we did try to execute what he taught, while improving coordination. After warming up, we rowed to Sheares Bridge, and onward towards the floating platform (but alas - no more through-road to Merlion!)

Feeling a little bored by this time, Captain Jon - supported by an equally sadistic captain of vice, Dawn - decided to revive an archaic form of torture... The Dragonboat Tug of War!

The boat floated with trepidation back to Sheares Bridge - the torture site - where rules of the game were laid out. As we divided into two teams facing off on opposite ends of the boat, all that filled our minds was the brutal punishment that awaited the losing team... indeed, who cared about pride, when bowls of fish soup were at stake(!)

With a cry, splashes of water raged as the battle began. It was a fascinating fight - where there was lots of action, but hardly any boat movement. (Something like a thrilling 0-0 draw between two attacking football teams that somehow didn't find the net.)

But in the end, in the end... the side with 4 people emerged triumphant, though the 3-paps team put up a solid fight. We tried it another time and it was the same result - both sides were bruised and battered with screaming muscles and hazy thoughts of "How did we end up doing this?!" Haha. (Okay la it's just for fun and some crazy cardio - promise we won't do this often otherwise Jon and I are gonna get ousted O.o )

While nursing our 'war injuries' and leaking lactic acid, Papillons floated along and found ourselves in the vicinity of our EM Mens teams. Dazed and -maybe slightly- delusional, a couple of us were seized by suicidal thoughts of whether to accept/incite a pacing session with the guys - to the horror of the rest who quickly plunged their paddles into the water and rowed the boat safely away from the line of fire.

At the suggestion of our cameo coach, Zi Chee, we did a few start sets for testing - one, with 10 hard, 20 fast - and another, with the 30 hard. No conclusion at this point, but the 30 hard still felt effective without being overly breathtaking. We then returned to the pontoon.

Key takeaways: While rowing, it is easy to lose focus on the technique; especially at a quicker pace (and current fitness + proficiency at new stroke), the range of motion is compromised as we struggle to keep up the coordination. So we have to consciously maintain a steady rhythm where we can setup, get a good catch, pull through and exit effectively.
Good thing is that, as we rowed on and warmed up, we were observed to be using the trunk/core muscles - which is what Patrick wants us to do - yeah!

Next Saturday we will have Patrick back - anyone unable to make the session (or any other sessions for that matter) please info Jon and me beforehand so that we know the numbers to expect.

Rest well and have a great (4-workday) week ahead!

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

18 April 2009 - Whole boat ready? - Ready!

Woh - This Sat, we actually ran out of seats on the Papillon boat!
Instead of a dragon head, we had our distinguished figurehead - Captain Jon - happily parked on the bow while the rest of us practised our strokes for the first half.

With 10 of us rowing, the surge felt great!
Of course, at this point we are lacking coordination - but that is only normal when we are in transition towards the new stroke. Paddles were entering the water slightly off-timing, recovery and setup too... But fear not! More water training will solve the problem. (Keep up the attendance!)

Desmond was our Model Student as Coach Patrick made him demonstrate the new stroke for our reference. With a steady pace and consistent stroke execution throughout, he was a very positive example to the rest of us. (Des - can borrow your notes to copy?? Heh.)

Then - there was Yen Nee. We welcomed Yen Nee back after a long maternity break and recuperation from wrist injury. But make no mistake - da power is back! Patrick pointed out how Yen Nee used her core muscles to great effect, rotating her torso to achieve each powerful stroke. (All these, on a cold-start engine!! Amazing.)

During a bout of pair rowing, Big Ben (Yes - he's back! For a brief cameo before EM packs him off to Houston again.) and Kenji were like two high-revv engines trying to scoop out all the water from the Kallang basin. Patrick had to "stop stop stop" their "Pace of Fury" as we restarted (and lost) the count thrice!

Overall, I would say this is the most productive training so far. Turnout was good, and we felt it in the boat's surge. Still needs refining of course, as we tend to lose consistency during the latter half of a longer row. Part of that is due to fitness level - at this stage, without regular gym workouts, fatigue sets in faster.

I suddenly recall Captain Jon's nice cheddar-cheesy kickoff slogan last season:

"Have you GYM yet?"

HAHA - love it.
See yous this Saturday!
Look forward to getting better with each session.

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =

11 April 2009 - Move the right way, do the right thing.

In true Papillon fashion, we improve by the day - this Saturday we had... 6 (+1) rowers! Jon, Dawn, Desmond, Xiuhuan, Lin and Joe enjoyed a healthy dose of sunshine. (Good for calcium absorption, you know. But also good for pigmentation... bring on the sunblock and shades!)

Anyway, we welcome Mighty Joe Young back to the boat - it's been a few weeks since he got entrusted with night shift duty and it was great to finally have him back! (As it turned out, Joe quickly pole-vaulted up the learning curve - not only did he grasp the new stroke well, it seems we have discovered a new 'wild card' after Christy! Coach Patrick shifted him left and right, but Joe was equally adept at both.)

Focus of training was on technique and stroke correction - as is usual for the beginning stage of every season. Hmm... interestingly, do you notice that, with each training, it takes us less time to 'remember' the stroke?
True, it still took at least half to three-quarters of the session (of individual and pair rowing) for us to put everything together:
Slightly rotate torso for the A-setup, top arm plunge paddle into the water, 'de-rotate' by cranking rowing back muscle, pull until you 'hit the wall' at the hip, elbow out whip out the paddle sideways and torso rotate back to A-setup... repeat.

Then it was about the timing. Pacers Jon and Dawn (very confusing when Patrick calls us. We don't know who he is correcting!). Anyway. Pacers Jon and Dawn seemed to be doing an awkward duet - the timing was just 'off'. And it trickled to the back such that the boat was not gliding too well. So Jon suggested to imagine Patrick's whistle beat. It worked! A strange "hooooooo... peept!" sound started emitting from Dawn, but with that, pacers got their beat together and soon the Papillon boat was cruising down the canal beyond Cosy Bay.

We then did a series of 2 min and 3 min rows, which Patrick observed to be 'much better!' and improving.
The key was in maintaining a steady, powerful pace, with technically-sound execution of each stroke. "Move the right way, do the right thing" - was the order of the day, so it wasn't about how fast our strokes are, but how efficient. We can be tired, but each stroke must still be properly executed, nevermind about the stroke rate at this point.

... I think we're getting it quicker now. When we have the other Level 3s back with us to train as a full boat, we should all be on the same page - and it should show in our glide!

To end off, again, must stress that good attendance at water training is important - we only have that one training, and the key in getting the most out of it, is to turn up and make each training count. As a full boat, the glide is more powerful, we feel good rowing together, and it creates a positive drive for each of us.

Next up would be to restart gym workouts, to get our muscles in tip-top shape so that we don't feel so tired during water training (from lifting the paddle!!) But let's take it step by step. We can start by including push ups before hitting the water, and dips after!

Hope everyone had a nice long Easter break. Till next Saturday... rest up and see yous!

= Chief Editor D.L. signing off =