Who would have thought that one day I can join an international dragon boat race? This never came to my mind until my first experience for international race happened last April 27-30, 2013 in Bohol. It was barely two weeks after the 2nd Zambales Dragon Boat Festival wherein my team entries (open and women) landed both on semis. Zambales Race served as a great preparation for my team for this next race. It was a two weeks of hardcore training, aiming to beat our previous records. It needs dedication, passion and motivation to each and every member of the team to reach our goal.
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| We are: Onslaught Racing Dragons! |
I just can't explain how excited I am for my first ever international race. Aside from that race excitement, it was also my first time to visit the province of Bohol, that adds up the excitement, is it not?! Paddlers are very much welcome for the race because there were tarpaulin greetings everywhere. Boholano's hospitality was surprisingly amazing.
The race was set for 2-day activity. My team got entries for Open and Mixed Categories. Right after having our lunch at the resort, we visited the race location and tested the water for more or less than an hour training in preparation for the race. Tired from air to sea to land travel plus training, we ended up going back to the resort and took some rest for the race the following day.
Race day was great! It was great to see dragon boat teams from all over the country to compete. As they say "matira ang matibay". The pressure is on! Every time our team was being called to be at the loading area, I got nervous. Whhheww! I have been to this sport for couple of months now but still those nerves in me are shaking, I guess every race it has different feelings.
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| Race on Motion |
Is was a friendly competition! Well in any race, there is always a winner and there is always a loser. That's when the so-called spirit of sportsmanship is running into the veins of every athlete. Enjoy the race and that's it, whether you win or loss. Races like this will also help improve each member of the team. It is also a great time to meet and make some friends with new paddlers. Off course, taking pictures here, there and everywhere is so much fun!
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| posing with other teams |
Awards Night was enjoyable. You'll see how energetic paddlers are even if we were tired for the two days activity. Got free dinner and got lot of beer and drinks! Some were drunk I guess. So proud that my team, Onslaught Racing Dragons was able to capture 4th Place for the 2000M Open Category and 3rd Runner-Up for Smart 250M. I've got the unexplained feeling of going up to the center stage with my team to get our trophies and medals! So proud to be Onslaught.
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| Onslaught Racing Dragons onstage! |
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| 3rd Runner-up! |
Priceless experience. Now I think I will be addicted to paddling, not just the sport itself but what keeps me going is the people around me, my team, who is always ready for the challenge. I am looking forward for more races in the future and who knows I will be able to represent my country abroad. With constant training, motivation and discipline, that is possible.
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| Bonding with batch mate paddlers: Jerumel and Mel |
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| Holding our Trophies! |
