race season is officially upon us. a year on, much has happened within the team. we finally completed our first race of the year: MR500 2013. last year, we raced in three events but this year, the decision was made to just focus on what we can do realistically.
as the team manager (or 'boss'), i always like to reflect on everything that brought us to this point and looking back, i must say that i truly appreciate my management team for their wisdom. let it be known that i didn't think that the boys will shape up in time for the race and i'm a firm believer of return-on-investment (ROI), so i was ready to sit the team out of MR500. however, the captains fought for the participation and i'm glad for their faith in the absence of mine.
so what made this race special for me?
1) excellence: we really don't have the biggest biceps. we are unable to train at the kind of intensity that we want to. does that make some of us feel horrible? yes it does but when the time comes, we try our best. that's excellence! do we want to be the best? i truly think we do but much of the joy is in the journey.
2) relationships: every team has its fair share of politics, whether good or bad. however, it is always encouraging to see all of us from different walks of life sitting down, chatting, sharing and of course, gossiping. of course, special mention goes to the members of our DWC (dragonboat widows club)! other than 'lending' us their other halves every saturday and sunday for training, they are ever supportive of the team even though they don't understand the sport.
ultimately, when i took over the reins as manager, i set specific objectives for myself and guidelines for the direction of the team. i'm glad that i have stuck true to most of it and we have gathered a team who believes in the essence of Team OneStroke.
how will our 2013 chapter end? only time will tell but i'm glad that this is not written just by me but by everyone who make a conscious choice to commit our cause.
~boss~
ps: anyway, if you are interested in photos, here's the link. i'm pretty sure that our coach will update his blog in due time about his mr500 experience as well. i'll share the link once it's up.
in just a couple of days, a large group of us will be heading northwards to our very first overseas dragon boat race. i remember the day when the suggestion first came to me for 'approval'. although i was reluctant, i believed that it was going to be a good learning journey for everyone in the team.
hence in that vein, there are a few lessons that i hope we would all learn through this experience of the overseas trip, no matter what capacity we are going as.
1) team onestroke: the team comes before anything. this is going to sound imperialistic but many times, we have to make sacrifices in order to participate in a team sport or be a part of the leadership. we are not mere about getting the right one stroke that coach is drilling in us.
for those who are heading to penang, know that regardless of performance and background, you are part of a greater family, a family we refer to as the team.
2) friendship: let's not take each other for granted. each one had to give up something in order to join yourself in penang, much as there is much to say, let's appreciate one another and offer a hand, a ear or a shoulder should the need arises.
3) thank you: most important, recognise help and say your thanks. as you represent the team and kaki bukit csc, let us be known for not just our paddling might, our discipline but our inter-personal skills.
it is going to be a new experience for us all.
live, laugh, love
~ boss ~
