Why they paddle: The drive behind 3 Singaporean dragon boat teams | My Tribe - video Dailymotion

AsiaOne

Dragon boating is more than just a test of strength, rhythm, and teamwork on the water. In Singapore, three diverse dragon boat teams show how paddling in unison can bridge backgrounds and abilities. From the determination of the national team, to the camaraderie of Garuda Dragons, and the tenacity of the Alita Initiative, dragon boating serves as a driving force for inclusivity, friendship, and shared achievement.  Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

Transcript

00:00Dragon Ball as a sport is really basically demanding.

00:16Being a national athlete, there's so much more required of us.

00:20I'm not ready to stop.

00:23Perhaps achieving more international teams is a way for me to redeem myself.

00:30One, two, three, four, one.

00:40Right now our trainings are actually from Mondays to Thursdays as well as Saturdays and Sundays.

00:46Saturdays and Sundays are actually double sessions for us.

00:49Being a national athlete, there's so much more required of us.

00:53Adapting to training from twice, thrice a week to really six times.

00:59On top of going into a full time job, that was something that I really had to get used to.

01:03Six, two, three, seven, two, three, four, one.

01:08I think to me Dragon Ball is really a big part of my life.

01:13I cannot really take myself out from the sport.

01:16Because it is really in all aspects of my life.

01:19My community, my friends, my mentors, the values that I have in life.

01:24All of it is linked to Dragon Ball.

01:34I think Dragon Ball as a sport is actually really physically demanding.

01:37We need all paddlers on the board to be equally strong.

01:41You are only as strong as your weakest link.

01:43So, it's really the beauty of the sport in my opinion.

01:46Where all of us have that healthy competition.

01:49To want to out-compete one another within the team.

01:52But also push one another to be even better.

01:57At the end of a set, you will feel breathless.

02:00You will feel like dying.

02:02You will feel dizzy.

02:04And sometimes you will really feel like two kids.

02:13You will feel good.

02:14You will feel good.

02:15You will feel good.

02:16You will feel good.

02:31Mentally, I think it's quite draining.

02:34To go through the pain again and again.

02:36Every single day.

02:39There was a lot of sacrifice along the way.

02:41Similar to all the other national athletes.

02:43My teammates.

02:44We will have to forgo some social life.

02:49There's really so much more that I would like to prove to myself.

02:53With effort.

02:54With hard work.

02:55With the right mindset.

02:56We will slowly but surely match up with the other powerhouses.

03:01This is really a goal that I am constantly carrying with me.

03:07I am not ready to stop.

03:09And I hope that the country sees this in us as well.

03:17In 2015, during the 80th finals.

03:19It was quite a defining moment in my dribble career.

03:22All of us were quite hopeful during the race.

03:24And we really tried our best.

03:26During the race itself, we actually felt that we had a very good chance of winning.

03:30But eventually, we fell short.

03:32We got second.

03:33This is part of the reason why we are still battling until now.

03:42Perhaps achieving more international teams is a way for me to redeem myself.

03:46And to feel that I have done something right.

03:48As a Dragon Boat Nation, I really hope that we can really continue to excel.

03:54And eventually become one of the powerhouses in Asia and in the world.

03:58In a way, Garuda Dragon is influenced by the Dragon Boat community in Singapore.

04:11Competitive, fitness-minded, and multicultural.

04:15Our team have fighting spirit and passionate about competition.

04:26Garuda has meaning of unity and strength.

04:29Because we are from different nations.

04:32The team comprised of domestic helpers, caregivers, drivers, and construction workers.

04:38From Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia.

04:44We have one hour land training and two hours in the water.

04:52The first time I joined this sport, I don't think about going for the race.

04:59I'm just doing it for a point.

05:01And once we joined, we're addicted to the race.

05:04Our team is passionate about competition.

05:12I feel that I have responsibility to run this team.

05:15Because I want this team and this mission to keep going.

05:26I can't say that I sacrificed my free time because I enjoy the sport.

05:31Dragon Boat gave me a chance to reconnect with my team.

05:36Then I can meet new people in this sport.

05:42I feel that I made a lifelong friendship.

05:45Sometimes when our teammates, they go back to their country.

05:49They will call me then,

05:50Hey V, do you need anything from India or from Bangladesh?

05:55Yeah, they always offer me something.

05:58I never felt this before.

06:00This makes me sense of belonging.

06:04That I never expected.

06:07A team like Garuda Dragons is important.

06:10Because there's a lot of migrant workers in Singapore.

06:15It will be a good thing if we could inspire them to join in the sport.

06:20To provide them a platform so they can build a sporting community.

06:29I want migrant workers to be seen.

06:31Alita Initiative is a Dragon Boat team for PWDs.

06:48I'm also one of the co-founder actually.

06:50And we coordinate with SUTD students who is designing some sockets for PWDs.

06:55whose upper limb loss able to help better.

07:03And we have a group of volunteers as well.

07:06All these are professionals in healthcare.

07:09And of course, we have all the members from

07:12Amplity Support Group and Scope Survivors.

07:20In 2015, I admitted hospital due to food poisoning.

07:23Due to food poisoning.

07:26And due to organ failure.

07:29And then I need to have life-saving medicine.

07:33And it led me to gangrene and end up amputation.

07:42I was in coma for two weeks.

07:45And when I woke up, I don't think that I have any thought

07:49What am I going to do?

07:50And I don't even know what is next step for me.

07:53Not only me, my wife, my children, even my friends also.

07:57They do not know how to comfort me.

08:00And I'm so lost.

08:02I'm so worried about how people look at me.

08:05I don't even know what to do next.

08:07In 2016, I have a chance to experience this wheelchair rugby sports.

08:13So we actually have the chance to travel to Jakarta for competition as well.

08:20So this came up in my mind to plan a suicide.

08:24If I go overseas, my wife will not alone.

08:27And I have the chance to jump.

08:29But when I encounter sport, I start to love it.

08:35I think I enjoy so much by doing sports.

08:38Which I think I don't need to end up my life so early.

08:42So I think this is the important turning point for myself.

08:44We do the incorporating not only the sports.

08:49We also have a very firm friendship with all the paddlers.

08:53So we actually understand each other's needs.

08:57Like as an amputee myself, I have an inconvenience in moving around.

09:01They actually accepted me for being so slow.

09:04And myself also understand that they also moving slow.

09:08So we accepted each other.

09:12Jakarta for me is involvement.

09:15Not only the medals.

09:16Of course, who do want the medals.

09:17But I think important one is the friendship and the involvement for everybody in Singapore.

09:22I hope all this love can spread to all the community.

09:25Whoever you are.

09:26Either you are a person with disability, you are volunteers.

09:29You are family members, even if you are a coach.

09:32We welcome all you guys.

Why they paddle: The drive behind 3 Singaporean dragon boat teams | My Tribe

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