Monday, March 17, 2014

Marine Powered Dragon Boat



It’s been a while since my last blog about the PMC Dragon Boat Team so I hope you missed me guys! Come on! Fishing for compliments here duh!
photo taken during the Cavinti Laguna race
Anyways, if you guys check the facebok page , you will notice that the team, from the time I wrote my first blog has come a long way. They have won for themselves, despite the odds mind you, two gold medals and one silver medal for the mix category and women category respectively. Now what did I tell you the first time? Right! These guys, given enough time would go places and be at par if not way better than those who came before them in the sport. Yeah, it was a pretty bold prediction, well make that an assessment but nevertheless, I was right! Right?

I don’t mean to sound so biased but I love this team. I fell in love with the members…wait…members or just a member? Anyways, it was because of their never say never attitude. They were asked to do something and they delivered, not only with satisfactory level but with unparalleled excellence. You see, I really don’t want to bring this matter again but it cannot be helped, this team is a greenhorn but they have managed to secure the reputation that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Point of order, this blog is about their upcoming event in the enchanted paradise +Boracay Island . This will be the first time they will compete and go “dragon” head to head with international teams. The first time they will be on the world stage. Locally, there is this team that, well, I am not saying they can’t beat, all I am saying is that they have not done it yet, maybe finally this march 22, 2014 they will! That particular team plus a whole lot of teams which they have no idea about will be there to compete. The great Sun Tzu said “know your enemy and in a hundred battles you will never perish”.

Clearly I am not a tactician or a strategist, damn I don’t even know how to paddle, but clearly the team must do something. The question is, should they even bother to follow Sun Tzu’s art of war principle thus they should research about the other teams. Do they have to make any adjustments, is it enough for the world stage what they are doing right now, it could be that they are mere repeating the same things which could turn out to be inadequate. I have no idea.

Honestly, come on, for me, why bother knowing the other teams. By doing so, you have already placed yourself under their spell which means you react to what they plan to do when it should be the other way around. Let them react to what you are doing, this manner, you know exactly what they will do next, something which is in response to what you have set previously, thus you have them by the balls.

Back then, when I was still at Xavier University, one of the five ateneo's in the country, as a student, I have this notion that I have the upper hand compared to other students who are not from the same school; to be honest I won’t even want to talk to you if that is the case. One day I met this guy from a public university. I was reluctant really and somehow he must have sensed it. So he asked me, hey, do you know what’s the answer for 1+1 in UST, FEU, UE, UP, ATENEO? So I said yeah, it’s 2. “Same as any other school right”? He said “you may have a different way of arriving at the answer or even writing you answer, power point presentation or on a scratch paper, but still, the answer is 2”. So I asked him, why ask me that. He simply said, well, you see, the school does not make the student; it is the students that makes the school.

Yeah it was pretty much an in your face disgrace on my part back then so, I went back to earth, popped my own bubble so to speak so now I can talk to almost anyone from all walks of life.

Now what has it got to do with this blog?

Well, there will be other teams; they each will have different ways of training, hell they may even have designer food for each member. Pretty scary huh?

Well one thing for sure, like my analogy above, it will be the same boat, same paddle, same water for each and every team foreign or local and the answer should still be true for everyone, whoever gets there first wins,... but it is not the kind of boat, the kind of paddle, not even the water that wins it, it's the paddlers! It will all be the same for everyone.

Where do we see the difference then? The difference is, the other teams, will be competing not with a diesel, electric or solar powered boats.

They will be competing with something even more reliable, a Philippine Marine powered dragon boat for all category!

Beat that!


Congratulations to the FLEET-MARINE FC for winning their maiden game at the +United Football League  Under 11 category last March 15, 2014.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Philippine-Marine-Dragon-Boat-Team
https://www.facebook.com/groups/680416885323059/