Its been tough for me, balancing CCM and Dragonboat over the past four years, especially because committing to either is like committing to two separate families, time-wise, and relationship-wise, and its been so hard to find my place in both.
But finally, I think I can say I have made a home in my heart for my teammates. I love UCLA dboat because over the years I've seen that it breeds better people. Unity is something that Christians pray for in the church and for our immediate fellowships on campus...Unity in Christ's loving name. Interestingly, I have a greater sense of what unity is through my time with dboat than I've ever had with fellow Christians, and I say this, upliftingly - that good people are people who also pull together for each other.
Paddling is very different from other team sports in one distinct way. When you paddle in a synchronized boat with 19 other people, there can never be, for example, a Lebron or a Kobe. Also, there is an immense amount of personal accountability. Paddlers on the left, keep their partners on the right accountable for rotation, lean, breathing and stamina- vice-versa. Teammates in front and back of me make sure I'm pulling my maximum reach (to pull more water). When one person in the front of the boat loses their synchronization, the rest of the boat loses its synchronization as well. All this, for every stroke.
Physical accountability translates to more. I've learned to take criticism humbly for the benefit of my team. I've learned to give criticism constructively for the benefit of my team. I've learned to grunt and howl to pump others up in freezing weather or rain. After every 20 minute endurance piece around the marina, we always pat each other on the back, as we're desperately catching our breath.
We run miles together, we stretch together, we sweat together, we brunch together, we clean dirty boats together, we spot each other on the pull up bars, we celebrate (obscenely) after every win or loss... unity is always with us.
Dragonboat obviously is a no-name sport. There is absolutely no one to impress for doing it. (we know this, because the dragonball-z joke never gets old). So when we paddle and win races, we're really only doing it for each another. But that makes victories so much sweeter.
With that said,
this weekend we went to San Francisco to race in the annual College championships , and we won Gold in Division I!!!!
Some of the guys on the team are alpha-males, always running around shirtless... because they can I guess...result of rocking a sixpack, but this weekend, as we were huddled together, giving speeches in the cold, all of them were bawling tears alongside some of the girls. kawaii.
If I can take away one life lesson from my time with UCLA dboat when I graduate this year, its to love for people all of size, color, shape, or form simply because I'll be a better person for it you know what I mean? As much as a book, a prayer, or a quote can teach you something, the love of a brother is incomparable in influence.
how interesting
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