It's More Than a sportI knew about dragon boat racing back when I was growing up in the Philippines. It's the most popular non-popular sport there is (if you could say that). It's popular in a way since I would occasionally hear the Philippine team do well in the international arena and in that case, they'll be on the TV. When I heard that UCSD has an elite dragon boat team, I didn't hesitate to check them out, I tried out and made it to the team and it was one of the best highlights of my college career.
The video to the right was a feature report about San Diego's Team Survivor, a group of women paddling with one commonality in them--they have survived and/or battling cancer. And as the video mentioned, in dragon boating, although physical requirements are necessary to excel and win the races, team work and self dedication are the basic foundation to start paddling. The feature report was very touching in a sense that both requirements are in my arena. I've never joined any group sports beofre and joining a group sport would not only improve my physical fitness, but will also improve interactions with my fellow athletes. The physical demand of the sport was really high, and having other team members behind you makes it a little bearable and fun. Now the feature report featured women survivor of cancer. Dragon boating is sport that creates a sense of community and camaraderie. Having a 22 crew member on a boat creates an environment of community on and off boat. The ability to encourage each other and power through every stroke motivates each and everyone to keep on going. I personally believes in the team's mission to promote a healthy and active lifestyle to women cancer survivor by providing fitness activities, education and support in the community. A sense of community in which everyone has a commonality, and are experiencing or had experience battling cancer has a great impact in each of the group members. When I was growing up, my mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was a heartbreaking moment for our family. I know for a fact that us being on her side can never be enough since the fight she was battling was beyond our comprehensions, and that a group of people who can better understand her are the people who was on the same shoe as she was. Even though my mother didn't engage in dragon boating (just yet), a community that serves to promote support among cancer survivor or any organizations that help people cope with their sickness are doing a great job in providing support in both mental and emotional level. I salute each and everyone in this organization, and as soon as my mother lands here in the US pretty soon, I would totally encourage her to join and share/inspire other survivors. |
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