A stable surface and a strictly measured court are often necessary for the most common sports that regularly take the large chunks of sports news headlines. The enigma of the waters, however, has led many venturesome athletes to endeavor into the challenge of befriending the waves with sports designed not for the faint-hearted.
Steadily gaining popularity over the few past decades, water sports have become synonymous to thrill, risk, adventure, and excitement. Structure and rules defining the concept of sports have then come into the picture, giving birth to federations and associations of water sports, just like the rowing sport very much familiar to Lasallians: dragon boat racing.
The paddling sport of dragon boat racing can trace back its roots to an ancient tradition in Southern China that began almost two thousand years ago. Ancient boat races served as a means of naval training in preparation for warfare against intruders and outsiders. During the 1970s, it was revived in Hong Kong for tourism purposes, and its growing popularity spread around the world and continues on to this day.
Dragon boat racing has made its way to De La Salle University since the formal organization of the DLSU Dragon Boat Team on September 14, 2005. Since then, the team has engaged in various national and international competitions, carrying the name of their alma mater proudly and giving honor to the whole Lasallian community for every medal and recognition that they earn.
The DLSU Dragon Boat Team is one of the few athletic clubs in the University competing for the Green-and-White outside the bright lights of the UAAP. The team, instead, is part of a league that caters especially to their sport, the Philippine Canoe and Kayak Federation (PCKF) which sponsors and organizes dragon boat racing contests against different teams representing diverse sectors, not plainly limited to university or campus-based crews. Unlike other athletic clubs inside the University, the dragon boat team is not subject to the strict rules of eligibility and residency inherent to a UAAP team. Membership to the crew requires less rigorous recruitment, and paddlers of all levels are welcome to the team, even those without prior experience.
The DLSU Dragon Boat Team, prior to joining the PCKF, were former members of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF). The transfer of the team to PCKF, which is a government-recognized governing body for Traditional Dragon Boat, marked significant changes in the competition format. Nonetheless, despite being relative newbies in the PCKF federation, DLSU has surged and have shown that they are indeed a force to reckon with, even in the waters of this new league. Early this year, in just their first tournament as members of the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Federation, the DLSU team broke into all categories of the PCKF Finals and finished the friendly race ranking 3rd in the women’s 200-meter race, 4th in the men’s category, and 2nd in the mixed category.
On top of this, the dragon boat crew also made a splash in their stint in the PDBF, where they rowed their way to victory in almost every race they competed in. During the 2009 season, the Taft-based paddlers notched the third overall title in the annual championship, closely trailing the gritty Philippine Navy team and the PDRT Fireblades who finished first and second, respectively.
The year 2011 was a breakthrough year for the entire team. After bagging championship after championship, from local competitions to international leagues, the DLSU Dragon Boat team gained utmost respect and admiration from the Lasallian community.
In the 2011 CamSur International Dragon Boat Festival, the team finished second for the women’s 250-meter category, third for the mixed 250-meter contest, and second for the mixed 400-meter bracket. The Green-and-White rowers were also hailed as champions in the 1st La Laguna Dragon Boat Festival, edging out other world-class rowing teams such as the Manila Dragons and the One Piece Drakon Sangres.
The DLSU Dragon Boat Team also made its presence known to the international dragon boat community after winning two titles in the 32nd Penang International Dragon Boat Festival (PIDBF) at the Teluk Bahang Dam in Penang, Malaysia. The DLSU squad also placed second overall in the 2011 Shanghai International Dragon Boat Invitational Tournament after outpacing other paddlers from formidable international teams like the National University of Singapore and China Nanhai Jiujiang.
Competing in various festivals here and there, the dragon boat troupe owes their continuous victories from the sincere passion and discipline of their crew members. Training three times a week at 5:30 am sharp, the paddlers hit the waters of Manila Bay even before the sun shines over the city. Led by Coach Dativo Romares, who also coaches for the national team, the crew members of the squad show all heart and strength of character with the rigorous training they subject themselves to, not to mention the very early schedule, at a regular pace. Like other student-athletes, the end of training also means that they have to go back to their academic duties, even with their tired muscles and drooping eyelids, but this they endure all for the sport, all for the team and all for the win.
Wherever their triumphs may take them, the La Salle dragon boat squad will continue to surge on to more races and competitions displaying their Animo pride and parading the unique Filipino skill and talent that they embody. No mystery of calm waters nor precariousness of gushing waves can hinder their determination to succeed and their will to overcome the challenges of every race. The DLSU Dragon Boat Team, even with formidable adversaries from across the globe, will continue rowing towards victory, even when victory is found against the strongest current.
