La Salle hosts several student-run sports clubs that compete inside and outside the university. Among these clubs is the DLSU Dragon Boat Team, a group that has brought in awards from the numerous races they have participated in. As they prepare to take part in yet another batch of races this year, Dragon Boat team captain Buck De Leon sat down with The LaSallian to give updates on the young group of paddlers.
Mind over body
Being a school team, it is normal to have members come and leave every year. Recruitment for the Dragon Boat Team is open to anyone. According to De Leon, one doesn’t need to have a good sports background or a very fit and muscular body. “Kung gusto mo lang talagang mag-row, pwede kang mag-join,” shares De Leon.
De Leon said that surprisingly, the ones who stay in the team are the ones who they least expect to in terms of physical build. Rather, those who have the determination and passion for the sport tend to last longer. De Leon explains saying, “Talagang ‘pag nahirapan ka sa training and all, dun nagqu-quit yung mga tao eh, ‘pag nakita na nila yung training program, na-experience nila.”
“[D]ragon boat is not just [about] the body type you have, but the mindset you have. If your mind is ready, your body will be ready,” De Leon stresses.
Looking ahead
The team is given different training programs depending on the length of the race they are going to compete in. Long races that cover 500 meters test the cardiovascular endurance of the players. “300 meters, 250 meters, all about power yun kasi sobrang ikli ng span, ‘di mo masyado kailangang huminga,” De Leon adds.
In such cases where there are no upcoming races for them, the team still continues to condition themselves to make sure that their performance will not drop once they start competing again.
Besides their regular training, experience is an important factor in the performance of the team. With this in mind, De Leon had the team join Paddles Up, a local race held last March 5 at the Taal Lake in Batangas, to let their new recruits get their first experience of what it is like being in a race. It became a means for De Leon to check on whether their newbies are ready to move on to more intense races.
“Iba kasi yung naka-experience ka na ng race eh,” he says. “Iba yung wala kang kaba.”
Facing the giants
It has been a couple of years since the team had participated in an international race. The last one was the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta that was held in Malaysia. Now, they plan to take on the big stage once again as they prepare to race in the 10th Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival from April 21 to 23 at Boracay Island.
“We want to join the small boat men’s team and small boat mixed team [competition],” shares De Leon. “Hindi kami yung puro men’s, hindi kami yung puro women’s. Talagang mixed yung laban namin.”
As the big race closes in, De Leon hopes that the team wouldn’t lose the motivation to train and always aim higher. “Kadalasan second place, third place. So mas nakakagutom manalo,” he says.
