profile

Ms Bai is amazing cos being true to her history and literature roots, she manages to find quotes like the following. It doesn’t hurt she’s one heck of a rower as well, so she understands… possibly more so than other people, what rowing in a team is all about.

She quotes from Friday Night Lights:
“Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It’s not about winning. It’s about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentleman - you’re perfect.”

I read it and I was pretty much speechless for a bit. I guess that’s how it is, isn’t it? At the end of the day, we don’t know if we’re gonna make it or fail terribly. We don’t know if all the trainings have been worth it and if they translate to some kind of tangible results in the end. We don’t know if something or everything will screw up on race day (CHOY!!) or if other teams will screw up and benefit us.

What we do know, is that we pretty much have the power to make things happen. At the very least, we have it in us to make us proud of ourselves and proud of the team. It'll be a very new experince for many rowers and it'll be stressful for everyone alike. But let's just keep calm and know that we always have each other at the end of the day. Do it for the team if not anything else.

There is a chance we won’t make it, but at the same time, there is a very good chance we just might. So why not think positive? We’ve had that much training behind us, the weekends under the merciless kallang sun, the endless discussions about the race, the displeasure with some people (and being able to put that aside and just row as a team when we need to), that never-ending 9km set(!), the shaft rowing(!), the disappointments, the self-doubts, the endless correction of strokes, the excitement, the worrying and now it’s finally here. I’d say let’s all give it our best shot and come what may. We’ll be perfect in each others’ eyes anyway. You’re all already perfect in my eyes at least. =)

Go CCWA! Do or die, now or never!

@ 8:37 PM

tagboard