ACJC Canoeing and Dragonboat Alumni: November 2003

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, November 29, 2003

I apologise to everyone for the lineup and making some ppl come down so earli and some ppl somehow disappointed... Today is a good start for the alumni and i appreciate the support given to me by fellow alumnus... i personally find i wasnt prepared when we were warming up and doing our dry rowing... i guess it was the pressure i was undergoing before the race... thanks to tatliong for helping me to calm down... The race wasnt too bad but i tink we have done better in trg. Well we still have tom as a gd chance to improve ourselves... brace yourself for a tough semis tom and lets "makan" them... make a run for the other boats "money"....

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Here is the list of the rowers we will be taking part for the race.... TIW PEKHONG AUGUSTINE TIMOTHY TAY ZHEN HAO WEIYUAN TERENCE TSUWEI ALEX ASHLEY KELVIN TAN LEON CHAN LIANGHUA LEONG HENG WAH NICHOLAS WONG GLENN SEOW CHIA KIANGPENG WONG JUNWEI LIEW CHAI YEOW COLIN HO JUSTIN FUN JIUYANG MARK CHONG KENNETH TEO HUNGLIANG CHIN SHAOYONG LIM WEEHOW ALVIN YONG EDMUND LOH MAGNUS GAN

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Here's our events for the two boats: EVENT 2: National Championship (Men) [Yellow] 24-Crew Heat 2 (1.35pm) 1 Temasek Polytechnic 2 SAFRA National Service Association 3 National University of Singapore “Alumni” 4 ACJC Alumni “B” 5 Ngee Ann Polytechnic “A” EVENT 8: National Championship (Men) [Yellow] 24-Crew Heat 5 (2.05pm) 1 Temasek Polytechnic “Alumni” 2 AustCham 3 Canada Team Santa Fe 4 Singapore Civil Defence Force “A” 5 ACJC Alumni “A”

Friday, November 07, 2003

ACJC Canoeing and Dragonboat Alumni Let me just make an observation. It seems some of us many have had the misconception that this team is run on nothing but fear and regimentation. I think the lines between regimentation and discipline have been blurred at times. Firstly, before you think that regimentation was made a dirty word, regimentation does not mean being like an NCC team... it simply means the implementation of some discipline. it does not mean we have to enforce pushups and situps and whatever. So if regimentation means getting to training areas on time, starting on the dot, having a fixed time to complete training and do all that we are supposed to accomplished in a disciplined, focussed manner, doesn't that sound advantageous? I think the problem is not the actual implementation of regimen. I think some people just got it wrong somehow along the line. As the coach, I only expect the essentials: when training must be focussed; must train with total heart and will put it into getting better. Failing short of this mark, I will take the errant rower one side to tell him he did not do well. Of course, regimen does not mean shouting at the kids. that would be the last action we should take. I am making it a point this hols to tell the up-coming j2's that when the j1's come in they must treat them with respect and dignity but still expect them to push. I think the batch that graduated this year got it a little wrong this at the start of the year- but yes it does help filter some kinds of unwanted people from here. I want to assure you guys that the regimen will stay as I try to remove the unwanted elements that the regimentation brings. This being said, there must be consequences that must be enforced when we try to implement a regimen, therefore the so-called 'regimentation' of pushups, situps and punishments when they do something wrong. Hey, its a reminder of what is expected, good behaviour that is desired in the team, and thats all it is- a set of reminders. I think I do not want to consider the team with not a single set of regimen- it may mean it would be VERY diffucult to get rid of people who are not keen on training every day, and not interested to push, who are careless with equipment and have no drive to push themselves. Please note that when I say get rid I also mean groom out those unwanted behaviour not force them to quit. Being practical, I shall state that I cannot afford to chase after people who have no discipline to come for training every training. Those who go down on their own pleasure will make this team a recreational team, and I have no time for them (will ask them to leave, as a last resort). However, assuming that the system of regimentation is in place, such things should not be bothering me when I take the nov-dec hol trainings. Unfortunately, it still bothers me. So there was a great tradeoff when regimentation was not enforced stringently at the start of this year (they did not know exactly how, and who can blame them) once the team are past the need to look over their shoulders to see if they done something wrong to warrant a corrective measure, i mean, once they are so groomed into that role that they perform as expected naturally, the threat of pushups, what are they man- it would be unthinkable that a well trained ACdragon would need that punishment- like glenn said, since they are past that stage, but do not expect me to hold back before then. as for traditions, I believe a team's training culture contains not only the stupid, unnecessary parts which people do for fun and sadistic pleasure (like making j1's shave heads before dboat comp), but more importantly, holds the blueprint for a system of attitudes and knowledge passed down and refined over the years- a template for new batches to follow and if possible change and improve upon. So traditions to me, and to the team, are very important. In any organisational structure, its culture is both the strong and maybe weak point of it, but one thing we can never do is change it drastically- you will then start from scratch and risk a collapse. (It has happened to the team already, so what we have been trying to do is recollect and re inject the proper training culture to the team and hopefully, j2's will do good with it and pass it on year after year.) It has been working for the 4 of us so far, and we are getting there. I don't think we should shun (all) traditions, after all it's what makes the ACDragons ACdragons! Nicholas

Hope my words didnt seem like suddenly the team was like gonna crash like dat... apologies if i did... I tink those who leave probably feel we(coaches) arent "there"... or that they dun feel they belong to the team... times have changed and now kids have a different thinking as the old... My evaluation and hunch is probably due to the coaches. We had so many coaches last season and now this season is jus left to me and nick... I hope to have the other coaches and myself get down to evaluate ourselves and sit down and tink of whether who went wrong or wat went wrong... some kids certainly miss ya all... Another thing is that we(nick and i) have problems wid attending to the kids... maybe more for me next yr... nick suffered this last sem... if anyone has heard of things like the kids feel neglected or wat, i want to let u know of this situation we are having... if anyone feels u can offer a better option to the team... i challenge u to take my seat... i am waiting for someone who can help me next semester when i go for my IA... i can say for sure that the guys wont be seeing me as often as last season where i appear almost 95% of trg... to me it doesnt matter which year u come from or wat u have perform during your jc days, u still have the capabilities... all i want is for them to gain as much good experience from dboat as they can wid my presence but since i wont be ard so often i need help... Dun worry... i will not leave suddenly becoz i like doing wat i am doing... i wont leave the team suddenly... it wld be great if any alumni is able to come back... dats the purpose i created this website and started alumni trg... i want to maintain the connection between ex rowers and the current rowers... My aim for next season is go for another try at the june fest... i certainly hope to see the same wonderful race which my first batch has produced... A even better scenario wld be the alumni back to enjoy the biting of the other boats yet again... An early invitation...

Here goes... What the F**K is going on???? Why is everything so luan qi pa zao??? Alot of time people divert from the common goal and dwell into their own idealistic world which... I SAY again...will NEVER conform to everyone's liking. Maybe we should ask ourselves a few questions... What is Dragonboating and Canoeing to us as a "CCA" ??? You as a coach or a team member... what do you aim to acheive from you role??? To me the guildline is very clear and concise... CCA is a extra curricular activity (ECA???) hmm... Somthing you do over your free time. Something you ENJOY doing, something that can OFFER you the thrill and sense of fufilment derived from competitive sportmanship. Something to enrich everyone participating...mentally and physically. -Simple. Whats our role and respondsibilty? Train Hard, Have Fun, Be Competitive. -Clear. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sports management is nothing unlike business management... Your recuritment, training, perks offered, work enviorment, ambience, managers-workers co/relationship, Pr, interpersonal relationship...on and on... Which ever area you and i fail, take some time to identify and rectify it. (It does take guts and balls to admit it and not find back alley to sniggered into or push the blame to someone else...) Regimentation... Im an avid supporter of it!!! But... is it Forced Regimen or Common Consensus Regimen??? Regimen in past was used as a form of filter for unwanted,dun cum waste my time people... Once you get your core group, train them as if they are your MOST PERCIOUS!!! And when respect is gained and unity forms, regimentation during training comes naturally becoz everyone take pride in what they are doing and represent. Thats the ultimate... Its like... if you want to slap someone, slap him hard - but offer him a sweet at the end of the ordeal, Slap him again and offer a sweet, Slap him yet again and offer a better sweet. slap him until he comes begging to be slapped knowing that he'll get a candy at the end of the day. And to all out there past present future, if ever you wanna "kan" juniors or anybody, take one step back and reflect upon yourself. Do you have what it takes to kan that someone else? Do you have the "say(style)" to kan others? Do you know the art of "kanning" people? aka my slapping theory? Do you have enough PR to "kan" that somebody? PR - Personal Relationship? nah.. more of Physical and Respect! ----------------------------------------------------------------- End of the day... this is just a sport... there is no place for unhappiness in the boat. yours truly - Glenn (the rare) Seow ('97 Capt)

Thursday, November 06, 2003

The challenges of competition can be timulating and enjoyable. But when beating the opponent takes precedence in the mind over performing as well as possible, enjoyment tends to disappear. Competition is enjoyable only when it is a means to perfect one's skills; when it becomes an end in itself, it ceases to be fun ~~Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Enjoyment and the Quality of life

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

ACJC Canoeing and Dragonboat Alumni i think all the terms like "traditions" and "regimentation" are just some expressions that were used... the most important point is, no matter what terms we used, we did learn something from the trainings, the seniors. As Junwei put it, "Batch upon batch added their own ideas of what was expected, sometimes correctly, sometimes not.", and that's what it makes every batch unique right~ and if there are things that we didn't agree, we tried to change and treat the juniors in a "better" way.. Perhaps as seniors sometimes we just have to explain better to the juniors, talk to them and let them understand why certain things happen etc..so that things won't get twisted and they won't think that all the wrong things happened bocoz of the "traditions"
and ps Junwei, don't be upset~ i still remember that time that you coached us as juniors.. i think u did what you tried to teach. BIG THANK YOU~

Wanda

Saturday, November 01, 2003

Dear Everyone, Having read some of the posts and comments, I felt compelled to write this and straighten out some misconceptions. I hope that you will read this post with patience, and bear with me... Firstly, the statement that regimentation "started with junwei and carried on thru (the next batch)" is just plainly WRONG. i did not create this system, nor did anyone else in my batch, and for anyone to claim so is just completely misleading and foolish. We, the 95 batch, did not invent the wheel. We didn't pluck things out of thin air and teach them to our juniors - things like coordination when running, echoing, and so forth. These were things our seniors taught us, and which we subsequently taught our juniors. Year by year, so called traditions were created, corrupted, distorted. I can say without reservation that coming back to coach 7 years after I graduated from ACJC, I have been told of 'traditions' that we had never heard of in 1995. Nor was the 'regimentation' garnered from NCC. Majority of our seniors were not NCC people. Many of my batch were not. Just because I and my captain Ken were from NCC did not mean we had free rein to instill our own soldier-like values on the team. We did not. Nor did we wish to. We taught as our team were taught, and as we believed was right for the ACJC Canoeing and Dragonboat Team. That is all. What we did teach: Echoing - not for the sake of sounding loud, not just to mimic how we would have to echo in a dragoboat, but to create a sense of solidarity and togetherness. Us against the school, if you will. Coordination - to create a feeling that everything we did, we did together. Coordination in the boat, on land, in mind, in thought, in feeling. Responding - 'Yes senior' and 'No senior'? I still think that was a bit stupid. The idea was to forge respect I suppose. But I never thought much of it, to be honest. And I still don't. But I admit that. The Diet - Foods that we weren't allowed to eat, for sporting reasons. But we understood why we couldn't eat those fried fods and gassy drinks. An understanding that seems to be lacking because many have misunderstood the Diet as a tradition. It is not. What we did not teach: A culture of fear - We always felt, and were told many times, though our juniors never saw it or heard it of course, that respect should be earned. And we strived hard to do so, through words and deeds. We never told you to do anything we ourselves could not. Greeting of seniors - We never instilled a culture where juniors would have to greet seniors in school. A culture which, I was once told, was prevalent a few years before mine. A line between seniors and juniors - Recently, it was claimed that it was a 'tradition' that seniors could not talk to juniors until March or April, and only after that could seniors 'open up'. What rubbish. We didn't talk to our juniors in the beginning because we were afraid that they would climb over our heads during those first few trainings. But we never made out to deliberately ignore them, or represent that we were above them in some way. I hope our juniors, Colin and the rest, never got this impression. There was no time period after which talking to juniors was allowed. This was no 'tradition'! Scolding juniors - We never scolded without reason, we never gave negative encouragement. Or at least, tried never to do so. Seniors were sometimes also punished by the captain for making mistakes or setting a bad example for the juniors, though you juniors never saw it. We never sat the team down to pressure people about 'who ate fried food' or so forth. When we did do so, it was because we knew someone had and wanted the person to own up. 'heads down and hands up' as it were. Why did we do so? To get you guys to have integrity and honesty, not just discipline. To own up for mistakes, and not commit them again. Some of us went back a few years later to do what others were unwilling to. We put ourselves on the line and did in deed what others only did in words - try to help the team, as coaches or helpers. Some of us tried to get rid of this so-called 'regimentation', because we recognised that it was starting to get out of hand and was becoming a problem. But when we tried to do so, we were criticised as creating teams that had "no discipline". And so, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Please, I beg you all to recognise that firstly, this culture was NOT created by my batch, NOR by ME. It was a culture created years before mine, with the best of intentions - not for regimentation in itself, but to create a foundation of values of discipline, respect, honesty, integrity, humility, unity, and friendship. To eliminate some of the worst traits we see in rowers in both yesteryear and today - arrogance, ill-discipline, selfishness. Secondly, that some of what is claimed to be tradition today, is quite simply NOT. We did not do it, and probably our juniors had never heard of it. Batch upon batch added their own ideas of what was expected, sometimes correctly, sometimes not. To turn around and blame 'tradition' as many have is just ridiculous and arrogant. And lastly, some of you compare the team to the army. It is not the same. Armies fight wars. The team does not. It is true that the team fights its own little battles - for acceptance in the school, for victory in the water. But more than that, the team is there to create values. Values such as that outlined above. And the culture of the team was, correctly or otherwise, for that purpose. That, more than anything else, is the ultimate truth. A truth that I am sure we all recognise, and hope we all have come away from the club with. I wrote this with the purpose of clearing up misconception, and no other reason. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and hope you all understand where I am coming from. Junwei

The history of the team has been lost in the distant annals of time… But its traditions and values live on In the teams and rowers of today.

Doing Our Best that we are accountable only to ourselves and our conscience, and so long as we have done our best, we have nothing to be ashamed of
Believing In Ourselves That when push comes to shove, we dig deep within ourselves
Believing In Each Other That we will stand up as a team, against all adversity
Humility That quiet confidence wins respect, not arrogance.
But most of all, we believe in
Friendship That when things get rough, we can lean on each other

And so, through the years, through many teams, many captains, many coaches, and many teachers, the ACJC Canoeing and Dragonboat Team has evolved and changed. Each Team, each year, with its own character, its own personality, its own desire for success.

Some years, we win. Some years we don’t.

But the Team doesn’t rest on its laurels, nor does it focus on past glories. Each year we strive to be better. And each year we remember that what makes a team great is not medals or championships, but Character, Humility, and Friendship.

By Vice Capt of ‘95 team