Sheares Bridge Run AKA Army Half marathon

The annual AHM is here again.

Date: 26/9/04 (Sun) - Still more than one month away fr exam
Start Pt: Esplanade Bridge
End Pt: The Padang

Categories:
5km/ 12km FUN run
21km non-competitive
21km competitive (Recommended)

All registered participant will receive an event t-shirt, goodie bag, Certificate of Participation and lucky draw coupon. In addition, each registered competitive participant will also receive a finisher’s medal and a personalised Certificate of Participation.

Anyway, the closing date for registration is ending. It's on this coming Sunday (5/9/04). Pls register asap if u r interested.

For more info: http://www.safra.org.sg/sbr&ahm/registration.htm

well then

first of all. all the best to nadim, weizhe, benjy, weiling, liyanna and shijia. do a good job. lead well.

yet, so much has been said to the exco, that i feel it's only fair that i speak to the rest of the team.

unlike the six seniors who spoke before mr sun's very succint homily, i am (or is that a was?) a plebian. non-exco. hoi-polloi. it doesn't matter how you phrase it. my school badge has four pointy bits and no, its not in a pretty oblong. my job was to not mark attendance, to not sit down and worry myself sick about the team, to not attend long pe talks by harveysingh, to not stand in front of thirty bemused teenagers and keep order. in a way, it was liberating. when shit came around, i got a lesser portion. i didn't have to plan out training schedules, consort with klscc personnel about boats or chase people for that elusive non-existant particulars form. but i will say this. just because you don't get 6 cca points or a shiny oblong badge or a blue shirt that for some reason beyond me worries about being on belay in bad grammer, just because you're not in the ex-co doesn't mean that you're not important to this team.

what is a team? a team does not consist of the ex-co. leaders, of course, must have someone to lead. they're called juniors. and the leaders are not called the ex-co. they're called seniors. yes, you read that right. leaders = seniors. its probably the only maths equation you need to know for now. learning relative velocity to calculate boat direction doesn't count.

about forty words ago i asked what a team was. a team is made up of distinct and unique individuals. not all will be strong in the same area. maybe one of you can crank out fifteen sets without pause. maybe one of you provides inspiration for the rest, encouraging them when it seems hopeless. maybe one of you can sprint 4.8k and come in at the end without breaking a sweat. maybe one of you keeps discipline. it doesn't matter. what is important about the team, which distinguishes it from any other group of people, is that in a team, the individuals work together, sacrificing themselves whole-heartedly to a greater cause. you have the senior team and the junior team. together, you make the ac team. the term 'senior team' implies that the seniors work together. not just the ex-co but the seniors.

so you aren't going to get a few more paltry cca points. who cares? your job, as is the job of every other senior, is to 1) train hard, 2) take care of the senior team and 3) take care of the junior team. the only difference is that the ex-co have the burden of doing all your tedious diplomatic and administrative work, such as appeasing enraged teachers when a canoeist has been rude to them (*koffkoff*). in a team, you support each other. as seniors, you will support the captains and vice-captains with your unwavering trust. don't make things difficult for them by slacking off or providing bad examples to impressionable juniors. when an order is given, reinforce it. make sure it gets carried out. the ex-co cannot carry the team alone. the senior team presents a united front. no matter what petty arguments you have with each other, put them aside during training. the juniors must never see you quarrel. you have to gain their respect and you cannot do that if training is disorganised and if you don't train hard yourself. you have to trust each other. its the only way you all will grow. you all are leaders in your own right.not in the ex-co? who cares. be a good senior. its even better than having a title.

its your team now. you're seniors now. so lead.

Educational Resource

follow this link for good reads on some training issues. Btw, I've chosen to make insurance and financial planning my career.. :)

http://sportsci.org/

hail to the thief

hey guys...just wanna say some stuff about the elections and your new leaders and people in charge.

well, i can say that this years elections is kinda more controversial as compared to our elections last yr. last yr was pretty peaceful i guess. i think i heard of some people not exactly being very happy with the positions (or lack of) that they have been given.

well, all i can say is...shame on you.

but i should stop being so negative.

look, the only way the team is ever going to work is if u all work TOGETHER. i have this saying with the senior team. "you dunt have to like em, you just have to understand them and work with them"


same thing applies here. u aint happy with the results, u just work harder FOR THE TEAM, not for yourself cos u aint going anywhere all by yourself. remember, when the juniors come in next yr, you dunt want them to see a DIVIDED SENIOR TEAM. u want a COHESIVE TEAM cos the juniors will divide among themselves and u will have enough problems dealing with the little lanjiaos.

so, if u dunt like the ppl in charge, too bad cos its not gonna change. the only thing thats gonna change is YOU and YOUR ATTITUDE.

do not think for one minute that just because you arent in a position of leadership or in a position of LESSER leadership, that you can jolly well slack off and let the bosses do everything. doesnt work that way,

look at it logically guys and girls, what is more efficient, 100% of 1 person (aka captain) or 20% of everyone together?

whats more, if everyone gives 100%.....WOW!!! (but ive never seen that happen in my life)

still, it shouldnt discourage u guys from trying.

so stop moping, (if u are moping) and stop kaopehing (if u are) and get down to real work. u have been chosen (or not chosen) because of the way u have presented yourself to the team and you attitudes in training. please guys, no egos here. if u cannot make it, means u cannot make it, lets just leave it at that. u have other gifts. if u arent good at organization (like me), leave the organizing to the bosses. do the ground work. inspire ppl. make them work. make sure they arent slacking an bringing down the club. make sure things are moving smoothly. make sure th morale is up. make sure you are challenged always. make sure u have goals and are working towards them.

so many things. no doubt, the captain will be the one recognised for a successful team, but thats only in the eyes of others. if u work hard, it WILL BE NOTED BY THE TEAM. we arent here for recognition guys, start realising that. the sooner u do and the sooner your egos go away, the better for everyone.

IMHO, canoeing and politics do not mix well at all. the club is a sanctuary from political bullshit experienced in drama and what have you. dunt spoil it for others.

PS. "canoeing" is on 17/18 (tuesday and wednesday) of this month at 3pm on channel SURIA. i strongly suggest u guys tape it so u can watch it. im sure ull get some gd tips from the videos.

some of my thoughts...

Hmm its 230 am in the morning and I am feeling bored doing math papers so I might as well put down some of my thoughts here. Today was elections, and first and foremost, congratulations to Nadim, Ben, Weizhe, Weiling, Liyanna and Shijia. I think the decision was a well-made one and I am quite happy with the arrangement. Good luck to you and hopefully, the six of you can bring the rest of the team up to greater heights. You people have the potential to achieve, all you need to do is to aim for your goals and strive towards them.

This goes out to the rest of you all.

SUPPORT the 6 of them in whatever they do. After all, YOU chose them to be your representatives.

I can tell you that I have supported in my captain’s decision since day one. I think this is because I have TRUST in him and his decision-making skills.

So YOU have to TRUST your committee to make the right choices.

But dun be afraid to voice your opinions, after all it is YOUR team, you want the best for everyone right? So discuss and decide on the best solution.

Remember the ABC’s of our club? DUN ARGUE, BARGAIN and COMPLAIN. Especially when your juniors come in next year. It is BAD for them to see a few of their seniors disagree with the captain on something related to training.

UNITY people, you have to show UNITY within the seniors. You have to put up a united front and you all must BELIEVE in the same goals, values, and vision.

Ok I think I have written enough..felt better..time to go back to maths again =D

P.S. – I have capitalize some of the key words that I think are very important.

reminder..

hah.. it never ends does it? oh well, let me add my voice to the others.
well, nationals are over.. its supposed to be a resting period.. a cooldown from the intensive period..IS IT? im sure all of u know where u stand now.. i've read the posts that TNT( bad pun sorry) have posted.. it seems that some of you have gone past the 'light' zone into the comfort zone.. guys, cmon.. if u know where u stand.. shouldn't u be taking advantage of this period to up ur land fitness and water fitness... lunch-time sessions and home training are just some of the simple ways where u can upkeep your fitness. but if u are really taking it too light.. then wat for? i've heard that some of you are doing like wat.. 6,7,8,9 chin ups per set? and some of you aren't even doing it?hmm...
well now, lesson time.. after nationals, u find yourself among the last few rowers in the heats,semis or finals*shock*... so wat do u do? In an IDEAL situation, when all the other rowers are resting, take advantage of this opportunity.. while their fitness goes down and down and yours goes up and up.. and when the season starts again.. who do u think is gonna be more prepared?its very simple.. its like a basketball game.. when one team fails to score 2 points, the other team not only prevents the other team from scoring but has the opportunity of getting 2 points for their own score.. thus gaining four points in total(all u slam dunk fans know wat im talking about).. yes, so u see.. its the perfect time to train like a madman.. and i know its a habit but u guys have got to break the cycle of preparing very last minute.. after all we're all acsians.. so we ALWAYS prepare for things very last min.. such as exams for example.. prepare early and you'll never regret.. trust me
also, i would like to touch on the important of mentality.. nope not that mentality we need for hanging but rather.. the mentality on your physical limits... do u really believe that none of you can reach 30,40 chin ups? Do you? i believe.. that anyone.. if he has that strong will and determination.. can achieve that.. regardless of your weight or strength.. do not ever limit yourselves to a certain number.. for example.. dont do say.. three sets fifteen for more than month.. go for more.. give yourself a target.. say in one month u want to do 5 more chin-ups than your current max..on runs... if u find yourself lagging behind.. the obvious solution to your problem would be to run more... and by running more i mean like maybe 5km? 6km? at a suitable speed.. not the grandmother's speed we have been doing but rather a striding speed.. run until ur vision blurs, until your mind starts to stray and you lose focus..
basically, always go for more.. never be satisfied with ur current performance.. improve always.. and NEVER,i repeat, NEVER feel that ur current performance is enough to take the rowers... if u have ever felt this way... then i guess u have lost to yourself.
oh by the way, that IDEAL situation i was talking about.. it's IDEAL for a reason cause it doesn't exist(read gases and liquids topic 4 term 1).. i think the other rowers out there are not taking it as easy as u guys..*hint*
well.. hope u guys take this seriously.. cheers.

LAST WORDs.

hmm.. to wad tim has said. i juz wan to add tat wad we lack is juz running fit. being fit in da mind and able to be crazy in da mind can onli bring u to a certain limit. its definitely not strong enuff to bring u through da entire race n allow u to outshine others. if the mind is tat tat powerful no one will be trainin n juz visualise at home and do wadeva nots to juz strengthen yr mind n juz go down n row.. RUNNING FIT its blardie important. do u noe rj trainin programme consisit of 4 x 1.6km run every training. do u noe tat nj runs a hell lot. which makes them MORE running fit den everyone else.. being able to run n able to keep yr cardio up means u can pull more strokes wif tat high amt of power n tat u can last longer. cos along da wae no matter how u keep yr mental n everything. yr power will DEFINITELY drop! n our stroke is definitely better than them but we juz lack FITNESS!!

during breaks i also see alot of u pple going to western stall n malay stall. leaving da stall wif a big plate of orange crispy stuff right in da middle of da plate wif fries to go along. or wif a big fat drumstick with chilli sauce, a slice of fish with golden yellow skin. :) sounds good ey. maybe tats wad da j2s eat almost everything. squeezing da orange crispy stuff can produces lots n lots of oil ya! :) good stuff.. shiwei's fav. but u all r still trainin arnt u? u still 2 mths to trainin agains rite.. so y destroy yrself n "retrain" agains during nov dec. whun it be better to control and mantain yr fitness.. :) at da rate some of u r going :) we can haf a good laff in nov n dec when yr training starts.. NO LUNCH TIME PULLUPS. NO LUNCH TIME INCLINES. NO SELF TRAINING. everything will be gone by nov n dec. :) -cheers-

gym is actually not tat useful after all. it onli helps it cannot be used as a most important fer trainin. :) (hc hardly does gym) i oso dun understand y u pple alwaes compare biceps? bigger biceps = great? hmm.. y not compare wif TED. remember. he said. "if yr biceps r bigger than mine. den u can row wif it." biceps is not veri useful during rowing.u can use it. but most of da power will come from da body. unless u can train yr biceps to the size of yr torso :) and someone told me.. last time my biceps damn hard now all soft already. den do something abt it. if u wan da looks :) sitting there n talkin is qt useless ey? but from tim tay's pt of view. bicep is a useless grp of muscle. n we alwaes leave tat station to da last cos he hated it. haha.

anywae does u pple remember wad nik told us? at da jetty. 3x15 pullups a day. if theres 52 weeks (june holi 4 weeks, nov dec 8 weeks, sept 1 week, march 1 week) 38 weeks left. 1 week has 4 daes since u all dun do on weekends n on wednesday. 4 daes left. (38x4=152 days) u will do abt 152x45=6740 shld be correct. pullups a year. plus trainin pull ups plus home trainin. u will easily hit 20000 pullups a year. :) if u tink tat shortage of tis 20000 pullups wun make a difference in yr rowing. think agains :) u r in canoein fer 2 years. which sums up to 40000 pullups. no difference? n in da end at da start line u wonder y pple can burst ahead of u in lyk 6 strokes.

btw fer me n tim other than our heats 1 which we could follow da pack in da starts. in semis n finals. we were thrashed at least by 1 boat length from da 2nd last boat after starts. so we were basically eating backwash right after starts. :) in finals nj was 2 boat lengths ahead right after starts. bah*. tats y we are veri veri bad gauges. blardie tim. y use us fer gauge? alrite. all da best to wadeva tats ahead. do some training. or U (da present J1s) will be as fit as I (da present J2s) haha n i dun tink u wan tat to happen ey :)

train hard guys.u will have vinesh and sam again in 1000m and kevin n partner. (sorry i dunno how to spell but i can pronounce.) in 500m next yr n given 1 more year. they can train harder can improve even more. :) work hard pple. elections on wednesday. tats all. -ter.

Off Season

hey guys its me again and here i am to expound on the virtues of off season training.

basically, off season training is real easy. the principle behind it is that if u pia during off season (when u still have that fitness base from nationals) and increase/maintain that fitness base, then when training resumes, you will be the king of the hill. this is something which has stood me in good stead, especially in my transition from rj to ac canoeing. back in rj, we did quite a bit of off season training for the J1s. this gives you a gd fitness base to work with and we all know that in sports, the aerobic, or fitness base is the most important base of all.

therefore i urge you J1s and now J2s, to get off yer lazy asses and do some Real work. no, not lameassed "i-went-to-the-gym-and-bummed-for-2-hours" crap but real work like running and swimming and basically doing what your ancestors did to get tough.

look guys, gym is good----good for making you look good. but we all know that what looks good may nto perform well. granted, gym has its merits, but you guys arent traiing to be weight.lifters or bodybuilders so if u want abs, get them after u leave the club.

canoeing is mainly about aerobic fitness. whats the point of doing your 1rep max and having a shoulder press of 90,000 tons for one rep if you cant sustain that power for the whole sprint.

lets look at some figures here.

using terence and me as a gauge....(not a good one at that, we're quite lousy)

we rotate about 492 times during a 1 kilometre race. 492 times counting one on each side.
now, this kind of power is done submaximally. we dunt do one rep maxes for 492 times. its humanly impossible (ONE rep MAX)

so, your muscles have to become efficient at producing power at very high outputs (although not maximum) for a sustained period of time. not only does it have to do that, but it has to increase (never decrease cos youll decrease naturally) during hard tens and last bursts.

now, looking at what ive just said, dunt u think you need to get just that leeetle bit fitter?

nj has shit strokes and they go cos they rotate fast, constant output means their boat constantly surges, unlike yours. with your good stroke, long and powerful, you can rape them if u only were fitter.

for those of you 500m racers that think that fitness is only in the vocabulary of the 1000m racers, think again. a 1000m race is 70% aerobic, 30%anaerobic. a 500 m race is 65%aerobic, 35%anaerobic.

now, if i recall my maths before i dropped it at the end of J1, 65 is still larger than 35, which means u need a helluva lot of cardio to race the 500m. in fact, in a way, a 500m race is more intensive than a 1000m simply because you rotate at a higher speed and you put in more power per stroke. yes guys, if u think ter an my rotation is high, remember that we are 1000m racers. u do a 500, ure gonna have to go faster than that,


but dunt sacrifice rotation for strokes, ever. youll just become tired and eat backwash. but you'll find that out yourself.....

anywae thats not the point of this post,. the point of this post is to get you guys to get moving.

ive been asking some juniors about their training.

Kenneth---I dont do home training and lunchtime pull ups (then why dunt u get the hell out?)

Chong---i go to the gym. (well, i dunno what u do Inside the gym, but i think u shud do more stuff Outside the gym. like Running, for example)

now, i dunt really have the heart to look for more jokers to ask cos i believe you guys are all slacking and wasting away your good work (if u did any work at all) for some nagging reason, i have the feeling you guys are eating like pigs, not keeping to the diet, and definitely not doing your training.

now, what the hell is wrong with you? or is it me? yea , maybe its me. yea, tim tay is crazy, isnt he? he's the joker that does all the crazy stuff. well guys, looks like being "crazy" only got me to third. you have vinesh again in 1000m and kevin an his partner in 500m next yr, plus the rj T2s ,

now, what the hell are u gonna do about this? are u gonna just sit on your asses cos i know for sure they arent gonna sit on theirs.

if u want to be last in yer heats (oh sorry, maybe you can beat vjc or cjc an come in second last) then u shud continue your lovely ways.

kenneth(the coach) already has a headache trying to get you guys to shape up and be focused. please dunt add to people's stress levels.

elections are on wednesday. frankly speaking, its gonna be a case of who's gonna cause the team Less Damage.

PS.buck up guys. theres still hope if u wake up your ideas, stop slacking, and start doing something. doesnt mean that ure an ex canoeisr means u can slack. derwin doesnt slack, melvin heng doesnt slack, the nj rowers definitely dunt slack. so what makes u God?

PPS. if any of u juniors read this, please tell Kenneth (the small one) to buck his socks up. or get the cap to kick him out. same for chong.

PPPS. girls dunt be afraid im not referring to you girls cos i dunno anything bout yer team. this is strictly for the guys only.

i've uploaded pics from nationals. in crap order though. i'll redo and upload the rest soon. starts from no.158. go here

My results!!

Just thought I'd show you guys my report card to confirm the tradition of 'academic excellence' which you guys have to keep... Remember though, my parents bochup me (thankfully) and you guys have alot more at stake when it comes to results in exams... :)
NiksReportcard

it doesn't end. not here. not now.

on the 31th of july 2004, on sunday night a about 2247hrs, i sat down at my desk and pulled my trigo notes towards me. then by chance my gaze fell upon a battered black notebook nestled on top of my jacket. i then spent the next half an hour writing in that book instead of studying, or should i say, writing before staring into space, metaphorically grasping at sunbeams and starlit memories.

for those of you who don't know, i kept a canoeing log. every single training from the one before the sdba comp in 2003 to my very last race, every detail about stroke and direction, about current and race plans and timings, i recorded. sometimes i wrote reminders to myself, sometimes i wrote promises. it doesn't seem that long ago since last nationals when i came home after crying and sealed a contract with myself that never again must this happen. has it really been seven whole months since i runimated about the implications of becoming a senior with real live noisy juniors and not some imaginary entity summoned by nik? and i wrote about my races. every single one.

but there was something incomplete about this last entry. position: third. direction fine. severe muscle cramp in arms post race. nice last burst. i raised my hand to close my notebook, to end the chapter on the best nineteen months of my life, then i didn't. i was afraid that with that one fell movement, i would destroy all that i held precious.

but does it end here, really? i think all the seniors know what is it i speak of. the silent knife that is thrust into our insides, the inexplicable twisting recoil we feel when we see the juniors now. we're not there. no doubt, we're still and forever will be the team of 2003-2004, but we're no longer ac canoeists. by not training, by not being there, by dancing to a different drum other than the strident tatoo of the dragonboat, we're out. its like a war? damn right. once you're out, you're a civilian. you forfeit the blood fraternity. no matter how you try, you feel left out. excluded from these fellows whom you fought side by side with. and we love each other. and when we can't love fully, we die a little day by day, wilting into nothing but ashes and dust.

does it end here? is it really over? our time as ac canoeists is. we're all alumni now, free to gorge on fried food til we're sick and goodness knows what else. we're gone. we're just a word, or a comma maybe, in the history of the ac canoeing team. that's all we'll be. forever and ever and ever amen.

but history doesn't end. it keeps being rewritten and most importantly, it lives on.

juniors, live for us. take our pain, our tears, our smiles and row for us. do what we can't do for now. breathe the very air and go for the kill. let us fade into the background knowing that we survive, that we live on in you. not just us, but every single canoeist since the club was born. we've made the name. ac canoeist. crazy, manaical rowers with pride. with tradition. who don't know when to quit and who love each other to the death. through you, we descend not into ashes, but embers. ready to be ignited again at a moment's notice. embers, glowing, warm, alive.

so that night, i picked up my pen and added one more line to my notebook before closing it. but this time, i could smile as i closed it.

as i told you all on the 30th, my trophy has ended up somewhere at the bottom of my cupboard alongside the dragonboat medals. its all bronze and silver. no gold, but that is of no matter. the trophy is buff. it shines without really reflecting anything. if i ask myself how this could possibly be the culmination of my canoeing career, i will tell you it isn't. it can't be. if i poured all my memories and thoughts into that cup, it would overflow in a deluge and shatter. but the outside is of little importance. look inside. inside the trophy there are a million bronze and obisidian circles going into infinity. so many layers of time, so many meanings we have given, so many hopes and dreams we've lavished. where do the circles end? they don't. one leads to another, overlapping and melding into a spiral of molten sunlight. the circle doesn't end. not here, not now. look at what really matters. not the outside but the inside. in our secret heart of hearts, in each other, in our seniors and our juniors, is where we live on.

that's what i wrote in my notebook. not the end, but a new beginning.