In my other blog, I have mentioned that I have read the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu back in grade school...I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as it offered an insight and way of looking at life, regardless if you are an athlete, four star general or CEO...
After making our first major step, the picking of a name, it was time that I sat down and figured out my game plan...the roster I had enlisted was a very young group of people...when I say young, I don't mean in age, but in relative experience...in fact, it would be safe to say that our team was composed entirely of newbies...only three people had more then one year of experience and so I had to start right at the beginning when it came to coaching...I read up on training techniques, strategy and basic principles of coaching...I was nervous, but it was a good nervousness...I had finally taken control of something larger then myself, made myself as its main driving force, and told people to trust in me...a huge responsibility, and I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't a little scared by it...but I live by a simple motto "Go big or Go home", and so I decided to go for broke on this one...the first thing I decided to do was to have the entire team get together and go over the basics of paddling technique...it was a great night where I met some people, to which I would eventually become good friends with, for the very first time...I went over the basics of the catch and pull and over boat commands...everyone seemed to take it all in and I could sense, for the first time, a real desire...it was the spark I had been looking and it only motivated me even further...with the basics out of the way, it was time I got them into a pool and see if they could do what I told them...
A few weeks later, the team came over to my place and we began our first pool practice...it was so much fun, I have never that much complaining and bitching from anybody....but boy was it necessary...I don't think a single person was happy with their performance, let alone dry, but it was a wonderful experience and I can say with the utmost confidence that every single person there enjoyed and valued it...the team was starting to gel together and all I could think about was something Sun Tzu said: "regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death"...Now, I wasn't planning on having my teammates die, but I did want them to believe in me...in all of my sports and leadership moments, I've always believed in the old adage that a leader is someone who instiles confidence and belief in their subordinates through action and communication...I didn't want my team to think that I was some kind of slave driver but, at the same time, if I felt that we could do better or harder, I was going to do it with them...I feel that a leader should lead by example, should be the first person to speak up and say that it was a great attempt or a pathetic attempt...the leader should take responsibility for the good and the bad, and only if the team believes in you, does the team truly succeed...lead by example, be the rock that your team can lean upon during their darkest time, but don't be so distant from them that they can't talk to you or trust you...as the Romans would say "Strength & Honor" and this is what I truly believed in...this is what I wanted to be to them and to myself, and I knew I could...I only needed the opportunity to demonstrate my desire to succeed...
On a side note, to this day, I still feel as strongly about leading my team and I can only hope that my friends understand my words and actions in these years past....I'm not an easy person to deal with, and I have had moments where people have misinterpreted my words and actions...I have been accused of being too passionate, too aggressive, to hard on people...these accusations have been made to me, both in sport and in my personal life, and that its probably why I'm single right now, and the people and things I love have been placed in tiny, neat compartments in my soul...Dragon Boat is the closest thing I have to a truly Zen-ful existence...for that time on the water, my life has purpose, clarity and simple meaning...my life on-land is a sea of chaos one in which I have had much difficulty, as of late, navigating...I started this blog as an attempt to explain in words my love for this sport...perhaps after reading these notes, you may truly understand my intentions, my desires, and my true nature...there are times when I'm on the water, that if I were to die at that moment, I would feel no regret, no pain and no hate...it would be peaceful...
We did three pool-practices before it was time to hit the water...the team is as ready to go as it could be...I got them all on the same page and they were stoked for the Island competition...once we get the first on-water practice started, get the kinks out, things will be great...we all have worked hard to get to this point, and have endured much pain and sacrifice...how could it get any worse?...I've got three words for you: sink the boat!
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