“We will... we will...rock you...” we panted as our paddles cut through the water with the beats. It was a surprisingly rain-free day in Singapore, and the weather was perfect for a dragon boat race at the Kallang Water Basin. However, when the instructor first yelled “Paddles up” at us twenty amateurs, I realized that this was going to be a long day.
Growing up in the landlocked suburbs of New Delhi, water sports had never been a big part of my life. The Yamuna, Delhi’s river, is too dangerous to paddle or row in. Now, imagine my surprise when I first encountered people rowing in the Potomac! Unsurprisingly, Singapore is a haven for people who enjoy water sports. Swimming is one of Singapore's most popular recreational activities. In NUS itself, there are three big pools open to all students. Local community pools are also relatively cheap. Furthermore, the public beaches in Sentosa and Lazarus islands are clean and safe for a good swim. Other popular water sports in Singapore include kayaking, paddling, and dragon boating.
So, when my exchange university decided to organize dragon boating for exchange students, my interest was piqued. I wanted to try out water sports for once. However, only 120 students could go dragon boating, and unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.
However, I won a ticket in a game of 'rock-paper-scissors' and this was how I found myself sitting at the very front of our crowded dragon boat—drenched in sweat and water.
My life vest dug uncomfortably into my ribs as I pushed forward and sliced the water with my paddle, all while hoping that I hadn’t smacked Shelly (Another GW Blogger), who was sitting right behind me. The paddling was worth it though. Soon, our dragon boat was smoothly gliding down the reservoir and we could see beautiful views of downtown Singapore.
Someone then spotted a romp of otters! For a team as inexperienced and unsynchronized as ours, we were remarkably quiet and in-sync when we paddled over to them. “Hold water,” our instructor commanded and all twenty paddles held still in the water. The boat came to a halt, and we quietly observed the otters. Who would have imagined that an otter sighting would be the making of our team!
Over the course of the day, dragon boating taught me five important lessons:
- It is okay to be a beginner: In my case, everyone else was a beginner as well. We struggled and learned together! If you are afraid to try something new, don’t be! Just make sure that you can trust the safety standards of the activity and GO FOR IT.
- Encourage people: I did not know most people of my team and for much of our dragon boating I could not see them either. However, we kept on yelling out the number of strokes and urging each other to paddle in sync.
- Wear sunscreen: Singapore’s equatorial sun can wreak havoc on your skin. For activities that will expose you to the sun for a long time, WEAR Sunscreen (SPF 30 and above). Sunburns can be pretty bad here.
- Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink: Please carry a bottle with you when you go dragon boating. The reservoir water is not safe for consumption!
- Listen to your instructor: If you are new to a sport or activity, take instructions seriously! The instructors not only teach you the sport/activity, but also help in minimizing injury and ensuring your safety. In an activity like dragon boating, you are also responsible for your teammates. Your teammates probably won’t like you very much if you don't follow instructions and end up capsizing the boat or hitting them with your paddle.
We didn’t win the dragon boat race, but I think our instructor was very grateful that we didn’t capsize the boat either. At the end of the race, our energetic chants of "we will rock you" had been replaced with tired repetitions of "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream".
As we paddled back to the mooring station, I somehow managed to splash myself with even more water. However, with a new found love for paddling, I couldn’t help but think, ‘This experimentation with water sports seems to be working out!’