i noe this is quite late, but there are a load of thoughts abt nats. so im going to type them down here, though my english may suck, i hope it can strike a chord with u guys.

i guess this year just wasnt our year. the whole nationals i saw the j2 team fighting, fighting for Raffles and the team, and see them fall. n it really hurts to see ppl i look up to, like kaiyang and muddy, defeated in their race just like that.

but u noe wad? to me, they r still champs. champs cuz they dint give up, champs cuz they fought to the end, champs cuz they lost with grace and carried themselves like winners. n they all learnt something from this, came out better people, as friends and teammates for life. to chiam, if what u said on the j2 blog really came from ur heart, then im really glad, n really respect u for that.

what makes a champion? even though my shifu, kenneth loo, dint win the gold medal, to me he is still my hero. cuz he holds himself like one. he never boasts, he is humble n he makes the best of what he has. though other rowers may have triumphed over him, he definitely does not need to show off, which is what others may do. n that is the hallmark of a true champion. looloo, i rly salute u, n ill try to beat ur timing next year :)

thanks j2s. thanks to chiam n seetoh n loo n timchow, hu taught me how to row a C from feb till now. i promise, ill win it back. n thanks muddy, for really helping with the jiaolian problem :) n thanks to all the j2 guys n girls hu were teammates n friends, for setting the benchmark for hard work n spirit. its going to be tough to surpass you all, but we will try, for the glory of Raffles.

now i think what we need are more trainings. as selwyn said, its better to train 2 hrs 5 times a week than 5 hrs 2 times a week. its consistency and hard work that work hand in hand to pay off. sadly, the circumstances were not in our favout this year. eugene n bernice, please do all u can for more water time, please.

n to the j1s, thanks for giving ur all too. we fought for Raffles n though this year we dint make it, lets learn from this nats n improve for nxt yr. let us prove that hard work and spirit WILL pay off in the end. let us believe that our moment of glory will come, n that God will reward those hu believe in him for it. n if ever we slacken of start to burn out during trainings, let us not forget that day when the team of 2007 went down fighting. let it be a reminder and in inspiration to us to work hard, train smart, and fight to the end. Raffles for the WIN!!

Labels: nathan

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