I am Better Than You, Than You, and You…

Flash back over a decade. I came to dragon boating after a good friend of mine asked me to give it a try.  My initial response after his first inquiry was,  “No thanks, I’m not into remote control boat racing.”  Clearly, I had no idea what dragon boating was nor was I aware that many years later, I’d be one of the coaches of that very dragon boat team.

After getting over my initial 4 days of soreness and my unrelenting desire to vomit after the workouts, I was on my path to paddling stardom – or so I thought.  In my eye, my technique was getting better, I was getting stronger.  I had figured it all out in less than a year.  How could a team not want me on all of their race boats?

My first real race was the annual Long Beach race.  That year, LARD and the Killer Guppies put together a men’s team.   LARD’s best and KG’s best would combine to put a super team on the water.  Surely, I, the new LARD paddling phenom ,would be on that boat.  Right?  WRONG.

To my utter shock and dismay, I was left on the shore holding my wooden paddle and my festival pfd.  I was angry.  I was hurt.  How could the coaches make such a grave mistake?  In my mind, I sized up the paddlers on that boat.  “I am better than you, than you, and you…I am technically superior and to top it off, I am more fit.” I thought in my head.

I was at a fork in the road.  Here were my options, as I saw them – (1) approach the coaches (only Leon and Jason back then), let them know about my displeasure and my disagreement with their team selection (or lack thereof as it wasn’t until about 5 years later LARD began to test paddlers) and convince them to put me on that or the next boat; (2) quit dragon boating because, clearly, these people had no idea that I was  a paddling super star; or (3) suck it up and use this “slight” as my motivation to get better.

Growing up playing team sports – baseball, basketball, and volleyball.  I was cognizant of the team concept.  I was accustomed to listening to a coach and doing what he told me to do – even when I found my ass sitting on the bench (see my Bishop Amat High School basketball career).  I was taught a coach does what is best for his team, not the best for any one individual.

I was also engaged in individual sports – golf, BMX trick riding to name a few – where performance was the direct result of your actions (or inactions).  There was no one else to blame.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, dragon boating is not an individual sport.

So what did I decide to do?  For me, quitting was not an option.  I’ll quit when I’m dead.  As for #2, I realized that my “benching” was not a personal slight, it was simply a coach doing what he thought was best for the team.  My personal feelings were not the coaches’ or the team’s priority.  So, I chose option #3.  This may not have been the best choice for everyone, but it was the best choice for me and ultimately the best choice for the team I love – the very team that I inked into my arm.  That perceived slight fueled me to become better – both as a paddler and teammate.  It was also another valuable life lesson for me.

Flash forward, now I’m standing in the coaches’ shoes.  Along with the other LARD coaches, I am tasked with making these and other difficult team decisions.  On this side of the fence (the coaching side), the priority is to do what is best for the team.  Just to give you a peek behind the scenes, some of the factors we consider in seating a boat in no particular order – paddling technique, strength and fitness, blending, time trial results, attendance for on water practice, attendance at land training, fairness,the number of total possible races available in a weekend, paddler improvement and team chemistry.  This is just to give you an idea of the various factors involved in seating a boat – by no means is this list exhaustive.

A good coach will always do what he (or she) thinks is best for the team.  These decisions will never make everyone on a team happy.  For those that are sensitive (like me in my early paddling years), feelings will be hurt.  Ultimately, a good teammate will be just as happy for the team  when it crosses the finish line first – whether that paddler is on the boat or cheering from shore.

At this point, my priorities have changed from the days of LARD/KG “super” teams.  Sure, I still want to earn my spot on that top boat but, believe it or not, I will be just as happy when my team does well – regardless if I am on the boat or not.   I have realized if I’m not on that boat, then there must be 20 paddlers better than the greatest paddler in the history of man.

As tournaments drift into history, we don’t remember who was in the boat that finished first, we remember what TEAM finished first.