When I was seven, I poked myself with two needles until I bled to prove that I wasn’t afraid of blood and that I could be a doctor one day. When I was nine, I was adamant about dropping out of school and kicking off my music career by touring with Britney Spears. When I turned eleven, all my hopes and dreams, even the wild ones of climbing Mount Everest or singing at Carnegie Hall, became just a bit more real when I began to write them down in a journal. Every new idea I put down, I would look out the window to the world outside and envy those who seemed to enjoy life, praying that I would be the one having fun one day. While I was busy making other plans, life had a different path for me.
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer before my 14th birthday. Soon after, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Right before her operation, the doctor told her that he had found cancer in her lungs. I always knew that there was going to be hard times ahead of me, with wrongful paths that were ready to submerge me at any given second, but never was I prepared for this. My mother has been diagnosed with three different cancers in the past four years, and to say that the situation was unfair seemed like an understatement. Medical bills were piling up and the emotional strength of my parents was dwindling. All I could do was to try and attempt to keep everything from falling apart. I quit all of my afterschool activities, and spent my time working three different jobs to support my family. I was only a sophomore, and already afraid to experience the joys of the world; I only wanted to stay alive.
It could have been a chance encounter; I may have been due for some good luck, but one cold day in February, I found myself in a room full of strangers and dumbbells. I remember that day so clearly. I smelled a whiff of strawberries, and turned around to face Irene, a veteran junior on DCH, the Dragon Boat team that I am now a part of. She told me that if I decided to join the team, I would not regret it.
I’ve made many mistakes at DCH, but joining the team was probably the smartest decision I’ve ever made. Because of DCH, I’ve met and become friends with so many different people that encourage me to be better each day. What inspires me the most is when I see the intensity of my teammates when they are paddling on the water. There’s this effervescent calmness to their faces before they begin a drill or compete in a race, and suddenly, they become warriors with their blade-like paddles, ready to attack the waves ahead. Seeing how focused my team is on the water, I try to replicate that when I Dragon Boat, and that ideal has transcended into my life outside of this sport, especially in school. Due to my family’s personal issues, I never had much time to focus on my schoolwork. My grades stayed at an average 85 and that seemed to be my peak. Since I’ve joined the team, I’ve learned to focus on any task in front of me, especially my schoolwork. As a result, my average has risen to a 96, placing me in the top 10% in my major- a feat that I never thought was possible.
DCH has also shown me that although it’s important to be independent, it’s okay to ask for help. I’ve experienced many hardships in my life, and acting like nothing was wrong was my coping mechanism. About a month ago, a friend of mine passed away; he was seventeen. We had just completed one of my goals, to perform at Carnegie Hall a few weeks earlier, and all of a sudden, the principal told me that he was found dead. After his funeral, I went straight to practice and felt my armor breaking. I wanted to cry but couldn’t bear the thought of anyone seeing me damaged. An adult team member, Justin, noticed and spent the rest of the night like a crutch for me. He barely knew me at the time, yet he bought me tacos after practice was over and talked me through the situation. Its random acts of kindness that the people of DCH have displayed that has taught me to be kind, sensitive, and to see through what people want, but what they need.
Every day that I am with DCH, whether it is during practice, hanging out, or preparing for a competition, there’s always a lesson that I can apply to other areas of my life. Still trying to perfect my Dragon Boat form, I have to engage in tedious drills to strengthen my upper body and polish my technique. The more I practice, competitively competing in the sport seems to become more possible, and eventually, I’m racing all over the United States. Just when I think that the possibilities are endless, I find myself attempting to conquer the impossible, which is to compete in the Club Crew World Championships.
I haven’t officially competed internationally in any sporting event because I was never sure if I could pull through, but when I do, I want to do it for the right reasons because I know that I will never be the same person again. I’m not unsure anymore because of all the twists and turns that have occurred that I can’t control, I really do believe that I am at the right place, in the right time. As the Club Crew World Championships nears, DCH hasn’t just made me a better athlete, but a better man. I used to be so scared of losing life that I was never able to live it, never able to experience the buried life. Yet in all the adventures that DCH has taken me on, from meeting new people to competing on different obstacle courses, leaving my comfort zone is what keeps me excited for what’s next. I don’t always stare out of windows anymore because I am who I want to be. After all, a Dragon Boat in the docks may be safe, but that is not what Dragon Boats are built for.
Jane Howard once said, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” Luckily, I’ve found mine.
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer before my 14th birthday. Soon after, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Right before her operation, the doctor told her that he had found cancer in her lungs. I always knew that there was going to be hard times ahead of me, with wrongful paths that were ready to submerge me at any given second, but never was I prepared for this. My mother has been diagnosed with three different cancers in the past four years, and to say that the situation was unfair seemed like an understatement. Medical bills were piling up and the emotional strength of my parents was dwindling. All I could do was to try and attempt to keep everything from falling apart. I quit all of my afterschool activities, and spent my time working three different jobs to support my family. I was only a sophomore, and already afraid to experience the joys of the world; I only wanted to stay alive.
It could have been a chance encounter; I may have been due for some good luck, but one cold day in February, I found myself in a room full of strangers and dumbbells. I remember that day so clearly. I smelled a whiff of strawberries, and turned around to face Irene, a veteran junior on DCH, the Dragon Boat team that I am now a part of. She told me that if I decided to join the team, I would not regret it.
I’ve made many mistakes at DCH, but joining the team was probably the smartest decision I’ve ever made. Because of DCH, I’ve met and become friends with so many different people that encourage me to be better each day. What inspires me the most is when I see the intensity of my teammates when they are paddling on the water. There’s this effervescent calmness to their faces before they begin a drill or compete in a race, and suddenly, they become warriors with their blade-like paddles, ready to attack the waves ahead. Seeing how focused my team is on the water, I try to replicate that when I Dragon Boat, and that ideal has transcended into my life outside of this sport, especially in school. Due to my family’s personal issues, I never had much time to focus on my schoolwork. My grades stayed at an average 85 and that seemed to be my peak. Since I’ve joined the team, I’ve learned to focus on any task in front of me, especially my schoolwork. As a result, my average has risen to a 96, placing me in the top 10% in my major- a feat that I never thought was possible.
DCH has also shown me that although it’s important to be independent, it’s okay to ask for help. I’ve experienced many hardships in my life, and acting like nothing was wrong was my coping mechanism. About a month ago, a friend of mine passed away; he was seventeen. We had just completed one of my goals, to perform at Carnegie Hall a few weeks earlier, and all of a sudden, the principal told me that he was found dead. After his funeral, I went straight to practice and felt my armor breaking. I wanted to cry but couldn’t bear the thought of anyone seeing me damaged. An adult team member, Justin, noticed and spent the rest of the night like a crutch for me. He barely knew me at the time, yet he bought me tacos after practice was over and talked me through the situation. Its random acts of kindness that the people of DCH have displayed that has taught me to be kind, sensitive, and to see through what people want, but what they need.
Every day that I am with DCH, whether it is during practice, hanging out, or preparing for a competition, there’s always a lesson that I can apply to other areas of my life. Still trying to perfect my Dragon Boat form, I have to engage in tedious drills to strengthen my upper body and polish my technique. The more I practice, competitively competing in the sport seems to become more possible, and eventually, I’m racing all over the United States. Just when I think that the possibilities are endless, I find myself attempting to conquer the impossible, which is to compete in the Club Crew World Championships.
I haven’t officially competed internationally in any sporting event because I was never sure if I could pull through, but when I do, I want to do it for the right reasons because I know that I will never be the same person again. I’m not unsure anymore because of all the twists and turns that have occurred that I can’t control, I really do believe that I am at the right place, in the right time. As the Club Crew World Championships nears, DCH hasn’t just made me a better athlete, but a better man. I used to be so scared of losing life that I was never able to live it, never able to experience the buried life. Yet in all the adventures that DCH has taken me on, from meeting new people to competing on different obstacle courses, leaving my comfort zone is what keeps me excited for what’s next. I don’t always stare out of windows anymore because I am who I want to be. After all, a Dragon Boat in the docks may be safe, but that is not what Dragon Boats are built for.
Jane Howard once said, “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” Luckily, I’ve found mine.
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