This article is inspired by my teammates and all the Auroras (Australian National Dragon Boat Team) who are at the peak of their game and competed at the 14th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, held in Pattaya-Rayong, Thailand (21-25 August 2019).

I am a member of the CYSM Sea Dragons Dragon Boat Club in Melbourne and enjoy the buzz of competitive dragon boat racing. It is a sport that demands commitment, engagement and teamwork. In the standard boat configuration, there is a drummer who helps to set the pace and synchronicity of the boat, a sweep who steers and commands the boat and 20 paddlers who sit two abreast and whose job it is to propel the boat forward. In the small boat configuration, this is cut down to 10 paddlers. Each paddler knows that each of their effective strokes will be a driver to team success.

The job of the coaching team is to ensure that training sessions are effective, that the lessons sink in through repetition and reinforcement, and through hard work and persistence.

Today, I sit at my work desk in awe of the Auroras who are showing the world the depth of Australian dragon boating talent. I know many of them, train and compete alongside them as club or state teammates or as frenemies from rival clubs. They inspire me, along with the rest of Australia's dragon boat community.

As a university lecturer, I've attended course orientations at the start of the teaching semester where our students are given a talk about the seven predictors of 'academic' success. I’ll lay them out here from a dragon boat perspective, knowing that each Aurora has lived and breathed these predictors over many months leading up to and at this campaign.

1. Attend training.

Be present, both physically and mentally, at training. This is the first step. Building a sound theoretical foundation knowledge is important (such as understanding the different parts of the paddling technique from catch, drive, exit to recovery). Consistent action is so much more powerful than just hearing and seeing.

2. Focus on your goals.

Know what it is that you want. Visualization can be a powerful driver for an eventual outcome.

3. Develop relationships.

Get to know your coaches and teammates. They are in the same boat as you and want to cross the finish line as much as you. Motivate and feed off each other's energy. Support those who lag behind as their success is your success.

4. Online engagement.

We live in a connected world that offers a boundless library of online knowledge. Engage with these resources. There is so much information out there, learned through myriad of experiences, that can be used to scaffold your own learning and development.

5. Develop confidence.

Know that you are capable, even if it takes longer than others. Compare yourself only to the you of yesterday. Put in that extra effort. Practise on your weak side.

6. Work-life-training balance.

Dragon boat is important. Sometimes it is all-consuming. But do not forget or forgo the importance of other aspects of your life that also demand your attention. Work to sustain you, family and social life to fulfill you. Finding that balance will take the rockiness out of the boat.

7. Time on task.

Most importantly, commit and stay the course.

Very proud of all the Auroras, especially teammates Katie Nguyen, Kaitlyn Meyer, Eric Cham, Poh Young Tan and Yuan Soon. You are a credit to yourselves, your families, your club and your country. 

Ps: Australia finished fourth overall in the championships (with 14 Gold, 20 Silver and 26 Bronze) behind host nation Thailand, Canada and the United States of America.

- Fung Lay