Ready, set, ROW
THE FABLED VICTORIA HARBOR
in Hong Kong is host this weekend to the 20th anniversary dragon boat competition to mark two decades since Hong Kong’s handover to China and becoming a Special Administrative Region.
Among the hundreds of teams vying for the coveted 20th Anniversary Trophy is a unique team that is competing with so much heart.
Synchronization, form, force – these are the ultimate elements that a dragon boat race would require from a team. Discipline and hard work are a must for every athlete.
Strenuous training and exercises are endured by paddlers to reach the strength and shape needed to effectively advance the boat, a feat that may seem difficult even for the average athlete. But to a group of paddlers composed of persons with disabilities (PWDs), the challenge is so much greater. They’ve trained long and hard to learn the sport, their muscle memory at a prime and hearts focused on the race.
The Philippine Accessible Disability Services or PADS adaptive dragon boat racing team is one of a kind. The 35-man team is composed of athletes ranging from polio survivors and amputees to the deaf and blind.
PADS takes on a special meaning and purpose. Wanting to promote awareness for PWDs, the team is determined to show that people with disabilities have equal capabilities and can compete even in physical sports like the dragon boat racing.
Despite being a young team having been formed only August of last year, PADS is more than ready to row to success. They are one of the three groups representing the Philippines in the annual CCB (Asia) Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races in Victoria Harbor, which ends today. Along with the University of the Philippines (UP) Dragon Boat Team and the Triton Dragon Boat Racing Team, PADS will join hundreds of racing teams from all over the world in vying for the highly coveted trophy in celebration of Hong Kong’s 20th anniversary.
As the birthplace of modern competitive dragon boat racing, Hong Kong’s dragon boat races have always been among the most anticipated in the world. This year, China Construction Bank (Asia), in cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), is sponsoring the grand sports event.
PADS has been looking forward to the tournament. They have trained with pure heart and determination to finish the race strong. “We expect to see a very competitive atmosphere. We also expect to meet other teams and gain new friends and learn from each other’s culture,” says John Paul Maunes, team manager and founder of PADS.
Losing momentum is not an option as the team trained almost daily to perfect its circuit. Part of its intensive training was doing research on the other team’s strategies for winning races.
PADS takes great pride in its members. “Our secret weapon is our disability and identity. We know who we are and we know what we want for this race, which is to bring pride and glory to our country,” says Maunes.
As the PADS paddlers make their way to their first international race, they bring with them the pride and honor as bearers of the Philippine flag. Most especially, they are fulfilling their mission to integrate PWDs in adaptive sports such as dragon boat racing.
“We’re very excited to carry the flag and compete amongst the world’s best in Hong Kong. It’s a totally different feeling when you know you’ll be competing in a foreign land. More importantly, we’re looking forward to have fun in the competition and of course, see as much of Hong Kong as we can with the time that we have,” enthuses Maunes.