AGM date

Due to quite a few people not being able to make it on Friday the 5th, AGM will be shifted BACK to the original date - 6th March, Saturday. I didn't hear any complaints about that date, so it is by far the safest.

Sorry for the constant shifting, people, but it is most important that every single one of you is present, and it will be adjusted as necessary if that is what it takes for full attendance.

One of the few luxuries afforded to a team as small as ours.

Updates of Updates.

Due to my laziness, I have not written a new post with updates.

Instead, I have simply updated the post about updates, below.

Do read carefully. (especially you, Tan Zhi Kai...)

Finally.

Today marks the end of exams for MOST of us. Hope you've enjoyed your hours of freedom. I know I have.

One thing for the SCM people:

Errr. Just click to enlarge.

For the rest of the guys - just important updates to take note of. (I repeat, IMPORTANT)

1) FRIENDLY RACE TOMORROW (Saturday) will be at 7.30 sharp, meet the reservoir by 7.15. If you ask me AM or PM, I will set Yi Hsiang on you. Our Opponents are SP, and ACS (I). Incidentally, if you are reading this now, you really should be asleep, so go sleep right after you read this post. Shoo.

2) Holiday Trainings will be daily, as usual, but it will not be so hectic right from the get go. Bear in mind that while the training will be flexible because we are training for different things right now, there should still be a basic structure.

Mondays - Morning, Self train - Evening, Swimming

Tuesdays - Morning, Self train - Night, Strength Gymming

Wednesdays - REST DAY.

Thursdays - Morning, Swimming - Night, Land Training

Fridays - Morning, Endurance Gym, Evening - Self Train

Saturday - If coach allows, Time Trial.

Self training can refer to...

1) Long distance running (Difficult to do as a team, due to varying fitness)

2) Rowing by yourself - The swift racings are, as always, available - both K1 and K2. You may also use Adrian's Elio IF you ask, and he says yes. He is a very nice guy.

3) Climbing stairs (this helps a lot.) Interval running (This too, but not before Strength Gymming.) or Swimming long distance. (In preparation for triathlon)

Also bear in mind that this is the best schedule tentatively, but due to the extremely volatile situation at the moment, it can change anytime. If you guys have any better suggestion, do let me know. I am always open to constructive criticism. Besides, this is a democracy. =D

The goal here now, is to improve the various individual elements of your strength: Raw Power, Stamina, VO2 max, Lactic Threshold, Mental Endurance etc, by all means short of actually rowing.

By Self-training, it does not mean you split up as a team. In fact, i would advise that you train together with teammates of strength about your level, so that you can push each other better. This is the time that we need it the most.

3) TPKRT AGM will be held on Friday, 5th March, after training. Please. make. It. Free. Your absence will speak very much louder that your actual person being there, I assure you. Aside from the fact that no, you can't depend on someone to relay to you every last thing that is going to be said there. Also, it is heavy on participation. And it will be fun. So its not all information that can be passed on.

That said, it actually is compulsory attendance, so while i am asking you real nicely to come, bad things will happen if you don't. :D

It was originally set to be on the 6th, which is Saturday, but since our friday evenings are free-er with the new schedule, why not put it on Friday, so that we don't have to stay back on Sat, right? Plus, it makes booking the meeting room easier.

4) Boats Rentals are , for now, no longer an issue. You may pay me $50, should you wish to make use of coach's boats during the 'self training' periods, if you are one of those taking part in MR, but I will no longer enforce it as compulsory. This will be explained to the team as a whole during AGM, or the next time the whole team gathers.

5) MR 500 will be held at the end of the month, and it is the race which all non-NJCC participants are waiting for.... well, I speak for myself, at the very least, because it is the last race i can participate in before I head off to LUSH 99.5fm. Sob. Its good this time round, in the sense that the participation fee is $17 per head, REGARDLESS of how many events you are taking. Yes, there are T-1 and T-2 events, so do give some thought to which event you want to take, and bring the $17 down with you to the AGM, to make Yan Ling's job easier.

Update: MR 500 is not a compulsory race. It is, however, more of a stress-free race, which would be good to take advantage of since

1) It is at home ground - no transport cost issues. Plus, we are more used to the water.

2) You will want some indication that your training for the month of March is paying off. What better place to test it?

3) Medals. Why else?

one last thing....

6) REPLYING TEXT MESSAGES is one of the most basic courtesies you can give to anyone. I know some of you lead extremely hectic lifestyles, and you pick up your phone, see the message, become too busy to reply, decide to reply later, put it down - and then completely forget about it. People do that all the time - it's normal.

However, you guys are not 'normal'. You are anything but - you are kayakers - and starting April, you are going to be responsible for leading the little group of penguins coming in.

If a remarkable sense of responsibility is needed to answer one little text message, then you jolly well develop it. Please.

I know my tone may sound slightly miffed, but don't worry - I will give you guys the benefit of the doubt that you are highly busy, due to exams and the like during this period.

In future, however, please make an effort to reply any message you receive, even if it is from your most hated stalker.

.....

.............

Actually, on second thought, don't reply, if its from your most hated stalker.

For those who did reply - I love you. ;D

On a more serious note, I don't believe that 'K' is the most brutal reply, so go ahead and spam me with it - it shows at least that my message has been acknowledged. Not because I am the captain - please do it to anyone, because if I show you the courtesy of personally texting you, instead of simply passing the message by asking someone to forward it to you, the least you could do is answer. Thanks a bunch, guys!

-Kiiro

The coming weeks.

Happy CNY team, I hope you are enjoying your Chinese New Year, so far. Or at the very least, enjoying the Angpows rolling in. I know I am. :D

Or, you might be just that slight bit ticked off about relatives commenting ceaselessly about your changed skin tone, physique, height, mannerisms, age, etc....

(You have turned into a sexy beast.)

Either way, its good to take some time off from everything - from studying like dogs, from training like dogs and being stressed out like cats. (Because dogs don't stress.)

Just wanted to let you guys know, especially those with upcoming competitions, that should any of you, for any reason, need the club key to access the swift racings and paddles (if you intend to train really early in the morning, or on Mondays, most likely), you can contact me, Yan or Jemmy. I can't speak for them, but feel free to call me weekdays, because I will be in school almost daily, training and studying.

Which bring us to our next point - Don't neglect your studies. Obviously I know you guys well enough to trust that you won't get carried away with the lack of compulsory training and go gallivanting off on some fun vacation - but at the same time, do balance out the self-training with study time in equal amounts.

Also, lack of oxygen to the brain is extremely detrimental to your studying, as studies show:

"The brain demands at least 20% of the body's oxygen supply, when it doesn't get this supply it can lead to issues such as sleep apnea, poor concentration, forgetfulness, mood swings, restlessness, depressive thoughts and low drive." - Brain activity - Dr. Andrew Scholey, Division of Psychology, University of Northumbria

So if you plan to train first, and study later, do avoid high-intensity training such as endurance gymming, 3-minute rowing intervals, and -of course- Interval running.

You can have it your way and go ahead anyway, but chances are, you'll put your head down on the desk for just a second, and wake up at library closing time. That's just the way our bodies work.

For the old(er) group, there's still MR500 waiting for us, so don't fret, and don't slacken your training! I'm not leaving that race without a podium finish this year, and neither should you. :D

Your very fattened up Captain

-Kiiro

Hi team,

I think that most of you have heard the news that coach can no longer afford to provide us with FOC usage of his boats as of now. and I know that many of you are either unhappy or reluctant to pay $50 for the monthly rental for this month and March. Yet I think that each of you should take some time to reconsider the situation and handle this with maturity.

I do agree that it is unfair that the school has stopped funding us for reasons only the management think is viable. Yet on our part, many of you have come to me worrying about the near competitions..." then how to win MR500???"

Well, the solution really is extremely simple. Pay $100 for the 2 months and squeeze every ounce of energy and time to train to make it worth your money. I mean HEY! $50 for unlimited usage for the entire month! Indeed $100 seems like a big sum of money, but after all... Chinese New Year is just a weekend away isnt it? It really boils down to whether you are willing to part with your money.

I bet all of you have heard this saying before: When the going gets tough, the TOUGH GETS GOING. Not only in terms of pushing hard during training, but its also how you overcome these obstacles that life puts in front of you. This is only but a small stumbling pebble and if you're unable to bend down and pick this pebble up to throw it away, what makes you think you're ready to face life's challenges?

You know, Singaporeans have this culture of " Gimme, gimme, gimme" but not "I'll Give,I'll let go, I'll sacrifice" I wouldnt want my teammates to be brought up with this kind of mindset where we take everything that the school or coach has to give us, but when there's nothing left for us to take, and its our turn to give, we cant.

Every sportsman knows how much they sacrifice in their life to get that winning medal. Not only in terms of physical but monetary also. They invest in the best boats, the best bicycles, the best running shoes. In your case, its only a matter of sacrificing $50/ month to train hard and nothing else. You are paying $50 to train with the best boats!

I know that some of you are thinking if its possible to claim back the money from the school at the start of the new AY. Well, think about it...we dont know how much you all would be spending for the next year and if by any chance (fingers crossed hopefully not) the budget exceeds again, wont the cycle repeat itself all over that you would need to pay the rental fee once again this time next year? Don't play a part in allowing history to repeat itself.

The team needs to go to the root of the problem. Which is: Short term, each of you needs to pay $50 for 2 months to train. Dig out the problem and both parties will benefit. You as well as our dearest coach. You'll get to train, and he has money to feed himself and his wife.

On the other hand, I understand that some of you have tight pockets. Meaning you wont even be able to afford $100. Well, work around the problem then. :) Spend the next 2 months building up on your stamina and strength. Run like mad and Swim until you can swim faster than the TP swimmers. I can assure you that when you get on a boat in April, you'll be faster than you are right now.

And of course, we can always represent Endorphin Kayaking for the upcoming races.

I hope that all of you give it some thought. if you still need to discuss anything feel free to talk to me yea.

Don't give in, prove SAA wrong.
TP Kayakers are fighters!
Sam.

You Voted, We Delivered.

And on the left chest...

This is what you've all voted to create. Any last words?