Atamjeet Singh Bawa

“It was a sweet accident when I met about 30 Filipinos (my current teammates) doing a group workout in an open ground. I asked if I could join them even though I am not a Filipino, and the recruiter accepted my request to join them. Only later, I got to know that they were all paddlers, joined them in dragon boat, and have since earned my spot as a turbo (sometimes also second pacer).

My favorite memory was when I was new to the team and there was a national-level dragon boat championship being organized in Bahrain. I was not part of the line-up, so I was supporting my team members by cheering them on and volunteering to help the race organizers in conducting the daylong event. So, I was given a walkie-talkie and took it with me to coordinate with the start and finish lines. The best part was that I got to see the race while on a jet-ski and I cheered for my team from up-close! Now that I am part of the line up, I thoroughly enjoy each race and each training session!”

[Atamjeet Singh Bawa (Bahrain & Punjab, India), paddler on Hurricane Alpha Racing Dragons (HARD).]

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