Gary Lee

"The reason I started was entirely because I wanted to be physically fit and have an active lifestyle. Plus, I always enjoyed being by the beach or river or anywhere where there’s an element of water. Dragon boat has taught me that being physically fit is one part, but being mentally ready and focused is more important than training. Oftentimes, I think dragonboaters have to have perfect fitness levels and such, but unfortunately, it’s a very small part of it since I have seen many senior citizens and cancer survivors paddle their hearts out and win races!

It’s not entirely about physical fitness; it’s mostly mental wellness to push through. If you’re physically fit and mentally ready, it’s the best of both worlds. This is why I started dragon boat; I wanted to have an active lifestyle where I was mentally focused and physically pushing my limits. I would like to thank my current team that has pushed each one of the paddlers, yet at the same time respected each other’s capabilities and united as one team.

My favourite memory is from Malacca. Despite it being a local race, I enjoyed steering and it was my first time steering in a race. I had butterflies in my stomach as I’d only ever steered at practice and never had a chance to steer a race before.

During the first heat, the other boat collided with our boat and I had to think quick to avoid injury to my boat or myself. Luckily, both boats were safe, though we came in third. Steering a race is filled with adrenaline and quick thinking, but I enjoyed it a lot and wouldn’t mind doing it again! (Not the collision, of course!) 

That race taught the importance of team safety. A steerer doesn’t just steering straight, but also overlooks every member’s safety. Steerer may have the most responsibility on the water besides the coach/captain, but I’d take steering anytime.

I firmly believe that a steerer is a waterbender on the water! 😂"

[Gary Lee (Malaysia), paddler/steerer on KL Barbarians, ex-paddler on Argo Naga.]

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