Luis Valderrama Chong
“I started paddling 8 years ago in my home country, Panama, in traditional “cayuco” canoes, 4-person canoes with no outriggers. I will never forget how new and inexperienced I was my first season. But in the following years, with self-discipline, dedication and hard work, our team won many first place finishes. The lessons I learned during my first year I hold with me today, and they have helped me in life, helping me grow as a person.
After many years in traditional Panamanian canoes, I finally tried dragonboat before moving to China in 2016. In 2017, I joined the Nanjing Dragonboat team and in early 2018, I joined the Shanghaied Dragons. I wanted to paddle more competitively and feel the adrenaline rush of races, and I found that with the Shanghaied Dragons.
One of the most fulfilling experiences is the feeling when we cross the finish line first. The only thing I think of in my mind is how after months of sacrifice and training, we finally made it. And even more amazing is being able to share that feeling with teammates who share the same goals. The sportsmanship, camaraderie, and fun you experience in this sport is so unique; I encourage everyone to give it a try.
My most memorable moment was in 2014 during the famous Ocean to Ocean race (O2O) across the Panama Canal in our traditional cayuco canoes. The race was divided into three days of pure paddling. The second day was the “infamous lake”, the most demanding challenge I’ve ever done in my life: around 45km of non-stop paddling. We crossed the finish line at exactly 2:45:53, about 5 minutes above the average male division and the whole race (around 50 teams total). Unfortunately, due to a controversial penalty of 5 minutes, it wasn’t the official time. I cannot explain that feeling I shared with my teammates - the tears, screams and compliments that came among us.”
[Luis Valderrama Chong (Panama & Shanghai, China), paddler/strengthening coach on Shanghaied Dragons, paddler/coach/captain on Shanghai University of Sport team (SUS).]
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