Renee Yeo

“I never thought of joining dragon boat at the very beginning because I was afraid of the water, didn't like the tan and was obsessed with having fair skin. But one day in 2017, my friend asked me to give a try and paddle with PLK Paddlers and see if I wanted to continue the sport. The first experience with the team was fun; I felt so welcomed by the team.

Training was definitely tiring, though. Till the extent, it makes us question ourselves: why did we join? The reason I stayed was because of my beloved coach, Kim Hwa, who deeply inspired me to always be a better version of myself by giving us endless encouragement and assurance, and allowing me to grow by giving me the opportunity to race with the team despite having only 2 months’ experience in the sport. The team is like a second home to me; friendship that we forge in this family is something we can't find anywhere else.

Because of the love and interest in this sport, I was inspired me to start a final year project @dragonboatevolution, where we will be sharing interesting content. Throughout this project, we will be bringing everyone on this journey to know more about the history of dragon boat, which comes from the dragon boat festival and has evolved to the sport today. We hope that we can raise more awareness of this sport and bring it to greater heights!"

[Renee Yeo (Singapore), paddler on PLK Paddlers.]

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