WHILE COMPETITION in the UAAP is composed, in large part, of local adversaries, the Ateneo Rowing Team travelled to Putrajaya in Malaysia to face stiff international competition.
Last October 4 to 10, the boys in Blue toughed the rough waters of Malaysia during the Varsity Boat Race, organized by the state-operated Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The race is an annual invitational contest between university-based rowing teams from all over the globe. This year, crews from the host nation, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and for the very first time, the United Kingdom joined in on the revelry.
As the only team from the Philippines, the Blue Rowers didn’t disappoint. Out of the four disciplines and 12 medals to vie for, the Ateneans reached the podium twice, grabbing the silver in the Men’s Fours (without coxswain) and bronze in the Men’s Eights (with coxswain).
“Malaki talaga yung mga kalaban, lalo na ‘yung mga taga-UK (The athletes we faced were much larger than us, especially the ones from the UK),” said senior GJ Roño.
As is the case with most sports, in rowing, added height and heft are an advantage. Of course, there’s a trade-off: the lighter an athlete is, the faster the boat will go. Most of the time though, sheer brute force, coupled with excellent technique, override any limitation.
Boasting a lineup considerably weaker than previous years, Team Ateneo still had a shot at each event.
Among all the teams in the competition, only two squads really troubled the Blue Rowers.
The University of Nottingham (UN) rowers nearly swept all four events by a large margin
It was only when their boat broke down for the Men’s Fours that an Asian team claimed gold.
On the one hand, a vastly improved Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) did the Ateneans one better in each of their wins, claiming gold in the Men’s Fours and silver in the Men’s Eights.
“We used to beat them regularly the past two years,” said Roño, “Seems like they stepped-up their training during the off-season.”
Along with Roño, rowers Ari Salud, Gian Velasco, and Carlo Lukban competed in the Men’s Fours, finishing 11 ticks behind UTHM with a time of seven minutes and 14 seconds.
In the Men’s Eights, rowing’s glamour event, they were joined by Lee Panopio, Ivan Zamora, Andrew Tan, and Migs dela Cruz, with Luis Diaz as the coxswain. They clocked in at 6:50 behind UN and UTHM finishing in 6:15 and 6:47 respectively.
It was rough sailing for the Blue and White in the other events. Panopio and Zamora managed to pull out a respectable semifinal (7th-12th place) finish in the Men’s Doubles, while Tan failed to make it out of the heats in the Men’s Singles.
Nevertheless, it was a week of exuberance and gratification for the Blue Rowers. Knowing they could not only compete, but also contend, on an international level brought a sense of satisfaction for these overlooked athletes.
According to team captain Ari Salud, “One of the first things I tell the boys before they commit is that this team doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Despite all the hard work and good results, the only publicity we’ll get is a tarp [atop] Gate Three if we’re lucky.”
The team receives minimal funding from the College Athletics Office. The oars they use for competition cost upwards of P12,000 each, while their boats are borrowed from the National Team.
When it comes to facilities, the rowers train at La Mesa Dam. No complaints though; as Salud quipped, “We work with what we have.”
Looking ahead, the team’s veterans are iffy about the future. The rigorous training required tests the commitment of most aspirants, and thus, rowers are a dying breed. Even so, greatness awaits those who persevere.
As the team captain said, “The pain and uncertainty may take up five months of uncertainty and seven minutes of hell, but in the end, the glory lasts forever.”
