Photo courtesy of the Ateneo Rowing Team.
Photo Sourced from Joachim De Jesus.
DEEP IN the distant waters of Bukit Merah, Malaysia, the Ateneo Rowing Team (ART) braved hell and high water once again for school and country in the 2018 Varsity Boat Race (VBR).
The unheralded rowers from Katipunan proved their worth by taking home two medals, namely a silver in the men’s doubles, and a bronze in the women’s doubles categories courtesy of duos Rafael Tiongson and Joseph Lazaro, and Giulia Go and Bea Roque, respectively. Aside from the silverware, six out of their seven entries made it to the competition finals, a first for the team. Their fifth-place finish marked the team’s best performance in the tourney, with the team’s most recent medal victory taking place back in 2015.
ART made a name for themselves once again during the 15th Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Rowing Championships last January 5-6 where the team bagged a total of three medals. Pao Reganit, Jonathan Iyog, Mac Pingol, Joachim De Jesus, and coxswain Justin Umali bagged silver in the Men’s Coxed Four while their counterparts in the women’s division comprised of Shania Tengco, Dani Chua, Molly Walker, Mireille Qua, and coxswain Jen Lam took home a bronze. Lam returned to the podium alongside Go as the pair secured a silver in the Women’s Doubles Sculls.
Dreams fulfilled
For departing Team Captains Tiongson and Go, bagging medals in their last year as rowers was a fitting end to their long, arduous journeys with the team. “A portion of my mission has been fulfilled,” said Go.
However, prior to their success this year, the pair admitted that they once believed that a medal finish was out of reach for the team. Given the team’s size mismatch and lack of experience against tougher foreign opponents, after all, it is an understandable acknowledgement. “After my first competition, I thought that winning was really something that was impossible,” lamented Tiongson.
Despite this, the team slowly grew over time, churning out one tough performance after another, all in pursuit of the elusive medal. This year’s VBR medal haul is the final culmination of those years’ worth of setbacks, struggles, and demanding preparation. Knowing that the training standards, discipline, and tenacity of the team has grown exponentially over the years, the captains believe that the team they will leave behind is truly ready for future success.
Fuel to the fire
In another quest for silverware, the Ateneo Rowing Team found themselves hammering through rigorous training sessions a week after returning from Malaysia. “Usually, [for rowing] you’re supposed to be training all year round,” shares Go. “Our team actually gets to train for just a month and a half.”
Thus, routinely regimens are necessary in their race to success, with the team allotting time for both morning and afternoon training sessions.
zThe rowers start their days at the break of dawn, mastering key techniques at the waters of La Mesa Dam. At around 9:00 AM, the student-athletes head back to the Loyola Heights campus for a full day of classes before turning to the old walls of the Blue Eagle Gym in the afternoon for physical training. They perform a series of high-intensity cardio workouts and weight lifting methods to improve on strength and endurance. Coupled with enough rest and proper diet, ART makes certain that their members are ready and fit for harsh physical activity in the face of unpredictable nature patterns.
If anything, the team’s recent success in Malaysia has ignited the spirits of the hard-nosed rowers even further. According to Tiongson, the overall morale of the team is running high. The rugged training sessions are made sweeter by the promise of a better finish, and the memories of their decisive campaigns. Go also noted that their gritty performance has garnered the attention of their foreign competitors.
“We did pretty well. In fact, the other schools also noticed that we are becoming tougher competitors for them. That shows that no matter what the situation is, even with all the challenges, if there is a will, there is a way,” she said.
Culminating victories
Having been rewarded for their intensity and commitment in the practice waters by pieces of hardware in foreign territory, ART concludes their 2018-2019 campaign in spectacular fashion, bagging medals in their two marquee tournaments for the first time in the team’s history.
As Tiongson and Go hand over the reins to the next generation of ART, the team’s success in the VBR and the CUHK is hard proof that bagging medals—once deemed as an impossible feat—is no longer out of the picture for a squad that backs up their passion with steadfast dedication.
