Team UMaGu competes in China

Team UMaGu competes in China

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By Ma. Monica Angela A. Rodriguez

LONGHUA, SHENZEN, CHINA — Repechage heat. Only the fastest team would qualify for the semi-finals. The 22-crew dragon boat team from the Philippines, all in standby position, listened intently to the unfamiliar commands in Chinese.

Suddenly, the horn blew! Four dragon boat teams paddled furiously against each other, racing a distance of 350 meters along the Guanlan River. Neck to neck towards the finish line were two China teams and the Philippine team, the South Africa team, a distant 4th. Amazingly, it was the Philippine team the crowd was cheering for!

In the end, the Philippine team came in 3rd in a heat well raced. The 1st place winners looked over to the Philippine crew, and someone hollered d in broken English, “Your team very, very good!”

In the final tally, the Philippines finished 4th, behind Canada, Macau, and Hongkong; out of eight international teams including the USA, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and South Africa. The Chinese teams took all top places in the finals and semi-final heats.

It was a very proud moment for the Dumaguete-based UMaGu Dragon Boat Team that represented the Philippines at the 2019 Guanlan River International Dragon Boat, Culture & Art Festival. It was certainly a surreal moment — a fairly young team competing in China, form where dragon boat racing originated. Here in China where dragon boat is deeply embedded in its culture, Dumaguete’s UMaGu was not only racing against more experienced teams with superior skills, but against a people competing for national pride and glory.

Barely two years old, the Unified Marine Guardians (UMaGu) has achieved a lot. Under the mentorship of the legendary dragon boat coach Suhod Hakim, UMaGu has begun to make a name in the Philippine dragon boat scene.

Hakim was Philippine National Team coach from 1997 to 2011, and coach/athlete in the historic winning record in the 1st World Cup in Fuzhou, China in 2014.

UMaGu’s successes in several previous local races caught the attention of Bugsay Pilipinas founder and president Priscilla “Pinky” Castillo, International Dragon Boat Federation level 2 coach, who is constantly on the lookout for strong teams to send to international competitions. Coach Pinky identified UMaGu as one of the top teams in the Visayas, and offered the team the opportunity to represent the Philippines in China.

The participation of UMaGu also highlighted the efforts of the Philippine and Chinese governments to strengthen their relationship through culture and sports. The team is thankful for the all-out support of the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shenzen, and to the Embassy of China for facilitating the quick release of the crew’s visas.

UMaGu is looking forward to a busy year this 2019, with invitations to participate in races in Japan, USA, and Malaysia.

The UMaGu crew who participated in the 2019 Guanlan River International Dragon Boat, Culture & Art Festival are all Dumaguetenos: Janette Bolisig, Maxuel Jarabe, Rey Tan, Charles Andri Quilinguin, John Kenneth General, Marian Angel Nodado, Lorenz Matthew Aling, Rene Joseph Balbuena, Kean Tristan Erasmo, Kim Tan, Aris Jacob Sun, Kent Martinez, Noella Rutt Martinez, Thea Isabel Sun, Neil Umbac, Jean Michael Angelo Ozoa, Gilbert Taol-taol, Marvin Lobiano, Jeruel Villamil, Kennith Grafe, Estar Harvey Zerna, Kevin Cris Acupanda, Ma. Monica Angela Rodriguez

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