Lucky, Grade
UWC China
In UWC-CSC, what impresses me the most is its zhixing activities (more commonly called as CAS in other IB schools). For my zhixing activity, I took part in the school's dragon boat race.
Towards the end of August, several of my co-years and I saw an announcement in our WeChat group. The notice said a dragon boat race between DP1 first-year and FP first-year students would soon take place. As soon as I discussed this with my new housemate, I decided I was going to sign up for the dragon boat race.
We had three days of training before the race. At first, we sat on the edge of the school's swimming pool, holding the oars and practised rowing in the pool. We plunged the oars vertically into the water, paddled back, and then lifted the poles from the water. We repeated the movements again and again and after two days of training, we stood on the side of the school's dock, ready for a mock competition.
We put on our life jackets first, and then the coach gave us instructions about the competition. We got on the dragon boat, sitting according to our weight. Following that, the coach instructed us to sit next to the edge of the dragon boat in order to maintain a balance. The coach then picked a student who played the drums, to keep the pace of the group's paddling. After listening to the general requirements, we left the dock and rowed towards the middle of the lake. The dragon boat race ended soon, and our team spent the last hours of the day together. In the beginning, we were unfamiliar with the movements. However, by the end of the day, we could already row at the same pace.
Soon, the official competition was about to start. The DP1 opponents looked strong and competitive, and were shouting and yelling at us (of course, in a friendly way). Some of us onboard also stood up and shouted back at them (also in a friendly way), causing the boat to shake.
With a whistle, the game began. We rowed with all our strength. Like a pendulum, everyone fell forward and then quickly leaned backwards. The water kept splashing into the boat, and our pants were soon soaked with water. Despite that, we rowed selflessly and concentrated on getting ahead of the other team. As we were nearing the finishing line, the drumbeat became louder and faster; the game got more intense. Both sides rowed intensely and none us realised how much time had passed.
Our hard work paid off. Finally, we had won the race.
Towards the end of August, several of my co-years and I saw an announcement in our WeChat group. The notice said a dragon boat race between DP1 first-year and FP first-year students would soon take place. As soon as I discussed this with my new housemate, I decided I was going to sign up for the dragon boat race.
We had three days of training before the race. At first, we sat on the edge of the school's swimming pool, holding the oars and practised rowing in the pool. We plunged the oars vertically into the water, paddled back, and then lifted the poles from the water. We repeated the movements again and again and after two days of training, we stood on the side of the school's dock, ready for a mock competition.
We put on our life jackets first, and then the coach gave us instructions about the competition. We got on the dragon boat, sitting according to our weight. Following that, the coach instructed us to sit next to the edge of the dragon boat in order to maintain a balance. The coach then picked a student who played the drums, to keep the pace of the group's paddling. After listening to the general requirements, we left the dock and rowed towards the middle of the lake. The dragon boat race ended soon, and our team spent the last hours of the day together. In the beginning, we were unfamiliar with the movements. However, by the end of the day, we could already row at the same pace.
Soon, the official competition was about to start. The DP1 opponents looked strong and competitive, and were shouting and yelling at us (of course, in a friendly way). Some of us onboard also stood up and shouted back at them (also in a friendly way), causing the boat to shake.
With a whistle, the game began. We rowed with all our strength. Like a pendulum, everyone fell forward and then quickly leaned backwards. The water kept splashing into the boat, and our pants were soon soaked with water. Despite that, we rowed selflessly and concentrated on getting ahead of the other team. As we were nearing the finishing line, the drumbeat became louder and faster; the game got more intense. Both sides rowed intensely and none us realised how much time had passed.
Our hard work paid off. Finally, we had won the race.
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