Shuan Lai's Quest For Hidden Knowledge

He has cleaned their wooden boat for three days now since their practice for the dragon boats championship began in that river. The organizers of the festival had earlier on informed the competitors that, that days evening practice would be the last for they have to do their own preparation and organizing in that river.

The competition is scheduled in two days time.

Shaun Lai and his team were eager to make it in this year’s competition. He and his team had finished second in last year’s competition, this year two of the eight man team of last year had moved on and two new drafted to take their place. So, there was little familiarization to do. From the two days practice now, the two new guys were delight to watch. They have manifested their eagerness and enthusiasm for the task ahead.

So, Shaun Lai have hopes that the gods will put smile on his face this year.

The provincial government had since three years now attached monetary rewards to all the festivals being celebrated in the country as a means of rekindling waning interest of those ancient festivals in the youths. The dragon boat festival has scholarship and cash rewards attached to it since it was mainly youths that take parts in it. Since three years now, parents had been pushing their wards to give their best. Since them, the organizers has introduced qualifying rounds to accommodate the surge. Those that finished first to third in previous year were usually exempted from the qualifying rounds. Shaun Lai would have like it to be for every one. He viewed them as testing ground for the main show.

He suddenly noticed that he had been smiling alone and looked around to see the source of his happiness and it was groups that were In the river practicing. Observing them, he noticed that most were playing down their strength and hiding their skills. He wondered why they do that.

Do they practice in any other private river or under the cover of darkness to perfect their skill and strategy they were hiding from others?. He seriously believed that the trick is on determination and spirit of perseverance even when odd is against you. Concentration, paying attention to the umpire, navigation ability, starting and finishing in high gear from the blast of gun shot. Maintaining the momentum from start to finish. Last year, he had noticed that their Achilles heel was not picking up speed from the word go. Why were some behaving as if there was any other trick behind the winning and losing team. 

He and his team had tested the advantages in the wooden, plastic and balloon boats and there was no difference or visible contributions from that angle.

The difference as far as he is concerned is on the humans not on the make of the boats, bands or the uniforms. Yeah, agreed that those things has psychological part they play but they has disadvantages too. At times, some will forget that they come for serious business not entertainment.

He had dreamed in two occasions how they had won the competition already but he quickly admonish himself against such indulgence, he sees such as sign of bad news.

In those dreams, he saw himself twice in the campus of his state university. What would he be doing in the university campus if not that he won scholarship to be there?. His parents don’t have money for tertiary education and the only way that would take him inside there is through winning of this dragon boat festival competition. As he admonish his subconscious of dabbling in such nonsense arena, he secretly prays to the gods to make those dreams a reality.

Last year they finished second, he never for once dreamed about the competition why then for two days now, he had been dreaming of state university that is directly and indirectly connected with the competition. 

He had somehow been worrying about this year’s competition due to the virus that have psychologically refused to go away. The organizers have not limited the number of spectators, almost every citizen has vaccinated against the virus but people has not wholly accepted each other as being healthy enough to let down their guards. The signs are vivid even among the competitors. He has seen some dodging body contact from sweaty opponents. 

The organizers in their part had read orally and printed the do's and don’t's of the competition this year and most articles directly and indirectly boils down to the same virus the ministry of health was claiming to have eradicated for long now. Masks gone, handshakes gone, distancing gone etc. Signs are confusing about this covid-19.

He turned his attention to the main task before them, diet also crossed his mind. He was even contemplating spying on the group that won last year to know whether they were on any special diet. He decided against that move, it even sounded childish to him. Why were thoughts like this occupying his thoughts since this year’s competition was announced, things that never crossed his mind for once last year’s were now running riots inside there.

He had jokingly thrown the issue to his team mates to ascertain their stand. Most laughed them off.

“What If their secret is on their diets”

“ It can't be, what type of diet would that be, don’t you feed well?”

“ But I read somewhere that people preparing for Olympics put themselves on diets”

“They put themselves on this normal food you take every day not any other thing. They watch their weight a lot in western world”

“ I am still wondering why mother luck smiled on them like that last year”

“ Focus, they focused on the task”

Shaun Lai as the leader of the team this year were wondering whether what he had been witnessing for years now has any impact on the outcome of the competition, the teams that has won for the past five years like some of the losers too had before the commencement of the competition recited a prayers with fowls on their hands after which they throw the fowl inside the river. He had also observed another incidents that caught his attention. Most of the people that has met their death through drowning in the river during the competition had observed that fowl rituals before meeting their death and yet, all were people that can challenge any fish any day in swimming.