PCKF raring to match Dragon Warriors feat

MANILA, Philippines - The dragonboat team training under the wings of the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Federation (PCKF) takes the success of its counterparts in the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) faction as a challenge to prove its own worth in the Southeast Asian Games.

Playing coach Manuel Maya and paddler Diomedes Manalo said their 22-member men’s crew is up to the task of showing they can reap success in the Indonesian SEAG just like the PDBF Dragon Warriors who won five gold medals in the recent world meet.

“This serves as a challenge for us to prove that we’re deserving to be the Philippines’ rightful national dragonboat team,” said Manalo in a radio interview.

The paddlers under the PCKF enjoys Philippine Olympic Committee recognition and the right to represent Phl in the SEAG over the PDBF Dragon Warriors. There are proposals to put the two groups on a face-off but according to Maya, they are game for this.

“If it’s really necessary, we’re ready for a faceoff anytime,” he said, expressing confidence the PCKF paddlers will prevail.

“I think we’re better prepared than them since most of them have duties with the military whereas we’re fully focused on training,” Maya added.

The PCKF dragonboat crew, he said, has been training vigorously at the Taytay Floodway, infusing paddling techniques from canoe and kayak as it gears up for the 2,000 meter (20-a-side), 1,000 meter (10 and 20-a-side) and 500 meter (20 and 10-a-side) events in Indonesia.

“We’re focusing on the 1,000m and 500m 10-a-side because we feel we have our best gold medal chances here,” said Maya, one of 13 mainstays in the 2007 and 2009 world champion team and record-holder (200m) who stayed on when the PCKF absorbed the PDBF as per POC order.

Maya said the PCKF dragonboat paddlers have shown continuous improvement in their regular Saturday time trials, logging best times of 7:43 in 2,000m, 3:56 (20-a-side) and 4:06 (10-a-side) in 1,000m; and 1:56 (20 member) and 2:03 (10 member) in 500m.

“Bibilis pa yan ng halos eight seconds in the next two-and-half months (we can still improve it by some eight seconds),” he said, also anticipating the arrival of four new boats acquired by the PCKF.

Maya and Manalo maintained that there’s no personal animosity between the paddlers of the two groups, having been friends and peers for the longest time.