VIOLI CALVERT
WATER and land sportsman Ian Mababa, 35, continues to pursue becoming a state dragonboat paddler for NSW and, hopefully, a paddler for the Aurora team, the national dragonboat team.
The Aurora has competed against teams from China, Canada, and Philippines.
Mababa’s more immediate aim, however, is to paddle for NSW and represent the State at the national dragonboat championships in 2020.
“Hopefully, NSW wins gold at the nationals to be held at the Penrith Regatta Centre,” he said.
Dragonboat Sports Association, the club to which Mababa belongs, is also into other sports activities such as outrigger canoeing, park runs and hiking.
Mababa, in fact, is into backpacking and trekking. “I visited the basecamp of Mt Everest last November 2018, doing a 14-day trek across the mountains of Nepal,” he said.
“I realised on my trip to Mt Everest that there is no easy way of reaching one’s goal,” he said.
“There is no shortcut or easy way out once you’re thrown into the mountains, but you can overcome every obstacles you come across your way if you just continue to take a step forward.
“Allocating time to commit to training and participating in DSA club activities are some of the challenges that I and some of the members experience,” Mababa said.
“Because most paddlers, including myself, are working full-time, it is sometimes difficult to attend the regular training schedule required to become stronger as a team.”
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Picture: Ian mababa, middle paddler in foreground row, in the thick of the action at the races.
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