In the crowd of paddlers that gathered around the kilometer-stretch of the beautiful Baywalk of the Puerto Princesa City in Palawan – with almost all of them flashing broad shoulders and well-chiseled physiques – there was one who stood out in the heat of the races during the ICF World Dragon Boat Championships.
She did not have the physical features of the others. Medium built with thin arms, she did not look the typical for a paddler who is leaning on the power and speed to muster her strength and energy. Her face and skin held deep creases, hinting at the experience she’d been through – not just in racing in the sea – but also in life.
She’s Luz Encarnacion, a member of the Philippine dragon boat masters team, fondly called "Mommy Luz” by her teammates and the younger members of the national team. She’s 70, or 69 years old at night, she usually jokes when asked about her age.
She is quite bubbly for a septuagenarian – and even more surprisingly, still strong and athletic for a woman of her age. She even proudly shared that she can still do 20 to 30 pushups without breaking sweat.
Asked why she was still choosing to paddle despite her age, she casually answers that she just wants to be active. She takes pride in all the things that she can still do when most people would expect her to just sit on the rocking chair and wait for her sun to set.
"There's a sense of fulfillment because at this age I should be resting at home," she said with a big smile.
"I am proud of myself because some of my classmates have passed away due to age and sickness. But here I am competing in a sport, not wanting to just sit around and wait for my time," she said.
Life begins at 70, she said. But seeing her paddle through the waves, on top of the changing weather that varies from sweltering heat to heavy rains, she is an image of inspiration to both the young and the seniors.
She helped the national team bag the gold in the small boat 50+ masters 200-meter race and two silvers in the 500m and 2000m events – a big part behind the country's top finish overall of 11 golds, 10 silvers and eight bronzes.
A mother to five children, Mommy Luz said she has been active all of her life, from being a volleyball player and a track athlete in high school, to a marathoner until her fifties. Then she tried dragon boat racing, and this is where we found her inspiring spirit.
She was in her fifties when she first picked up the paddle, and it was love at first sight.
"I used to join marathons, but I felt something wrong with my left knee that's why I stopped," Mommy Luz recalled.
"Back in 2008, someone invited me to try dragon boat. At first, I refused but saw the excitement while watching a competition in Manila Bay," she said.
The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, she has joined numerous tournaments throughout an almost 16-year career as a paddler – and perhaps, her stint in the world meet was another crowning glory.
On an ordinary day, many may see Mommy Luz as an old woman. They have not seen the ageless wonder on the boat, conquering the tides and rough waves of the sea, and of life!