Dragon Boating 2008

13 Practices...
4 Races...
1 Medal...

This year's dragon boat races were intense as usual.

I've been involved in this sport since 1996, and I can't believe I've been doing it for this long. But there's something about the competition that keeps me coming back for more. It's one of the fastest growing sports, and I've seen it grow exponentially over the years.

If you don't know what it's about, here's a video from last year.
This particular race is held yearly at Centre Island in Toronto Canada.
We're in lane 6 and I'm the coxswain (steersperson):


It's been the second year since joining Smokin' Tuna, and they've been very welcoming.
A friend of mine had a few extra spots last year, and I expressed interest in steering the boat. (previously I've solely paddled) So I was lucky enough to join their team as a rookie steersman.

They were very patient with me, and despite the few times that I forced the boat to stop cause I was about to lead them into a wall, or the beach, I've done a pretty good job.

It's a tough job, cause you won't hear much in terms of recognition if you're doing well. But if you steer poorly, you'll have 20 people in the boat angry at you. =P
Honestly though, it was a lot of fun!
I totally lost my voice from all the yelling. "GO! GO! GO! FINISH! EVERYTHING!" is what I was yelling when we were finishing the race. I could barely speak the next day at work...

We were favored to win our division in the final race. And despite a great start, unfortunately we finished 3rd.
You can't win them all. But we still got a medal.

It was a great ride this year.
Perhaps I'll go back to paddling next year... =)

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Games played at Dragon Boating: Hacky Sack, Poker, Frisbee Golf