Posts tagged watersports

As a meter reader, our boss always tells us to come back the same way we left. Totally failed to do that this weekend coming home from the dragon boat races…Heres the Before/After

A little pinkish…

Totally red and burnt.

Spring Race was my debut as a steers person and it was awesome and symbolic for me to steer my first race for an elementary team. These kids are the future of dragon boat and with the love I have for this sport, supporting these little paddlers was momentous! ALSO, we had two boats for this race competition which consisted of our “Atlas” and “Delta” I paddled for Delta and steered Atlas. If you could imagine, in those conditions I was non stop all day steering, paddling, paddling, steering… even my lunch break was cut short! But enough about me…

I was so PROUD of my team!! We have come a long way since last year when I joined the team. After I joined we had an explosion of people joining the team. Overnight we doubled our team roster. Then when the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival hit we were an inexperienced team that showed so much potential and managed to take home a few  medals. Throughout 2011 we took home many medals and paddled our hearts out but still maintained in the lower divisions. But this year starting with a rough patch throughout Jan and Feb we still managed to pull it together before the Spring Race to train right and train hard all adding up to this moment where we pulled our first medal in a division A race. We placed third in Division A 200m mixed races!

I imagine with more practice and dedication from the team we can totally compete in Division A and be one of the top teams! Regardless, I love my team and were the best!

After the races some of us went to celebrate a wholesome meal at our team sponsors establishment Naples Rib Co and I went home for a good nights sleep…

Back in December 2011 my team benchmarked 100meters. Each of us paddled alone and noted our individual times for paddling on the right and on the left. My times left and right in December were 1:32 left 1:36 right. I told myself then that my goal was to make it to 1:20 the next time I benchmark.

Today we benchmarked again to see progress and progress did I show! I paddled 1:25 left and 1:24 right! I am 4-5 seconds shy of my goal. I do feel a definite improvement in my paddling and will continue to search for self improvement…