Team Chawanda's trip to San Francisco proved to be a coming-out party for the lone team in the 麻豆社国产Dragon Boat Association (SDBA).
The all-female team was forced to compete against mixed teams at the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 17 and 18, but still managed to take home a silver medal.
"Once we arrived in San Francisco we were surprised to find out that we would be competing against all mixed teams," said team representative Cathie Greenlees. "However, our coach Carl Mendoza was encouraging and said, 'You have trained and worked hard, ladies, so go out and have the best race you can. Never be discouraged.'"
The team seemed to take Mendoza's advice to heart, narrowly missing out on gold by 1.45 seconds to take home a silver medal in the mixed competitive D division. Mixed teams were required to have at least eight women among 20 paddlers, which makes Team Chawanda's all-female accomplishment that much more impressive.
Chawanda also competed in a women's-only race, placing ninth out of 32 teams. It brings an end to a successful season, which saw the team also pick up a gold medal at the Deep Cove Dash back in April.
Greenlees said the team plans to continue training until the weather becomes too uncooperative and then will begin making plans for next year.
For more information on the SDBA, check out their Facebook page by typing "麻豆社国产Dragon Boating" into the search bar.
