For the first time ever, members of the 麻豆社国产Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) made their way to the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, June 11 and 12 in False Creek in Vancouver.
The all-麻豆社国产women's team known as Chawanda competed in several 4X500-metre races against 31 women's teams from all over B.C. on Saturday (June 11). In the team's first race, they placed second in their heat and eighth overall, which advanced them to the Recreational A Championships, where they finished fifth in their race and 13th overall.
"It was a great learning experience," said SDBA president Cathie Greenlees. "And a lot of fun."
But the successful weekend wasn't without a little bit of adversity, as Chawanda's youngest team member, Rebecca Prior, was forced to contribute to the team with a severely sprained ankle. In addition, it was first-ever race for two team members. And on top of that, the team found out on Thursday (June 9) that it needed to have a female drummer, which meant that coach Carl Mendoza wasn't allowed to perform the drumming like he usually does.
"Thank heavens we were able to pick up a volunteer drummer who helped us out," Greenlees said. "However, this was the first time we didn't have our coach right in front of us, and certainly changed our game a bit."
Ten members of the team also paddled with the Dragon Hybrids mixed team. The Dragon Hybrids raced the same 4X500-metre races and eventually finished 10th overall in a field of 83 teams.
Greenlees said the team may take part in one or two smaller races this summer but will be focusing on training for the California Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place in San Francisco on Sept. 17 and 18. The team will be fundraising and accepting sponsorships for the race and will release full details in the coming weeks.
For more information on the SDBA, check out their Facebook page by typing "麻豆社国产Dragon Boating" into the search bar.
