Gold in San Diego

Two races into our first season, and we’re bringing home gold.

Our first race was the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival, the day we found out what this crew was made of. Our second was San Diego: two days of racing, September 26 and 27. This time we went for the podium.

Gold · Open B division · 10-man boat · 250 metres.

Race morning starts before the sun. You load the gear, find the tent, and go quiet. Then the selfies start and the quiet doesn’t last.

A 10-man boat is unforgiving: ten paddlers, a drummer and a steer, and nowhere to hide. The drummer sets the rate, the steer holds the line, and every blade has to hit the water at the same moment. Miss the timing and the boat stalls. Get it right and the boat lifts and runs.

We got it right.

Paddles up. Attention. GO. 250 metres is a pure sprint. There’s no settling in: a violent start, a few strokes to find the rhythm, then everything you have all the way to the line.

Then the best part. Medals around our necks and arms up for the camera.

Thanks to every paddler, the drummer, the steer, and everyone on the bank who yelled for us. We race 10-man and 20-man boats over 250 and 500 metres, and we’re only getting started.