Riding the Dragon

[Jilly]

Today was our first dragon boat festival of this year. We raced 4, 500m races today. The first 2 races seed you for a semi-final, then hopefully into a final. Well we were one of 5 club crews as opposed to community crews, like local businesses, clubs and office groups. Well we pulled hard and were neck in neck time wise with a crew from Ottawa. (one of the hot beds of racing in Ontario) In the final we lost to that team and another Ottawa team by seconds, or dragon heads. I don't have the official times yet, but they were close. So we got bronze medals for our first race this year.
Biggest problem is we don't race again until August. And we will be missing 2 girls off the team as they are paddling in Malayasia with Canadian teams in the World Crew Club Championships. But they will back for the rest of the races in September.
Fun day, good friends, good racing and now I'm tired and a little sore.

 

[Robyn]

Jilly, I missed this before! Any way DH can take some pictures of your next race? I'd love to see some. Congrats on the bronze medal.

 

[Jilly]

Check out www.bellevilledragonboatclub.com, click on pictures, then Kingston Festivals. I'm in the back of the boat on the right (starboard) side.

 

[Robyn]

Your edit notes cracked me up girl!

 

[Robyn]

Tears, why the tears on the one woman standing up? Is she a survivor?

 

[Jilly]

If its the two boats, and mostly dressed in pink, - yah, that the breast cancer survivor teams. I can't even watch the carnation ceremony any more. Way too moving. These gals and their supporters are great people and have a really warped, neat sense of humour. There was a team of survivors and supporters from Burlington Vermont at that event. DragonHeart. I was on our local Pink Dragons boat at our festival last year. We managed to flip the boat. When we got everyone on dry land the other team came over to support them and one question asked was does everyone have their prothesis. Well all I could picture was little packages of saline floating on the water! See what I mean about their sense of humour.
In the group shot with the medals, I'm third from the left in the front row. You may also notice that not many of us are under 30. That said, we smoked the university kids we were training.
I've a race this weekend, but not with this crew. Its our gym and I've been asked to paddle with one of the top womens' crews coming in from Toronto as their appear to be short about 5 paddlers that can't make it. This Toronto crew is going to Malayasia the end of the month. So it'll be neat to see the way they handle things.

 

[vanhoskier]

Jilly-
I was driving through Ottawa (I think around June 21) and heard the DJ's on the radio discussing that day's dragon boat races! Thought of you!

 

[Jilly]

Yes, that was their big festival weekend. That festival is a two day event at Dow's Lake. Big money raised and lots of fun. Our team didn't want to do it as we were at one the weekend before.

We do compete in the big race in Toronto at the waterfront. September 12th and 13th this year. Great White North Challenge.

The other question that begs to be asked - what the H were you doing in Ottawa!!

 

[vanhoskier]

The other question that begs to be asked - what the H were you doing in Ottawa!!

Just passing through on our way to Montreal from Foresters Falls, Ontario (Ottawa Kayak School) - to jet boat the Lachine Rapids and surf the Habitat 67 wave in the St. Lawrence. See the Whitewater thread!