Season Finale - Philly DB Festival

by Stephen Li

The season finale had come and we're off to Philadelphia! All the hard work put in this season will finally come to an end at this race. After so many heartbreaks and near misses this year, will this be our time? Organization for this event had been at times unpredictable and frantic with the late dropout of our beloved captain Ken due to sickness. Also, for the first time ever, we were sending NCAWPA's newest team, Capital City Dragons, a team comprising mainly youths along with parents and friends.

Race 1 - 500m qualifier

The first race of the day was to set the scene for the rest of the day. We left our mark and everyone had their eyes on us. We stormed to a convincing victory in our heat winning by around 4/5 boat lengths setting the fastest time DC Dragons had ever clocked. The most encouraging thing was that the team themselves knew we had an extra gear in us. Our start in this race was a bit wobbly and we did not leave the line cleanly. It was a great feeling in setting a fast time while knowing we had more to give. Our time turned out being the 5th fastest of the day which put us right into the 'A' semi-finals.

DC Dragons 2:09.58, Out of the Blue 2:32.15, Sync Oar Swim 2:36.06, The Bocce Club2:37.64, Mary’s Crew 2:41.88, REO Speed Dragon 2:43.31, Oar Derves 2:49.50, Garnet Valley Jaguars 16:00.00

Race 2 - 500m 'A' semifinal

The semifinal placed us with much stiffer competition, but it made no difference as we were only concentrating on ourselves and our race. Our start didn’t knock the drummer from her seat but it was powerful enough to shift us off the line quickly and it felt better than the first heat. We pushed through to the transition and then into race lengths. It was a good fight from the beginning and right through to the end. However, after crossing the line we realized we had only come in third. It was enough to put us into the 'A' Grand final but the reality check was that there were at least another 4 boats faster than us throughout the day. And in order to medal we'd have to reach levels that we'd never been before. The team just couldn't bear missing out again.

Main Line Health & Fitness TEAM INTENSITY 2:09.38, Team Chaos 2:10.83, DC Dragons 2:11.72, River Runners 2:19.80, West DragonPHLAME 2:22.36, Living Root Dragon Boat 2:22.83, Fairmount Park Commodores 2:26.21, Ocean State DragonBoat Club 2:29.30

Race 3 - 500m 'A' Grand Final

The time had come for our final race of the day, our final race this season and our final chance for some silverware. Have we prepared enough to perform our best in this race? We were all certainly pumped up for this one. ‘We have alignment...ATTENTION!’ As we reach forward, the cool air fills our lungs as we dig our paddles deep. We set ourselves up for that all important first stroke. A good start was crucial to have any chance in beating these top teams.
‘GOOOOO!’ The boat grunts through that first stroke and the boat moves quickly off the line as we recover and set up for the second stroke. The second catch of the paddles pulls the boat as we steam forward and pick up speed…With the end of the start sequence we start to surge to full momentum. REACH… 10, 9 8... !!!
We pull off our best start of the day but all the other top teams were still right there with us. We want this race badly, so we push to gain more distance but our efforts was only enough to keep us alongside the other teams. Some of us can hear the announcer shouting out that it was a 3-way tussle between the center lanes with us not in the picture. Our boat continues to power on through to the final 100m and we hear the screams for DC at the supporters tents...
The final 100m was when the team showed the extraordinary guts, courage and determination of DC Dragons. All as one, we put in everything we had left into each stroke and the boat exploded and started to make up ground on the leading boats. We clawed back on the gap seat by seat and within the dying seconds we were neck and neck with the leading pack of boats. We had crossed the finish line and it was just too close to know the finishing order.
When the announcement came we knew who had won and came second. Then the announcement for 3rd place....pause.....'DC Dragons!!!' And the whole boat lets out ecstatic screams and we celebrate wildly! So much was put in that some were overcome with their emotions. And who could blame them? After all the previous heartbreaks in previous events, we had finally managed to end the season with some silverware by setting another club record. It just doesn't get much better!

Main Line Health & Fitness TEAM INTENSITY 2:07.51, GSK Firedragons Supercrew 2:07.59, DC Dragons 2:08.35, Wyeth Wyverns 2:09.29, Team Chaos 2:11.55, Baltimore Dragon Boat Club 2:13.88, Komodo Dragons 2:16.14, River Runners 2:17.07



Reflection

Philly was something truly special. We couldn't have asked for much more from each paddler. There is clearly more to dragonboat racing than just winning… DC Dragons is not just a dragonboating team, it is the embodiment of a group of friends and family who shared a common interest in paddling. Being a part of a family, where we train, compete and race for each other. We also had incredible support from our supporters with many people cheering us on all day. I'm sure everone was proud to have been part of this weekend and part of this great club!