This weekend, my team competed in the Pickering Dragonboat Regatta. There were a few moments in the morning where I thought we were going to have another rainy day of racing. However it quickly cleared up and in the end the day turned out to be beautiful. In fact, I ended up getting quite a bit burnt on my face. I had totally forgotten to put sunscreen on my face and never even realized I was getting burned until the end of the day when my BF mentioned to me that my face was all red. It’s a good thing that I tan very easily. The next day the redness disappeared. Although, now my skin is feeling the after effects of a burn. UGH.
Our first race of the day was at 10:34 AM. Originally we had registered under the Sport Division. However, when our team got there they informed us we weren’t allowed to be in the Sport Division because we weren’t members of Dragonboat Canada. Apparently, those that are registered under Dragonboat Canada were the only ones allowed to race under Sport Division. It was a little amusing to see some of the other teams’ faces when they saw us being marshalled up to the races and wondering who was this team wearing lifejackets? (Sports Division were not allowed to wear life jackets while it was mandatory for teams in Recreation Division. Go figure.) The organizers allowed us to race against the Sports Division teams and then used our time to seed us accordingly in the Recreation Division. I didn’t race the first race and ended up drumming. Which was fine for me as I haven’t been feeling very well all season. The night before I barely slept and my coughing kept me up most of the night. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t sat on the drum very much before and I am always a little nervous as to what to say during a race. The drummer’s responsibility is to relay to the front of the boat what the Cox is saying as well as motivate the team during a race. We generally don’t do so well during our first race. However, we have always performed well when we know we have very stiff competition.
Looking at our results, I personally feel that we still have a lot of work to do if we want to perform well this season. In our second race, which was the semi-final, I was asked if I wanted to race in it or if I wanted to drum. There was some concern because of my “coughing”. Basically, my asthma has not been the greatest and it’s probably been noted that I have missed a few practices already this early in the season. I told them that I haven’t been feeling well and if they want to put me on the drum I am fine with it. In fact, I wouldn’t be upset if I drummed all day. But if I had to choose which race to paddle in I’d rather paddle in the semi than in the final. In the end I didn’t paddle and drummed the entire time. As the day progressed it was noted that my drumming “skills” improved. They particularly liked it when I screamed during the final, “SHOW ME YOU WANT IT!” It was then that I heard the Roar from the engine room and felt that kick in the boat.
In the end, my team placed 2nd in the A Consolation Division or about 8th overall in the Recreation Division. I was generally happy because we beat the team I wanted to beat. Other than that, it was a beautiful day of racing. I just wished I was able to contribute to the team paddling wise. Although I do realize drumming is important in a race, it’s just not the same when you are not paddling 
. After a few days of thinking about my participation in this sport this year, I’ve concluded that I will probably be doing a lot of drumming. As well, it will be a sort of “rebuilding” year for me as I will need to do a lot of work in the gym to get back at the state I was in last year. Last year I was in such good shape. Sigh. The good news is that I think I may finally have found a gym that suits my needs. I’m hoping it works out and I’ll let all know about it. Hopefully by then, I’ll be able to track my athletic progress online.
