Who's ready to dragon boat?
The 2005 dragon boat season has started up, and the Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dragon boat team will begin Sunday practices on April 4th,
2005. Practices start time will be 2pm, and will be held either
at Plaza of Nations or Science World (I am finalizing details).
Cost will again be $130 to cover registration for Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, boat rentals and team shirts.
Check these links for more information on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team and our coaching philosophy.
Check out our extracurricular activities such as carving a dragon boat head and creating a float for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and being filmed for the “Thalassa” dragon boat documentary
The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team is now entered in:
June 18/19 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
July 9/10 SeaVancouver Festival
September 3/4 Vancouver Intl Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race
other possible races:
May 21 – Lotus Sports Club “Bill Alley” regatta
July 16 – race at Harrison Lake or Kent Washington
July 23 – Richmond Dragon Boat Festival
Paddlers can pick and choose which events to enter, as their schedules
permit. Costs for each additional race is separate.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team had an eventful season in
2004. We were filmed by a French television crew from Paris for
the travel documentary series “Thalassa” which aired globally in
December 2004. The show featured our team paddling and doing Tai Chi in
the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park in Chinatown. And we made the Rec D finals,
paddling hard for a chance at medals… at least we had the chance.
And we improved from the Rec D consolation rounds in 2003.
In August, some team members along with co-coach Bob Brinson, travelled
to Seattle to take part in the world’s first dragon boat barrel racing
event. Tacoma Dragon Boat Association organized the event on Lake
Union and it was so much fun that Bob Brinson incorporated the barrell
racing event into the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat
race on Labour Day weekend. Again Gung Haggis made it to the Rec
D medal round but got edged out by a team we had beat earlier in the
event. Some of our paddlers did take home medals as we also
competed with the Spirit
of Vancouver team, as we had borrowed some of their paddlers for our race too! All in good sharing spirit!
In September, some of us joined up with Tacoma Dragon Boat Association
as they raced in the Penticton Dragon Boat Festival, where we had the
top time of the day, before the races were cancelled due to high
winds. Then in October we paddled again with TDBA in voyageur
canoes for the UBC Day of the Longboats where our Men’s team placed 1st
overall, the mixed team came 3rd, and the women’s team put in a great
effort! Gung Haggis Fat Choy was entered in the Fort Langley
Cranberry Festival Canoe Regatta. We had great fun, and learned how not
to paddle voyageur canoes in the pumpkin pick-up race, having overshot
the pumpkins and
having to paddle back downstream, then back upstream
to finish the race.
Cheers, Todd Wong
604-987-7124