A women’s team from the Squamish Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) enjoyed great weather and some fierce competition at the recent Alcan Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver.
Team Chawanda, made up of 17 women from Squamish with a couple of paddlers from elsewhere, placed eighth in the Women’s Recreational B Final on Sunday, June 22, on False Creek.
The Squamish team placed third and fifth, respectively, in its two heats on Saturday, June 21, then placed fifth in its opening race on Sunday, just missing a spot in the A final, team spokesperson Cathie Greenlees said.
Team Chawanda then placed eighth in the Recreational B Championship race with a time of two minutes, 29.64 seconds, just seven-hundredths of a second behind the next boat.
Greenless said the women’s categories have become highly competitive. By way of comparison, she said, the winning Competitive A Championship boat One West/CIBC from Vancouver, covered the same 500 metres in 2:04.36.
The 26th annual Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival included more than 180 teams, with women’s teams coming from as far away as San Francisco.
One of the weekend highlights for Team Chawanda was the participation of Anne-Lise Morgenstieme, an exchange student from Norway.
“Anna-Lise enjoyed her time practicing with us and was thrilled to be able to come to the festival, saying that ‘it will be one of her best memories of Canada,’” Greenlees wrote in a statement. Morgenstieme returned to Norway on Friday (June 27).
She said coach Macky Sumalileng “was pleased with the finish but knows that with more training and dedication, the team will move up in the standings.”
Team Chawanda travels to the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival this weekend (July 5 and 6) and hopes to participate in the Victoria Festival in August. SDBA men’s paddlers plan to compete with a Vancouver-based team at an event in Harrison Hot Springs in late July.
The SDBA is always looking for more paddlers, Greenlees said. No experience is necessary, and equipment will be provided, she said.
“It’s a great way to stay fit, and not just for your upper body,” she said of the sport. For more information visit the Squamish Dragon Boat Association’s Facebook page, phone Greenlees at (604) 815-3506 or email [email protected].
