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Despite rain, dragon boat fest 'a success'
Published 5:02 PDT, Tue August 28, 2018
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
Dragon boaters welcomed Saturday’s rain,
despite it putting a damper on the eighth annual Steveston Dragon Boat
Festival.
“Yes, it was miserable and cold, and not
pleasant, but given what was going on with the forest fires (in the province),
it was a blessing to have that rain,” said Allison Miller, co-manager of
Twisted Dragons, a team of men and women over the age of 55.
David Chinn, operations manager for Dragon
Boat BC, said a record 78 teams participated in the sold-out competition, which
featured 2,100 paddlers and some 10,000 spectators.
With the youngest competitor being 15, and
others in their 80s and 90s, Chinn said teams assemble each year for a variety
of reasons.
Some are breast cancer survivors, others are
mental health groups, and there’s even a team for the Richmond Food Bank, Chinn
said.
“There’s really a team out there for
everybody,” said Chinn, who said that although this season is now winding down,
work is already underway planning next year’s competition.
For the Twisted Dragons, which formed in 2009
when the BC Senior Games were held in Steveston, the 31-member team practices
twice a week, 90 minutes each time, from March to the end of September. Some
members join other teams to even practice weekly during the winter months.
“It is exhilarating because it is a team
sport, and there’s satisfaction in that, doing things as a team.”
For the Twisted Dragons, the philosophy is to
try to incorporate fun, fitness and competition into everything they do.
The cost of joining the team is “very
reasonable”, Miller said, when you consider the length of the season and the
number of practices.
The team could add a couple more people, and
anyone interested can email the team at twisted.dragons55@gmail.com, or visit
their website at twisteddragons55.com
Chinn said anybody who is interested in
dragon boating should reach out to Dragon Boat BC.
“There’s really a team out there for
everybody,” he said, no matter the age, skill or fitness level, or how
competitive they wish to be.
There’s a cap on the number of boats that can
participate, Chinn said, and the Steveston event sells out early each year.
Over the past eight years, the event has
become a regular part of the Steveston scene.
“We feel like we’re a part of this community
when we put on this event,” Chinn said. “(Area residents and visitors)
appreciate it and see the spectacle and come down and see the races.”