I started paddling on a Dragon Boat team in 2004.
2019 was my 15th year paddling (I missed one year while living in Mexico). It was my 4th time coaching a team. My current team has been in existence for 4 years, I have been on it for three of those years. My first year I just paddled, but couldn’t help myself from giving tips to newer paddlers. The next two years I coached the whole team.
Four years ago we started out as a Division 4 team. That’s out of 4 total divisions, Division One being the best. We medaled that year, second place
Three years ago we medaled in Division 4, first place.
Two years ago we came in at the bottom of Division 2. No medals for us.
This year we medaled in Division 2, third place.
We paddled against some really tough teams. Two of those teams have been in Division One or Two for the past four years. And we kept pace with them! We came in third in the finals by half a second. It was a tight race.
We have come a long way in four short years. I’m so proud of us.
However, this year felt different to me, knowing what my future may hold. I don’t know if I’ll be coming back next year. I have chosen to follow a new career which will take me out of town for weeks at a stretch. This is new territory for me. I’m launching into the unknown - again. Will it be a move in the right direction? Will I love it, or at least like it enough to follow that path for a while?
I’m also ready to move away from Portland. At least for a while. I’ve been here for 17 years - longer than I’ve lived anywhere. It’s odd and somewhat comforting. I know what building was on that corner over there years ago, before they tore it down and built that new apartment building. I know what restaurants have occupied the same space over the years, each new one thinking they can make a go of it when the ones before it couldn’t. I know how to get around town (at least on the East side), avoiding the high-traffic areas. All of which makes me feel like I’ve been here too long. I’m growing moss on my feet from standing still too long. I want to explore new places, and revisit old places. I want to get more sun, meet new people, get some new creative inspiration. This new career will offer me those opportunities.
Dragon Boat has been one thing that has kept me happy with it’s consistency over the years. Every December I get an email from my team Captain rousting me out of my winter doldrums, offering the promise of camaraderie and time on the river. I pay my fee, and block off my schedule.
The end of March rolls around and it’s still chilly on the river. Wear layers of clothing to stay warm. Stretch out those muscles that don’t feel like they’ve gotten much use this past year. Tap into body memory to get the paddling form going. Make adjustments for a body that is a year older, perhaps a few pounds heavier or lighter. Try to improve your stroke, your strength, your endurance. Pull harder, stay in time, watch your stroker. Get off the boat and feel the results of your work. Repeat three times a week for ten long weeks.
April and May come, the sun stays out longer, some days are actually warm and dry. Suddenly Race weekend is around the corner. It’s a full weekend of pre-race party, Seeding Races, Elimination Races, and post-race party. Photos explode on Facebook, praising and remembering the events of the previous days. The flush of a great season stays with you for a day, a week - until the real world creeps back in and pushes that flush to the back of your mind and into memory.
The Summer Party email is sent out, a time when we can all get together in a few months to see one another again.
And then the lull. Three days freed from suiting up and meeting at the flagpole. No longer wondering if you’ve remembered all your gear as you rush from your house. No more looking at the weather report to determine how many layers you want to wear tonight. You eat when you want, not tied down to holding off if you’re going to be on the boat soon.
And yet, when you see those photos again, and think about putting your all into each race, “leaving it all on the river”, your heart beats a bit faster, and you check the calendar to figure out how many more months or weeks before you can do it all again.
I love my Dragon Boat team, and hope that I can - somehow - figure out how to participate next year. Or perhaps I will take a year off and return sometime in the future. In the meantime I will bask in the warmth of post-season glory, and look forward to the Summer Party.
