After missing the weekday practice due to rain and not really knowing any of my teammates except one, I'll admit that I (right at first) regretted my decision to sign up for the race. I'm not one to jump right in to uncomfortable situations, especially when I have no clue what I'm doing. However, once our team was assembled that morning and the logistics were figured out, I felt much more comfortable!
My morning began bright and early with a six mile run around the downtown area with my friend Heather!
It was a super humid morning which served as a reminder that summer time is just around the corner. We timed the run just right because we finished about 10 minutes before I needed to meet up with my dragon boat team. Thankfully, I didn't even have to move my vehicle as our run took place at the same location as the boat race!
I was honestly surprised at the size of the event as it encompassed an entire section of our downtown/lake area and was literally an all day affair.
The team I joined was called the Life Savers, composed of EMT, cardiology, and oncology personnel. Funny pun on words, huh? :)
This was my first time to actually see the dragon boats in person and I was honestly surprised at their size!
Each boat fit 22 people - two rowers per seat, one drummer, and one person to steer.
I was really nervous as the unknown always gets me. Also, our water isn't the cleanest (aka, it looks like mud), so I was worried we would flip over in that mess...ewwww. Gross.
Off we go!
Our first race was terrible, I'm not going to lie. We totally lost this race as we weren't in sync and couldn't get a rhythm down. This is where a practice would have come in handy.... oh well.
I even had a few cheerleaders out to cheer me on! :)
Our hospital picnic also coincided with the event, so we had yummy food to eat!
Our second race took place right after lunch. We were only up against one team this time (our local news station) and we won this one! Yay!
Funny side note...their team name was the "Technical Difficulties"...
Boat #1 for the win!
Our third and final race was another bust as we also lost that one but oh well - we still had fun and I really enjoyed the day.
Seriously, though. Rowing is no joke! My arms and upper body hurt so much by the time the day was over. I'm really surprised I wasn't sore the next day.
Team Life Savers!
See how our drummer was dressed? That's another fun part of this event - the drummers had the chance to dress in fun costumes and were entered into a contest. I think my favorite drummer costume was the one who was dressed like a shark!
A local industry team ended up winning the entire competition. These guys are hard core and have won the entire event the past five years. They even have their own boat, tryouts, and practice sessions. I knew we were in trouble when I turned around to see them all stretching and warming up in synchronized motions behind us! Oy.
In all, it was a really fun day and I'm glad I can say I participated in the event! Will I do it again in the future? Maybe! We will just have to see! :)
Have you ever gone out of your comfort zone to participate in an event? Did you end up liking it in the end?
This sounds like a blast!
ReplyDeleteIt really was a lot of fun and nice to do something a little different and out of my comfort zone!
DeleteI'm actually joining a running group in a couple weeks to run around a park close to home. Out of my comfort zone, but we're all runners.
ReplyDeleteOh that's awesome, Lesley! I hope all goes well with your new running group endeavors!
DeleteWhen I saw the title on the SweatPink FB group, I didn't realize this was an actual BOAT race! I thought it was a running race named after a boat. This looks really cool!
ReplyDeleteToo funny!! It really was a lot of fun! :)
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