The Party

Needless to say, we did some partying after. We started out from the Hotel with a few Buckets of KFC (We vowed to buy 2 buckets on Saturday Night since it was staring us in the face since we arrived, KFC is across the road from our hotel) and went directly to a Hawker Stand for more food and it just so happens that they had karaoke....Jeff, Josh, and Jeremy stole the show. After a meal and some drinks we went to yet another karaoke bar where we all participated and finally ended up back at the lounge at our hotel for some of the best dancing the GD's have done in a long time.

Tonight is the official Paddler's Party. Yesterday was our GD party because we were finished racing. The Open and Women's Finals are today. I think we will be going to the race site again to watch.

I am not sure when I will update the blog again since we are done racing now, I can't promise that I will do it tomorow, but perhaps I'll update you on our Phuket vacation. Most of the GD's are heading to Thailand tomorrow and we will continue the party for a few days in Phuket.

A few more pictures:

Save the Best for Last

Hello Everyone in Canada !!!!!

You can imagine that I was very busy yesterday and was not able to update the blog as there was no time for anything but celebrations.

Let's start at the beginning. Please forgive me if there are grammer/spelling mistakes, I was up til 2:30am and it is now 7:30am, Aug 3. Just wanted to get this out there for those that don't already know.

Yesterday began much later than previous days. Our first race was at 2pm, breakfast was at 9am and the bus picked us up at 11:45am. You could tell we all wanted Gold, it was written all over our faces, but we tried to keep things light and not let our nerves get the best of us. Everyone knows 500m is our best race...we train for it more and we are a team that can catch anyone during the middle of the race if we find ourselves behind.

Side note: We are being beat out of the hole here on practically every race...just not enough muscle in our boat as compared to the other top contenders. If you line us up with Mayfair or Chiros..they are all bigger than us. However, we are a light crew with an excellent power to weight ratio and we KILL during every other part of the race. It makes for great watching though....we had our supporters on the edges of their seats...coming out of the hole in 4th place and making up ground.

When we arrived at the race site it was already pumping. We had a bit of time to settle in, but warm-up came pretty quick. We were all so focused and we were eager to race. Let's show the world what the west coast of Canada is made of. Save the Best Performance for Last.

That is exactly what we did. Our first race was good, but not that "magic" you sometimes find where everything comes together. We came first in our heat, but we had a few things to work on.

Surprisingly, we had a good time. Don't quote me, but I think it was 2:00 even.

Side Note 2: We are racing on freshwater, it makes the boats a bit heavier and therefore times are a bit slower than expected. But we all know times don't matter...it is the head to head racing in the final that counts.

We were ranked 2nd into our Semi. We did not have to race Mayfair or Sudbury in the Semi.

We couldn't let our fans down, so our semi was raced as usual...behind in the first quater to half of the race and then we kicked it into high gear to take 1st place in the semi.

THE GRAND FINAL: All of our training, some of us have been working toward this goal for 2 years, has come down to this final !!!! The last race of the season; the last CCWC race of 2008 for the premier mixed category. The gorging dragons may never race this exact crew ever again.

Our goal was to race our race without fear, but with intensity like we've never done before and with control. Pound on the start like there is nothing to paddle after and keep going until your lungs are bursting and your muscles are aching...paddle through the pain and into a place where called MAGIC. Pain is but an emotion, as Rick Baxter told us, it will be forgotten. Victory and the perfect race can be remembered forever.

Our fans/supporters almost out number the team. You could hear their cheers no matter where you were on the water.

I know I felt ready and confident heading out to the start line. I had this calm about me that can't be explained as I should have been quite nervous. We called a power 10 on our way up and it felt amazing....you just knew this was going to be a great race.

Henry, our stern, backed us in last as to avoid too much drawing.

ARE YOU READY?

ATTENTION !!!

GO !!

............it was magical. It hurt. It made people's lungs burst. It makes me so proud to be a GD.

Excellent Start for us.
Great transition into race pace.
Nothing but intense power the whole way down.
It felt like we had a motor strapped to the back of the boat, never losing momentum.

The finish was amazing.

We earned a Silver Medal !!!!!

Way to go GD's.

Congratulations to Mayfair and Sudbury. What a great final !!!

Some Pictures: Arriving at Tent 12:45am, After our First Race - AUS beside us in the blue, Medal Presentation, The Fans/Supporters,

Cling, Cling, Cling, Cling

Sorry I didn’t get this up sooner, but we were longer at the race site than expected and the hotel is having internet problems. It is currently 9pm, Aug 1.

So, I ask you, what sound does 1 bronze medal make on it’s own?? Not much, if you ask me.

How about 2 bronze medals???

Cling, Cling, Cling, Cling

Yes, the GD’s raced their hearts out today and brought home another medal.

Top three finishers in the Premier Mixed 200m Grand Final were all from Canada again. Same teams, Same order.

We are all eager to catch Mayfair and Sudbury in the 500m tomorrow, it is our strongest distance.

Some pictures:

CANADA, CANADA, CANADA

Hello to everyone at home. Thanks again for visiting our blog. I am having a great time doing the daily posts. Today is July 31, 2:45pm.

It was quite an eventful day. The GD's were at the race site around 8:30am and our 2000m heat was scheduled for 10:15am. Upon arrival at the dam, you could feel the energy....teams were arriving by the bus full and many had already set up their tents. Banners and flags everywhere.

We were all on high alert and the nerves were going as we all had to use the "facilities" right away. Did I mention the bathrooms at the race site are all "squatters"? Yep...just another cultural experience to take home with us. Even the portapotties were squatters.

I know...you are all wondering how we did.

Here are some Pictures first: Walking to Marshalling Area, Marshalling, Getting Ready to Start

We were first off the line and had the most amazing start. Spray and wash everywhere, but our timing was very precise and our supports on land said it looked strong. The air was dense and moist in the boat...not a breath of fresh air to be had, but we dug deep and the boat never lost momentum. We raced exceptionally and in my opinion, probably the best 2000m we've ever done. The course seemed a bit longer than 2000m.

Results: (approx. times)

1) Mayfair 9:48

2) Sudbury - Chiros 9:58

3) Gorging Dragons - 9:59

Canada took Gold, Silver and Bronze !!!!!!!! and apparently we also took 4th and 5th place too

So there you have it....we are over joyed and tired. Time for a nap. Tomorrow we have 200m races....what a great way to start this world event.

Bye for now.

July 30th Practice

There is not much to report today. The GD's were up early and out the door for our final practice session. It is currently 2:15pm on Wednesday Jul 30. The routine has been that we arrive back from practice around 10:30am and then shower, then eat, then nap, then do some light exercise, then eat, then sleep...pretty exciting eh??

Tomorrow we will compete in the 2000m event around 10am. We are in the second heat or round. I believe there are approximately 25 premier mixed teams and 2 heats of 12-13 boats. It is the same set up as at the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival; 4 lengths of 500m with 3 turns. We are all very excited.

There was a bit of a breeze today at the dam which makes the sun seem not as hot. Other Canadian teams were present as well as Germany, Australia, Iran, Phillipines, etc....

Below are some pictures from today...enjoy.

July 29th Practice

It is 2pm on July 29th. Today we began our day with the usual breakfast buffet around 6:30am. Again, I have to mention that the breakfast is awesome; just to give you all a small taste of the menu, there are eggs (cooked anyway you want), pancakes, museli, yogurt, coconut rice, fried rice, salad, hashbrowns, toast, fruit, etc.....

Enough about food, you all want to know about our practice.

At 7:15am we boarded our designated bus and headed northwest to the Teluk Bahang Dam (the race site). It is a 20minute bus ride along a windy road which reveals some beautiful coastal

scenery.

At the race site we were reunited with our paddles and began our warmup before heading out on the water.

Many teams started arriving shortly after us. The tent assigments show a large contingent of Canadian teams, let's hope we hear that Canadian Anthem over and over and over again when it comes time for medals.

The boats are not BUKs, but similar. Seat #1 has the most challenging position since the seats are very close to the drummer, not nearly enough leg room for Rick and Mel. The boat feels fast and the wake is large. Seat's 1, 2, and 3 are definately in for some wake bashing during the start.

The weather was tolerable when we first arrived, but the sun started to peak out from the clouds and we all felt it. We spent 45mins on the water and retreated to our A/C bus for a ride back to the Dorsett Penang Hotel.

Until next time......

Arrivals

It is Monday July 28th and the GD’s have been reunited in Penang. Most of us have been in SE Asia for a few days now; some in Bangkok, others in Singapore and some have been acquainting themselves with Penang. Acclimatization is our goal because the heat is SERIOUS out here.

Our hotel is very comfortable, equipped with a gym, pool, friendly staff and an extremely yummy buffet breakfast. You can start to feel the energy of the races. Other teams are arriving as this is one of many official event hotels (Dorsett Penang Hotel).

We were notified that racing will begin on THURSDAY, not FRIDAY. The GD’s race in the premier mixed category. We will race the 2000m on Thursday before Noon, 200m Friday Morning, and 500m Saturday afternoon.

Today will be spent getting over our jet lag, exchanging money, stocking fridges with water, juice, fruit, snacks, finding laundry services, some light exercise and maybe even sneaking in a nap. Tomorrow we will head out to the Teluk Dam for the first of two practices.

Did I mention the HEAT and HUMIDITY?? Yep, it’s hot and humid. The overcast weather is keeping us out of the direct sun but the humidity keeps you sticky and moist all day if you are not in an establishment with A/C.

Tomorrow will be exciting as we will be paddling together in Penang for the first time. The boats are slightly different than the BUK boats we are used to, but more similar to a BUK than a millennium.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates.