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On May 3, 2008, a team of Lifestyle Family Fitness members and employees got to
take part in the 5th Annual Dragon Boat Races in Tampa. This was the first time
Lifestyle had a team at this exciting event. Team captain Kim Christine shares her
story with Lifestyle Magazine.
The 5th Annual Dragon Boat Races went off in typical Tampa fashion – over 10,000
spectators, 66 teams, and a beautiful sunny day all in the name of the Moffitt Cancer
Center and Florida Aquarium charities. Team Lifestyle showed up with their “game
faces” on – touting our super tough looking dragon boat shirts. Even though we were
new on the Dragon Boat scene, Team Lifestyle came to play and the fear in our competitors’
eyes showed from the start!
Seven employees and 14 members took to the water at 10:10 AM for our first race,
the Tampa Bay Rays Challenge Cup. The little bit of nervousness quickly wore off
as we paddled hard to victory in our first ever Dragon Boat race! Not only a victory,
but a decisive one! Two boat lengths separated us from the next closest boat and
our 400m time of 1:52 dropped us into the top of the second Division B of racers,
only 3 boats from being in the elite Division A!
Our next race was a little less successful, some timing issues kept us from the
top of the bracket for Race #3. In true Lifestyle fashion though, the team re-grouped
and took to the water at 3:50 PM for our third and final race. We had nothing to
win but our pride as we headed out for the run. SoCOM, the Special Forces team,
was immediately to our left and the team to beat. They had beaten us in the previous
heat and we had something to prove. With 100m to go in the race, we were neck and
neck, as deep cheers from the mid-section (the “meat”) of our boat yelled “stroke”,
“stroke”, “come on, we can do this.” From somewhere, deep down, we got the energy
to give one last push. Not strength, not power, all HEART. We beat the SoCOM team
by 0.4 seconds and took the title as the Division B consolation winner! In the end,
we finished 14th out of 66 boats – not bad at all for a new team to the scene!
I can tell you that I feel personally blessed to have been a part of the team. I
came away a stronger person, with a whole bunch of new friends and a better appreciation
of the power of teamwork. The value that can be generated from a group of people
coming together for a common cause is immeasurable. An AMAZING DAY, an AMAZING TEAM
and an AMAZING WIN for Lifestyle Family Fitness and two great charities!
Dragon Boat Racing dates back over 2,000 years to the Chinese legend of Qu Yuan.
Qu Yuan, after being exiled from the land he loved, threw himself in the Milou River.
In an attempt to save him, local fishermen wildly beat their drums and splashed
the water with their paddles to prevent water dragons and fish from eating his body.
The modern Dragon Boat Race is based upon the reenactment of the race to save Qu
from the waters terrors.
Today, Dragon Boat Racing is one of the fastest growing athletic events in the world!
In Tampa, BuK Hong Kong style dragon boats are used. The boats are 42' in length,
4' wide and seat 20 paddlers in 10 rows. A drummer sits facing the crew elevated
in the bow, and a steersperson stands on a raised platform in the stern to guide
the boat with a 10' oar.
Typically 4-6 teams race at a time down a standard 500m or 250m course in a straight
line. At some festivals a 1000m course is also used. Teams race against the clock,
placing themselves in a division with other teams of their caliber, and eventually
vying for a divisional championship!
(Source:
tampabaydragonboats.com)
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