Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team practices in the sunshine this week.
We meet Sundays 1:30
Tuesday 6pm
Wednesday 6pm
All practices at Dragon Zone @ Creekside Park
just south of Science World
meet above the Dragon Boat/ Aqua Ferry docks
at the green trailer building that is Dragon Zone club house
Practices this past week.
Sunday March 30, we had 19 paddlers
GREAT PRACTICE in the sunshine. This is what dragon boat practices are all about… great people, great weather, great
experience paddling on a Sunday afternoon. We did our usual paddle around East Basin, then up to David Lam Park.
Tuesday Beginner night
14
paddlers out on the water Tuesday… and the boat felt strong, even
with 3 new rookies. Joe Easton, a 6 year veteran on the Gung Haggis
team says the team is way ahead of where we were this time last year.
We
had the second Gung Haggis Food & Social Club after-practice meal
at Congee House on Broadway. A great way to introduce non-Asian
paddlers to lots of Chinese food.
Wednesday Rec night
The
Killarney Cougar Dragons had their first practice with teacher sponsor
manager Stuart Mackinnon. Coaches were Todd Wong, Gayle Gordon and
Kimm Mitchell, and steers Steven Wong.
These high school
students had 20 paddlers out on the boat. After some confusing paddle
clashing at the beginning, we soon had them paddling in time and having
fun. Gayle remarked that they were remarkably good for their first
time, and easy to see how the team won Junior D silver last year, when
we had only the veteran paddlers paddling.
Gung Haggis practice had only 10 paddlers out tonight.
We
waited for our 10th paddler to show up, so we could take a Gemini boat
out. We transformed the disappointment of a small turn-out into a
positive experience with more one-to-one coaching. We rotated two
paddlers to do some lead stroke work with Gayle Gordon, and Todd moved
from seat to seat, working with different paddlers.
We did some
4 person quad sections (much easier with less people)… but that's all
we had… a front half of 4 and a back half of 5. We did some good
paddling work, and brought in some intensity pieces of 10 and 20
strokes. GOOD workout tonight.
SPECIAL
EVENTS
Thursday April 3rd – 1pm
TARTAN DAY PROCLAMATION
at Vancouver City Hall
Come join me for a ceremonial reading as the mayor proclaims April 6th as Tartan Day in the City of Vancouver.
Bagpipe ceremony with Allan McMordie. I snuck in the words “Gung Haggis Fat Choy tartan” into the proclamation – see www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com
Thursday, April 3rd
8pm-8:30pm meeting time
Doolin's Irish Pub
KILTS NIGHT – 1st Thursday of each month.
9:30pm – live music with Halifax Wharf Rats.
This is an optional social event.
FREE pint of Guinness if you wear a kilt.
We have 5 kilts for the team. Tzhe Lam will have the Kilt bag, as I am working until 9pm.
This is a special Tartan Day event,
SUNDAY, April 6th.1:30
Dragon Zone @ Creekside Park
just south of SCIENCE WORLD
TARTAN DAY dragon boat paddle.
We will invite people to wear their tartans for paddling
invite your friends to join us for practice
hopefully we can have two boats on the water, for a photo opportunity for Tartan Day…. always good for recruiting!
This Sunday is TARTAN DAY.
see www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com for details.
TARTAN DAY
celebrates the Scottish ancestry and contributions to Canada… and is
a good excuse for getting a free beer and a photo opportunity. See The next celebration: Wearing the tartan
We
invite people to wear their polyviscous kilts, invite their friends to
come join us for paddling… and hopefully have a photo opportunity
with the media. (all part of good community work and sets us up for
that very pretty Alcan Sustainability Award – cultural sustainability
is good).
We
will follow up a hard practice with well-earned carbohydrate
re-loading. Sugars are carbohydrates. Alcohol is a sugar. Beer and
scotch are alcohols – a good way to replenish the body's carbohydrates
and celebrate Tartan Day.
APRIL 11th. 6pm-8:30pm
Dragon Zone
Special paddling clinic with Kamini Jain – 2 time Olympic paddler and coach of the False Creek Racing Canoe Club.
I
took a similar paddling clinic with Kamini last October and liked it so
much, I have signed up our team. Kamini will give paddle instruction,
and we will video the team. Then will watch the team, and Kamini will
critique each paddler. Video can be a powerful tool.
Cost is
$400 for the team… so participants please bring $20 each. This is a
GREAT price. I paid $75 for the workshop last year.
May 17th. Saturday Victoria Day weekend
Lotus Sports Club dragon boat regatta
Barnett Marine Park
Cost is $20 per person
I
have registered our team. We will paddle some some friendly rivalries
with the Chilliwack Pirates. Last year we came 1st in our final
race… but we didn't have the third fastest combined time – the
Pirates did. Dinner Party at Raphael's in Port Moody following the
race.
Cheers, Todd
h: 604-987-7124
c: 778-846-7090