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Sep 30, 2009

SD Digest - 9/30/2009

1. THANK YOU to our friends and family for your support during this amazing 2009 season!
Treasure Island recap below.


2.SF Equipment Pick-Up and Team Lunch at practice THIS SUNDAY Oct 4 @ 9:00am
Many thanks again to our drivers BLANCA/TURTLE, BJ/ROGER, DAVIN, and ROD for the transport!


LOST/FOUND from SF Tourney
Missing: One size SMALL short-sleeve jersey (old-school Space jersey with logo on front and back) last seen on red fold-up chair at SD tent
Missing: One pair size XS taupe-colored fingerless paddling gloves
Missing: White Jordan basketball shorts
Missing: Silver Anklet
Found: Red PFD, see photos in your email

3. Lake Las Vegas Tourney: October 11 (NEXT WEEKEND!)
We are registered! We have room for more paddlers! This will be a joint SPACE-RIPPLE race=FUN!
Interested? RSVP on evite.
(Lodging recommendations are on evite--you are responsible for your own reservations)
Carpooling is encouraged--plenty of folks still looking to carpool/drive :)


4. October Practices: SUNDAYS only 9:30am-11am
Practice resumes this Sunday October 4 (particularly Vegas tourney crew).

5. "Tis the Season: Mammoth Ski/Board Weekend Trip
RSVP via evite.


Happy Autumn!
Pearl, Tran and Wade

Sep 29, 2009

2009 San Francisco Tournament Recap

A couple acknowledgments before I attempt to recap (in a lot of words) what was an awesome race weekend (official race results here) ...

All the love and appreciation in the world goes once again to RIPPLE EFFECT!
So much delicious food that has people still raving. Early morning set-ups for such a well-organized tent area (love the shelves). Helping us when we needed steers (thanks, Marcus & Gary!). Organizing a bangin' after party. Assassin, the best tournament weekend game ever. Simply being the epitome of good hosts to help us enjoy our stay at TI ... but above and beyond all of this ... I think I can speak on behalf of many when I say we're all truly blessed & appreciative of the friendships that have emerged & continue to grow from this perfect sister team relationship! You beautiful people are truly the best.

And to top if off we now all got:
1) these ultra-fly Space-Ripple shirts to represent (thanks Sue May, Devant, and Big Lui!)!!! I'm so sporting mine everywhere, &

2) AWESOME memories of a freakin' AWESOME Space Ripple Thriller dance to close out the TI experience. That was so AWESOME! (I'm trying to sound like Em/Galen ala Bolt).


Big props and thank you to the CDBA & all the organizers for making the event happen!
The race has always been and continues to be such a favorite of ours thanks to the awesome job planning & executing for the paddling community!! Thank you for all of your hardwork. Btw - the Marriott Marquis Yerba Buena = Best Tourney Hotel EVER!

Massive respect to all the teams we were fortunate to race with!
The racing this weekend was everything a paddler could want - intense, tough, nerve-wrecking, gut-busting. So much tough competition - loved it! Props to all.
Special shout-out to our friends at Team LARD - congratulations on a well-deserved, epic win!




As a team, we celebrated a victory & highlight before we even marshalled for our first race: bringing up 3 mixed crews to an away tournament was an accomplishment in & of itself. The SD Love clearly continues to grow, thank you & great job ALL!!!!!

Coming off a GOLD MEDAL performance in Long Beach, WHITE stormed into SF with big aspirations for more glorious hardware. Based on what we witnessed, during the crew's journey they & our entire team may have emerged w/ something more valuable than a $5 medal.

Improvement w/ each every race. Coachability displayed in the ability to extend & reach farther w/ each stroke. Competitive spirits displayed in a unquenchable desire to compete even when not 100%.

But above and beyond all - I was personally so humbled & proud of the true team spirit displayed that helped remind me why I got into this sport in the first place.

The organic positive energy not only expressed during an awesome 2nd place finish after the 3rd heat - but also following your spirited run in the Finals - was so pure & priceless. As a type-A, arrogant jerk that always feels he has something to add to a conversation, I found myself not only completely slack-jawed w/ nothing to say following Lil Lui's inspirational & spot-on debrief (hence forth, the "Lil" in this moniker should be dropped) ... but also completely humbled and reminded as I looked at the entire crew's exhausted smiles, that it's all about the journey we take together as a team that matters the most.

Great job, WHITE - everyone is so excited to see your continual evolution as paddlers - and we're so fortunate to have everyone of you be a Space Dragon.


We've invested a good amount of practice this year in our WOMENs & MENs crews. The investment is paying off. Both crews qualified for the Finals - a feat to not take lightly or take for granted. Great job to all! Both crew's Saturday heats were explosive w/ the Women taking 1st in their heat and the Men 2nd. Very proud.

One of the gifts of competition is the prompt identification of things we can continue to work on.

The men's crew had a great view of the WOMEN's final as we head out to the start line. The WOMEN were in a tight fight for 3rd place w/ the BAD Women as you crossed around the halfway point, with the Wasabi Women & Canadian composite crew also within striking distance. From the accounts in the boat, it looked like the crew just ran out of gas in the last leg of the race, finishing 4th. More on this later.

The MEN's crew had some timing & synchronization issues that will be certainly be cleaned-up at practice, no worries. All our men want to give it a HARD YANK ... we'll just continue to refine our efforts to ensure we all give it a good pull together as one (Oh dear).


It might not be obvious to an observer, but the truth is few of our crews have reflected the Space Dragons rapid ascension up the competitive ranks as well as our MASTER's crew has. Qualifying for the Finals with a 1st place victory on Saturday was HUGE. Finishing just off the podium w/ a fantastic 2:08 4th place finish on Sunday against some very big players is something you should be both prideful of and inspired for the future by. Great job crew, and many thanks to Allen (Ripple) & Tim (DPW, SD) for joining us!


One of the major highlights of not only this weekend in TI but for all of 2009 is the ascension of our BLUE crew. Qualifying for both the Competitive B Championships & Visiting Team Races (top 12) at TI is a significant accomplishment & the fulfilling of a lofty goal that all Space Dragons should rave about. It's clear that the Space Dragons now field 2 elite, ultra-competitive crews that have given and will continue to give many "A" boats a run. From a pure competitive standpoint, one of our biggest assets for the crew is our depth of quality paddlers that will continue to grow with experience.

David "White Knight" mentioned to me that one of the highlights for him & probably for many was having Blue & Red compete in the same Quarterfinal - 44 of us invading the docks together with a unified goal of both boats placing in the top 4 of a very competitive heat to qualify for the Competitive divisions. And we did just that. And BLUE followed that up with a 2nd place finish in the semi's to qualify for the Championships. Huge victories, team! Consider also that due to conflicts w/ RED, BLUE competed short one male in both the quarters & finals. WHITE did the same for all races. Great job to all for awesome performances!


RED pulled 2 excellent sets on Saturday (1st & 2nd place) including the 3rd fastest of the day to set-up an expectation-filled Sunday. Both RED's semi-final & final were noteworthy - filled w/ much to be proud of and lessons I don't want us to soon forget.

RED's Semifinal heat was packed w/ no-nonsense competitors: JetStart, LARD Black, BAD1, DW2, & SFL. Massive props to the entire field for an awesome race, especially to SFL for pulling in a very notable 3rd place finish from the outside lane 6.

RED pulled one of our strongest & most spectacular start in our history, helping propel us to a clear lead on this packed field for the majority of the race. Consider that many of these competitors are also known for vicious starts. The race was ours to win, but alas, the finish line did not come soon enough. We didn't have enough in the tank to punch @ the finish and we allowed the field to take what was ours in the last ~1/3 or 1/4 of the race.

The process of improving anaerobic thresholds & capacities is a bitch - the only real way to get it is to suffer in training to earn it & build it ... to deserve it. It weans people out by telling our minds, "This is too uncomfortable, I think I've had enough training, I'm going to ease up or just finish this workout." As we train in the future, there will inevitably be many times when these thoughts hit you. And when they do, remember this race and the Women's race.

We cannot allow others, no matter how deserving they also are, to take things from us.

RED's Final race, with a solid if not as spectacular front half of the race, was certainly more of a complete and fulfilling run as we screamed in with a carpet-ride 2nd place finish behind Jetstart. One highlight for me of the entire weekend was Davin's unexpected but utterly effective PASS calls during our finish that fueled the engine room as we created added separation from much of the field. One of the beautiful things about this sport is the sheer passion and endorphin-filled rush we get as we push our bodies to failure dragging a big ass boat to a finish line. And this race definitely had that for me.

Immediately following the final, RED was rewarded for the first time ever w/ an invitation to participate in the Volunteers race, which the vast majority of us did. That was a fun-filled experience full of smiles - and many other Space Dragons owing me a beer and Sammi a lemonade for getting smoked by our awesome crew that starting the race at "Paddlers Are you Ready".


Space Dragons, above all else, be proud of not only this weekend but the entire 2009 and know that it is a hell of a good time to be a Space Dragon. We've accomplished much, all while not having a limiting ceiling apparent. The ride has the potential to get even better. Sometimes one of the better rewards one can get is the respect of our peers & the veterans that know this game ... and we are certainly getting more and more of it. From our very own Captain Rick, to the awesome legendary Dock Master Puppy, to the countless fellow competitors, thanks all for your kind words and observations about our continued improvement, performances, & perhaps most important of all, balance. Much love.

Take October off if you need it (you certainly deserve it), if you have any specific friends & family members that have wanted to try the sport, bring them out in the Winter.

On a personal note, to sign-off, I also wanted to thank everyone for the undeserved massive support & love you've shown me as one of your Captains for the past 3 years. I've been humbled to have personally experienced the adage that by serving others you benefit most.

Much love.

W

P.s., for the record, the Space Dragons did bring home hardware this weekend. In the form of a balloon dragon, as we are now the Competitive A Mixed Boat "Boat Race Challenge" champions :).

Sep 21, 2009

SF '09 Logistics

Last Updated: 9/23/09 8:00 AM

Any questions - contact Wade ().

WEEKEND SCHEDULE (subject to minor changes):

Friday
Check Sat shuttle schedule in Marriott lobby
5pm ... Meet in Marriott Lobby for Paddlers Mixer

Give $10 to Wade.
B's Restaurant: 720 Howard St (between 3rd and 4th street)

Saturday

Early AM .... Paddlers taking shuttle: Meet in Lobby 15 min before SD RED shuttle
6:45 AM ...... Call-time for drivers/paddlers not taking shuttle to be @ TI.
7 AM: ......... Captain's Mtg (Pearl, Joe, Brian, Marty, Wade)
8:48 AM ...... RED 1st heat
9:48 AM ...... WHITE 1st heat
10 AM ......... BLUE 1st heat
11 -1 PM ...... RED, WHITE, BLUE 2nd heat
2:24 PM ...... WOMEN's 1st heat
3:00 PM ...... MEN's 1st heat
4:36 PM ...... MASTER's 1st heat
Nighttime ... Check Sun Hotel Shuttle schedule. Get lots of rest for FINALS on Sunday

Sunday
Early AM ...... Paddlers taking shuttle: Meet in Lobby 15 min before very 1st SD Shuttle
TBA Sat PM ... Call-time for drivers/paddlers not taking shuttle to be @ TI.
7:30 AM ....... Captain's Mtg (Pearl, Joe, Brian, Marty, Wade)
8 AM ............ WOMEN's Final (if qualified)
8:12 AM ....... MEN's Final (if qualified)
9:12 AM ....... MASTER's Final (if qualified)
9:24 AM ....... Visiting Team Consolation (if qualified)
10:24 AM ..... Visiting Team Championship (if qualified)
1o:36-12:36 .. RED, WHITE, BLUE 3rd heat
1:12-4PM ...... RED, WHITE, BLUE Finals
5pm .............. Closing Ceremonies
Nighttime ..... Celebrate AWESOME performance!

Party night away w/ Ripple + maybe other teams @ O'Neill's Irish Pub
747 3rd street at King

1 mile away from Marriott, walking directions:





Transportation to the Team Hotel: SF Marriott Marquis - Yerba Buena
Options from SF or Oakland Airports:
  • BART - exit Powell Street Station (30 min from SFO @ $8.10, 25 min from Oakland @ $3.80)
  • SuperShuttle (~$17 pp from SFO, ~$27 pp from Oakland, contact hotel to schedule)
  • Taxi (~$40 from SFO, ~$51 from Oakland)
  • Limo (surprisingly comparable rate to Taxi)

Hotel Address:
55 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-896-1600
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfodt-san-francisco-marriott/

Map - BART Powell Street Station to Marriott (the Red M):


For those driving, parking is ~$56 a day onsite (not a typo), ~$32 offsite.


Food @ the Tournament Site
Ripple Effect is very generously hosting us and will providing us food, including Pasta for lunch Sat & a Ripple Deli for Sun lunch!

Of course, feel free to bring along some of your favorite snacks or bring along some cash for food vendors: like Sammi says, "try the saimin!"

Things to bring (recommendations)
  • $
  • The usual competition paddling gear + uniform (jersey + dark bottoms)
  • Running shoes & socks for race site warm-ups
  • Appropriate clothing for weather conditions
  • Casual warm clothing for out-and-about SF
  • Water bottle
  • Cameras / Camcorders
  • TP
  • Sunblock
  • Towel
  • Extra Jersey to trade
  • No need for beach chairs/tents - Ripple Fx is kindly providing.

Paddle Transport for people flying:

At this point, your paddle should be w/ someone driving up.
If you still don't know how to transport your paddle, contact us: captains @ spacedragons.org
Any issues or questions during race weekend?Contact Wade, Pearl, Joe, Em, Tran, or any vets
Wade -


Race Day Requests
  • Eat light & eat for fuel
  • Stay hydrated - even if its cold out
  • Be on time for warm-ups, stretches, marshaling
  • Stay off your feet & rest up between races - it's a long weekend
  • If you wander off, let folks know where you're headed. Playing hide-and-go-seek during Marshalling is NOT fun
  • Make sure everyone wears a PFD

Other
  • As always - be sure to thank the race organizers & volunteers. Loads of effort go into organizing these events, and they've always done a good job putting on a race 'for paddlers by paddlers'.
  • Also be sure to give a bunch of love to our host/sister team Ripple Effect!
  • Remember that you reppin' the entire team when you up there.
  • Above all else, have a good (& safe) time!

Event Website - www.sfdragonboat.com
Schedule, Team Bios, race rules, course information, vendors, entertainment, etc are all posted.
Take a look.

12 Vets share recommendations for the race (~6 minute video from 2008):







SD Digest - 9/23/2009

MIGHTY SPACE DRAGONS!

We are so pleased to be bringing up a crew of over 65(!) to Treasure Island this weekend. Thanks to everyone for your commitment and hard work---let's not waste our efforts--BE READY.



1. SF Tourney Crew
Updated detail logistics HERE. Print it and bring it with you!

a) Meet @ 5pm in Marriott Lobby for Paddlers Mixer
b) Check shuttle schedule in Hotel Lobby on Friday
c) Be in hotel lobby ready to go 15 minutes before SD Red's shuttle time
d) Drivers/Paddlers who are not taking shuttle: be at TI 6:45 am
e) Don't forget to bring running shoes
f) Weather forecast nice! (warm, small if any chance for rain)


2. Lake Las Vegas Tourney: October 11
We are registered! We have room for more paddlers--cap is at 22.
Please RSVP on evite.



3. October Practices: SUNDAYS only 9:30am-11am
Following San Fran tourney, practice resumes on Sunday October 4 (particularly Vegas tourney crew).


4. THANK YOU to those who participated in Beach Clean-up
http://spacedragonsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/mothers-beach-costal-cleanup.htm


5. "Tis the Season: Mammoth Ski/Board Weekend Trip
RSVP via evite HERE.



Let's Kick Some Ass!

Yours Truly,
-Princess, Mountain Lion, and Eye-Sucker

Space Dragons Heal Mother's Beach!

This past Saturday (9/19), Space Dragons were proud to participate in Heal the Bay's record-breaking efforts to keep Southern California's beaches clean, safe, and healthy!


Equipped w/ trash bags, gloves, and a pro-active "green" attitude, an army of Space Dragons volunteers meticulously cleaned our very own Mother's Beach. It definitely felt good to help take care of the beach we currently call home.


In typical Space Dragon's fashion, we mixed work w/ pleasure ... and some posing practice for a possible 'true' SD Calendar ...


Special thanks to:
  • Heal The Bay for their continuous efforts!
  • Janet & Lil Lui for coordinating the event for us!
  • All SD volunteers for helping!

Sep 17, 2009

Mrs. September!

Sorry for the late post, without further ado, I present to you, Mrs September:




Mrs. September:
Karen Chan


Name: Karen “Ripple” Chan
DOB: April 11
Hometown: San Francisco, CA



Likes: loves to eat, travel, dragonboat, cooking, rock band, Japanese Iron Chef, Lost, So you think you can dance, Ripple Effect, weddings, bachelorette parties, Carpooling to Practice, Frozen yogurt, Fresh fruit, her Prius, Heidi Klum

Dislikes: Early mornings, Red Mango politics, waiting in long lines for fast food, 10 weddings in 1 year, traveling to 10 weddings in 1 year, missing out on the SF tournament due to a wedding, Brian jumping on her husband while he is still sleeping.

Relationship Status: Gentlemen (and ladies), this pretty Space Dragon Doll is….MARRIED!! Karen is married to a good looking, big time engineer, who happens to make mucho dinero, and works for a company that is super selective in retaining only the best males on the planet. So…even if you are handsome, aced your Quantum Physics class, can pump more iron than Rod and Joe - combined, and have an extremely large net worth, you will not be able to sway her away from her hubby. However, if you just want to see and meet Karen, try attending a Space Dragon practice!! You will not be disappointed!!

Dates of Importance:
September 17th: Kameron “Baby Tsunami” Matsunami’s Birthday
September 19th: Team Clean Up of Mother’s Beach
September 20th: Long Beach Dragon Boat Fundraiser at Wahoo’s
September 26th and 27th: Kaiser Permanente San Francisco DBoat Festival

Sep 16, 2009

LB Dragon Boat Community Fundraiser @ Wahoo's

LB Paddlers & Friends -

We are very excited to announce that our nearby Wahoo's has agreed to host a fundraiser for our Long Beach Dragon Boat community THIS SUNDAY (9/20/09)!!

It's really simple to participate and help our community:

1) Print out a copy of the flyer below
2) Go to Wahoos (6449 E. PCH, next to CPK) on 9/20/09
3) Present the flyer when placing your order - that's it!

Wahoo's will then issue a check for 20% of all purchases to our Dragon Boat community!
Eat hearty!



Special thanks to our very own "Kitty" Kat for coordinating this fundraiser w/ Wahoos!
Thanks to all Long Beach paddlers for supporting and spreading the word!

We encourage you to distribute flyers to not only to your fellow paddlers but also friends & family!

P.s., The ONLY rule Wahoo's has is: NO distribution of flyers in or around any Wahoo's location, before or during the time of the promotion. Failure to follow this rule can result in termination of the promotion.

P.p.s., Space Dragons will have flyers at Mother's Beach this WED PM (9/16), Sat AM (9/19), & Sun (9/20). Say hello and grab some!

Sep 15, 2009

SD Weekly Digest - 9/15/2009

SF Crew:
GET YOUR ESSES OUT TO PRACTICE!
Only 3 remain (this WED 9/16, SAT 9/19 & SUN 9/20).


1. SAN FRAN CREW TO DO
a. Print, sign and bring to practice SF WAIVER.
b. Respond ASAP to Paddlers Party evite (due TODAY! no tickets @ door)
c. Check your airline for paddle/sports item check-in (fees may be applicable). OR arrange transport with those driving (BJ, Davin, Blanca/Turtle, others)
d. EAT WELL, REST UP, and taper down your workouts!
e. Tournament fee $25 payable to Space Dragons, give to Pearl @ practice
f. Keep up to date with logistics here


2. MOTHERS BEACH CLEAN UP: THIS SAT SEPT 19
a. Coastal Cleanup Day will take place from 9:00 AM- Noon. SD will be one of the thousands of folks who will be mobilized to clean our beaches and waterways.
b. Print, sign and bring to practice wavier.
b. Supplies provided; Dress appropriately.
b. Thanks, Janet, for organizing!



3.WAHOO'S FUNDRAISER: THIS SUN SEPT 20
a. With event flyer, 20% of proceeds will go to SCDBC
b. Location: Wahoo's at the Long Beach Marketplace (Ruby's plaza on PCH by Mother's Beach)
c. Event flyer will be available at practice, so spread the word and invite friends & family!
d. Thanks, Kat, for organizing!



4. LAKE LAS VEGAS TOURNEY: OCT 11
a. Reply on evite



5. PAY TRAN for your JERSEYS!
a. Sleeveless $36, Short-sleeve $41
b. They will arrive in advance of SF!



6. LIMITED EDITION SPACE-RIPPLE T-SHIRT
a. See details below


See you on the water!
Pearl, Tran, Wade

"Special Edition" Space-Ripple love TEE!

Are you ready for Treasure Island 2009 in SF? Ready for some close race sets and fun times with our sister team, Ripple Effect? If you are and wanted to show some Space-Ripple love, you're in luck. For a limited time, we will be debuting the TOP SECRET "Special Edition" Space-Ripple T-Shirt for purchase!!! To help with ordering we would like to know who WOULD like to purchase one along with your size preference (post in the comment box). This way, we won't over-order. Price of the T-shirt is still being determined, but will be in the $10 range.

Hurry now and don't get caught without one because supplies definitely won't last!!


Sep 14, 2009

BK BREWERY PINT GLASSES

Didn't get one before they ran out the first time? want another one? Well you're in luck! New shipment of BK BREWERY pint glasses just arrived. $5 each, this might be the last order so get them while they are here! Just let me know how many, and i'll bring them to you at practice. Thanks for supporting the BK BREWERY!

Cheers!

Sep 10, 2009

Paddler Spotlight - Phil!


Hometown?
Phil:
San Salvador, Central America

Birthday?
Phil:
March 25.

Favorite Food(s)?
Phil:
Italian, Asian and Salvadorian Food (pupusas).

How long have you been paddling for?
Phil:
TI will be my one year anniversary of dragon boating

Why do you paddle?
Phil:
For fun, to stay fit, to network and to check out all those gorgeous Asian (and other) chicks. I like white meat too!

Are you a better Paddler when you are Happy or Angry?
Phil:
I am a better paddler when there is no drama in the boat.

Favorite or notable Space Dragon moment(s)?
Phil:
Big Long Beach, master’s race, we started 30 seconds after all the other teams and yet we paddled so hard that we caught 3 other boats to finish 4th. We lost the race, but we fought until the end – We never felt defeated and never were! Yeah!!!

How do you prepare yourself for a Race?
Phil:
Before a race I like to run to bring my heart rate up

Any hobbies, activities, interests outside of paddling?
Phil:
I love kayaking, bicycling, dancing salsa, hiking, and running. Soon I will get involved in outrigging and rowing

Any advice for new Paddlers?
Phil:
To a new paddlers I would say the following: find your correct paddle size, learn and improve something new on every practice, and if you are a heavy person like me - make it your goal to get fit and lose as much as possible to help your team

Paddling-wise, any particular goals for yourself or the team?
Phil:
I want to be as good as Wade, Rod, John Lai, and the true animal of this team Princess Pearl!

If you could change one thing about the Team, what would it be?
Phil:
I wish there would be more bench marks to determine what boat you’d be racing in…

Favorite part about being a Space Dragon?
Phil:
Winning is one my favorite parts of being a Space Dragon...

You have a single brother or sister. What Space Dragon would you consider hooking them up with?
Phil:
All my brothers and sisters are married, but I have a daughter and there is a long list of quality guys in this team I wouldn’t mine to call my son-in-law - like Galen

Most interesting character you've met through the team?
Phil:
Scott Matsunami for bringing me to this team, Deej, Arleene, and Janice for welcoming to the team and Ceez for teaching me the art of paddling.

Any interesting facts about yourself - or secrets that you want to divulge?
Phil:
I was born in MADRID, SPAIN. I grew up in BARCELONA, SPAIN and when I came to California I was raised by a Gypsy family…. (not really, but I just wanted to mess with Princess Pearl) I was actually born in San Salvador, Central America and came to the US when I was 16 years old.

I am an independent insurance agent for the past 27 years, I have 4 great kids (3 boys, 1 girl), I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters, I love my Space Dragon family and I am 46 years young…

Who got you into Space dragons/Dragonboating?
Phil:
Mr. July, the ladies man, the one and only Mr. Scott Matsunami

How did you meet him/her?
Phil:
He was and still is one sexy beast...but now I have found Ceez "my one true soulmate". (This is what happens when you tell a certain someone: "Thanks Galen…. Feel free to edit or making any corrections." :] )

Sep 9, 2009

2 Weekends!

Yep...2 weekends to prepare to be in the very best shape of the year. Time to get fit and kick those rears into gear - but don't hurt yourself!

So I'm bringing back the Galen Challenge....the Final Countdown (of the year)

Challenge yourself to do every day for 15 days (from 9/9 to 9/23)
2 sets of 30 situps or 50 crunches
2 sets of 20 pushups (toes) or 30 modified pushups (ladies only please)
2 sets of 20 squats or leap frogs
2 sets of 10 lunges (per side)

Do it in addition to your daily workout. Shouldn't be any more than 15 more minutes/day. You can commit 15 min of your day to your teammates right?

Ohh and come on out for Coach Joe and Rod's maze of fun! Trust me - it's fun!

SD Weekly Digest - 9/9/2009

Only 6 more practices until San Francisco. Please encourage one another to attend!


I. SAN FRANCISCO/TI TOURNAMENT (9/26 & 9/27)
- Deadline has passed, no flake rule is in place: tournament fee is $25 (payable to Space Dragons) - See final roster below.
- Welcome mixer (i.e., Paddlers Party) on Friday 9/25, details & RSVP on evite
- RSVP for mixer by COB Tuesday 9/15


II. Las Vegas Tourney (Deadline for sign-up/cancel is Sun 9/20)
- See evite
- Folks currently listed as MAYBES - it's time to commit!


III. Mother's Beach cleanup (Sat 9/19 - after practice)
- Details to follow shortly

IV. Wahoo's Fundrasier (Sun 9/20)
- With event flyer, 20% of proceeds will go to SCDBC
- Location: Wahoo's at the Long Beach Marketplace (Rubio's plaza on PCH by Mother's Beach)
- Event flyer will be available at practice, so spread the word and invite friends & family!


V. Need a PFD (life vest) or Paddle?
- Please contact Pearl ASAP with your paddle size.
- Our vendor representative (TK, of Team LARD and Pinks) will be available to answer questions/take orders during Wednesday and weekend practices.
- Take a look at www.stohlquist.com or www.deepseainc.com or your REI store for ideas; discounts are about 40-45% off retail.


-- Much Love
Pearl, Tran, Wade

Sep 8, 2009

Final SF Roster

The SF crew:

LOVELY LADIES (31):
Arlene
Blanca
Deej
Edie
Em
Esther
Felicia C
Felicia N
Jackie
Jane T
Janet
Janice
Jen T
Jen H
Kat S
Kat W
Louise
Marina
Mary
Megan
Ming-Jou
Norr
Pearl
Remi
Rose
Sammi
Step
Susie
Tammy
Tran
Zoe

MACHISMO MEN (36):
Allan
Brian
Ceez
Dave K
Dave L
Davin
Devant
Dom
Eymard
Ez
Galen
James A
Jason
Javeck
Jeff K
Jeremy Black
Jeremy White
Jim
Joe
Kam
Kevin
Kim
Kurt B
Marty
Phil
Rick
Rico
Rip
Robert
Rod
Roger
Russell
Scott
Steven
Turtle
Wade

updated 9/14/09 12:30 pm

Just 2.5 weeks left before we seek to close out the season with a bang.
Champions start strong, finish stronger.

Sep 7, 2009

A Successful Space Dragon Male Sale...I mean Yard Sale!

Space Dragons do it again! Another successful yard sale…
The weekend was hot and the selling was brisk! Space Dragons had another very successful yard sale on Aug. 29th. Morning crew was busy from the start, setting up and organizing all the donations for sale, and customers started arriving early, early, early…



Selling was brisk…..

And then the craziness started….

The weather was hot so we needed a dip in the pool…



All in all a very successful yard sale! This was our most successful to date – we raised over $1,250!!! Many, many thanks go out to all the people who helped out –

Jeremy Sander (CJ) for hosting, bathroom facilities and everything else!

Everyone – Tran, Jason, Kat, Wade, Joe & Yonnie, Mayana & Robert, Marina, Phil, Remi, Kmak, Brian, Rick, Allan, Davin, Esther, Edie, Susie, Rod, Grace, George, Devant, Blanca, Turtle, Cz, Deej, Lewis, Janice, and EVERYONE who came out to help set-up, brought food, water, donations, mojitos, water for the pool, and helped clean-up! Wow….!!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!! Here are more pictures….







Sep 4, 2009

Busy Weekend for Space Dragons!!

BUSY WEEKEND FOR SPACE DRAGONS!!
Written (badly) By Ceez


August 29th and 30th was a very busy weekend for the Space Dragons.

Saturday was a full day. Two things were going on. One, practice was cancelled so the team could attend the boat maintenance, and two, the team were having its second yard sale of the year.

Sunday, was more boat maintenance for SD, practice and a surprise birthday luncheon for Me!! (Aw man, I hate attention!!)


Saturday, Aug. 29th, Space Dragons volunteers woke up early to work the team's scheduled share of the maintenance of the boats. Some Space Dragons woke up even earlier to go help out with the yard sale.

At the boat maintenance, SD sanded the gunwales (gunnels) and benches and applied coats of varnish to the worn wooden parts of the boats. SD volunteers made sure that the gunnels were sanded smooth so we, as well as the other paddlers, don’t get splinters in our paws.
Also, the benches were sanded and glossed with varnish with Bob Vila like expertise to pamper our tender little tushies. After all, our tushies take a beating during practice. The least we can do is have them sit on something nice!!

It was hard work, but as usual, the Space Dragons made the labor fun. We joked that Child Services may want to question Edie, because her 7 year old daughter, Alex, was working up a sweat sanding and taping the boats. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on the task at hand when you got Space Dragon crazies like Janice, Blanca, Turtle and Arlene running around.

After the boat maintenance, the SD sand and paint team cleaned themselves up and headed out to Redondo Beach to join the othe Space Dragons for the yard sale already in progress.

All or most of the proceeds of Yard Sale II 2009 will help lower the tournament cost for paddlers for the San Francisco tournament.

SD working Yard Sale II and its patrons.....Ka Ching!!

Phil “I can sell ice to an Eskimo” Munguia was instrumental again in the yard sale as he worked his magic on prospective customers for the second time this year. Perhaps we should have had Phil try to sell the Mouth of Fury!! The MOF did not sell again!! : (

It was not only the Animal that made the yard sale a success. It was a combined effort from all the Space Dragons that attended that made it a success.


Yard Sale Masters


Earlier this year, Yard Sale I 2009, netted over $800 from selling goods (or junks) from SD paddlers. Saturday's take from the Yard Sale II 2009 was over $1200!! Way to go Space Dragons!! Full recap on yard sale to follow courtesy of Denise- Thanks Denise!



If female patrons did not find what they wanted on the tarps...they could come out back for hot SD men to take home. Cost for one of these hard bodies? $5!!



Allan, newbie victim of Space Dragon hazing

Sunday, Aug 30th: Practice, more boat maintenance and a surprise birthday luncheon for Ceez.

Captain Wade informed the coaches he would not be able to show up for practice on Sunday. He also wanted them to know that three boats would be needed to accommodate all the paddlers that will show up for Sunday’s practice. Wade had planned a “DIE!! PADDLERS DIE!!” type practice for the coaches to ready the troops for the tough competition in San Francisco.

Unfortunately, because most of the boats were being maintained, there was only a big boat and a little boat available to take out. Coach Joe “Daddy Tight Shirt” Kurihara did a wonderful job of asking volunteers to sit out and help out finishing up the maintenance of the boats. The others got to go out and paddle. He orchestrated that so well, that I’m sure if he had eight kids, they would all be well behaved and obedient just like us!!

Joe told his coaches to take it easy on the paddlers due to the air quality. Later, I heard Joe took out his vet boat out for only an hour. AN HOUR?? LIGHT PRACTICE?? WTH?? Has an alien taken over his body!! Oh my god, the world is coming to an END!!

I took the newbie boat for the whole hour and a half. No, I didn’t kill them...the air quality remember!! But they did say that the two 30 second tug-of-wars was probably one of the hardest things they ever did since they started paddling.

On the way back, not long after beaching on the shore, Devant, did his best imitation of a linebacker and executed a flying tackle, knocking me off the boat and into the drink. Ahhh yes, I forgot, it's my birthday!!


Devant's flying tackle

Anyhoo, what the hell is a young whippersnapper like Devant knocking an old guy like me, with bad legs, off of a boat for?? I wanted to give that dang kid a timeout…and take away his video games!!

Another thing of importance. It was broad daylight, but we saw a moon out. Brian’s moon!! Brian grabbed Tran and carried her to the water for a dunking. Tran tried her best to do a Pearl, and tried to kick her way out of Brian’s arms. When that didn't work, Tran tried pulling off Brian’s shorts exposing his bum to attempt to halt his progress, but to no avail. Brian didn’t give a rat’s ess…she still went in!!

White Moon of Brian out in full view.

The Award ceremony. Space Dragons were told to gather on the grass. Captain Tran gave an inspiring speech on the successes of the White, Blue and Red boats in the Big Long Beach tournament. Her speech touched everyone ever so deeply.

As Pomp and Circumstance (graduation march song) played on a boom box, proud Space Dragons accepted their well deserved medals from Tran, a shirtless Scott Matsunami and Marina.

This is what its all about baby!! Dedication + Hard work = Hardware + a slim lean body like Galen's (Ed note: hahahahaha!)and/or Emily's.


I later found out that Deej had planned a surprise birthday party for me. Bless her heart. I love that lady!! That love turned to hate because it didn’t matter that I changed my birthday on Facebook to March 30th. Because of her, everybody found out Sunday was my true birthdate anyway!!

And what did it get me?? I got tackled violently off the boat by some young man and I got chased around the parking lot, running as fast as I can on my fragile creaky legs, to avoid a plate of whipped cream to the face. It didn't matter because some big newbie guy named Steve, held my legs to immobilize me and I got it anyway. He will pay with some solo power sets!!


Grrrr!!
DIE!! Whoever was involved with this....DIE!!

Space Dragons, mucho thanks to everyone who came in to lend a hand and their tools for the boat maintenance. Thanks Steve from the Association to help organize it. The boats looked awesome!!

Gracias to all of those who donated their goodies and time to the yard sale and to those who help sell them. It was hot as hell out there, but SD braved the heat and still made it another successful yard sale. Each one surpassing the other in sales!!
Love to see everybody come out and have some lunch and celebrate my… er….37th birthday. It was great fun. Thank you Deej and all who help make it possible.

The Space Dragons were busy last weekend. It's time to get busy again people!! Busy training for San Francisco!!

SPACE DRAGONS.....LAUNCH!!!

Sep 2, 2009

SD Digest - 9/2/2009

SPACE DRAGONS,

We are ONE MONTH out from SF!
We hope you are ready for some hard work; let's make SF the best and strongest performance of the season!

Your practice attendance is critical to ensure we FINISH STRONG!
Remember, WE will get out of practice what WE put into it--ONE TEAM!

I. SF Tourney DEADLINE for sign-up/cancel is THIS SUN 9/6
- See evite .
- Current Airfare sales; SWA, Virgin, Alsaka, also check Priceline!
- Current roster below, please double-check for you & your buddies:




MASSIVELY MUSCULAR MEN (33):

Allan

Brian

Ceez

David Knight

David Lui

Davin

Devant

Dom

Ez

Galen

James Anderson

Jason

Javeck

Jeff Kane

Jeremy Black

Jeremy White

Jim

Joe

Kam

Kmak

Marty

Phil

Rick

Rico

Rip

Robert

Rod

Roger

Russell

Scott

Steven

Turtle

Wade



FABULOUS FIGHTING FEMALES (32):

Annie Chang

Arlene

Blanca

Deej

Edie

Emily

Esther

Felicia Chanco

Felicia Nan

Jackie

Janet

Janice

Jen Touye

Jennifer Hsu

Kitty Kat

Kathy Wells

Louise Shieh

Marina

Mary

Megan

Michelle Holiman

Ming-Jou

Norr

Pearl

Remi

Rose

Sammi

Step

Tammy

Tina

Tran

Zoe


II. Las Vegas Tourney Deadline for sign-up/cancel is Sun 9/20
- See evite - Folks responded as MAYBES - time to commit!


-We're rolling with some SpaceRipple LOVE


III. Mother's Beach cleanup Sat 9/19 after practice

- Details to follow shortly


IV. Need a Jersey? Last Minute Orders Being Taken Now!
- Please contact Tran ASAP with your size and style (sleeveless $36, short $41, or long $45).
- Deadline for orders is this FRIDAY Sept. 4!
- Jerseys will be delivered in advance of our San Fran Tourney



V. Need a PFD (life vest) or Paddle?
- Please reply to this email or contact Pearl ASAP with your paddle size.
- Our vendor representative (TK, of Team LARD) will be available to answer questions/take orders during Wednesday and weekend practices.
- Take a look at www.stohlquist or www.deepseainc or your REI store for ideas; discounts are about 40-45% off retail.



VI. Missing: Blue Bosch Electric Sander from last weekend's Boat Maintenance Work
- Please contact us if you accidentally picked it up, thanks!



VII. BIG THANK YOU
- to all Yard Sale volunteers & contributors! ~$1250 raised!


- to all Boat Maintenance volunteers! Job well done!


See you on the water!
Pearl, Tran, Wade