I'll try my best to construct this recap into a somewhat comprehensible and readable post instead of a pile of mush, filled with stream-of-consciousness babble. So here's a tourney recap through the eyes of a newbie. Enjoy!
Hooray, our 2013 tournament season has begun! First on our list, the 10th Annual Arizona Dragonboat Festival! Beginning the post with a biiiggg *jump & high-five* to tournament manager Bakasan, Coaches, Captains, steers, callers, photogs, drivers, food-prep crew and tourney volunteers! :)
We started both tourney days off, bright and early, with most of the team walking over to Space camp like zombies in uniform (although some parts of the trek had to be ninja-ed).
Post set-up warm-ups were led by, the always awesome, Coach Rod who threw 'milking the cow' into the mix; best stretch ever!- Stretched out our remaining muscle groups then topped it off with a light run.
*note to self and future Tempe tourney attendees: remember to bring your shoes to warm-ups; don't leave them in your hotel room or at Space camp unless you want the bottoms of your feet to feel like pumice stone. :(
What does Space love more than paddling? FOOD! Whether you're enjoying vendor food, grazing at the tent throughout the day, or… hahahaha. There was plenty of food to fuel our races! Speaking of racing-
For the part you were all waiting for... ::drummroll:: Excelling against fierce competition, here are the tourney results:
Red: Mixed A - 2:10.51 - Silver
Blue: Mixed B - 2:22.53 - Bronze
Open: 2:08.30 - Silver (by .03!)
Women: Women A - 2:22.73 - GOLD!!!
Masters: 2:19.84 - Silver
Congrats everyone! Our hard work and dedication is paying off and it most definitely shows :D. Extra kudos to our lovely Space Women for taking the gold! You guys were awesome out there!
Full race results and heat break-down: HERE
For those of you who were lucky enough to partake in the mouth-watering, taste-gasm of a barbecue experience known as Rebel BBQ, I'll let you describe the experience in the comments below… I'm definitely driving next time.
I know that a lot of you walked away from this tournament with a bitter taste of missed opportunities- keep in mind that It was only the first tournament of 2013 and not all is lost! Baby LB is right around the corner and there are enough practices in between to overcome every mistake and improve as a team. Cheers to 2013!
Writer's Note: What can I say except thank you. Aside from the hours of practice, blood, sweat, and disease filled Long Beach water, you guys are what make this sport great and keep me coming back for more! Having you all on the boat inspire me to be a better paddler and I can say, without hesitation, that I feel privileged to be able to call you all friends. I couldn't ask for a better team. One boat!
