A fledging team of dragon boat racers from Georgian took part in the 7th Annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival at Heritage Park Aug. 22. The Young and the Rest of Us (inset) started their quest earlier this summer with a few missteps, including a number of “splashy” moments and clanking paddles.
The team was made up of experienced boaters and first-timers.
Lori McPhee, Board of Governors’ office, was among the “rookies.” She says that despite concerns that she wasn’t a strong swimmer, the team organizer, Hospitality and Tourism’s Martha MacEachern, convinced her the vessel would stay afloat.
“I relied heavily on the experience of the other boaters, but dragon boat racing is truly about team work,” said Lori. “So even though I was a little nervous on race day, the excitement and enthusiasm of the crew kept me buoyed through our three heats.”
Each member of the crew was assigned responsibilities. Lori was in charge of organizing seating positions for each race, while drummer Kelly Halliday, International Business Management, kept the crew in time as the drummer. Jack Brown, Canadian Automotive Institute, and Mike Agema, Hospitality and Tourism, led the team at the Friday night parade and provided much-needed comic relief for the nervous crew.
Jack Brown’s experiences with canoeing, which include several over-turnings, left him wary of joining the race. He felt more at ease when he realized the main objective of the team was to simply have fun.
“I recall being apprehensive before our first race, but when I realized we were all nervous, I relaxed more,” he said. “Initially I was hoping we’d just be able to cross the finish line, but I think we did a pretty commendable job in the end and didn’t besmirch the fine Georgian name.”
The team placed third in the silver consolation final with a time of 2:52:43, racing three times, each time improving their pace.
In the end they earned “Rookie Team of the Year” honours and the satisfaction of knowing they raised more than $1,400 toward the College’s Power of Education campaign and the Barrie Public Library.
The Young and the Rest of Us included: Mike Agema, Kim Ball, Anthony Borgo, Jack Brown, Cherylyn Cameron, Jim Garraway, Kelly Halliday, Trevor Howes, Dave Jones, Jenny LaForge, Heather Laver, Sue Lemmon, Martha MacEachern, June Martin, Lori McPhee, Christine McSorley, Sue Slessor, Paul Tarsitano, Laura Tieken, Rebbeca Truax, Cathy Volpé and Rob Wong.
Plans are already underway for Georgian’s sophomore season at the 2010 festival. Interested paddlers are encouraged to contact Marth MacEachern at ext. 1126 or mmaceachern@georgiancollege.ca.