Something we love here in Decatur, AL, is the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Organized by the Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation, the event serves as a fundraiser for the foundation and is an exhilarating experience. Let me introduce you to the concept of Dragon Boat racing: teams of 22 paddle in a long boat adorned like a dragon, with a drummer setting the pace and a steerer guiding the course. They race against three other teams in each heat.
This year marked my third participation in the race, an event I thoroughly enjoy each year. In both 2022 and 2023, our team was crowned Grand Champion, setting high expectations for us this time around. Unfortunately, we barely managed to practice due to uncooperative weather during the week leading up to the race. Additionally, we faced temporary pressure as a consistently victorious team from Florence, AL, decided to compete in our race. On race day, the weather was perfect, setting an ideal stage for paddling. As the race commenced, adrenaline surged through me, but my confidence wasn’t at its peak. Yet, just 1 minute and 12 seconds after the start, we crossed the finish line, boosting my confidence immensely. Our team took the lead early and maintained it throughout the day. Although our second race was our worst, finishing at 1:12.5, we were still in contention for the championship in the final race, and we knew we could win it.
The finals were tense. As we were pulling ahead, our boat was unexpectedly struck by another, causing us and another team to stop. The race was rerun, this time with the champion determined solely by timing. We completed the rerun in one minute and eleven seconds. After a tense wait for the results, it was official: we were champions again. I'll just say it felt good.
It was a fantastic day with great turnout, team spirit, and weather. Truly an awesome experience.
Comentários