The Northern Spirit dragon boat team is back in the bay.
The team is preparing for two regattas this season: the Vancouver Concord Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival on June 24 and 25 in False Creek and the Vancouver Island Dragon Boat Festival in Victoria on August 26 and 27.
Kitimat is at a slight disadvantage since the climate prevents year-round paddling. But that doesn’t stop The Northern Spirit team. At a pre-COVID regatta, Kitimat dragon Boaters brought home the gold from Victoria.
The team does a lot of fundraising work in the community to help facilitate travel to the regattas. They will be hosting a pancake breakfast on July 1 and will be helping with the set up, take down and security of the free concerts on June 17
The Northern Spirit Dragon Boat began in 2004. Carole Gagnon is chair and coach of the team, as well as one of the last remaining members of the original team.
“Ladies of all different ages and walks of life come together and have fun,” said Gagnon.
“We believe in unity and diversity.”
Dragon boat racing started in China more than 2,000 years ago. For efficiency in the water, teams of 22 must be completely in sync. The entire boat relies on the steersperson at the back of the boat for the direction of travel and to make safety calls. The coach is at the front of the boat keeping time and making sure everyone has good form.
The water moves faster at the back of the boat than at the front, so padders must also accommodate for that to stay in unison.
The Kitimat team has grown recently due to an influx of new recruits. There are around 28 people on this year’s roster, which allows for alternates and substitutes in case of injuries or other commitments. A full team includes 20 people to paddle and 2 people acting as coach and steersperson.
”We’ve got a lot on the team that has been on for 10, 15, 20 years, long-term committed paddlers,” said Hannah Gomes, public relations liaison and team member of several years.
“You can derive so much power. You can be doing this when you’re 60, 70 if you’re fit and healthy and want to.”
@HunterWilld
hunter.wild@northernsentinel.com
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