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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Local team competes in Pacific Dragon Boat races on Vancouver Lake

By , Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter
Published:

Gail Liberman was looking for a book club, something fun to perk up her retirement. But as she searched the internet, a different activity kept catching her eye — something that brings to life dark nights and crisp spring days.

Turns out, that activity just might take Liberman and some friends farther than they’d dared dream.

This weekend on Vancouver Lake, Liberman and 21 teammates will try to paddle their way to Australia. Their Catch 22 boat is one of two from Vancouver that will compete in the Pacific Dragon Boat Association Championships. The competition will bring some 60 crews to Vancouver, many of them dreaming of qualifying for the International Dragon Boat Association Club Championships, which take place next year in Australia.

“Jaw dropping” is the way Lynette Lindblom describes the prospect of traveling to Australia to compete in a championship event.

Lindblom said she had never participated in a sport until she followed a friend to the Vancouver Lake Aquatic Center last summer. Another member of Catch 22, Michelle Anderson, admits she was afraid to step into the boat the first day she showed up.

With guidance from head coach Jeff Campbell and assistant coach Jenna Brown, a group that ranges from recent devotees to veteran dragon boat paddlers is poised to make a serious bid to represent the western United States at the worlds in the Senior A division.

“You can’t coach chemistry, a team either has it or they don’t. My ladies have it. I work them very hard, but we have fun doing it,” Campbell said.

But it is not the chance to qualify for a world championship event that keeps these women coming to the lake all year long. Instead, they rave about friendship and fitness, about the magic of paddling under a full moon and the thrill of flying Across the water when the team is at its best.

“It’s really, really fun,” Lori Simpson said, adding working with a group of women to propel the boat is rewarding.

From the first day, Liberman enjoyed the challenge, the upper-body workout that paddling provides. She even enjoys the winter, when the team trains at least once a week and has been known to break into Christmas carols.

“There’s something almost magical about being on the water when it’s dark,” Liberman said.

The most exhilarating moments happen when the paddlers find their rhythm and the boat is zipping across the surface without resistance from the water.

“When it’s all right, you’re just on top of the water screaming down that lane,” Jonelle Battaglia, the helm who steers the boat, said. “It’s special. This isn’t something that comes easy. It takes talent. This isn’t a brainless sport.”

Dani Ramirez, the team captain, said one aspect she most appreciates about dragon boat racing is that the crew cannot rely on individual greatness to succeed.

“Every single person is equally important,” Ramirez said.

And each of them must be on task. The flight of an eagle or the sight of moonbeams dancing off the lake are moments that can captivate, but such moments of serenity must be forgotten when the work is called for. Ramirez said there are times when she’s so focused on what she’s doing that she’ll be surprised to find the boat has returned to the dock.

Mary Johnson is one team member who came to Vancouver Lake with paddling experience. The Woodland resident was happy she didn’t have to go to Portland to keep paddling.

“You either love it or you hate it,” Johnson said. “For me, life is a lot more fun being out on the water.”

That fun doesn’t come without some pain, though. “You pull muscles that you didn’t know you even had,” Johnson said.

Brown, the assistant coach, discovered dragon boating in October of 2003, one year after surgery for breast cancer. She is thrilled to see interest in the sport on the rise on Vancouver Lake.

“For me, it’s about wanting to be the best I can be and still blending in,” Brown said, highlighting both the individual challenge and the communal spirit of the sport.

This weekend, though, the competitive spirit takes over. As Campbell likes to remind his team, paddling dragon boats is fun — but it’s really fun to win.

As Battaglia put it: “This is our water, and this is our year.

If you go

Pacific Dragon Boat Association Championships

What: Held every other year, these championships draw teams from as far as San Diego. Teams are competing for spots in the International Dragon Boat Federation 2016 Club World Championships in Australia.

The Paddle West Challenge Cup, held concurrently, is for teams from novices on up and does not qualify winners for the world championships.

Where: Vancouver Lake Regional Park.

Schedule: Racing is scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Races are scheduled to go about every 5 to 10 minutes.

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Format: Saturday’s races will be on a 250-meter course. Sunday’s races will be on a 500-meter course. The teams with the best combined results will qualify for the world championships.

Spectators: The races can be seen from the park on the west side of Vancouver Lake. Free admission (bring your own chair). Food and other vendors, plus a beer garden (noon to sunset both days).

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Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter