My first regatta was jam-packed, with little time between racing and marshalling for the next heat. SIRC was abuzz with paddlers from so many teams, and I could only think, “What a fun community I’ve found myself a part of.”

Irina (middle)
When I started paddling with DSA, it was the tail-end of winter, the evening sessions were dark and cold, and my muscles felt the burn of each training session… but something kept bringing me back. There is an incredible sense of teamwork in dragon boating as you can’t just paddle for yourself, but also for the person sitting next to you, for the team, and for all the hours of work that every team member has put in for this moment. As the weeks went on, I got to know the supportive and friendly people sitting in the boat better, and knew I did not want to disappoint them.
As the training ramped up for the first regatta, guided by our amazing coaches, I was becoming more confident in my paddling technique, recovering faster after training, and I got muscles that I’m pretty sure did not exist previously.
Finally, race day!
Watching the Senior team race their first heat, I noted how quick a 500m race ends, and how competitive the other teams were. And suddenly it was our turn. The starting buzzer went off and so did we. All I could think was breathing, timing, POWER! And suddenly, we were called to stop and it was over… or was it? Turns out, we had a minor hiccup and had to course-correct part way during the race. No matter, it only made us all the more driven for the next one!

On the morning of the regatta, coach George told us to leave it all on the water - “If you die, you die - we will carry you off the boat” - and throughout the day, just as I would think I had given all I could give, those words would summon the last reserves of energy for the final stretches to the finish line, and again as the next race started.
Six races later, it was over, and I was spent. I had raced my last heat, and we were cheering on our Open team as they were finishing strong in an amazing final race. While we didn’t win them all, the sense of accomplishment and team pride at the end of the day was no less real - we can only keep getting better from here!

DSA Premier Women crew
The date of the regatta happened to be the day after I got married. My (now) husband cheered the team on from the grandstand, and on a beautiful day on the water, filled with excitement and cheer, who could ask for a better honeymoon?

Irina (second row, left)
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