The Queen of Dragon Boat Racing

Dear Kate Middleton:

I’m not a monarchist, but I’d like to offer my best wishes for your upcoming wedding. We are worlds apart, separated not only by an ocean, but also by class and culture. We have, however, one thing in common: we both enjoy dragon boat racing.

I paddle with DieselFish, one of the most respected teams in Northern California. Over the years, we have paddled away with the gold at prestigious races including the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival. I enjoy paddling with DieselFish because I enjoy the physical activity, camaraderie, and adventure the team provides. At first, I only showed up to the Saturday morning practices. But I enjoyed the experience so much, I started showing up to the Tuesday and Thursday night sessions as well. Then, I became a part of the team’s upper management. What started out as a hobby gradually became an alternative lifestyle!

Did you enjoy training with your team? What did you like about it? It looks like you learned how to steer. That’s a hard job – the last time I tried to work the tiller, the boat kept hurtling towards the shore at dangerous speeds. I heard your team tried to cross the English Channel in a dragon boat. How did that go?

If you and the Prince ever travel to Redwood City (it’s the Paris of Northern California! Really!), please look me up. My dragon boat team, DieselFish, will roll out the electric green carpet for you, and take you out for a spin on the boat. I’ll even loan you my carbon fiber – err, pardon me, “fibre” — paddle.

It’s hard to believe I have something in common with a member of royalty. I’m not one of your subjects, but I feel I can relate to you in a small (and non-threatening) way because we share an uncommon hobby. That makes you THE QUEEN OF MY HEART.

(Please don’t sic your security detail on me.)

Sincerely,

Alex
Minister of Newbie Happiness/Creative Officer
DieselFish Dragon Boat Club

Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!