Friday, June 29, 2012

June's New DieselFish Members


[Gong! Sizzle! The New Member Gong is getting so hot these days, you can fry an egg on it.*]

Like the old song goes, summertime, and the living is easy.... Especially if you’re DieselFish’s Minister of Newbie Happiness. Please welcome our three newest members!

Coach Tiffany tricked – ahem – invited Charles to a DieselFish practice, and he loved it. His enthusiasm and lively sense of humor have made him a welcome addition to the team. But he needs to get rid of those damned soccer socks he wears in the boat. Not a good look, bro. Seriously.
Sabrina is the latest addition DieselFish’s rapidly growing cadre of fearsome female warriors surnamed “Tam.” I’ve got this fantasy, in which there’s a traditional Chinese village, where everyone shares this name. The villagers’ lives revolve around dragon boat. They paddle all morning in the local river, and then, after a delicious omelet meal, they chop down trees to make artisanal paddles and boats.
Dan’s former coworker Albert enjoyed his first dragon boat experience so much, he made it a point to talk to me about the sport and upcoming practice sessions. I was thrilled to oblige, because it meant the guy had caught the Fishie Fever. There’s no easier way to put a smile on the Minister of Newbie Happiness’s face!

Summertime/And the livin’ is easy/Fish are jumpin’/And the water is high! Paddling conditions are fantastic these days, so there’s no better time to try dragon boat racing with DieselFish!

-Your Minister of Newbie Happiness

* DieselFish’s Omelet Recipe (adapted from an ancient recipe from the Tam village)



Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
• 1 can tuna fish (drained)
• 1 cup diced bok choy (spinach works, too)
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper

Directions
1. In a large New Member Gong, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add tuna and bok choy; cook and stir until bok choy is softened. Stir in the cheese, milk and horseradish; cook until cheese is melted. Remove and keep warm.
2. In the same gong, melt remaining butter. In a bowl, beat the eggs, water, salt and pepper. Pour into gong; cook over medium heat. As eggs set, lift the edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When eggs are nearly set, spoon filling mixture over half of the omelet. Fold omelet over filling. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

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!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Dragon Boat Festival 2012

DieselFish wishes you a happy and auspicious Dragon Boat Festival!

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!

Friday, June 15, 2012

DieselFish Youth at Lake Vasona

[Minister's Note: DieselFish Youth is the team's mighty high school division!]

DieselFish Youth held its first practice at the CDBA's newest practice site in the South Bay. The team had over 35 paddlers, parents and invited guests who enjoyed a BBQ tri-tip and salmon dinner to open the team's first practice at Lake Vasona. A special thanks to the CDBA Board for their continued efforts to promote the history and sport of dragon boating.

-Frank Fung

DieselFish Youth Coordinator

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

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Dragon Boat Around the World - Japan


Dragon boat racing is the world's fastest growing water sport! It started in China thousands of years ago as a holiday ritual. Now, it's a modern and organized sport with teams located wherever there's enough water to float a boat. In this installment, we look at the dragon boat scene in the port city of Yokohama, Japan!

-The Minister of Newbie Happiness
 
Here's a photo from a dragon boat race that took place in Yokohama recently: http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/enter-the-dragon-3

Look at their faces - what do you notice? I see expressions of determination, excitement and happiness. This complex combination of feelings is not uncommon during races, and is probably the reason why the sport has become so widespread.
I'd provide more details about the race, but I can't read the festival's website: http://www.yokohama-dragon.com/
If you can tell me the names of the top three teams, I'll send you a DieselFish sticker!
-The Minister of Newbie Happiness
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!

June 23rd is Juhannuspäivä!

Aiyaa! June 23rd is Juhannuspäivä!

Fishies, we gotta celebrate!

-The Minister of Newbie Happiness

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!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Congrats DieselFish! May Race Gold!

The California Dragon Boat Association’s May Race is a big deal for the Bay Area’s dragon boat scene. It’s the first race of the season for many teams, so the day is packed with opportunities. For the veteran paddlers, the May Race is a chance to shake off the cobwebs that may have accumulated during the off season. For the beginners, it’s a chance to get their feet wet in their first dragon boat race. For the coaches, it’s a chance to scope out the competition. This season’s May Race was packed with exciting developments for DieselFish. Our veteran Blue Boat paddled long and strong, and powered their way to gold medal. Our beginner Green Boat paddlers welcomed four new paddlers and continued their upward trajectory through the ranks. These are the kinds of performances that trouble the competition!
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
Here’s DieselFish Blue’s championship race. Notice how much wake the team generated near the front of the boat!
Here’s DieselFish Green’s preliminary race. Great timing, newbies!
This season’s May Race was an exciting taste of things to come! FREMONT SPRINTS, HERE WE COME!
-The Minister of Newbie Happiness
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!