DieselFish Youth's Coach Jenny

“Almost there, DFY,” shouts the coach perched at the front of the dragon boat. “Finish it, NOW!”

The DieselFish Youth (DFY) paddlers instantly shorten their stroke length and increase their rate. The boat suddenly surges through the water, forcing coach Jenny Tam to brace herself. The weather is warm on this Saturday afternoon, but she doesn’t feel like falling into the water. As the kids finish their practice race, a smile creeps across Tam’s face. Her kids have gotten even better.

Veteran coach and paddler Jenny Tam recently started coaching DFY, DieselFish Dragon Boat Team’s high school division, and she couldn’t be more excited. “DFY is EPIC!” she exclaimed. “They are so smart, hard working and fun. But most importantly, they have a lot of heart and spirit.”

Tam would know. She spent three years as an assistant coach for Galileo High School’s respected Celestial Dragons team. She then took a brief break from coaching to “focus on paddling.” But Tam couldn’t stay away from coaching for long. “I got to drum for DFY last year at the Long Beach and Treasure Island races. I thought the kids were pretty awesome. They love dragon boating as much as I do, and they made me miss coaching.” DieselFish’s head coach, Birk Lee, sensed this longing and approached Coach Jenny about taking over as DFY’s coach.

“Jenny was a natural choice for the DFY Head Coach position,” said Lee. “She coached Galileo High’s dragon boat team before, and has a young energy that makes her a fun coach for kids.”

Since taking her position at the front of the boat, Tam’s DieselFish Youth team earned a silver medal at the recent California Dragon Boat Association Youth Race. “Silver! Need I say more?” Tam beamed. “I’m so proud of them! These kids turn it on when they get on the water. They are so strong, great competitors and bring the power in the boat when I ask for it. They work hard and do not take anything for granted - this is the kind of team I love coaching.”

Tam’s goals for the rest of the season are grand. “The sky is the limit,” she explained. “I want the kids to work hard, win big and have fun along the way.”

To achieve this goal, Tam introduced new drills emphasizing “technique and mental focus.” She also began running activities off the water emphasizing “fitness, team bonding and having fun.”

According to Lee, Tam is “Tough. Fair. Committed. Loud.” He went on to say that Tam “doesn’t take sugar coat things or take back talk from her paddlers. But she also practices what she preaches. As a paddler, she practices the technique that she coaches and comes out to all the practices regardless.”

“Jenny cares about the kids she coaches, both on and off the boat,” said Lee. “She wants to make an impact on them as they develop as paddlers and as people. Jenny is a great one-on-one coach. And she has a coaching technique where she walks down a boat to individually adjust paddlers that I really admire. Jenny is also team player, and a valuable member of the DieselFish coaching staff.”

The DFY kids are full of praise for their new coach. “I am excited about having Jenny coach the team because her energy and heart are so contagious,” said Tiffany Ly Su, a third year veteran of the team. “She has a great attitude towards everything and always looks at everything in a positive light. Her passion for coaching and paddling is not something many people have. To get the opportunity to have a person like her to coach really makes DFY happy, and we couldn’t be happier!”

Ly Su went on to say she feels Tam knows “her stuff and executes it well,” and “she is proud of us as long as we give it 100%, and that’s all she could ask from us.”

This respect and affection is mutual. “They are all stars,” gushed Tam. “I don’t have favorites - you only paddle as strong as your weakest paddler. That’s why I love this sport; some of the kids are super athletes, but for others it’s their first sport. All the paddlers put such a great effort into being on this team and working hard. Paddling with DFY is truly a team sport. I know what stands out - effort and the commitment that generates results.”

As the DFY dragon boat pulls into the dock, Tam puts the team on notice. “Back and front rows out first!” she instructs. “Let’s do a cool-down stretch before we debrief.” Tam runs a tight ship.

-Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness

Coach Jenny and Tiffany

Raising the Team

It’s take a village to raise a high school dragon boat team. Here are some of the adults that volunteer their time to run DFY. Excited and enthusiastic commentary provided by Coach Jenny Tam:

Dennis Chen: The younger brother I never had. Thanks for steering all the time, funneling teen gossip, teaching me what’s “hip” these days and giving great insight, the young jedi that you are. He has great experience paddling from college to international!

Frank and Janet Fung: The FUNGS (Frank + Janet = Franet) - THANK YOU! Super parents - you think they would have 30 kids and not two. From paperwork to food to emailing parents, they have done an amazing job helping me out off the water. I am extremely grateful for their help (especially not having to collect waivers from kids. Woot!

Birk Lee: This man is awesome! He has great mooching skills, smart advice and awesome Patriots sandals! I tend to be a bit more like a football coach sometimes – intense and serious. It doesn’t help I have a deeper voice than him. He built a strong foundation with DFY - he is a tough act to follow. I want to continue building the team and keep climbing up the division ranks at races.

Darren Louie: He’s the calm, and I am the storm. Darren’s a tremendous asset to the coaching staff. He was the OG of DFY coaching! So it’s been great having him back and helping me out with coaching. Great with motivating the kids. He also has a good sense of humor.

  

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!