Happy Holidays 2016

Happy holidays from DieselFish Dragon Boat Team!

See you in March 2017 for more fun, food and fitness!

Fire, Meat and Good Times | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

DieselFish's End-of-Season Party

On November fourth, DieselFish gathered at Beque Korean Grill to celebrate a successful season. The team's members scorched meat, tossed back shots of soju and enjoyed each other's company. 

"Tonight, we're celebrating a successful season!" exclaimed Marynka Rojas, the team's coach. "We won medals in our last two races! We also grew the team with new members!"

Coach Rojas then explained that DieselFish will take some off. "It's getting too cold to paddle," she stated. "But we'll stay in touch with workout sessions and social events."

"We'll start paddling again in March! Get ready for season 20!" Rojas exclaimed. 

LET'S GO DIESEL! 

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun foodie adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

What Your Favorite Dragon Boat Race Says About You | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

DieselFish’s captain psychoanalyzes you

Every race is different and has its own unique charms. Which race is your favorite?

CDBA Regional Regatta: You wore your medal to work the next day.

CDBA Sprint Race: You can’t wait to try all the new Red Bull flavors.

CDBA Youth Race: Your coach scolded you for trying to catch a Pokémon between hit drills.

CDBA College Cup Championship: You are not sure if you should study for the MCAT or intern at Facebook.

Nevada Dragon Boat Festival: You correct people that mispronounce “Tiësto”.

Halloween Howl: There’s a grapefruit IPA waiting for you back at the tent.

Portland Rose Festival: You feel bad about eating that cereal and carbohydrate concoction from Voodoo Doughnuts, but what the hell…

Boston Dragon Boat Festival: Wow, that guy from the Sam Adams commercials really works at the brewery!

Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival: You wear flip flops all the time.

San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival (Treasure Island): You prepared for the race by spraying salt water in your eyes.

Concord Pacific Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival: Your timing box also served as your bridesmaids.

Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival (Lake Merritt): Your coworkers wonder how you lost your voice over the weekend.

Race with us! Email us at dfcaptains@gmail.com today for free dragon boat lessons!

Thrills and Chills at Lake Merritt | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

 DieselFish braved the elements and won another medal

The weather at this year’s Halloween Howl race was scary. A storm system swept through Lake Merritt on race day and battered the race course with three-quarters of an inch of rain and wind speeds that reached 25 miles per hour.

“It was wild out there! The rain was coming down hard and the wind was strong. Everyone got drenched,” said Marynka Rojas, DieselFish Dragon Boat Team’s coach. Bryan Lee, one of the team’s newest members was shocked by the intensity of the winds. “One of the tents blew away and landed on top of a building!” he stated.

Luckily, DieselFish was prepared. Many of the team’s veterans had experience racing in similar weather conditions. “The race at Treasure Island was like this every year, so we got used to it” recalled team member Sivagar Natarajan. Iris Fung agreed and noted that “whitecaps are exciting!”

This experience and sense of adventure helped DieselFish win a medal in the 1,000 meter race. “We kept calm and fought with everything we had,” said Coach Rojas.

“We got another medal! Our second in two months at Lake Merritt!” exclaimed Conely Chan. “It was worth getting wet!”

Email us at dfcaptains@gmail.com today to learn how you can join our outdoor sports adventures!

Powerful Stroke | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

Viewers suffering from motion sickness urged to skip this video

Did you feel that BUMP? That's #DieselPower at work!

Contact me at dieselfishcaptain@gmail.com for free lessons! We will show you how powerful you can be.

The 3 P’s of DieselFish | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Dennis shares his thoughts about DieselFish’s experience at the Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival

Every time I think about this past weekend, I smile.

Yes, we got gold medals. Hurray! But we also got to enjoy the 3 P’s of DieselFish life: Paddling, Phamily, and Phood. (I have an MBA - I'm required to do stuff like that.)

Paddling: Our boats got stronger throughout the festival. We poured our hearts and souls into each stroke and it showed – we got faster in every single race, shaving off seconds! Congratulations to our new teammate Bryan! This was his first festival, and he rocked it.

Phamily: We had lots of downtime between races. It was fun hanging out with the team under our tent, getting to know everyone better. I am super glad I got to meet so many new people over the weekend like Angeline, Brian, Rosie and our new friends from the TAP Chicago Dragon Boat Team.

Phood: You’ve got to make up for those calories burned on the water, right? On Saturday, we went to Oakland’s historic Chinatown for dumplings and hand-pulled noodles at Shan Dong. On Sunday, we celebrated our win with cocktails and steaks at Tribune Tavern. And who can forget the amazing wonton tacos that some of my teammates got from the food trucks at the festival. Maybe we got the gold because we ate so well!

I’m happy that DieselFish grew stronger, closer, and became more of a family during the festival. Because that’s what’s always been at the core of Dieselfish.

- Dennis

Come join our family! Email us at dfcaptains@gmail.com today for free dragon boat lessons!

This is Dennis

At the award ceremony

Rosie, Dennis and Conely

Love this crew!

Kent and Marynka give it their all.

Anna and Angeline show off their bling.

Angeline and Anna fly through the water!

Coach Marynka's new toy

Alex probably wore his medal to work the next day!

Dragon Boat Power is People Power | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Dragon Boat is the ultimate team sport

"Power now! Whoa!"
- Coach Marynka

Today, we taught a boat filled with newbies how to paddle.

The newbies quickly picked up the technique. Here, you can see Coach Marynka staggering after they unleashed a massive stroke that shook the boat.

I love this picture because it shows how powerful we become when we work together. Dragon boat racing is all about team work. The boats are intentionally heavy. To get a boat moving, the crew must synchronize their strokes. All 20 paddles need to enter and exit the water at the same time.

It’s not easy to achieve this level of synchronization. That’s the beauty of the sport. The crew shares the challenge and learns how to work together.

When the team’s timing is spot on, the boat surges forward and flies through the water. Sometimes, as a bonus, the coach gets to go for a swim.

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com today for free dragon boat lessons!

Spam Smorgasbord | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Thomas got hungry after practice

This was Thomas's lunch!

He ate all these Spam musubis in one sitting!

You build up an appetite after pulling a boat.

'Atta boy, Thomas. You earned them.

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun foodie adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

Stretch Out, Then Pig Out | Redwood City Dragon Boat

We visited I Dumpling after practice

Today's practice included yoga poses and planks.

Today's menu included Shanghai soup dumplings and potstickers.

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun foodie adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

Dragon Boat Jewelry | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Feeling very disappointed and a bit fabulous

I don't know where to begin...

I was looking for a program to watch, so I started scrolling through the TV guide. I nearly jumped off the couch when I saw this listing for dragon boat festival coverage.

I clicked the button, and found myself watching a home shopping channel. The hosts were selling baubles from a company called "Dragon Boat".

I've won medals at festivals, but never pearl pendants!

I didn't buy anything. I've got my own dragon boat #bling:

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com to for free dragon boat lessons! No layaway payments needed!

Making New Friends | Redwood City Dragon Boat

We goof around in the boat sometimes

We had lots of fun today with the newbies.

New friends are always welcome!

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com to meet new friends and share dragon boat adventures!

Paddlers who Lunch | Redwood City Dragon Boat

DieselFish goes out to lunch…again

“This croissant looks buttery,” said Victor. “Can we get some more napkins?”

After practice on Saturday, the team went to Pamplemousse Patisserie Et Café in downtown Redwood City for lunch. We go to Pamplemousse when we want to reward ourselves after a decent workout. The French-style café offers rich savory dishes including crispy croque monsieur sandwiches and cheesy quiches. Sometimes, we even order their baked goods. (Victor loved his almond croissant.) Just because we paddle like savages doesn’t mean that we have to eat like them.

The team always goes out for meals together after practices. These meals allow us to bond and relax after our exciting workouts. Sometimes, I look forward to the meals as much as the practices.

- Alex, Your Minister of Newbie Happiness

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun foodie adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

Humans of DieselFish – Victor and Alex | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Family Fun with DieselFish

"I paddled with my son today. We haven't spent time together like this in a while. I don't exercise, so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up. But it was fine. The people are nice and I had fun, so I will try it again."

"My mom wants him to pick up some new hobbies."

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun family adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

First Practice #Selfies | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Our first practice was a blast! Were you there?

Smiles all around

We love you too, Martha!

Clear blue sky and glassy water

DieselFish Dragon Boat Team’s first practice of 2016 was filled with fun, fitness and food! I can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning. Thanks for the pics, Martha!

You can join our adventures, too! We will offer free lessons for beginners on:

><((((º> 4/2 from 10:00-1:30

><((((º> 4/9 from 1:30-3:00

><((((º> 4/16 from 10:00-1:30

Our beginner sessions will cover the basics of the sport in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The team will provide you with personalized instruction. This is the perfect time to get started!

Please register today at: http://bit.ly/1RmNX89.

- Alex, your Minister of Newbie Happiness