Masters Do it Better... | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

…Because we’ve been around and learned a few tricks.

At long last, our medals finally arrived!

We won this hardware back in May at the California Dragon Boat Association’s Regional Regatta. The Regatta included a masters race. Masters races are for paddlers aged forty and up. No young whippersnappers allowed!

You might wonder what it’s like to race with a middle-aged boat…

Does the crew smell like Icy Hot?

Does AARP sponsor the race?

Are there ambulances on standby?

Actually, masters races are just as intense and exciting as standard dragon boat races. But there’s a difference!

Most of the masters have paddled for a long time. So there’s lots of experience in the boat.

On race day, we felt this difference as soon as our boat jumped out from the starting line.

Our powerful strokes yanked us through the water at a furious pace that generated a bubbly wake. That’s because every paddler was reaching and rotating like a pro.

Timing in the boat was spot on. Everyone in the boat knew how to stay in time.

As we neared the finish line, we found ourselves neck and neck with our enemies.

That’s when we got stubborn and applied even more power.

After a fierce battle, we ended up winning the bronze.

Not bad for a bunch of geezers. We do it better because we’ve been around the block and know what we’re doing.

Would you like to race with our masters crew? Email me now at DFcaptains@gmail.com for free dragon boat lessons in Redwood City.

- Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness

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!