“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!” s
he instructs. “Let’s do a cool-down stretch
before we debrief.” Tam runs a tight ship.
-Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness
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| Coach Jenny and Tiffany |
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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!
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