Woking on Water: Redwood City Dragon Boat Team Cooked with Celebrity Chef

DieselFish appeared on TV

I came across this old recording while clearing space on my DVR. A while back, DieselFish appeared on Cooking Channel’s "Easy Chinese: San Francisco". The series was a cooking show that focused on Asian food in the Bay Area. The producers asked DieselFish to appear on the seafood episode because we’re a water sports team based in Redwood City and we paddle to eat. The episode aired on November 12, 2011. You can read about our experience here. What a great time! We had fun, ate good food and paddled with friends.

Tonight, I rewatched the show for the first time in many years. The experience brought back many happy memories, but I should be living in the moment. I should be focusing on our upcoming practice sessions and foodie adventures. Also, the big race at Treasure Island is coming up.

(Wow, do I really look like that?)

- Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness

Redwood City dragon boat team offers free dragon boat lessons. Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun, good food and new friends!

Redwood City Dragon Boat | Special Sashimi Lunch

Special Sashimi and Fast Finishes with DieselFish

What We Ate
Alfred really likes Yokohama, a Japanese restaurant located in downtown Redwood City. “I’d eat at this place all the time if I could,” he said. “I wish there was a place like this near my office or home.” Why does Alfred like Yokohama so much? The big pieces of sashimi! “They cut the slices thicker,” said Alfred. He then ignored my further questions as he began to tuck into chunky slices of ruby-red tuna at a quick pace. Attaboy. You earned it after paddling, Alfred.

What We Learned
The most exciting part of a dragon boat race occurs during the last 100 meters. That’s when the crew summons its remaining energy and initiates the finish, a sudden and intense sprint that hurtles the boat towards the finish line. The finish is a beautiful sight to behold, but it takes work. Coach Sean had us work on our finishes on Saturday.

Fortunately for us, Sean is a veteran instructor. He showed us how to improve our synchronization and tweak our body movements in a way that generated maximum speed for a minimum of effort. By the end of practice, our boat was flying!

SEE YOU NEXT PRACTICE!
Alex

Set your own paddling and eating records! Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for free dragon boat lessons!

Redwood City Dragon Boat | Hawaii BBQ Power

What We Ate

After practice, we went to our old hangout, L&L Hawaiian Barbeque. I ordered my usual: the BBQ beef plate (hold the veggies) and a spam musubi. But what I really wanted was an espresso and throat lozenges.

During lunch, we got to know Ray and Bonnie, the newbies that joined us for practice. They had just completed their first dragon boat experience. They looked like they were in high spirits. (I’m not sure if their good moods were the result of their endorphin rushes after paddling or the BBQ.) We look forward to seeing them again!

What We Learned

Wow, what a day out on the water! Coach Sean asked us to focus on power. We paddled some endurance pieces—but with a twist. The new technique seemed to work and help us synchronize our strokes. We achieved greater power for longer durations. 

SEE YOU NEXT PRACTICE!
Alex

San Francisco Bay Area Dragon Boat Team DieselFish offers free dragon boat lessons. Email us at dfcaptains@gmail.com for details!

Redwood City Dragon Boat | The World Championships Are So Close...

From Darren Louie, DieselFish Youth Team Coach (who coaches our group of teens):

As you know I've had the wonderful privilege of coaching DFY now for five years and this year is special as we have four of our young athletes competing for the U16 Team USA at the world championships in Welland, Canada in August 2015.

On the team are Kiana, Nathan, Jet and Orion all of whom who are 13 and 14 years of age respectively. These four are very young but have incredible potential and have earned a spot on Team USA.

I'm writing this message to ask for your financial support to help fund their trip to Canada.

Unfortunately, in the sport of Dragon boating, there is no funding or scholarships for junior athletes and this is why we need help. The trip is estimated to be $1,800 to $2,000 per athlete, and I was hoping you could make a small donation to help offset some of the costs.

The kids have set up a RocketHub crowdfunding project site where you can read about their stories and easily make a donation.

Thank you so much for your support. Any help that you can provide would be very much appreciated.

Paddles up,

Darren

Sometimes a Graphic is Worth a Thousand Words

The South China Morning Post published this beautifully illustrated infographic about dragon boat racing:

It's a must-read for people curious about the sport! (Click on the link or save this image to download a larger version,)

Want to take the next step and experience your first dragon boat adventure? Email me at dieselfishcaptain@gmail.com to set up your first free lesson!

Dragon Boat #Bling

How do you paddle with that thing around your neck?

#DieselFish #dragonboat #bling #shiphop #2002willneverdie #captain4lyfe #SanFrancisco

Alex will provide you with free paddling lessons if you email him at dfcaptains@gmail.com. You need to sign a waiver before trying on the #bling. 

Dragon Boat Gear Essentials

Gear doesn’t make the paddler, but it can sure help!

Dragon boat paddlers need to leverage every resource available to deliver their best performances! This ongoing series will examine the technology and gear that DieselFish Dragon Boat Team uses to stay fit, fast and occasionally fashionable.

Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness, has paddled with DieselFish for seven years and blogged about dragon boat racing for almost as long. He keeps coming back year after year for “the people.” In this installment, he will stop writing in the third person perspective and talk about his favorite pieces of paddling equipment, which include an arsenal of paddles and several articles of technical sportswear.

[1] Paddles: (L-R)

● ZRE Carbon fiber: Too $hort

● Grey Owl Wood: Too heavy

● Burnwater Carbon Fiber: Ahh, just right. (I swear, the pink sticker wasn’t my idea. This paddle is a loaner.)

[2] Chinese Mom Visor: Just kidding.

[3] Nike Daybreak Visor: Keeps water, sun and sweat off my beautiful face.

[4] Stohlquist Barnacle Half-Finger Paddling Gloves: I used to think it was manly to have rough hands that were scorched by the sun, battered by the wind and drowned by the sea. I changed my mind after all the blisters and calluses I had accumulated started to affect my paddling. These gloves protect my hands from the elements and provide some extra grip.

[5] Adidas Supernova Running Jacket: Water resistant, yet breathable.

[6] Columbia Waterproof Pants: Prevents swamp crotch.

[7] Skwoosh Dragon Boat Pad: Paddling helped me lose some of the junk in my trunk, so now I need some padding down there.

[8] New Balance SM820 Water Shoes: I like wearing water shoes because they provide better protection and grip than sandals. (I’ve slipped inside the boat.) This particular model is loaded with technical features including drainage ports and mesh windows that help the shoes dry out quickly and prevent swamp foot. They slightly pinch my heels.

[9] Nike ACG Cordilleras Water Shorts: I bought four pairs of these shorts that are sadly no longer in production. They were designed for paddling, so they offer useful technical features including quick drying fabric, non-slip textures, cargo pockets and an internal lanyard for my keys.

[10] DieselFish Jersey: The DieselFish Electric Green on the sleeves stimulates the senses and also allows our supporters to spot us from the shore during races. 

Alex will provide you with free dragon boat lessons and might let you borrow some of his equipment if you email him at DFcaptains@gmail.com.