Silver and Bronze for Nothin' Dragon at the FCRCC Knockout Regatta

“Nothin’ Dragon Gals’ first race event!”

Congratulations to our newly created women’s team, Nothin’ Dragon Gals’ who took home a bronze medal in the A Division final at the FCRCC Knockout Regatta 200m dragon boat races on May 10 at False Creek in Vancouver! A big shout out to our rookie steers woman, Michele who did a fantastic job in qualifiers and the semi. Bob steered for the knockout rounds.

It was also an exciting afternoon of racing as our mixed teams Rock and Roll competed. When all was said and done, both teams made it into the B Division knockout final.

Our fastest race time of the day was 0:58.73 by the Roll Team

Compare to 2024 results.

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Team Roll received a silver medal for second place in the Mixed B Division.

Here are the day’s race times:

Race 1
GALS  1:16.30 (4th)

Race 5
GALS 1:11.27 (4th)

Race 8 (Semi-final)
GALS 1:09.69 (1st)

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WOMEN’S KNOCKOUT FINALS — GALS take Bronze.

Race 23
ROLL 1:01.39 (4th)

Race 25
ROCK 1:08.96 (5th)

Race 27
ROLL 1:03.02 (4th)

Race 29
ROCK 1:07.53 (5th)

Race 30 Semi-final
ROLL 1:00.72 (2nd)

Race 31 Semi-final
ROCK 1:06.03 (4th)

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MIXED DIVISION B KNOCKOUT FINALS

View our VIDEO of the final Knockout Mixed B Division race.

Next on our race event is the Vessi 500 Championship on May 31.

Burnwater Spring Sprint Kicks Off Our 2025 Race Season

The Burnwater Spring Sprint on May 3 at False Creek marked Nothin’ Dragon’s exciting return to the water for our first races of the 2025 season — and what a way to start!

We were thrilled to cheer on the Rapid Eagles, the youth team we proudly support as they won in their final race. This composite team of paddlers from Riverside Secondary and Gleneagle Secondary powered their way to an impressive gold medal in the Junior B Division!

Our own teams — Rock and Roll — each competed in three 500m races, showcasing strong teamwork, determination, and early-season energy.

We’re proud to share that Team Roll earned a silver medal in the E Division final, kicking off the season on a high note! Both Rock and Roll teams put in higher times than our 2024 results.

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Official photo by Dragonboat BC of Team Roll with their silver medals.

A huge shoutout to our amazing steersmen, Bob, Bruce, Rob and Jason, and our dedicated drummers — Pat, Sandra, Terry and Vanessa — for keeping our crews steady, focused, and in sync throughout the day.

Next up: we race again this Saturday, May 10, at the FCRCC Knockouts — see you on the water! 💪🐉

Here are our Burnwater race times: 

Race 1
Rock 2:31:20
Roll 2:26:59

Race 2
Rock 2:34:60
Roll 2:24:523

Race 3 – Rock and Roll in same race (E Division Final)
Rock 2:32:771
Roll 2:22:261

Next we compete at the Knockouts on May 11. Same location. 200m races.

Twin Paddlesports Honours Youth Scholarship Recipient

On Oct. 3, Marcus Farmer, student paddler with The Rapids high school team was awarded our 2024 Youth Scholarship.

On Nov. 23, a special gift: a high-performance Vortex 400 paddle from Twin Paddlesports was presented to Marcus. This presentation took place before our regular training session and was made even more memorable with the presence of Marcus’ parents, both dragon boaters.

Making the presentation was Shamus and Aiden Menard, the owners of Twin Paddlesports, whose generosity made this moment possible.

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Paddles up! Left to right: Shamus Menard, Marcus Farmer with his new paddle, and Aiden Menard. Thank you Twin Paddlesports!

This thoughtful gift underscores the valued partnership between Nothin’ Dragon and Twin Paddlesports, who have generously committed to providing an annual gift to our scholarship recipients. Their support highlights the importance of nurturing young talent and fostering a passion for dragon boating.

Congratulations, Marcus, on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you, Twin Paddlesports, for your generosity in supporting the next generation of paddlers!

Paddles up!

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Marcus got to try out his new paddle that same morning!

Bronze Medal at the Oddball Fall Classic

Nothin’ Dragon entered one mixed team in the Oddball Fall Classic on Sept. 28 held at False Creek, Vancouver.

This event featured three exhilarating 200m races and despite windy and cool conditions, the team did very well, ending up with a bronze in the F Division Final!

Not only that, Nothin’ Dragon improved on last year’s fastest team time of 00:56.184.

Race results:

• Race 8 – 0:57.962 (6th)

• Race 15 – 1:01.998 (3rd)

• Race 26 – 0:55.137 (3rd)

Thanks to Coach Denise for having us race ready, tent transportation and setup by Michele and Brent, results and warmup management by Lori and to our drummer Trish and steers Rob and Warren for guiding us down the water.

Successful Safety Session Held at Old Orchard Beach

What an invigorating morning it was at Old Orchard Beach on September 21st! With calm waters and no wind, 23 of our paddlers gathered to take part in our fall safety session—a vital part of keeping our team safe, strong, and prepared for anything.

Team safety is our top priority, and this session gave us a chance to practice essential drills while bonding over a shared experience of teamwork and resilience.

A huge thanks to Donna for organizing this successful session—your dedication keeps us all afloat! Special shoutout to Denise and Neil, who were our brave rescuers, ensuring everyone was safely back in the coach boat. Speaking of brave souls, let's not forget Linda, who deserves a medal for spending nearly the entire session in the water, flipping the boat and getting us all back on track.

Our boat was tipped and righted multiple times, led by the skilled hands of Ian and Rob V.

While safety is serious, the energy was high, there was loads of laughter, and spirits were even higher. Every flip, rescue, and recovery brought us closer as a team, reinforcing the importance of trust, communication, and quick thinking on the water.

Thank you again to everyone who participated and made the morning a success. As we head into the fall, let’s carry these lessons with us and continue paddling with confidence. Nothin' Dragon is more than just a team—we’re a family that looks out for one another, on and off the water.

Stay safe, stay strong, and paddle on!

Penticton Race Weekend Recap

We had perfect weather for the Penticton Regatta from Sept. 6 – 8! The waters were smooth and there was no wind.

Thanks to those who went out to the park on Friday night to set up the tents. We had a great spot under some trees close to the water spray park which gave us lots of privacy, a great open space for warming up, spreading out, staying cool and relaxing between races.

Friday night was enjoyed by all those that were staying at the Riverside Motel and others that dropped by to enjoy our traditional appetizers and drinks.

Saturday was a beautiful morning with still waters. Lori and Robbin stepped in as managers for the weekend and kept track of our race times, results, gathering everyone for warmups and just being there to support. Warmups were led by Darlene with great music by DJ Grace. In our down time, we enjoyed the ambiance of Dale’s saxophone playing.

Congratulations to Dave F for steering a fabulous slalom down the race course finishing us in 10th place in the Steers Challenge. Dave’s expertise, focus and dryland practice prior to the race proved successful. Everyone had fun paddling the 1000m and many experienced it for the first time.

BIG thanks to Sandra for organizing the potluck barbecue for Saturday night. Over 60 paddlers enjoyed the potluck and BBQd chicken, burgers, smokies and grilled salmon. We were happy to invite the Draggin Divas to join us so that the teams from Rocky Point could enjoy an evening of food, drinks, socializing and dancing. Rob V was also able to join in on the fun as his team was also staying at the motel. The potluck food was endless and extras were brought to the race site for Sunday enjoyment.

There was potential for a thunder and lightning storm on Sunday, but races sped forward and ahead of schedule to keep us ahead of any impending storm which helped finish the racing early. We packed up in our usual quick fashion and headed to the beer garden for a much deserved and rewarding cold drink while eyeing the black clouds in the distance. As always, this venue never fails with spectacular beach side/water views for both racers and spectators, numerous vendors and food options.

No bling or coveted “sticker”, we know we gave it our all, and we had smiles on our faces at the end! It was a first for us to make it into the Platinum (highest) Division. We made it into the top 8 of 24 mixed division teams. Here are our race results:

• Race 1 – 2:18:56 2nd place

• Race 2 – 2:20:87 2nd place

• Steers Challenge – 3rd out of the gate, finishing 10th out of 20 teams with a time of 6:33.17

• Race 3 – 2:23:10 4th in the Mixed Platinum Semi 1 Final

• Race 4 – 2:19.56 4th in the “B” Platinum Final

It was a fun weekend, with fabulous races and excellent times. Thank you to Dave F and Bob for steering us down the race course and for Trish on the drum seat yelling encouragement to dig, dog fight and finish!

We appreciated our large group of cheerleaders and family members who joined us for the weekend: Joan, Elaine, Sara, Stuey, Isla, Karen, Susan, Scott, Ronnie, Brent, Paul, Carol, Mary, John and Sophie! On Saturday we also had Robbin’s sister and nieces, one with her 10-day-old baby; and David Wood’s daughters drove in from Vernon.

Thanks to Coach Denise, who put a lot of time and effort into our training and lineups. We felt we did her proud while she was off at the World’s in Ravenna, Italy winning medals in every race with her teams – showing us how her hard work and dedication to dragon boating has successfully awarded her and NDPS. Huge thanks to Linda who filled in for Denise while she was away.

Recreational Paddler Added to Membership

Thanks to the inspiration of Nothin’ Dragon alumnus, Ric Tesan, in 2023, the Alumni Paddle was formed and quickly morphed into our Recreational Paddle in 2024.

This is a casual paddle opportunity for our alumni to get back in the boat and keep enjoying the sport.

The creation of a recreational membership, was voted in during a Nothin’ Dragon Paddling Society meeting in 2024, and allows those over 50 years and new to dragon boat to give it a try.

It also assists existing Nothin' Dragon teammates to get more time on the water, recover after injury, try new positions, and build leadership.

The ‘rec paddle’ takes place on Wednesday mornings at Rocky Point Park.

A big thank you to teammates, Steve Mason who has helped with this endeavour from inception, and to Michele Joel and Bev McKenna, our rec paddle manager and assistant manager.

Interested in joining us in 2025 and beyond? Email us at nothindragonmasters@gmail.com to inquire about membership.

Senior C Silver Medal at Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

Nothin’ Dragon attended the 36th annual Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver’s False Creek on June 22 and 23. The weather was mild with calm water conditions. Many were concerned about the recent sewage spill into False Creek but everyone was conscious of the precautionary measures.

Team Rock and Team Roll competed with consistent times and great effort, enough to earn noteworthy times in divisions with teams young enough to be our grandchildren. It was exciting to race among 220 teams from across Canada, the USA and Australia in the largest dragon boat event in North America.

Day 1 was momentous, as our Senior C team took silver in the knockouts as we raced in honour of our late teammate, George MacLeod. It was wonderful to have George's sister Jeanie out as well as John (George's childhood friend), both past members of Nothin' Dragon.

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We raced for George that day! It was wonderful to meet his sister Jeanie (left) and old friend, John, who both used to paddle for Nothin’ Dragon.

“Shout out to Roy,” said Assistant coach Bob, “who had some members in tears of joy when he said it was the first time in 17 years that he participated in a Senior C race.”

In 2024, the decision to enter the knockout was at the last-minute so we could only enter one team, but we plan to reconvene the usual two-team roster in the senior event next year.

”Team bonding was at the forefront and the beer garden was well attended,” said Bob. “It was a perfect time to enjoy camaraderie, dancing, and then those in the senior team took to the ceremony stage to receive their medals.”

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Team Rock during at debrief in the paddlers’ village.

A huge thanks to teammate Henrietta who stood in line for our medals as well as kept us updated on our results and advancements!”

What happens on the bus stays on the bus! We enjoyed a lively return back to Port Moody from Vancouver thanks to newbie teammate, DJ Grace who kept us entertained with ‘Rock and Roll’ tunes living up to our new names!

”I thank each of you for your team spirit and the support you showed to one another over the weekend,” said assistant captain Bob. “Our next major event will be our team BBQ in early July.”

REPLAY! You can check out the livestream replay of both day on their YouTube channel:

• Livestreams on Concord Youtube channel

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Team Roll waiting on the docks at False Creek.

Here are our team's race results:

Team Rock

2:38.079 – Race 12

2:27.553 – Race 50

2:31.620 – Race 73

2:31.838 – Race 101 (Mixed I Final)

Team Roll

2:46.215 – Race 6

2:27.706 – Race 42

2:33.030 – Race 78

2:32.987 – Race 102 (Mixed H Final)

Senior Cup Knockout Race (x 3)

0:31.751

0:31.659

0:32.898

COMPARISON 2023 to 2024

2024 Concord Fastest Times:

ROCK 2:27.553

ROLL 2:27.706

SENIOR C: 0:31.659

2023 Concord Fastest Times:

MIXED BLACK 2:21.584 (1st in G final)

MIXED RED 2:35.496 (8th in F final)

SENIOR C 0:30.036 (3rd)

WOMEN 2:39.215 (2nd E final)

OPEN 2:03.637 (6th in B final)

Vessi 500 Championships Recap

The weather cooperated providing a cloudy cool day on June 1 with calm waters for racing at the Vessi 500 Championships dragon boat festival in Vancouver at False Creek.

Thanks to all who attended, with special mention to Brent J for early a.m. tent delivery.

Coach Denise was again tasked to put together teams with last minute roster changes.

Congrats started early with a couple of golds 🥇 being won by related Womens teams. The Rapids youth team we support also medaled.

Teams Rock and Roll took to the water in race 6 with team Roll bettering Rock by 9 seconds.

Team Rock worked on improving focus throughout the day and in the F Final just missed a third place medal by .5 of a second.

Team Roll progressed to an amazing D final which had 1st place boat far ahead and then a 7 boat cluster fractions of a second apart, (Roll came in 6th place), all in the 2 min and 21-23 second range. Well done all!

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Race results:

Race 6: Nothin' Dragon Rock – 2:34.065
Race 6: Nothin' Dragon Roll – 2:25.790

Race 14: Nothin' Dragon Rock – 2:38. 681

Race 15: Nothin' Dragon Roll 2:29.179

Race 22: Nothin' Dragon Rock – 2:31. 600 (Division F)

Race 24: Nothin' Dragon Roll – 2:23.219 (Division D)

Compare to 2023 Results

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Bronze for Nothin' Dragon at the FCRCC Knockout Regatta

“Historic First in the Mixed A Division”

Congratulations to Nothin’ Dragon’s team Rock who took home the bronze in the B division at the 2024 FCRCC Knockout Regatta dragon boat races on May 11 at False Creek in Vancouver!

It was an exciting day of racing as teams Rock and Roll competed in 200m races.

Despite no bling, team Roll enhanced their times throughout the day and made it into the A Division final with Nothin’ Dragon’s best time of the day of 0:55. 826! This is the first time Nothin’ Dragon has made it into a Mixed A Final.

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This was a great enhancement from last year’s times and placements. In 2023, Nothin’ Dragon took at gold in the C Division.

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Bronze in the Mixed B Division for Nothin’ Dragon Rock

Here are the day’s race times:

Race 5
ROLL  1:01.407 (3rd)

Race 8
ROCK 1:02.033 (4th)

Race 15
ROCK 1:04.122 (5th)
ROLL 1:00.251 (3rd)

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Team Roll made it into the Mixed A Division final with a time of 0:55.826, the fastest time for our team for the day.

Mixed B Knockout Race 1
ROCK 0:57.341 (5th)

Mixed B Knockout Race 2
ROCK 0:56.473 (4th)

Mixed B Knockout Race 3
ROCK 0:57.501 (3rd)

Mixed A Knockout Race 1
ROLL 0:55.826 (Knocked out)

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3rd place Knockout finiish for Nothin’ Dragon ROCK in boat 5. (Photo: Mandy Daly)

Next on our race schedule is the Vessi 500 Championship on June 1.

Our 2024 Race Season Opens with the Spring Sprint

The Burnwater Spring Sprint dragon boat event on May 4 at False Creek put Nothin’ Dragon on the water for our first races of 2024.

It was exciting to arrive, and shortly after, hear that The Rapids, the youth team we support from Riverside Secondary and Gleneagle Secondary took a gold medial in the B Division!

Our teams Rock and Roll had three 500m races each that day. The second race was a challenge as the currents changed with the tides and winds were high.

Special mention to our steersmen, Bob, Bruce, Brian A and Warren; and drummers Carol and Terry who kept our teams on course and focused.

Here are our race times: 

Race 1
Rock 2:29:370
Roll 2:34:703

Race 2
Rock 2:41:771
Roll 2:43:850

Race 3 – Rock and Roll in same race 
Rock 2:39:069
Roll 2:39:786

Next we compete at the Knockouts on May 11. Same location. 200m races.

New President for Nothin' Dragon Paddling Society

In 2023, Nothin’ Dragon turned 25 years as a team, and since 1998, there have been only two presidents. The initial leader was actually Ann Hensel who was labeled team coordinator until Ron McPherson took on the role of president and he held the position until Brian Kenny took over in Nov. 2011.

Brian announced his resignation at the team’s general meeting in Spring of 2023, and since that time, team chatter was abuzz with everyone trying to figure out who should be their next president. A survey was also put out by the executive to canvas the team about who they felt would be best to lead.

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THANK YOU outgoing president, Brian Kenny! Brian holds up a painting gifted by teammates.

While most expected the vice president, Brent Murphy to take the role, he announced he was unable to. At the annual general meeting in October 2023, Robbin Whachell (team captain) accepted the nomination for president being the only person whose name was brought forward.

Brian was thanked for his years of service to the team with accolades and gifts and will remain past president on the executive for the next year, guiding Robbin in her new role.

“When I put my resignation on the floor it was an emotional time for me,” Brian said. “I was going to leave sooner but COVID hit and I felt I could still offer support to keep the team alive and functioning. We survived and that was my signal to step down. An organization always needs new input from the top and Robbin's name came to the top of my list. Knowing that Brent would not accept the role, I approached Robbin who was reticent to take it on given her time to numerous organizations. But it is that fact that made her the obvious candidate because she is energetic, forward-thinking, and a people person. She is a trailblazer and will take us as a team to new heights. We are in good hands.”

Both have worked closely over the years, first when they helped organize the Coquitlam Crunch Challenge from 2016 to 2019 and most recently the team-driven event, the Inlet Spring Regatta (2018 to present), which is held each April at Rocky Point Park.

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Robbin and Brian during the Coquitlam Crunch Challenge in 2019

The Nothin’ Dragon Paddling Society was formed in 2022, and Robbin is no stranger to non-profit Societies as she served two terms as president of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society in Coquitlam. She also sits on other society boards related to sports or community service.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with our executive to find ways to enhance or improve the Society’s operations and see how we can grow as a club,” she said.

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Two days after the AGM, Brian and Robbin share a toast at the team’s Oktoberfest fundraiser.

The 2023/24 executive is comprised of the following:

• President, Robbin Whachell

• Past President, Brian Kenny

• Vice President, Brent Murphy

• Treasurer, Wilhemina Savage

• Secretary, Linda Corcoran

• Race Registrar, Denise Nelson

• Captain, Sandra Foubert

• Asst. Captain, Bob Walton.

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Nothin’ Dragon is an energetic group of men and women who strive to achieve excellence in physical fitness by participating in recreational and competitive dragon boating. We are a motivated group, enjoying an active lifestyle in a friendly, supportive team setting, and contributing to the community by sponsoring, encouraging, and mentoring youth programs. This group is a force that sees potential in every stroke of the paddle.

Oddball Fall Classic Race Recap

Our final race weekend of the season was another testament to our improved fitness, coaching, and skill in the boat!

We had two mixed teams racing in Nothin' Dragon Red and Black teams consisting of Trish, Jen, Cindy, Sandra, Mary, Pat W, Elizabeth, Marg, Steve C, Nicole, Darlene Ian, Brian A, Steve M, David W, Mike, Brent J, Willi, Bruce, Helen, Donna, Dave F, Ann, Sally, Lori, Linda, Robbin, Michele, Laney, Julie, Terry, Marianne, Rob, George, Bryan, Pete, Dale, Brent M, Carol, Dave D, Christine, Deb, Jola and Patty,

We enjoyed another great tent location at False Creek thanks to the setup by Brent, Michele and Linda, where we could see race action and the marshaling board at a glance from the tent. Darlene led a great warmup, and at circle time we acknowledged our members who are retiring from the team.

Acknowledged and thanked for their team contributions was Mary, Patty, Bryan, Helen, Pat J and Ann. All have put in many years as paddlers, and are golden members. Saying goodbye to our originals, Ann and Pat is very difficult! Mary's contribution as a secretary for so many years must also get special mention. Our engine room will suffer a huge loss without Bryan, and the solid paddling of Mary, Ann, Pat, Helen and Patty who took various positions in the boat over the years. We thank you, love you, and wish you all the very best in your future!

Oddball Fall Classic race action got underway and both teams felt proud of our first race times, just one second apart. In our second race, both teams dealt with some technical issues from the race management team. Teams were having a hard time hearing the race start, and the Black team got held up by other teams not being in alignment, then the boat drifted, and a buoy was alongside the boat as the start got underway. Drummer and steer called out to the race official to no avail. After the debrief, team Black advised the race management about the issue. Despite a faint start call, Red team placed first in their semi! Our times were almost matched in our second races, and thought for certain we'd be racing against each other in race 3. That was not the case. We were seeded into Division D (Black) and E (Red).

Rain began and for our final races both teams were determined to make it our best, and that we did! Congrats to Team Red who took home a bronze medal for 3rd place in the E Division with a time of 00:59.068; and congrats to Team Black who put in our fastest time for the weekend at 00:56.184.

A big thanks to Coach Denise for having us race-ready, our steers and drummers for navigating, motivating and keeping us on course: Bob, Dave F, Trish, Laney and Sally. Thank you to our assistant captain, Steve C for your leadership!

We all left a little or a lot wet but feeling proud of our accomplishments. Many of us ended up at Legion 263 in Coquitlam to bid Mary, Patty & Bryan farewell.

Race Results:

ND RED

Race 4 - Qualifier

01:01.463

Race 16 - E/F/G Semi

1:02.257

Race 27 - E Final

00:59.068

ND BLACK

Race 5 - Qualifier

1:00.042

Race 19 - A/B/C/D Semi

1:02.881

Race 28 - D Final

00:56.184

Facebook Photos and Video Album

Now it's time to get focussed on our AGM, dryland and our next season, and onboarding newbies.

Congrats to our Team Red for bringing home the bling! Bronze in the E Division.

Victoria Dragon Boat Festival Race Recap

Congrats to our Victoria crew who had a great weekend at one of our favourite events!

Thanks to Coach Denise for having Nothin’ Dragon race ready and organized, and for Steve for being there to provide warmups and support our coach as the captain. Thank you to our caller Trish and our steers, Dave and Bob. A big shout out to the four ladies who joined us to ensure we could race at this event. Thank you to Brenda, Catherine, Sharon and Kirsten!

We had the best cheering squad! Thank you Diane, Paul, Leo, Joan, Elaine, Linda, John, Mary, Bob, and former teammate, Brian Newman.

Coach Denise provided the following overview:

"The festival was amazing as usual and is a great opportunity to build team bonding and spirit.  Out-of-town regattas are the best opportunity to create a Team Vibe as we do more than just race, we travel together, we stay together, we hang out and eat/drink together and then enjoy our sport together. 

Steve had us warmed up and stretched out for each race of the weekend. Bob led our team cheer to the point that we had other teams in marshaling cheering us on.  As well, our new team jerseys created lots of attention, conversations and pictures at the regatta, we looked great and other teams noticed.

Nothin’ Dragon off the dock at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival.

Race 1: We had a good first race and the team did well, placing 3rd.

In Race 2 We finished 2nd with a time that still put us into the A/B Division.

Race 3: Our best race time of the weekend. We moved up one in the standing landing us in the B Division final.

We landed in the B Division final, had great glide and were ranked 10th overall in the regatta (22 mixed teams). It's important to note that we had only 7 men paddling in the boat which left our 13 women to add more power – impressive, as all the teams we raced had 10 men!"

Here are our team's race results for the two-day event in the Victoria Harbour. Note that the distance on this course is 475m: 

Race 1 – 2:23:940 3rd place
Race 2 – 2:26:606 2nd place
Race 3 – 2:18.531 4th place in mixed Grand B semi

Race 4 – 2:27:015 5th place in Mixed B final

Full results for Saturday races – Sunday races.

Our next event is the Freshco Richmond Dragon Boat Festival in Steveston on Aug. 19.

Original Members Applauded on 25th Year of Nothin' Dragon

Ann Newsom

Ann speaks of how the team came about, and how it was in the early days of the team, pre-computer era.

I read a brief article in the local paper looking for people interested in water sports to start a dragon boat team based out of the Dogwood Senior Centre.

The team picked the name from a number of suggestions put forth and it was originally, “Nothin’ Draggin’” and it just morphed from there.

We borrowed a boat from Lotus Club at Barnet and had to move the boat from the boatyard and launch it from the beach every time we went out.

In the early years we divided the team into two, and to make the “A” team and we were expected to perform a timed test on the erg machine. I remember going down to the boathouse for a couple of hours a week and everyone would come down for their erg session. I had a large book and kept track of everyone‘s time, improvements, etc. Working with the erg machine was very interesting as it clearly showed people just how much power you needed to put on the paddle to produce an effective, powerful stroke.

This was all before the widespread use of computers so we had ‘phone trees’ for notifying members. Fundraising was done by begging for small donations from local businesses and holding raffles etc. I must have written literally hundreds of thank you letters.

I seem to have avoided being responsible for any specific department but spent years bailing boats, counting bottles with the wasps and doing other odd jobs.

I sat in seat one for a long time. Now any seat is fine!

Pat Johnson

Pat talks about how she came to the team, and recounts races, mishaps and many memorable moments…

Our first gathering was at Dogwood in the fall of 1998 after a write-up in the local paper described forming an over 50 years old men and women dragon boat team.  I believe it was the idea of Gwen Wong who worked for Coquitlam and possibly a program director for Dogwood.

There was a fellow, Charlie, who may have been the first coach,  he was a friend or relative of Gwen's.  Lavina Leatherdale,  a high school friend who lived in Coquitlam saw the notice in the local paper, we talked about it and went to the first meeting.  Lavina had recently lost her husband, and they boated previously.  I used to go boating, too.  We were both interested and signed up.  We met again in the new year at Dogwood, Kate came and explain it all with much enthusiasm as she was a seasoned racing paddler.  We must have practiced in the evenings or weekends as I was working full time but available to practice.  

I've always enjoyed being on the team,  so much laughter and fun! Socializing with men and women, being on the water in a non-motor boat sitting low in the water,  going for a beer together,  an"all for one" attitude, and doing your best for the team.  The "kids" attitude taking the bus to various events,  so much laughter and noise.  

It was our first or second Alcan, 1999 or 2000,  we raced but didn't pay much attention to the results,  some of us left before the results and presentations,  only to learn that we won our race,  beating the Grand Dragons!  We were so surprised,  couldn't believe it.  

Over the years steer persons fell in the water,   I remember Dave Smith at Richmond,  Anne Hensel and Brian Kenny at Rocky Point,   I think there were others but there weren’t any injuries.

I have paddled in most positions on the boat, right and left, but never stroke. I've been the manager for Safety for many years and the Kateslem Kids program for many years as well, but never sat on the executive.

My fondest memories over the years are the friendships and support we shared together…there were some difficult times, too.  We have lost many members over the years and losses of member's family. 

Being part of our team is a life highlight for me.   So glad to have the new Alumnae group to continue on!

The way we were! One of the very first team photos we have. Check out all the wooden paddles. Can you spot people you know?

A DRAGON'S TALE (1998 - 2023)

[Compiled in 2018 by Brian Asselstine – 2023 version expanded by Robbin Whachell]

The Beginning

It all started with the excitement of Dragon Boat racing being introduced to the public at Vancouver’s Expo ‘86. A big push for dragon boating came from the former lieutenant governor, David Lam, and his business partner, Milton Wong.

They envisioned the races as a way to celebrate cultural diversity and they initiated the first festival in 1989.

In 1998, Gwen Wong, niece of Milton Wong, began her work at Dogwood Pavilion, a senior centre for Coquitlam. She enthusiastically proposed a dragon boat team from Dogwood and promoted this with the members.

Kate Zubick inspired prospective members to embrace the sport and helped organize instructional sessions for paddling technique and strength and flexibility training. Newsletters and community newspapers called for interested potential members and a team was formed by November of 1998 to start the season in 1999.

Dryland training started at Dogwood, followed by paddling practice on the Burrard Inlet.

On-the-water training, with rented boats, was initially organized at Barnet Marine Park. The coaches were Charlie Wong assisted by Sharon Lum and Mike Younghusband, with Gwen Wong as manager.

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Ann and Pat in 2018 at the team’s 20th anniversary celebration

Membership

Of the original 40 members in 1998, two are still with the club; Anne Newsom and Pat Johnston! The club has remained as an over-50s organization, partly to maintain the benefits of an association with Dogwood Seniors Society.

The club grew slightly in numbers over the next few years and by 2005 there were 55 members. Membership remained relatively steady until 2011 when the numbers rose to 66.

The paddlers have always been a close-knit group and organized many activities outside of just training and racing.

Dragon boating gets team members outside in the community, together with a diverse group of individuals, keeping fit and learning to be a team.

Over the years some members organized or participated in adventure trips not directly related to dragon boating. In 2012 a small group travelled to Tanzania, Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2013 another group travelled north for a multi-day canoe trip on the Yukon river and in 2014 a small group hiked and biked the El Camino de Santiago, starting by crossing the Pyrenees into Spain. The team did a bike and barge trip on the Rhine River in Europe. Other team members stay active and fit by participating in cycling or kayaking day trips, hiking the local mountains and valleys, or cross-country skiing.

Women’s regatta in Vancouver

Regattas

The “Dogwood Nothin’ Dragging” team entered their first race at the Alcan Regatta in June 1999 and won gold in the master’s (seniors' event). This was followed by gold medals in 2000 and 2001 at the Alcan Masters. Eventually, the team name became “Dogwood Nothin’ Dragon” and then was changed to “Nothin’ Dragon Masters” in 2014. In 2023, the name has been shortened to simply, "Nothin' Dragon."

The Club has had only two presidents over the years, Ron MacPherson and Brian Kenny.

For a number of years two teams were entered in the larger regattas with one team being a more experienced, competitive team and the other made up of more novice paddlers. This worked reasonably well until about 2011 when two equal-strength teams were formed for many of the practices and the larger regattas. The exception is the team entered the Rio Tinto Alcan Regatta, now called the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, by selecting from the stronger, more experienced senior C paddlers who have demonstrated an ability to work as a team.

The Greystone Dragon Boat Races were held at Rocky Point Park in 1999 and 2000 during Golden Spike Days. As many as twenty teams took part in this local regatta.

Pat Johnson as a ‘Ladybug’ (Women’s Regatta in Vancouver)

After the first year, the club entered teams in Richmond’s “Rip up the River” regatta and then the Victoria and Kelowna regattas were added to the racing schedule. The “Ladybugs” women’s team was formed in 2002 and raced for two years at Deas Slough before the event was moved to False Creek. The Lotus Club race (later renamed “Bill Alley Memorial”) was added to the racing schedule along with the “Cornucopia race in Kent, Washington. Kent is remembered by many team members for the fantastically clean toilets and the delicious salmon and pasta dinners (not necessarily in that order).

Nanaimo was added as a race destination in 2004 and the Harrison Lake regatta in 2005. White Rock initiated a regatta that lasted until 2007 when stormy weather capsized a number of boats and many paddlers ended up in the ocean. The Taiwanese festival started a dragon boat event in False Creek in 2006 using traditional wooden boats and unique race formats (for example, paddling backward and capturing the flag).

Part of the team competing in our very own event in Port Moody at our Inlet Spring Regatta in 2018, which is hosted annually.

White Rock was replaced by the Deep Cove Race for Charity and one team was entered in the Kelowna regatta. In 2010 the team raced at Cultus Lake, but this regatta was short-lived. In 2012, the club participated in the B.C. 55+ Games at Burnaby Lake and the Penticton regatta replaced Kelowna. A team also attended the Seattle Dragon Boat Festival, which was a lot of fun due in part to the unusual format.

The Canadian Nationals were held at Elk Lake on Vancouver Island in 2013 and the team raced in a 2000 m event for the first time. Dan Strain steered the boat around the tight corners with keen accuracy and helped keep us ahead until the very last lap.

In 2014 the club started sending a team to the Steveston Regatta in place of Seattle. The next year there were enough members to enter boats in both men’s and women’s categories. The B.C. 55+ Senior Games came to Coquitlam in 2016 and both our teams held their own while helping to host the event. It was a great learning experience in preparation for hosting our own event, the Inlet Spring Regatta in 2018 to commemorate our 20th year as a team.

We had a full racing schedule again in 2017 and achieved our best result in Victoria in years by winning the seniors race.

In 2018, to commemorate our team’s 20th anniversary we created the Inlet Spring Regatta, a huge achievement and fundraiser for Nothin’ Dragon.

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On display today at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex in Coquitlam.

Hall of Fame

In 2019, our beloved Captain, the late Dan Strain was inducted posthumously into the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame.

Coaching

All these racing successes and challenges would not have been possible without careful preparation and training and a great deal of thanks goes to the coaches and managers who supported us over the years. The initial few years involved using rented boats with coaching by Charlie Wong, Sharon Lum and Mike Young, with Gwen Wong as the manager.

Jackie Webber joined us as coach in 2001 and was followed by Kate Zubick in 2003 with assistance from Jim McArthur. Jim took over as head coach in 2005 with Jack MacIntyre as his assistant. Henrietta Hamming started as manager and has been our greatest supporter ever since.

We needed a new coach in 2012 and were extremely fortunate to connect with Erica McArthur (no relation to Jim). Erica has national and international paddling experience and helped bring the whole team to a new level. She continues to coach the Riverside Rapids high school dragon boat team.

In 2014, coach Pam Cornell came to us with a strong background in paddling and coaching. After Pam, an Olympian canoe racer from Poland, Kris Lepianka coached the team up until the end of the 2022 season. Teammate, Denise Nelson, who has always had a knack for balancing our boats for training and races, assisted as a backup coach to Kris over the past few years and stepped into the coach's role in 2023.

With strong and consistent coaching some team members were encouraged to try racing at the national and international levels. In 2014, Brian Asselstine travelled to Ravenna, Italy to compete with a False Creek team at the World Club Crew Championships. In 2015, Peter Newell and Roz Harrington travelled to Welland, Ontario to compete at the World Nations Championships. In 2016, Peter Newell, Terry Flynn and Roz Harrington travelled with the False Creek Senior C team to Adelaide, Australia to compete at the World Club Crew Championships.

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Our Oktoberfest event in 2019.

Social Activities

Social events have always been a way to introduce new members to the club and help everyone get to know each other better. Some key events held over the years have included:

• Annual barbecues

• Mardi Gras party

• Hard times party

• Pancake breakfasts

• Bowling

• Family paddles

• Christmas parties

• Pub nights

• Oktoberfest

Our yard sale at the Old Mill Boathouse.

Fundraising

Over the years fundraising has been an integral part of club activities to support community programs and keep the cost of membership as low as possible, while also being fun events for member involvement. Direct sponsorships from individuals and local businesses have helped the club financially and connected us to the community.

Fundraising events have evolved over the years to adapt to the needs of the club and the interests of the members. Notable events include:

• Casino nights

• Legion nights

• Plant sales

• Bake sales

• Garage sales

• Bottle recycling

• Trivia nights

• Paddling experiences for clubs and businesses

• Inlet Spring Regatta (our team’s own race event created in 2018)

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Training the Kateslem Kids

Community Service

Giving back to the community where we live, work and play has always been important and there have been unique opportunities for us to offer service by providing:

• Team building paddling opportunities for Kateslem (youth at risk)

• Paddling opportunities for foreign students

• Paddling experiences for community members

• Equipment and logistics support for the Gleneagle and Riverside Rapids high school dragon boat team

• Coquitlam Crunch administration and logistics support.

Supporting our Alums

Thanks to the perseverance of Ric Tesan, we launched our Alumni Paddle in 2023, where past members can sign up for a nominal fee to dragon boat once a week. This opportunity has fostered leadership, willingness to try new positions on the boat, and helps those recovering from injury. It’s a great transition for those older members who may want to stop racing, but still want to come out to enjoy the water, team camaraderie and a cold one afterward at the legion.

New Society

In 2022, the Nothin’ Dragon Paddling Society was formed.

The purposes of the Society are to:

1. strive for individual and team excellence by participating in the enjoyable sport of Dragon Boating.

2. support each team member in becoming fit, skilled, and dedicated to leading an active and healthy lifestyle

3. promote the sport of Dragon Boating in the community

4. to contribute to the health and well-being of our larger community

There you have it, the tale of a dragon boat team that is greater than the sum of its parts, passionate about an active, fun and competitive sport, and invested in our community.

We have been, and continue to be, a team that exemplifies that great quote from John Wooden:

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

Gold, Silver and Bronze at Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival

Another historic team race event is in the books for Nothin’ Dragon at the 35th annual Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver’s False Creek!

Congrats on our Team Black seniors for taking bronze, our women for taking silver, and our Team Black mixed for taking gold, as well as our open team for putting in our fastest time of the weekend and making it into the B finals!

So much went into organizing this weekend! With over 45 of our teammates participating, a BIG thanks to Coach Denise who ensured we were race-ready and did all the registering and communications with the event to ensure we could make our race times. She compiled lineups and made last-minute tweaks as the weekend progressed.

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Our women’s team took SILVER! (Official Concord photo)

Thanks to our assistant captains Randy and Steve, Brian for sorting out our bus, Darlene and those who helped do warmups, and our managers (Lori and Pat W.) who kept our race board up to date, and to Linda for helping transport and set tents and equipment. Thanks to Bob and Elizabeth who stepped up to lead our team cheer. It was great to have alumnus, Ric out on Saturday to help paddle in the senior race as well as steer. A BIG shout out to our steers and drummers who kept us safely on course and motivated!

We put in a lot of walking, over 20,000 steps per day reported by those with FitBits. It was exciting to race against teams from across Canada, the USA and Australia. The event's live coverage was enjoyable and brought a reality to how we looked in the boat and on the course.

Very exciting race action! You can check out the livestream replay of both day on their YouTube channel:

• Saturday, June 24 livestream

• Sunday, June 25 livestream

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Our Senior C BRONZE medal team! (Official Concord photo)

Here are our team's race results:

DAY 1--------------------------

Race 1

RED 2:48.608 (5th)

Race 9

BLACK 2:34.191 (6th)

Race 14

OPEN 2:31.493 (7th)

Race 15

WOMEN 2:46.594 (7th)

KNOCKOUT CUP (100m)

Race 25

RED 0:32.384 (7th)

BLACK 0:31.133 (3rd)

Race 26

RED 0:32.365 (7th)

BLACK 0:30.036 (3rd)

Race 27

BLACK 0:31.115 (3rd)

Race 37

RED 2:45.187 (4th)

Race 42

BLACK 2:34.98 (5th)

Race 53

WOMEN 2:45.307 (7th)

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Our ladies in pe-marshaling area. They went on to take a silver medal.

DAY 2--------------------------

Race 57

WOMEN 2:42.512 (6th in C/D/E semi)

Race 65

BLACK 2:25.870 (1st in G/H/I/J semi)

Race 68

RED 2:30.512 (7th in C/D/E/F semi)

Race 74

OPEN 2:20.041 (7th in B semi)

Race 79

WOMEN 2:39.215 (2nd E final)

Race 84

OPEN 2:203.637 (6th in B final)

Race 89

BLACK 2:21.584 (1st in G final)

Race 90

RED 2:35.496 (8th in F final)

After putting in our all, we enjoyed the beer garden, camaraderie, dancing and then lined up to receive our medals, which were by a formal presentation on the stage with photos. A huge thanks to teammate Steve Mason who stood in line for our medals as we enjoyed the beer garden!

Take a look at our Facebook photo album.

Our next race event will be at Harrison Lake!

Dragon Boat Experience Offered to Talitha Koum Society

A dragon boat voyage!

Nothin' Dragon was pleased to take out clients of the Talitha Koum Society on June 29. The Talitha Koum Society is a non-profit that assists women in healing from past trauma and overcoming addictions at two housing locations in Coquitlam.

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Brian ran the commentary while the ladies paddled. Thanks to Steve for driving our safety boat!

It was perfect weather for the dragon boat experience off Rocky Point Park. Thanks to Brian Kenny who explained how to paddle and reviewed the calls and actions used on the boat. Brian also offered a running commentary from the safety boat while the group of women were out on the water, providing information on the local habitat and area history.

Our team captain, Robbin Whachell coordinated the outing. A big thanks to the teammates of Nothin’ Dragon who helped prepare for the excursion and those that helped mentor our guests.

On the dock at the Rocky Point Pier.

“Our team was very impressed on how well the women did in the boat for their first time dragon boating!” said Robbin.

Nothin’ Dragon is committed to helping the community. We offer corporate paddles, which are great for team building. If interested, please email us for details at nothindragonmasters@gmail.com.

Gold and Bronze Place Finishes at the FCRCC Knockout Regatta

Congratulations to Nothin’ Dragon’s Red Team who took home the gold in the C division at the 2023 FCRCC Knockout Regatta dragon boat races on May 13 at False Creek in Vancouver!

It was an exciting day of racing as teams Red and Black in 200m races.

Team Red was in the first race of the day at 9 a.m. and the new layout of the 200m race course (way down at the west end) proved to be a challenge, not only for the steers, but the race officials themselves. The race got underway, and from our boat it appeared the two boats in the lead were going too close to one another. One of them was being called to move away. Then our boat got called to move right. We almost ran into the boat in front of us, and our steer managed to move us over and somehow we all just kept paddling. The race result was much better than expected!

This first race altered the course for the remaining races and the officials changed how the steers were to pinpoint their direction. This helped. The sound system also improved as the day progressed, which meant we could hear the starts better each time. 

Team Black kept improving on time leading up to the exciting Knockouts. Team Red improved or hovered around the same mark. And again, we again got to race against each other and both Red and Black were called back to the start line twice in the Knockouts! 

In each of the three races, Team Red was able to put in a leading finish, and in the final race, Team Black gave it their all for a third-place finish! 

Here are the day’s race times:

Race 1
RED  1:07.779

Race 5
BLACK 1:05.834

Race 11
RED 1:00.112
Race 12
BLACK 1:01.970

Race 18
BLACK 1:02.790

Race 20
RED 1:00.500

Knockout Race 1
RED 1:01.834
BLACK 1:04.737

Knockout Race 2
RED 1:01.289
BLACK 1:03.792

Knockout Race 3
RED 1:01.473
BLACK 1:04.376

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CLICK to view LARGER

Next on our race schedule is the Vessi 500 Championship on June 3.

Bronze Finish in Vessi 500 Senior C Cup

A beautiful day for racing at the Vessi 500 Championships dragon boat festival in Vancouver at False Creek. It was also a historic day as it was the first time Nothin' Dragon had two teams in the Senior C Cup race!

Both Red and Black teams put in a great day of racing and times improved as the day progressed.

From the Red team: "Despite being down a few teammates, no one got discouraged and everyone put in 100% effort all day. Our first race was a bit of a challenge. Just couldn’t get the glide! We figured it out, worked on ‘long and patient’ and ‘top hand pressure’ and the next three races felt great! Good glide, and strong finishes. Our times kept improving and we ended proudly with 2:26. It really was a fun day!"

From the Black team: “The consensus was that in our first race, the rate was high, but we managed to maintain it. Our effort resulted in a bronze place finish in the Senior C! Our focus for our next races was to go longer at a slower rate, and as we consistently aimed at doing so, we were able to improve each time and often were surprised to see our results as the effort felt like we may not be going that fast. It helped that most of our starts were strong and smooth. “

A big thanks to Coach Denise who manage lineups, answered questions and provided encouragement and feedback. She has drilled these points into us at training: go long, top hand pressure, patience. We're getting it!

And a special thank you to our steers and drummers who keep us on the course with their steadiness, calls and encouragement, even if they would rather be paddling. It's wonderful to see those new to these positions all doing so well. Your team is very proud of you!

Here are the race results for the Senior C Cup:

Race 1: Senior C

Nothin' Dragon Red – 2:38.291

Nothin' Dragon Black – 2:32.218 (bronze finish)

Our other race results:

Race 5: Nothin' Dragon Red – 2:35.784

Race 7: Nothin' Dragon Black – 2:27.158

Race 13: Nothin' Dragon Red – 2:34. 800

Race 15: Nothin' Dragon Black 2:25.124

Race 20: Nothin' Dragon Red – 2:26. 058 (Division F)

Race 22: Nothin' Dragon Black – 2:17.896 (Division D)

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Gold in D Division at the Spring Sprint

Congratulations to Nothin’ Dragon’s Black Team who took home the gold in the D division at the 2023 Burnwater Spring Sprint dragon boat races on May 6!

It was an exciting day of racing as our teams Red and Black had three 500m races each. Each race showed an improved time for both teams.

Special mention to our rookie steersmen, Bob and Warren who kept the Black team on course and focused.

Here are our race times: 

Race 1
Red 2:44:663
Black 2:38:638

Race 2
Red 2:38:540
Black 2:37:437

Race 3 – what a race! 
Red 2:35:554
Black 2:34:653

Team photo with Red and Black. Spring Sprint, Vancouver.

Next we compete at the Knockouts on May 13. Same location. 200m races.