“We’re going for gold!”
Coach Dorothy West’s voice echoed along the River Road trails on Tuesday afternoon as she gave a pep talk to the Richmond Food Bank Society’s dragon boat team.
Not a sliver of nervousness was in the air as teammates chatted and laughed as they got ready for their one-hour practice session — their last one ahead of Saturday’s Steveston Dragon Boat Festival.
The 21 volunteers are set to row against 79 other teams from B.C. and the U.S. for a spot at the top, and they have been practicing on the Fraser River in Richmond once a week for the past five months.
Half of the team will be competing for the first time on Saturday, and the ages of the members range from 30 to at least 75 years old.
“They are a great bunch of people who are awesome and very, very eager to learn,” said West.
Racing for a good cause
The food bank, which is the festival’s beneficiary charity, has taken part in the dragon boat races for the past 13 years ever since they were first invited to participate in 2010.
“(Taking part) was our way to thank the community and be out there… and share our message with all the festivalgoers,” said Hajira Hussain, Richmond Food Bank Society executive director.
In fact, they managed to get silver in the 2016 finals.
Hussain has rowed on the team for the past six years and told the News she joined to represent the food bank and to get fit.
“But coach Dorothy (West) always says, ‘You don’t paddle to get fit, you get fit to paddle,’” she added.
Hussain’s favourite part is the practice sessions. Not only does she enjoy the camaraderie, she also can’t get enough of the breathtaking views in Richmond.
“I wish I had a camera in my eyes,” she said, pointing at the glistening river as planes descend from the cobalt blue sky.
“It’s so beautiful. The water is clean. And I’ve paddled on False Creek as well, and it’s such a huge difference, Yes, (False Creek) is pretty… but here, it’s simply amazing.”
According to the team, the perfect racing condition is windless days when the river is glass-like without a single ripple.
That won’t be the case on Saturday, however, as Weatherhood data is forecasting that the winds will pick up throughout the day, reaching around 30 kilometres per hour by the final races.
The Richmond Food Bank Society team, along with their competitors, will be rowing down the Fraser River tomorrow in B.C.’s largest dragon boat race outside of Vancouver. Races are expected to start at 8:30 a.m. and end around 5:30 p.m.
Partial proceeds from the festival will benefit the food bank.
“Our main purpose (at the festival) is to share our message,” said Hussain.
“And I want people to know that there are lots of people out there within our community who are going hungry, and our numbers are increasing. We have seen a 53-per-cent increase (in food bank users) just from January to now.
“So I want everybody to think of their neighbours in need when they’re doing grocery shopping or whenever. If they’re able to support us then, please, that’s my ask.”
