Racing dragons

If you can’t be the fastest at the Youth Dragon Boat festival, you may as well be the prettiest, says a member of the Hammer Shoulders all girls team.

Hundreds of spectators braved the rain and colder weather for the 11th annual Youth Dragon Boat festival on Boulevard Lake on Saturday. Youth between the ages of 12 and 19 went head-to-head in a competition of speed, power and co-ordination. About 18 teams competed this year.

Kristine Wilcox, 16, a Grade 11 Hammarskjold High School student, has participated in Dragon Boat competitions for five years and joined the all girls team the Hammer Shoulders. The team wore decorated tiaras and customised t-shirts under yellow rain ponchos. Kristine said it’s because they may not be the fastest team on the water but at least they can say they are the prettiest.

"You got to look pretty," Kristine said. "We’re an all girls team and if we aren’t the fastest, we will be the best looking. It would be nice to be the fastest but we never are so we just focus on looking pretty. We have a good time and having a all girls team makes us feel independent because we’re all girls and we rock at life."

Her father, James Wilcox, had paddled in other Dragon Boat festivals for years and has encouraged her to do the same. Kristine paddled for the first time in Grade 7 and since then has participated every year.

With all her experience, she said she’s a bit of a pro.

Heather McKirdy, a teacher at Hammarskjold, said she’s wanted to help her friend coach the team at the festival but she always had something conflicting in her schedule that prevented her.


"There’s nothing better than dragon boating in the rain," McKirdy said. "I help Jenn Poirier out at the school level but this is the first year that I’ve been in town for it. It’s nice to actually be at the lake on race day. It’s a lot of fun, the girls get along very well."

The team held a single practice on Thursday and then provided with the necessary decorations. McKirdy said that was all the time they needed to prepare.

Dragon boating is a perfect sport because it doesn’t have to be about physical fitness and everyone can participate, she said.

"Really, at the end of the day it’s about team work rather than being the fastest paddler," she said.

Volker Kromm, Commodore of the Lakehead Canoe Club, said the colder weather didn’t keep many teams away from the water and for the most part the young dragons kept motivated and focused on the competition.

"The weather never seems to dampen the spirits of the participants," Kromm said. "The youth are exception. Every year they keep us going. I was talking to the other volunteers and they can’t believe how much energy and enthusiasm the kids have."

He said there were a few complications this year because of new regulations for students at Lakehead Public Schools to have swim training. He said next year he wants to work with the school board to offer the swimming qualifications earlier in the year.

"The timing didn’t work out it was all last minute," he said. "Next year we will plan this further ahead. Now we know and will have a package prepared much earlier."

The Youth Dragon Boat festival wrapped up around 2:30 p.m. with an award ceremony.