Turning the Tide: UCLA Dragon Boat's Journey to College Cup 2024
After a period of uncertainty, questioning whether one of our favorite races would be held, UCLA Dragon Boat, along with college dragon boat teams across California, united to rally dozens of volunteers to overturn the race's cancellation. This past November, all of our efforts came to fruition when UCLA Dragon Boat experienced and competed at College Cup 2024 in San Francisco, California!
For our 31 newbies, this was their first dragon boat festival and race experience so tremendous effort went into ensuring it was a memorable one. For six weeks leading up to the event, the team worked enthusiastically every day to hone paddling skills, build strength, and deepen our team camaraderie (waking up at 5 AM for exhausting weekend practices certainly helped with that!). By the time College Cup arrived, our jumbled group of first-time paddlers had transformed into a synchronized machine and our veteran boat was ready to showcase its prowess against friendly rivals.
Cars began making the journey north to San Francisco, the epicenter California dragon boat racing, on Friday, November 8th. Generous families of team members graciously hosted us throughout our trip, providing the added bonus of learning amusing childhood stories and seeing embarrassing photos of our teammates (shoutout to all of our host families!).
After a night of rest, bonding, and for some, late-night studying, we woke up Saturday morning to drive to Lake Merced for practice. For the newbies, this was their first time paddling in freshwater as opposed to the saltwater of our usual practices at Mother's Beach. Despite the change in turf, our team successfully ran through two lineups and practice races, preparing us for the real competition the next day.
Later that evening, we attended the much-anticipated annual pre-race dinner hosted at Lime Tree - Southeast Asian Kitchen. While savoring delicious dishes like Martabak and Beef Rendang, team members shared heartfelt reflections about their motivations and inspirations for paddling. Our Gold Boat Coach, Ryan Chick, and Blue Boat Coach, Alex Mayo, delivered encouraging remarks and outlined their goals for their respective boats. The night concluded with an exciting surprise from our cabinet: the unveiling of long-awaited and requested long sleeve jerseys! There was no better way to represent UCLA on race day!
UCLA Dragon Boat members share stories and laughs at pre-race dinner. Photos by Jackie Ho.
Alarms started ringing around 5 AM on Sunday as we prepared to leave for the race site. After either a very high-energy or half-asleep drive, the team pulled into the Lake Merced parking lot and began setting up. Face-paint was applied, insecticide and sunscreen were sprayed, and sponsor photos were taken as everyone got ready for the first races: the qualifiers! Gold Boat raced first, followed by Blue Boat, with both boats advancing to the semifinals. Next up were our gendered semifinals, where both the "mengine" and "womengine" teams qualified for the finals! In the mixed boat semifinals, our teams earned spots in the C-Division and A-Division finals. respectively. After a lunch break featuring delicious Banh Mi and our beloved Chargel, energy was high as we headed into the championship races.
Left: Team members applying blue face paint to showcase spirit. Photo by Jackie Ho. Right: UCLA Gold Boat crosses the finish line in the C-D Division semifinals. Photo by Jackie Ho.
The Women's Championship race came first. Our powerhouse team of strong women fought long and hard to achieve a 6th place finish. The Open's Championship occurred directly after, with our "mengine" paddling aggressively to secure a 5th place finish. Finally, the most anticipated event of the entire trip, the Mixed Championships, took center stage. Gold Boat raced first, pulling off an astounding comeback to walk away with a gold medal to match their name! Blue Boat competed in the last event of the festival and, after a satisfying performance from start to finish, secured a 6th place finish.
Gold Boat poses with their gold medals. Photo by Jackie Ho.
With that, the anticipation of the past quarter culminated in an unforgettable experience, leaving UCLA Dragon Boat members reinvigorated with a love for the sport. After receiving our rewards and packing up, we prepared to return to our midterms and life back at school. Though the College Cup season had ended, UCLA Dragon Boat continued to strengthen friendships and passion for the sport through off-season paddling and social events. With the start of winter quarter, our team eagerly looks forward to training for the upcoming Tempe race!
UCLA Dragon Boat performs Engine 9 chant. Photo by Jackie Ho.
