UCLA Club Sports

Following a month-long crowdfunding effort accompanied by incredible generosity by our community, UCLA Dragon Boat was Tempe-bound for the 19th Annual Arizona Dragon Boat Festival this past weekend! Tempe is the second race of the year and host to our longest training season. Consistently, we have noticed that our paddlers put the greatest effort and work towards Tempe; becoming the strongest they can be in order to completely conquer on race day. For many on the team, this was also their first experience at a large-scale dragon boat festival, offering a competitive platform to race against teams from across the US and the world. 

UCLA Dragon Boat shows off their college gear and jerseys. Photo by Jackie Ho.

The team's journey began on Friday March 28th, when our paddlers rallied up after their shortened spring breaks at 5:30 AM to begin the 7-hour road trip to Tempe, Arizona. Despite the length, the team stayed entertained by telling stories and reflecting on the various trips and events that occurred over break. Around 2:00 PM, we pulled up to the race site for one final practice before the upcoming race. This session was crucial for finalizing any and all timing and lineup issues in order to prepare us for the grander scale and increased competition and demand of the festival. After returning to our AirBnB and showering up, our night concluded with routine race talks led by our boat coaches, Ryan Chick and Ryan Woo, and a team dinner consisting of a Costco feast. There was zero chance of running out of energy tomorrow!

At 5:30 AM on Saturday, alarms started blaring and the adrenaline of the anticipated day kicked in. We'd be racing 8 times over the course of the day – greater than the combined amount of races done at our previous race, but nothing we hadn't prepared to handle! By 7:00 AM sharp, we arrived at Tempe Town Lake and began setting up our tent. Hair was braided, bagels were distributed, and endless sunscreen was applied as everyone got ready for the first races. 

UCLA Dragon Boat setting up, stretching, and warming up. Photos by Jackie Ho.

Our Gold Boat went first, followed by our Mengine, Womengine, and Blue Boat crews. We had the special opportunity this year to combine our Womengine crew with ladies from the UC Berkeley Dragon Boat team! After promising Mixed and Collegiate semifinal runs, Gold Boat placed into the C-Division final and Blue Boat placed into the A-Division final. Womengine made it to finals, however our men's crew just barely missed the cut. Instead, they've become more motivated to get payback come our next gendered race! By the 8th race of the day, numerous photos had been taken, our sponsored snack and drinks were starting to tire. The Chargel stock had depleted, energy drinks had been devoured, and spirits were high and hopeful for tomorrow!

Left: Blue Boat about to push off for their first race of the day. Photo by Jackie Ho. Right: UCLA Dragon Boat and UC Berkeley Dragon Boat's Combined Women's Crew. Photo by Jackie Ho.

Around 5:00 PM, we had our annual dinner at YC's Mongolian Barbeque. The team ate until we were stuffed with various proteins and vegetables and spent the rest of the evening enjoying each others' company and visiting the wondrous sites of Tempe, Arizona (i.e., the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid). After gearing up, we settled in for the night in preparation for tomorrow's finals.

Blue Boat Finals came first! After giving it everything, the crew finished 5th. Our super-powered women, teaming up with Berkeley, rocked their finals, achieving an improved time and placement of 5th. At last came Gold Boat Finals, and after dumping the last tendrils of energy into their strokes, our Gold Boat medaled in 3rd!

Left: Blue Boat marshaling for Collegiate A Division Finals. Photo by Jackie Ho. Right: Gold Boat posing with their bronze medals from Mixed C Division Finals. Photo by Jackie Ho.

However the fun didn't end there! The unique part about the Arizona Dragon Boat Festival (and the reason why we love it so much) are the "fun races" that take place at the end. We participated in two total: Guts and Glory, a 2k which tests your crew's determination and comradery; and Knockouts, back-to-back sprints which require optimized adrenaline and unbreakable mindsets. These community and appreciative races are what we live for and are consistently the highlight of the Tempe experience! Although we didn't place in either, the memories made were priceless. Around 5:00 PM, the time had come to begin the drive back to UCLA and jump right into the next quarter…and next season!

UCLA Dragon Boat celebrating the end of the 19th Annual Arizona Dragon Boat Festival with our paddle-tunnel tradition. Photo by Jackie Ho.

We'd like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to our amazing donors and sponsors, through which this race would not have been able to happen. From the bottom of our hearts, UCLA Dragon Boat says THANK YOU! The sacrifices made (rip Celine's hair), money raised, and progress earned to support our Tempe experience and ensure our best performance, will prove further fruitful at our next race just around the corner. On April 27th, we'll be participating in our last dragon boat festival of the school year, Baby Long Beach. As the name indicates, this race will be on our own turf and with the surrounding LA community. That being said, we invite you to come cheer us on and experience the exhilaration of dragon boat for yourself when the time comes!

UCLA Dragon Boat sends thanks and gratitude to everyone who helped us take on Tempe this year! Photo by Jackie Ho.

Article by Rhea McKenzie