Written by Becca Gallagher
One of the most enjoyable events on the UAE’s Dragon Boat circuit, the 2015 Shangri-La festival held in Abu Dhabi promises to be a weekend of fun. The location is spectacular as all teams find shade on Shangri-La Beach overlooking the amazing Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque. Such a wonderful building and so bright in the sky. This year my kids asked if it was the same size as the Taj Mahal. The size may vary, but I am unable to imagine that the Taj Mahal is any less grand.
We arrived early to set up our team base and as the girls arrived for the Barracuda team, excitement and anxiety increased for the race that would follow at a later date. We are a team of 25 women competing in the UAE in all weight classes, mixed ladies and premiers. Most events have a long race format, 2 or 3 km, then a mixture of 500 meters and 200 meters. All distances have mixed teams with a maximum of 20 people in boat racing, and also the shorter distances have a women’s only category. We want to win the ladies’s race. It’s no easy feat, the prizes are raffled and the competition is fierce!
Our first race, 2km, had a rolling start, so the joy of ‘get ready’ was replaced by a determination not to let the male-dominated team get past us! Our trainers all the time start these races by saying that this is an awesome opportunity to warm up properly! I like that sentiment, because it is true, but neither team warmed up, we competed and obviously hope to get a place high enough against a mixed team to be happy with our accomplishments. This year we have 4 new team members who have never raced before. It was an awesome race for them to learn from, we were challenged by a mixed team from behind, but the team determination really came through as we could hear the crowd cheering on the beach, we crossed the finish line in a really respectable result.
Between races there are preliminaries and team briefings but it is too easy to have fun as it is a carnival vibe all around, the music playing and the constant racing. The atmosphere was electrifying and all the teams were determined. The preliminary rounds for the 500 and 200 meters took place and we made it to the finals at both distances. Our new team members have been great and despite the races being 3 and 1 minutes respectively, the energy with which we all feel energized, and prepared to take on the final. That obviously, after sitting for a while and refueling!
The finals arrived, a healthy tension was on board, we were all ready to deliver everything we have learned and trained over the last few months. Our crowd and family were on the beach, supporting and cheering for us. We’re preparing for the starting signal, blahaaaaaaaaand off we go! We raced at an accelerated pace at the start, long powerful strokes all in unison and deep into the water, once our boat was up and sliding along the water we were able to slow down a bit and think about pulling the water hard so we were coasting smooth and at speed through water. As the finish drew near, we all knew the result would be very close, the noise was deafening and above all the clamor we could hear the call of our trainers wanting us to keep going and going. The final ‘strike’ call was made and we hurtled towards the finish, one close competitor to our left and one to our right. As we crossed the line and looked around to see who had won, we could see the Drakinas team celebrating. They won, we were exhausted and all in 1.03 minutes!
Even although it was very disappointing to lose, the Drakinas team won the race, we did not give up, we could not have had a better race that day, and they did better. Congratulations to the Drakinas team, but it is going to be a different day next time… rowing.
To inquire more about Team Barracudas and Dragon Boating in Dubai contact Nicki Berry typhoonicki@gmail.com
