On Sunday, May 1, BLAZING PADDLES, competed in the Hong Kong Island Paddle Club's (HKIPC) 6th Deep Water Bay Dragon Boat Race. A great time was had by all and we are so thankful to our friends and families who came out and supported us in our first race of the season.

We had a blast, we learned a lot and we really came together as a team. Although we have only been practicing since the beginning of March, we are a dedicated and hard-working group made up of novice and veteran paddlers from all over Hong Kong. Our team captains, Stephanie Johnson and Laura Fleming, guided us calmly and steadily throughout the race day, relying on the veteran paddlers to calm the nerves of the first-time racers and keeping us all focused on our goal of powerful, fast-paced, in-sync paddling.

The 500 meter race was really well organized and although we didn't win a medal, we managed to decrease our time with each race and stay very competitive. We also overcame some unavoidable race-day snags with grace, good humor and determination. We could not have done it without our awesome drummer, Hairul Johan, and our amazing steerswoman, Mrs Wong. They helped us navigate our way through the crowded and intense waters of Deepwater Bay. We are also grateful to our sponsors (everyone was jealous of our fantastic sponsor-filled uniforms); all the other teams for their inspiration; and to the HKIPC for hosting this excellent event.

Blazing Paddles will continue intensive training to gear up for the Stanley Dragon boat races in June.

Dig! Dig! Dig!