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Dubai paddlers aim at setting Singapore river water on fire

DUBAI — Forty paddlers from Dubai will soon be on their way to take part in the 25th Singapore River Regatta 2007 in November. The paddlers — 14 men and 26 women — from the Dragon Boats Alive (DBA) association, are busy practising hard six days a week for the upcoming challenge.

“It is going to be our second international competition and we are extremely excited about participating in it,” said team member Melanie Janelle, a flight simulator engineer at a reputed airline. Three teams from the association will be participating in the event of which two are women’s with 10 members each. The other one is a mixed team with a crew of 20 on board.

“Our women’s team is strong and most of the members are former swimmers. We are confident of bringing home a medal. It is going to be really exciting and challenging,” Janelle. “Paddling requires a lot of effort as it can hurt and is quick paced,” she added.

Team spirit, synergy, fitness and motivation are the pre-requisites for dragon boating, an extremely popular and thrilling water sport world-over. However, in Dubai, it’s a relatively new sport, said coach Jason Mackenzie. “But the growth of the water sport in Dubai has been exponential. It’s now very popular in Dubai as the water here is perfect. Besides, it is a social sport and is inclusive. Even if one has no previous experience, one can join,” he said. People from various cultural and social backgrounds are part of the sport. In fact, the 40 members going for the competition in Singapore are from 20 different backgrounds.

Mackenzie also stressed that the sport is purely about synergy and team work. “If you do not operate in unison, there is no chance to win,” he said.

The members, all working professionals, start practising at 6am, paddle for an hour, and then head for work straight. “We start at the crack of dawn, practise, and then drive to work. It is a great opportunity to meet people and get friends involved. It is also good for corporate events,” said Simon Jones, a group exercise instructor.

A typical dragon boat consists of 20 paddlers, a steerer and a drummer. To paddle well and to win, a good crew train for months to gel, perfect technique, fitness and timing.

Team member and coach, Keane Grimsrud, a Canadian diplomat, said he was looking forward to the event and was also hoping that DBA would represent the Middle East in the forthcoming World Championship in Malaysia next year.