2007 was the year of Silver medals and a multitude of re-races (at the wonderfully coordinated Harrison Festival). The Victoria Dragon Boat Festival marked the end of Swordfish. The team members had too many babies, too many work responsibilities, and too little time. With a dwindling roster and much arm-twisting just to have the vets consider another year, the loss of Da Coach was the stake in the Swordfish heart.
Fast forward to January 2008. After much food stuffage at a potluck dinner party hosted by a pair of Swordfish sweethearts, the verdict was in and the mighty Fish would rise to see another year of Patch’s potty-mouth and False Creek paddling. Yar!
The only catch was that the team would be returning to the pristine and crystal-clear beautiful waters of False Creek only once a week, and only participate up until Alcan.
February, March, and April came and went. The team was 20 strong and practiced every week (except that one week in March when is SNOWED). At first, the team only had a conditioning coach. Attendance was not impressive, and with Friday night practices, it was difficult to gauge the strength of the team. The FCRCC Regatta held in May was the first test of the new once-a-week Fishies. The team’s performance was lackluster and quite a disappointment to all.
With the return/introduction of the technical coach in May and June, the team worked hard and concentrated on technique and race pieces. The Alcan Regatta at the beginning of June was a surprise to many. With adjustments and improvements in each race, the team surprised itself despite racing three times in three hours. The effects of once-a-week practices reared its ugly head and taunted the team in the last race, where the boat literally died halfway.
Two weeks later, the festival of all festivals arrived in the form of Rio Tinto Alcan. The weather was decent and the waters were fairly calm. Aside from the treacherous journey from the Racers’ Village to the dock, the festival was fun for most, if not all the paddlers. Free snacks, salads, drinks and womanly shavers filled the hands and bags of many. As for the fate of the Fishies, the team ended the season with a 6th place finish in the Rec A Final division.
Despite the loss and leaving empty-handed, the team was happy and satisfied at their performance over the two-day festival. Every paddler gave their best effort and the boat moved quite well - just not well enough for a medal. The signs were clear to everyone on the team: once-a-week is not enough.
So is this the end of the year for Swordfish? Is this the END for Swordfish? Or will the team rise from the Rec A ashes to return to full strength to crush the Rec teams and challenge the Comp teams?
Only time will tell… or a bbq… stay tuned!
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