BY JASON THOMPSON
The 2005 World Dragon Boat Racing
Championships will feature local paddling talent. Eight
Sudburians will be wearing the maple leaf from Aug. 3 to 7 in
Berlin, Germany.
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Team Canada: (back row from left)
Norma Fairman, Paul Fairman, Julie Alleyn and Bob
Brazeau; (front row from left) Brad Leonard, Bob
Reyburn, Dan Welch and Valerie Leonard. |
When a call for try-outs was made to canoe
clubs across the country for the national team, the Sudbury
Canoe Club sent a contingent of its finest to
Mississauga.
Dan Welch, Bob Reyburn, Paul Fairman, Norma
Fairman and Bob Brazeau will all race for Canada on the Grand
Masters Team. Brad Leonard will be paddling with the Canadian
Masters team while Julie Alleyn and Valerie Leonard will be
part of the women's team.
This is quite an accomplishment for Sudbury.
Team members say this shows the country how serious the city
has become about dragon boating since it began gaining
popularity six years ago with the introduction of the Dragon
Boat Festival.
Alleyn said she hopes the large number of
Sudbury representatives in Berlin, most of whom only got into
the sport six years ago, sends a message to the community that
they can get involved and be part of a competitive team.
The canoe club is always looking for new
paddlers.
"I think it's the best team sport going,
because if you don't work together, you're toast," said
Reyburn.
"There's not that many competitive sports we
can do at our age and dragon boating is one of them. It's darn
good exercise," said Brazeau.
Canadians have traditionally come home with
medals around their necks and this year's crew expects no less
of themselves, although they admit the competition will be
intense.
"You're seeing paddlers at an international
level, the best from right across the world, high level
competition," said team member Dan Welch.
Welch said the Chinese are perhaps the most
daunting competition in the field since they can paddle around
100 stokes a minute.
The Chinese stroke, described as being short
and fast, is the opposite of what Welch calls the Canadian
stoke.
Longer and much more powerful, Welch says the
Canadian stroke is often imitated by other teams since it
allows the boat superior glide on the water and helps the
paddlers sustain energy for the final sprint to the finish
line.
The team members are excited now but expect
that feeling to intensify over the next couple weeks as the
competition draws near.
Norma Fairman points to her goose bumps that
pop up when she talks about heading oversees.
Once they land in Berlin, however, it will be
all business, as their focus will shift to bringing home the
gold. Coaches have told them that nothing quite compares to
wearing the maple leaf and competing for your country.
"It's going to be like watching the Olympics,
only you're there," said Brazeau.
