British Dragon Boat Team, Singapore

Change to Sunday training times and make a date with the BritCham Ball

Sep 23rd, 2011

Hello Paddlers

TRAINING RESTART DATE | SUNDAY TRAINING TIME CHANGE | BRITCHAM BALL | FACEBOOK |

1) TRAINING RESTART DATE

We’ve had our brief training break after the medal successes in Korea and at the SAVA Sprints and now we need to begin training in earnest for Putrajaya and for the Singapore River Regatta…

Training restarts at Kallang on Saturday 24th September 2011 at 3.30pm.

2) SUNDAY TRAINING TIME CHANGE

As you know, we will be joining forces with our friends from the German Dragons to field a strong team at Putrajaya in October.

I’m delighted to let you know that we will be training with members of the German team on Sunday mornings until the race and this has led to a slight adjustment to Sunday training times.

From this weekend onwards Sunday training will be at 09.00am (on the water 09.30-11.00am)

Please adjust your alarm(s) accordingly and enjoy your lie-in folks!

3) BRITCHAM BALL

The BritCham Ball is back to celebrate the year end in true British refined style with a masquerade theme. This is one of the premier social events of the year for the British community in Singapore and it is renowned for being of the highest standard.

The British Dragons have attended this event in previous years and our Social Secretaries want to gauge numbers to see if we can book a whole table this year and also benefit from the early-bird discount.

Where:….. The Ritz Carlton Millenia Hotel
When:….. Friday 18th November 2011
Price:….. $320 per person (early-bird price)

If you are interested in attending (guests are also very welcome) please register your interest online at:

www.britishdragonboat.com/britcham-ball/

Britcham ball

4) FACEBOOK

Our team facebook page is a great way of keeping in touch with the team, hearing about ad hoc social events and getting last minute newsflash updates. If you haven’t already, please become a friend of our page at:

www.facebook.com/BritishDragons

I look forward to seeing everyone out on the water again this weekend at training!

Best wishes,

Philip N. Morgan - Team Secretary
British Dragons - Singapore

Posted in: News.

Training and Regatta Dates, Success at SAVA Sprints and Another Night at the Movies!

Sep 15th, 2011

by philipmorgan.

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Hello Paddlers

1) TRAINING RESTART DATE

Training restarts at Kallang on Saturday 24th September 2011 at 3.30pm.

Please note there will be NO training on the weekend of 17/18th of September. We will also not be able to use the Farrer Park Pool on Wednesday 21st September so training is also cancelled on that date.

So see you back – and well rested – on the 24th as we get into serious training mode to win more medals at Putrajaya and the Singapore River Regatta.

2) REGATTA DATE CHANGE

The 29th Singapore River Regatta (at Boat Quay) has been pushed back by one weekend.

It will now take place on the 26/27th of November 2011.

If you wish to take part you need to Re-Register immediately (even if you previously registered for the earlier date).

You can register online at: www.britishdragonboat.com/race-registration/

3) SUCCESS AT SAVA SPRINTS

Read all about it here!

4) ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

Tuesday 27th September is our second British Dragons Movie Night.

We have 40 FREE tickets to preview the new movie thriller, Colombiana. You will get to see this film before anyone else and we’ll have our own reserved section in the cinema so we can all sit together (in case it has any scary bits).

Thanks to our friends at MVP Entertainment for hosting us.

Where:…..GV Vivocity – GVmax (yes the really big screen!)
When:…..Tuesday 27th September at 7PM (dinner / late supper afterwards for those who want to join)

Check out the trailer http://youtu.be/BwTO3i9C2TE

Register your attendance via: www.britishdragonboat.com/movies/

Registration closes midnight on Thursday 22nd September.

This event is open to all paddlers (friends are welcome too, but naturally team paddlers get priority)

The other thing to do (if you haven’t already) is go to the facebook page www.facebook.com/MVP.com.sg and click ‘Like’ to get movie updates and to stand a chance to win movie tickets.

5) SHARE YOUR PHOTOS

At race and social events it’s likely that if team members haven’t got a paddle in their hands then they are toting a camera! So if you have photos from our recent adventures that you’d like to share with the team then please post them to our flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/britishdragons/

We can then include them on our website: http://www.britishdragonboat.com/photos/

Many thanks!

Enjoy your hiatus from training and I look forward to seeing you again in a boat on Saturday 24th September!

Best wishes,

Philip N. Morgan - Team Secretary
British Dragons - Singapore

Posted in: News.

Sava Sprints 2011

Sep 12th, 2011

by phil.

1 comment

The Sava Sprints were once again held at Lower Seletar Reservoir and attracted a strong turnout of local and overseas teams.

Saturday 10th September 2011

Our first success was in the Senior Open 12 crew. This gave the chance for our “veteran” members to show their mettle and potentially bag a medal in the twilight of their racing careers (many of them presumably facing the prospect that their next competitive ‘win’ might well be a lucky card at a Senior Citizens’ Bingo Night!).

The event was run over two rounds (one in the morning and one after lunch) with the cumulative times determining the placing.

Age had certainly not wearied this grizzled old crew and the first round proved to be ‘memorable’ as a competing boat strayed into our lane and collided alongside leaving no water for the lefties to paddle for several seconds! Luckily the righties paddled valiantly on until the other boat swung clear and the lefties found water again. Despite this mishap we took 3rd place on the first round. The boat that collided with us steered off and promptly sank. Luckily all of their crew were safely recovered and the team very graciously apologised to us later for the unfortunate mishap.

In the second round we took first place and this was enough to secure a SILVER overall for the event. Congratulations to Julio who was in his very first race and took a medal home for his efforts.

The next win was in the Singapore Expatriate Community Mixed 20 crew – and this event proved to be even more thrilling and action packed…

In the heat the team came 2nd and so qualified for the Grand Final. However in that Grand Final another crash happened and we were forced into an adjacent lane. The offending team was subsequently disqualified and our team and one other were offered a “time trial” to determine the final placings. The other team declined the offer and so this left the British Dragons to race the 250m course alone – and against only the clock. However the amazing team spirit (and steely grit and determination) kicked in and the crew clocked an exhilarating run – with the disqualified team very sportingly cheering our team on to success! Despite the challenge of racing without other competitors – but likely relieved that the only other boat that could collide with them was the safety boat – the team clocked an impressive time of 1:08:23. This shaved 2 seconds off our fastest times at that stage and secured a dramatic and very well deserved GOLD!

Sunday 11th September 2011

Sunday offered more excitement in the Premier Women 12 crew. In the heats we came 2nd narrowly beaten by Nanyang Technological University (and so avoided repecharges). In the Semi-Final we came 2nd but yet another collision (between other boats in the race) resulted in a time trial for those other teams and one of those timed results pushed us down to 3rd place (with a 0.3 second margin) and so out of the Grand Final into the Minor Final. We raced neck and neck against Singapore Management University (SMU) in the Minor and they beat us in a photo finish by a mere 4/100ths of a second! (SMU = 1:21:40, British Dragons = 1:21:44) leaving us to take a very hard won SILVER in the event.

Our concluding success of the day came when we were invited to participate in a lunchtime “Novelty” 12 crew event against teams from ‘Rest and Relax’ (Sembawang) and the ‘KPMG Dragons’. The volunteers who made up the crew had no idea that the “novelty” would be that two rows in each boat would be denied paddles and had to propel the boat using bailers! To add to the fun Rob Cooke tried his hand at drumming and certainly gave the role a much bigger profile than usual!

After furious paddling and, er, bailering, we took second place with a time of 1:21:44 and so scored our third SILVER of the weekend. ‘Rest and Relax’ didn’t quite live up to their name as they took first place with a time of 1:19:48.

Congratulations to Nelson who won his first SILVER medal in this race – despite only coming along to cheer for the team! Thanks also to all of the newer team members who turned up to show support and find out more about the action at a race weekend. Your support was really appreciated!

One personal observation that I believe illustrates the sportsmanship (should that be sportswomanship?) of our team came just after the medal awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon. Our Ladies team sought out the SMU Ladies team and offered them congratulations for beating us to Gold in such a closely fought race. It was a very touching moment as they all shook hands – made even more poignant because our Coach (Jason Chen) also coaches the SMU Ladies and we have sometimes done practice race sets with them in training. It underlined the good humour and respect fostered between the competing teams and the organisers and officials over the weekend despite all of the thrills and spills which had taken place!

The SAVA Sprints race weekend concluded with a lively night of celebrations at our Race Dinner at RedDot at Dempsey. The highlight was a fantastic video compilation by Douglas of the racing action (and wins!) from both Busan and Seletar which certainly provided very compelling entertainment. The evening also gave the team the chance to hear a recap from the Captains and Coach and see all of the medals, trophies and gifts from Korea at first hand. It was certainly a memorable conclusion to a very memorable weekend.

Caroline Holt

Posted in: Events.

SAVA Sprints Race Guide, Triumph in Korea and are you Feeling Frayed?

Sep 7th, 2011

by philipmorgan.

No comments yet

Hello Paddlers

SAVA SPRINTS RACE GUIDE | TRIUMPH IN KOREA | TRAINING | FEELING FRAYED?

1) SAVA SPRINTS RACE GUIDE

Here is your complete guide to the upcoming SAVA Sprints International VII:

Date:…..Weekend of 10th and 11th September 2011
Reporting Time:…..Saturday at 08.00am (report to the British Dragons tent)
Location:…..Lower Seletar Reservoir
Map:….. www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parks&id=21&Itemid=73
Getting there:…..Khatib MRT on the North/South line (then a 15 minute walk to site or catch a bus from opposite the MRT)

Upon arrival please report to Mifie and pay your $50. This covers race entries, personal registration and photo ID race tag, water and 100 Plus drinks on both days, lunch and beer on the Saturday and the team dinner at Red Dot (Dempsey) on the Sunday evening.

You will be given a photo ID tag which you will need to wear all weekend (if lost the organisers will charge you for a replacement).

All team members must be wearing a team racing shirt and team bandana (or cap) in order to race. No other shirts or headwear are acceptable. Remember that footwear is compulsory in the boats. Please limit valuables to essentials for the weekend as our marquee will not be fully secure.

Times and line-ups for races are subject to constant change so always:

Know which event you’re competing in (look at the posted team boat layouts);
Stay close to the team marquee;
Let the Committee know your whereabouts at all times when NOT close to the team marquee.

British Dragons Airways reminds all flyers that it tries very hard to accomodate their choice of route and timing and is well known for its very prompt arrival times. However from time to time your preferred choice of row, or a window or aisle seat assignment may not be available. You may also be wait-listed for a popular flight or once in a while you may not even get to fly at all. Please bear with us and do not bang on the cockpit door or yell at the Captains until the flight has safely landed at the destination (in fact we would very much prefer that you just send in your complaint to our customer service department once you arrive back home…).

On British Dragons Airways the seats are cheap, you usually get a bit of legroom and – in the unlikely event that we crash or, er, rapidly lose altitude – please remember that every seat is on an emergency exit row and that you’ll be wearing your lifejacket at all times anyway so need have no concerns at all about flight safety…

Please eat well in the next few days. Carb load the night before the race (pasta, rice, etc.), get plenty of protein and make sure you bring along your choice of Berocca, Hydration Salts, Energy Gels etc. Also have a hearty breakfast before setting out so that you will be in good shape for the all-important first heats (if we fail to qualify in those then of course we will just sit empty- handed on the shore all weekend politely clapping the winning teams…)

Remember to bring sunblock and water along to the event and please make sure that you hydrate well before and during the weekend.

Sunday is our traditional “Pot Luck Lunch” so please plan to bring along nutritious food to share with your team mates.

Our Team Dinner will be held at RedDot (Dempsey) at 7.30pm on Sunday 11th September. If you have not already placed your order online for your choice of meal then no meal will be provided for you and you will have to go “a la carte” (which I think is some fancy French way of saying that it’s quite a posh place and that you’ll probably need to bring your credit card along and pay up with that)

Please wear your drinking shirt and bring along your team membership card to the team dinner.

2) TRIUMPH IN KOREA

Read all about it here!

3) TRAINING

Training will take place on Wednesday 7th September at 7.00pm at Farrer Park Swimming Complex. This will be land training so you do not need to bring your paddle.

To allow the team to rest after the recent heavy race schedule here will be NO TRAINING on the following dates:

Wednesday 14th September

Saturday 17th September

Sunday 18th September

Please look out for the next bulletin when we will remind you when training will recommence.

2) FEELING FRAYED?

If your Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is a bit frayed around the edges after your battles in Korea and its crumpled journeys in your luggage then Nicky has discovered that a stitch in time can save nine…

“Gill’s Tailor” at Golden Mile Complex, 2nd Floor (opposite the Thai Supermarket) can re-stitch your PFD.

Nicky reports that repairs to her PFD cost $10 and only took one day so there is still time before the SAVA Sprints if you are quick!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Mile_Complex

I look forward to seeing you all at land training tonight at Farrer Park and at the SAVA Sprints at Lower Seletar Reservoir this weekend.

Let’s try our hardest to bring back another clutch of medals to add to the shiny haul from our recent adventures in Korea!

Best wishes,

Philip N. Morgan - Team Secretary
British Dragons - Singapore

Posted in: News.

Busan 2011

Sep 4th, 2011

by phil.

1 comment

A large contingent of the British Dragons team travelled to busan to compete in the 2nd Korea Open International Dragon Boat Regatta. This proved to be a truly memorable event with exhilarating race action leading to unprecedented team success on the water and a whole range of fun social activities on the shore.

As always the team spirit was amazing and the British Dragons enjoyed a high profile and great popularity with all the other teams taking part. Indeed at the farewell “Friendship Dinner” the team was constantly mobbed by other competitors wanting to swap for our race shirts and jackets and to be photographed with our paddlers! We were also delighted that our team Coach (Jason Chen) was also able to join us and offer his guidance and support (and some tour guide and translation services!) throughout the event.

The two days of races were covered by an 8 camera HDTV outside broadcast unit by MBC (one of the major national TV networks) and the live action and results were shown on a videowall opposite the British Dragons tent. The coverage culminated in an extensive two hour TV broadcast on the Saturday afternoon where our team was often featured competing. In addition the regional news lead story on the Saturday night bulletin featured the regatta and included shots of our team winning gold plus an interview with our team coach Jason Chen (subtitled of course!).

Here are the race results for our team:

Friday 2nd September 2011

200m Mixed 22 crew BRONZE – 50:08 (1st Macao – 49:83, 2nd Hongkong – 49:91)
200m Women 12 crew BRONZE – 59:97 (1st Indonesia – 54:70, 2nd Macao – 59:80)
200m Mixed 12 crew SILVER – 57:69 (1st Guam – 57:11, 3rd Fair Dinkum United – 57:96)

Saturday 3rd September 2011

500m Mixed 22 crew GOLD – 2:08:20 (2nd Macao – 2:08:22, 3rd Germany 2:12:81)
500m Women 12 crew SILVER – 2:32:40 (1st Indonesia – 2:20:52, 3rd Macao – 2:33:69)

The 1st Place in the 500m mixed was certainly a nail-biting-photo-finish affair with the judges using video playback to determine that we had pipped Macao for Gold with a lead of just 2/100ths of a second!

Congratulations must also be extended to Kate, Natalia, Amelia and Karen from our team who graciously responded to a request to paddle with the Australian team who were short-handed for the 200m and 2,000m races. They all won SILVER medals for their splendid efforts!

The British Dragons would like to thank the organisers and sponsors of the 2nd Busan International Dragon Boat Regatta for being such generous and gracious hosts. The team certainly enjoyed exploring some of the many attractions of Busan and sampling the food. It was also very pleasing to see the event receive such a high standard of TV and regional news coverage from MBC and to have the chance to compete and make friends with so many other enthusiastic teams and paddlers from across Asia.

‘Dynamic Busan’ certainly lived up to its name!