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YEAH!!! We can top 2001!!! We will prove to be the most active club on the US east coast AGAIN, because by the end of the year we expect to compete in 13-15 races, run 3 of them coupled with running 2 clinics and helping 3 others run their races - Phew! We'll have members competing in China, Canada, Italy and Rome - aged from 11-retirement! To date: our open roster policy helped us create more new friends...across our US borders!!! In May, we partnered with 8 local Wuhan, China citizens to do 3 dragon boat races in China! In June, we met up with 16 friendly Canadians for the fantastic Toronto Center Island races...and again in July, we competed alongside another 10 Canadians plus many "Renegades" for the always wild Montreal Races. Couple with the knowledge that we presented 24 folks with their first ever dragon boat race!

August 1st marks the start of the Metro area's wildest most active for dragon boaters. Our team will have representation at races taking place from Nationals in Oakland (8/8-9)to races in NYC (8/10-11), Liberty State Park (8/24-25), NJ's Lake Parsippany Summer races for Breast Cancer Awareness(8/31), Pawtucket (9/7), Hartford (9/21), San Francisco (9/28-29), Princeton (9/28), Philadelphia (10/5)and closing out the season with our NJ Lake Parsippany Dragon Boat races for Charity on Oct 6. This followed our relatively "calm" 1st half with our 5/1 Yichang China, 5/2 Yangtze 39k China, 5/6-7 Shucheng China, 5/18 clinic, 6/1 NJ races, 6/22-23 Toronto, 7/13 clinic, 7/20-21 Montreal Races. phew!!! Like we said...we are going to top an unbelieveable 2001 season with a crazy 2002 schedule! Can we do it? YOU BEAT WE WILL!!! Let us know if you want to join us - FUN LOVES COMPANY!

• • Hartford, Ct - September 21

We always seem to have a good time here! Montreal-like, as we get in lots of paddling in! We took our 1 1/2 crews and came away with a Silver in the Gold division for Team Dragons, and Gold in the Silver division for NJDBC crew! We got some pretty good viewing spots again this year. Mullane Enterprises sponsored our NJDBC crew. We had a tough time recruiting as many of our 2001 partners entered their own crews!

• • Pawtucket, RI - September 7

Our NJDBC crew couldn't make the trip...but Team Dragons did. And they finished 6th and got treated to a fine post race banquet! Some exciting moments included an errant MAD crew that crossing into Team Dragon's path. Richard got his feet wet in steering!

• • Liberty Races - August 24-25

    • The NJDBC crew participated in the very first race on the Hudson river since 911, in the shadows of the World Trade Center. So, the crew offered a moment of silence in memory of the souls lost before their first Saturday race...with US flag...and later the Team Dragons did the same in the next heat. Team Dragons finished 3rd in the Silver division and NJDBC 4th. A bit disappointing considering the terrible non-rulings on crews cutting us off during the finish ! But once we overlook the race operation, we were treated to picturesque views, a beautiful weekend, lots of races, graphite paddles. But the Liberty race experience was worse than the NYC races! The Race director ACTUALLY changed the Team Dragon Finals qualifying time 2 times! And he even has the ability to normalize a time for the different conditions to .001 of a second! now THAT IS BS! The biggest Fopah occurred on the final race of the day....the race folks DQ'd the WRONG crew from the Men's Grand final!

  • NYC - August 10-11

    • We again witnessed the finish line judges apply their "pot luck" guess work determining the finishing order of a "pack finish" as we suspect we got the short end of the calls. Team Dragons performed well, qualifying for the 500 finals and finishing 4th. They finished their 250m heat "in a pack" and found themselves edged out of the finals by questionable ruling. The NJDBC did well finishing second but the gals...the gals qualified for the finals when Extreme, yes Extreme again...ran into our crew near the finish line. NJ finished 4th in the finals.

  • Montreal International - July 20-21

    • Talk about taking on more than you can chew! Our Captains Dave, Maria and Richard managed 3 teams (mixed, gals, guys) for 12 races!!! And even found space on other teams...while securing help from others to fill our empty seats. Every year Montreal gets wildier and crazier and helps us to energize the fire in all dragonboaters! Our guys crew got in another collision, but showed great resolve and finished "in the pack" of the Men's B final and great starts...almost (and should have) thrown off their steerer in one of the 500m heats...who lost control off the strong strong start! Again built a partnership with our friends from NY MAD, Boston, Toronto Titantics and started some new ones with the Toronto Dewey Decimators, Montreal Renegades and Philly-based Hope Afloat and Tsunami Dragons! (thanks gals). Oh yes, the gals, nearing forfeit - the Renegades came thru to fill our seats for our Women's final and guess what? With Richard's nurturing - we finished the 1st!!! Hmmm. 1st in Toronto's C finals...can a pattern be forming??? The Mixed...Crew showed lots of heart and grit in one of the toughest mixed races around. Although the crew didn't match the time posted on their first run which earned them the 37th seed in a field of 73, they took away learnings which will help in their upcoming races. And maybe, proved to all that it is possible to paddle 8 races over a single weekend and feel you did your best!

  • Toronto Center Island Races - June 22-23

    • Returned for our 2nd team experience by fielding 2 teams (mixed and all gals) and even giving our NJ-based Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boaters an opportunity to participate in the "BCS Carnation Memorial ceremony" on the water with other BCSrs less able to paddle a dragon boat! Our teams, "Team United or Team International" crew comprised of folks from our regular buddies: PA, NYC and Boston folks...as well as a new resource: the Canadian dragon boat email network! We loved our latest "team members" who hailed from teams like: Shaolin Monks, Stratford Women, Titanics and some who never raced before! The women won the B finals, The mixed finished a strong 5th after winning it's 1st 2 earlier heats. What a weekend, what new friends, what a post-race party...we avoided most of the crazy ferry lines by having tix, but it didn't help the 2 hr wait to get off on Sunday. Next time we stay for the party! or take the faster water taxi (it's worth the fee). Ah...thankfully, enough folks looked like my dad!

  • China race series - May 1 (Yichang 500m), May 2 (Yangtze 39km), May 6-7 (Wanfohu, ShuCheng 250, 400, 600m).

    • What a trip! We love our "locals" (Tian Ke/Tanya, Weiwei Fan/Frannie, Jing Li/Jerry, Hao Chen/Howie, GuizenWang/Gwen, Guilan Yao/Wendy, Lei Ke/Tom), Montanians (Jeanne, Joan, Norman, Terry), Bean potters (Charles, Yui-ting), NY MAD (Lisa, Mike), Philly folks (Susan, Vince), Princeton folks (Dorothy, Jeanie, Linda, Tom), NJ Club folks (Anne, Ellen, Peter). This motley crew of 24 comprised of 14 who never been in a dragon boat until our first Yichang practice! Volunteering to get thrown into the fire - these folks finished 6th in the Yichang Open Mixed 500m, 7th in the Yangtze 39k Mixed, and last in the Wanfohu 250m, 400m, 600m races as we competed in the open division with a mixed crew and short 6 paddlers! But we had a blast, and the crew showed resolve and pride at the Wanfohu races being asked to putout in 4 races (250m, 600m) in one day within 4 hrs! Yet, somehow with the help of the local team massuse, we found enough energy to particpate in the all night loud, rackus, dancin, singing Aussie party room! Those Aussie do love to sing! This crew rewarded their captain's curfew-less policy with respectible showings on the race course...and awe of other teams who had 11PM night's out rule. Charles, Lisa and Mike proved you can still find great food and drink in the rural streets of China...2-3AM! Although...the 5:30AM wakeup on the final day tested everyone's recovery period - we all still had stories to create!