State Championships 2005-2006 Season
March 25 2006
Venue Sydney International Regatta Centre
Who are we?
Their can be no doubt in anyone’s mind now.
Lets cut to the chase.
City Dragons Opens Crew 3rd A Final 500m Race.
City Dragons Women’s Crew 5th A Final 500m Race.
For both crews an outstanding effort.
But in fitting with the history of this club it could have been so much more.
The Ladies.
At the start of this season, there wasn’t even a women’s crew.
By the end of the DBNSW season there is a crew with so much
potential, their are quite a few clubs looking over their collective
shoulders. So close.
A tough draw. Sloth’s A & B & PD's. Just to get to the final would
be an outstanding achievement. But achieve they did, 2 solid seconds did
the job.
The Final, up against 5 crews that have been at this for years. In the
end it wasn't a lack of passion or commitment that made the difference, it was experience.
So close to a medal but the experience will be invaluable.
They say you have to lose a final to win one, so look out Sloth’s.
The foundation has been laid, it’s now up to the ladies to take it
to the next level. No one can do it for you, you've been there, you seen
it, now it’s up to you as a team to take it.
The Opens.
Like the Ladies, not a great draw but in the end to make the finals if you deserve to be there you will get there.
Race 1 a win, slightly unusual for this crew, slow starts a special. Not today. Solid, Controlled, Calm, Confident. Who are we?
All the talk to this point has been Sloth’s, Snatch, PD’s & Navy. Fine with us. Who are we?
Race 2. The Navy. A must win. What a race, how close Daly? A great hit out. Trust the stroke, trust your DC Brothers. Again, Solid, Controlled, Calm, Confident. Who are we?
2nd fastest time of the day, could have been quicker, hey Daly!
Suddenly everyone is asking “Who are they?”
The Final. Trust, Belief in your DC Brother, Lets Bring It!
Who are we? It could not be a City Dragons race meeting without SOMETHING happening. But why this race???
The crew exploded to the front, it’s a 2 horse race, Sloth’s defending champions and City Dragons, head to head, nothing in it, then it happened……
What will be forever more remembered as Louman's amazing flying paddle.
Carlos calls for the kick, this is it, dig deep and dig we did, unfortunately as Louman went for the return the Tsunami like bow wave that is the City Dragons boat, snatched the paddle from his grasp flinging it back under a slightly bemused Jabba’s armpit! Where it lodged. Has anyone tried to paddle with a paddle under ones arm? Ask Jabba. The domino effect, Jabba unable to paddle, Joe, unable to paddle, etc, etc, etc. Disaster, surely the chance at bling gone. But wait! Jabba somehow flicks the paddle forward past Louman into the back of Rich, it bounces up straight back into the hands of guess who? Louman! We are back in the game, strokes lost, power down but this team has heart and the Brady Bunch, they rip as if possessed, 20 as 1, no boo shi, ustilise your ape! body slam! the power & take it home. Sadly gold gone and so did silver by less than 500ths of a second but Bronze is nothing to be sneezed at, especially ahead of both Snatch & Navy. From this day forward Louman will be forever known as "Butter's"!
Like the Ladies, maybe you have to lose one to win one, we are there, WHO ARE WE!!!
1000m race
Are we mad? Hey lets paddle our guts out for 500m but wait! Hey why don’t we do it again for 1000m!
The Ladies
You see Ladies if the course is 2000m in length and we start at 1500m heading back toward 0m, it means the finish will be at 500m. So if you want to kick for home, don’t leave it until the 500m mark. 3rd regardless of the mathematically challenged crew, just a training run really.
The Opens
Us V Sloth’s, again, is there a pattern emerging? Not exactly the most serious race we have competed in, I guess when Joe called for the kick home he didn’t expected to hear a rousing round of WOO HOOS! Through out the boat. Personally from my position as sweep it looked to me like we won but 2nd is fine. This time.
A great day, thanks to everyone involved, Kim our setup is the envy of every other team. Who are we?
No one does race day like City Dragons. Sometimes I think other teams think we are having too much fun.
It’s days like that when I know I joined the right team.
Bring on Nationals!
Bring on China!
Bring on Season 06-07!
WHO ARE WE!!!!
CITY DRAGONS!
