Australia Day

Melbourne - January 2014

A month had passed off our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, for which had be even more to celebrate after making the team, but celebrations couldn’t be overdone for too long. In the peak of summer now, we continued on with our training in preparation for an upcoming team training camp, where the entire team comes together to train as unit. We had met the fitness and technical requirements and now it was time to put them together as a team, so we packed our gear and headed down to Melbourne.

In a similar way the Sydney camp had went, Adrian L and I had got billeted to stay at the house of two other team mates, saves accommodation and a chance to bond with our new team. Adrian A had been billeted off to another teammate with another aurora from Canberra. The Melbourne weather was something that caught me off guard being my first time there, raining when we arrive to a very humid night. Day One started with freezing winds down at the docklands area which was something I’ve never paddled before, huge million dollar yachts and boats flowing in and out, making us feel so small on the water. This camp now let everyone get to know each other more, with this slightly less competitive side now that this was the selected team, so going around and meeting the team was something that everyone did in the breaks between training.  The first day had ended and instead of everyone leaving to go home and eat, there was a small dinner set out right in the shed for which we were all day. Bonding and eating with everyone ads to growing the strength of whole team becoming closer.

The team works better together is there is a sense of family, and this is what the team starts to feel like. Everyone talks and shares stories bringing us to a close network as we go through the same experience together. The second day was Australia day, and all of us away from our families couldn’t celebrate with them. Instead, as a team we went out to dinner showing this sense of family within us.  As the third day came we felt the nearly all aspects of Melbourne weather, with a scorching 35-40 degrees, if we weren’t in the boats, we were in the shed drinking water and eating and relaxing whenever possible now.  

The fourth day was the last and everyone was feeling the weather, their muscles and aches but was still keen to get out and train hard. Pushing through a windy 40 degrees to conclude a successful camp, everyone getting closer and making memories with two big moments happening over the camp. The first big moment was a large group shot for a local Melbourne newspaper which had everyone wearing past Auroras jerseys to give everyone the feeling of a jersey. The photo had us all crammed together and was brilliant to see everyone in the iconic green and gold. The second big moment was during this camp, a selective 12 men and women from the already large side are going off to represent in the world’s first IDBF Dragonboat World Cup two weeks after Asian Champs.

Adrian Andrews was selected into this momentous event and couldn’t be happier being already the first indigenous man to represent Australia in dragonboating and in the first world cup. More to be posted about that soon, while we lead up to this huge event. 

News Article from the camp

The Start

Sydney – December 2013

Backtracking a few months, that this was the first trail camp for which they would select the representative team. Here was the moment where we would need to give everything if we want to prove we are the best in the country. Each of us were sent to be billeted with other athletes also trailing for the team.  The each prepared ourselves for what would be a rough couple of days.

In the middle of summer, harbour for which the trailing began was hovering above 30 degrees and the pressure was on. High tensions left little room for everyone to become friendly, it was more everyone sizing each other up to see their chances. As competitive and day started, we went through the basic trailing benchmarks under close watch and then we moved into the dragonboat, racing various distances and seeing the power that is capable.

The second day consisted of single craft time trail races (or TK1). This was ultimately the most daunting part, having to race up against other guys and the fastest times are obviously the stronger paddlers. Each of us went through our own turns racing, hoping we weren't going to race each other.  We luckily survived and proceeded to race 2 km races in full boats. During this time, we were being watched closely on our technique and if the overall boat was up to the ability required to compete internationally. By the end of the day, you were already feeling stiff and you knew that it wasn't over yet.

The final day was probably the most nerve racking day, there wasn't much time to prove that you had what it takes. They were running more single craft runs for those athletes essentially that were on the fence, and this was myself and Adrian Liszczynsky. The final tk1 race was between us, my heart sunk, knowing that I was up against such a close friend. I had to not let this effect my performance and we both knew it was still a fight. Settling on the start line, about to give it everything, wishing you both could somehow win…

The outcome was during the race, Adrian and the other participant in the race crashed into each other and I came through to win, not so much as an act of sacrifice but just bad luck. The final full boat runs you could feel the raw power of what felt like a strong boat, with various people being put in and changed around.

The camp ended and everyone became a little closer, learned so much more the sport and teamwork and anxiously awaited to hear the results of three days in the blistering sun. Christmas Eve, and the word was going out that people had heard, and one by one more people cheering. I remember at 15 minutes past Midnight on December 25^th with 1% battery left on my phone, I scrambled to check my email to find myself successful.  Both Adrian Andrews and Adrian Liszczynsky were confirmed in the squad as we now began to prepare ourselves for a long journey ahead. 

Introductions

Dragonboating is a team sport that races with 20 or 10 people across various distances. While immensely popular through Asia, it has a growing culture in Australia becoming more popular each year. It seems that nearly anywhere that has water, there will be a dragonboat with teams from far Western Australia, to Darwin, all along sunny Queensland, down through Sydney, Canberra, South Coast, Melbourne and the south of Adelaide. Each teams from all parts of the country train together and compete at local, state, national and international level wherever possible, making there no shortage of competition.

While teams may be good, as all sports go, we find the best of the best and prove on a world stage the capabilities we have. In dragonboat racing has competed with an Australian, known as the Australian Auroras, since 2010. The Australian Dragonboat Federation created this team to gather the best from the country and give everyone the chance to be apart of the team. Before 2010, the winning state team overall at the Australian Championships would go on to represent Australia, which wasn't always the best team possible.

Since then, each Successful campaign the Auroras has competed in has be greater, with more medals and a fitter, faster team. The Auroras compete every two years in the Dragonboat World Championship across multiple age categories, and the International Dragonboat Federation Asian Championships, along with small international regattas.

in 2014, the Auroras will be competing in this years Asian Championship, held in Macau, just off China. One week after this, a selected 20 from the Auroras will continue on to compete in the first ever Dragonboat World Cup, in Fuzhou China.

This is an exciting time for the dragonboat community, and each year the selected team becomes stronger and more fit. For this campaign, there has been 25 men and 24 women selected to be apart of the team, going through a series of benchmarks and trainings to prove their strength and ability to be apart of the team.
This blog will focus mainly on three out of the 49, just to share their story and journey along the way.

Adrian Andrews, Adrian Liszczynsky and  myself, Marcelo Cabezas, are just only three members but will be sharing the journey towards as we reach closer to our competition. more post will follow giving a bio on each of us, and the pathways we have come to get to where we are now.