By Jason Au

The University of Toronto Piranhas are wrapping up preparations for this Saturday's Telus Dragon Boat Festival in Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo was the site of the team's first "A" division final appearance. With all the preparations that they have made, it appears they are making all the provisions possible to ensure even greater success this year. It is doubtful that Coach Rob Chang is expecting anything less than the same effort given in Toronto.

This year's event will feature 74 teams, and of particular significance are three teams: the Shaolin Monks, the Rogers AT & T Wireless Warriors and the University of Toronto ViCrew.

Both the Rogers AT & T Wireless Warriors and the Shaolin Monks finished ahead of the Piranhas in last year's Grand Championship Final.

However, since that race, the Monks and Piranhas have developed a special rivalvry. Since Waterloo, the Monks and Piranhas have not finished more than a second apart of each other. The Piranhas drew first blood by finishing ahead of the Monks in Pickering. The Monks then finished a place ahead of the Piranhas in a close Toronto Community "A" Final. This year's duel is tied at one a piece, so the Piranhas will not only be looking for the championship, but also a great deal of pride.

ViCrew, a fellow University of Toronto crew made up of U of T - Victoria College students, were on the tail of the Piranhas as the University Cup "A" Final wound down. It was an extremely close race at the end, as the times indicate . The Piranhas are assuming the ViCrew are out looking for blood and have been training very, very hard.

Once again, the communication within the team is rising, clogging their teammates e-mail with motivational messages and words of wisdom. The energy within the Piranha camp is once again extremely high. No one on the crew is taking this regatta lightly, so participants and spectators should be assured that the U of T Piranhas will be bringing their top game to Laurel Creek Conservation Area in Waterloo on July 21. See you there!