Piranhas Dragon Boat Club: A Modern Day Battle of Waterloo

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A Modern Day Battle of Waterloo
Piranhas win Grand Championship And Repeat As Ontario University Champs

By Ling Tin

Waterloo was the location of the Ontario College and University Championships. Many of the schools that raced in the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival (TIDBRF), as well as some other entries were present to make an attempt at taking the University Cup from the defending champions, the University of Toronto Piranhas.

Let's pause for a moment so I can explain something. I feel that I really shouldn't be the one writing this final chapter. Why should they let the person who always crosses the finish line last write this? I'm not a paddler! I'm just their coxswain! Sure I yell at them (once in a while), but do I know what the heck I'm talking about? I suppose that maybe its because I have a different perspective. Maybe…

Ever since the TIDBRF, I've heard rumblings in the dragonboat community.

"Who are these (University of Toronto) Piranhas???"
"They came fourth in the A division…and they're just kids!"
"Did you see the times they posted?!"
"What is their secret?!?"

Without missing a beat, I allowed myself a smile (broader on the inside) and continued on leaving them to ponder some more.

As the number of practices dwindled and the day drew closer, I could sense it in the team. Everyone was hungry for more. This team now knew how it felt to be in a championship race and how it felt to be so close. We knew what needed to be done. Waterloo was to be our final showcase. Let's do it, I thought. Let's focus on the goal… to hopefully win the race championship.

If you'd like to quickly jump to a section of this article, select one of the options below:

Race Day >> Race #1 >> Race #2 >> University Cup Final >> Telus Cup Final

Race Day

Arriving onto the battlegrounds that muggy morning and looking amongst the group you could sense something was different about the team today. Was it that the crew seemed to be in quiet contemplation? Their relaxed demeanor? Or was it their humble confidence? Maybe it was the realization that on this day, they could prove to themselves that they have what it takes to win, that all their determination and perseverance would finally pay off in today's four races.

In accepting and appreciating the notion above, I was surprised to find a few members sleeping and others wanting to be subbed off. The attitude that people were starting to not take things seriously was starting to worry me. I tried to ignore it. My mind raced through the million things that would cause this. This has happened to me in the past, not necessarily with this team. Déja vu?

Other teams came to wish us luck while the first races were in progress. Some teams were ones that we had not faced before whereas others we faced recently in Toronto and here in Waterloo the year before. The Piranhas took this all in stride, resting and preparing, waiting for our first opportunity.

Race #1

Our first race was called and we made our way to the marshalling area. Though I normally don't get nervous, I started to feel some anxiety as we put on the life jackets and stood there watching all the menacing women's and mixed teams. I hoped that the team would pull through. We were racing against the Rogers AT&T Warriors, Flying Sisters, D.O.A. and the Stratford Women's Crew. Once I stepped onto the boat, that nervousness disappeared. The warm up to the start line felt good. I could feel the slight "edginess" in the crew.

The starter had the race.

There really wasn't anytime to ponder as the gun was almost immediately fired after we arrived at the starting line. Our first race was under way. Right from the start, we exploded past our competition. The race was going according to plan. "This is going to be a good race", I thought, as I yelled out the instructions with the drummer.

Midway through the race, the Stratford Women's team (on our right) had caught up to us and we were only a dragon head ahead. "This is getting close. What do I do? Should I call up the engine?" I stayed my path and finished the race plan as we've done so many times before. And the result? We won it! We were able to hold the women's team at bay!

The first race was done. The team did not panic with the women beside them throughout the race. We debriefed and decided to work on a few things for the next race. Coach brought back the starting lineup and decided that all subbing was done for the day. Though there were surprisingly a lot of protests (surprisingly), the group listened and rested up for the second race. However, the earlier incident with personnel was still nagging me.

Race #2

As we got ready for the second race - our semi-final - I could tell people's attitudes were changing. They were joking more. Despite the fact that we were in the same heat as our rival ViCrew, no one said a word to them. We were marshaled to the docks and boarded the boat quietly.

It hit me as we were paddling out towards the start line - the team was calm. Nothing was fazing them.

Pressure! It seemed as though the pressure was lifting! This began to nag at me. I felt this before with other teams that eventually won championships. This was an odd sensation as it dawned on me that the team could actually do it! We could go all the way! Our crew had been taught well. All the races up to now had matured them, especially the championship race in Toronto. A small tear rolled down my eye. I pretended it was a drop of water from the paddlers' splash as I wiped it away before the start call.

For me, the first race was a warm up to test the waters and work out some kinks. This second race was to show the competition what this team was really made of. We had posted the second fastest time of the day so far. Let's show them we could do as well or better! That we did. We bested our original time and came in at 2:19! The pressure was definitely lifted now! Thanks to our rivals who helped fuel us too.

Race #3 - University Cup Championship Race

Two more races to go! Halfway to their goal! These latter two races were to come rather quickly one after the other. The first of the two was for the University Cup! We would again be racing against the ViCrew. As well, University College and two teams from Waterloo, the Flying Hammers and da Boat, were in the heat hoping to take home the coveted trophy.

After some minor touch ups to the race plan, we were off to race again. As we moved into the starting line, the sound of distant thundering was heard. I started surveying the area, trying to see if lightning was close by. A lightning strike lit up the sky in the distance. The race officials saw it and started instructing the teams to go back to the docks. There was a momentary pause, as the teams didn't seem to react. Again the official called that race off. "Head back to the docks!" An uproar from the other teams was heard. They wanted to race! They wanted to race us!

We headed back to the docks as rain started to come down. The officials called for a twenty to thirty minute delay. During this delay, as the rain came down and the sounds of thunder surrounded us, we were discussing the possibility of the races being cancelled. At this point, we would be able to win it all without doing anything more! Sentiments from the team were to try and finish the races if possible so we could show everyone that we had what it took to win legitimately, not just by default.

Half an hour later, we were on the water again, with the rain still falling. The gun went off and frantic voices were heard all around us. This was perhaps the loudest race I've ever been in. Our team kept its focus, as our plan was executed by our able drummer, Liane. Her calls stabbed through the clamour of noise.

This was not our traditional explosive start. Both Vic and UC were still with us and stayed with us for most of the race. As we were coming up to the last 200 meters, something I would not have ever imagined happened. I heard a call within the engine room to finish! My heart just sunk. How do I fix this? I realised that they probably misheard me but the call was made! Perhaps the noise from the other boats distorted my call. As we passed the 100-meter marker, I called for everyone to give me their all for the finish. Liane called out with me a final and desperate cry for a good finish. We had to stay motivate and hit that water hard and pull!

At last, the race was finished and we won…barely. We won the University Cup and successfully defended our title. University College came second and Victoria College who we noticed was losing steam came in third.

Never have the Piranhas experienced a smooth race weekend. Something would always crop up like the race we just had or an incident beyond our control. And just before the finals, something did. There was a rumour that we might have to race a fifth and final race for the Telus Cup! To add to that, we would have to do so immediately after the Open Cup race we were also in. After a few persistent objections from our team and others, the race organisers determined that the Open race would be the Telus Cup race too. All the teams in this race matched the Telus Cup criteria.

Race #4 - Telus Cup/Open Cup Grand Championship Race

This was the moment we had all been waiting for since this regatta and since the beginning of the season. We had a very good chance here. We had the fastest time going into this race and they placed us in Lane 4. We had to contend with the Shaolin Monks (lane 5), Screamin' Demons (lane 3), ViCrew (lane 2) and The Toronto Women's Crew (lane 1). After debriefing from the University race, I was feeling confident that the crew had the same goal in mind, which was to win!

After a stunning rendition of Happy Birthday to Raphael, we loaded the boat and paddled to the start line. We were very quiet, surprisingly relaxed and as I mentioned before, calm. Hopefully the crew had learned from their Championship race in Toronto.

The sound from the starter's gun seemed to awaken the dragons within each of them. Doing exactly as Liane was instructing to do with my echoing in the back. Through my peripheral vision I could see all five teams were moving down the race course together. No one was able to move away from the pack.

Midway through the race, though the Piranhas had a slight lead, but I could see that the Monks on our right surging a little. The Monks were even able to pass us a little. Our team was moving well and the boat glided effortlessly as the paddlers took their strokes. There was no cause for alarm. We had to be confident in our finish.

At the last quarter mark, all five teams were still in contention to win. At this time I was paying attention to the Screamin' Demons on my left and the Monks on the right. The Monks were slowing inching away from us. The Demons were moving up. I decided to hold off a bit more. A little more. We can do this.

I finally yelled out for the finish. At that point, everything seemed to go in slow motion. It was like a frame-by-frame replay. I could feel the surge of the rockets as the engine room pressed and the pacers pounded the water to get the maximum pull. I could see our boat moving ever so slowly moving closer and closer to the Monks. I could also hear the Demons yelling out their finish from the left and slightly behind.

With the last few meters to go, it was between the Demons and us. Liane and I yelling at the top of our lungs. They were closing in fast. Could we hold them off? I knew we could. We crossed the finish line and from my viewpoint, we passed through first. Both Liane and I put our arms up in victory.

This was really too close to call, but as I turned the boat around, there was already some cheerful faces, pats of encouragement, and yelps of glee. The others were hesitant, as the race seemed so close. Cheers were exchanged to and from the other teams. We could hear and see Rob on the shoreline jumping for joy. This was when the team finally leaped for joy! The Piranhas finally won a grand championship!

Sending the boat back to the docks, we cheered for Rob and everyone on the team as the rain finally ceased and the sun started peeking out from the clouds. This was their day. Their hard work paid off. As I got off the docks, I was rushed by some of the Piranhas and one other person in particular. He was the coxswain from the Screamin' Demons. "You guys just won it by one-one-hundredth of a second!!", while shaking my hand. That was probably the closest I have ever won anything. The time difference echoed in my ear and it made the win even sweeter. I relayed it to the team and another cheer went up. Water started spraying like it was champagne. Our ecstatic voices were probably heard from miles away.

While still by the docks, the Piranhas stood in a line to high-five our rivals, the ViCrew in appreciation as they left the docking area. The celebrations continued by having our Coach dunked in the lake. Many team members are still giving each other praises and thanks to everyone for being able to make the dream reality - winning in Waterloo! Both the University Cup and the Telus Cup! And in doing so, topping off their already extraordinary 2001 dragonboat season by making dragonboat history again…being the first ever university team to win a championship title!

Congratulations Piranhas! I've had a great season. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to race with you. It's been fun! You've all earned what you won. Best of luck in the future! Who wants it?! Happy birthday to you all! Hope this was a good present! =)

Ling (bringing up the rear)