Lake Hood Ashburton 2021 National Dragon Boat Regatta

As I begin to write this blog Lionel Richie is on the radio – “Oh what a feeling” (dancing on the ceiling)!!! How incredibly apt, well maybe not the dancing on the ceiling, although there was a lot of dancing to be had!

Let’s start with “Oh what a feeling”… Oh what a feeling, jetting off from Auckland to Christchurch in a blaze of pink amidst this Covid world. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on how incredibly lucky we are here in NZ to be able to participate in a National event with literally hundreds of participants.

Travelling in pods, we had three groups arriving into Christchurch at staggered times with designated drivers for each mini van responsible for getting a bunch of excited, cackling ladies (and a couple of guys) safely to Ashburton. Bless you drivers for an outstanding job mustering us and driving us around over three days, not as easy as it sounds! I think of the courageous newbies who joined Busting this season and their anticipation and trepidation for what lies ahead over the next two days. It was only two years ago that I was a newbie too and the only solution I found was to go with the flow!

Precision timing is required from wake up to lights out, being at The Lake (Lake Hood) before dawn to witness the majestic sunrise on what were beautiful autumn days in Canterbury, the weather Gods were on our side. “Oh what a feeling”!

Each day started with Coach Leslie’s Pep Talk, Angie’s Inspirational Quote (from the fridge) and Lol’s Warm Up (also from the fridge). What is the fridge you may ask… A book exchange in Dunsandel.

Each days racing consisted of small boats, standard boats and some incredible ladies in our team who also represented Auckland in other categories… you are truly incredible! Collectively we had some outstanding results and just so we didn’t get too carried away, we had some underwhelming results too… hey but you can’t win ‘em all. It is as rewarding (well, almost) to celebrate the success of our sister teams and their achievements in what is always fierce competition on the water. One thing I am confident of is that we left it all out there on the water… Oh what a feeling!

Friday evening was dinner in honour of all of the amazing Breast Cancer Survivor Paddlers, an opportunity to meet and reconnect with fellow paddlers from around the country, albeit pretty tired after the days racing.

Day two… more wins, more losses, more comradery and the grand finale. Exhausted after giving our all and weighted down by our medals, somehow some of us found a second wind and were “Dancing on the ceiling… Oh what a feeling”!

To the strong, independent individuals who are Team Busting With Life 2021… “CONGRATULATIONS”… putting yourself out there and giving it your all is a celebration in itself! OH WHAT FEELING!

Kai Iwi Lakes training weekend Feb 2021

Kai Iwi Lakes Training Camp

 

February rolled around which meant that the day finally arrived and we were off to Kai Iwi for the annual Dragon boat training camp run by ADBA from the 12 - 14 February.

 

This year we were one of the few teams that had the majority of the team registered to attend the training camp which would prove to work in our favour, not only for personal improvement but for the team as a whole.

 

The adventurous ones chose to camp out at the lake and the rest of us were privileged to have the benefit of a warm shower and bed, offered up by Cathy’s friend Maria.  She has a beautiful 5 bedroom house just a mere 20 minutes from the lake.

 

The weekend’s activities started off with a beautiful sunset paddle to the other side of the lake and back.  Thereafter we said farewell to the ladies at the lake and made our way back to the house to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Maria and served up by our thoughtful captain Linda and some of the other team members.  The fun did not stop there….

 

The standing tradition is after the training camp comes to an end on Saturday, there is an after party which is kicked off by a team skit competition.  This put the team’s creative skills to the test and with a bit of a team effort, the decision was made to perform the Banana Phone song/dance dressed up as Minions.  Once the dinner dishes were done and lunch was prepped for Saturday, it was time to get our groove on and fine tune our routine.  Let’s just say a lot of laughs were had by all but in the end we got there and we were ready.

 

The morning quickly came about and with it a glorious sunshine day which would lead to a full intense day of training.  The group was split up between the Auckland Rep squad and the paddlers taking part in the training clinics run by the various coaches to help fine tune their techniques.  After an intense morning of paddling, lunch rolled around and a fine spread was provided by Linda once again, which was well deserved after all of the morning activities.  Once lunch was done, it was time for some more paddling and once the dragons were laid to rest on the trailers, everyone was able to enjoy the beautiful surroundings on offer and a refreshing dip in the lake.

 

The afternoon quickly rolled around and after some scrumptious dinner, cooked on the BBQ by our resident chef Linda, it was time to get dressed and be ready for our skit.  Nerves aside, the team was ready.  We reserved our front row seats and waiting patiently for our turn to come.  What a surprise when we were called up first… 1.2.3. Music started playing and we were off.  Team after team followed and the evening was enjoyed by all.  Finally it was time to announce the winner.  The finalists were Random Jaffas, Jaffetes, Busting with Life.  The winner was determined by the crowd.  Drum Roll and the winners are…. Busting with Life!! We were absolutely ecstatic and with that the music started playing and to celebrate we had a dance together to close off the evening.

 

As the sun set we once again bid a good night to the ladies at the lake and went back to the house where we had a chance to catch up on the day's festivities and to recuperate after a hard day's work of training.

 

The next morning we cleaned up, packed up and enjoyed a yummy breakfast together to celebrate Cathy’s birthday, before heading back to the long white cloud, Auckland

 

The weekend turned out to be not only a time for personal development but also as a team as a whole and we got to make some very special long lasting memories.   The skills which we had all learnt and gained would hopefully help us towards reaching our goals for both Regionals and Nationals.  We have got this ladies, let’s do this! 

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta Feb 1st 2021

Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2021

 

I woke up to another glorious day with perfect conditions for the dragon boats. It is my first season paddling with the busting with life team and so it was my first time taking part in the anniversary day regatta. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at the viaduct waterfront after the early start to the day.

 

When I arrived there was a mass of shade tents but busting with life was easy to spot in our bright pink shirts. There were teams from all over the North Island, including breast cancer survivor teams from Tauranga and Taranaki. The competition was going to be fierce, but friendly. We had entered teams in both the 20 and 10 person races. The races were short, 200 metre sprints, and I was told by the other ladies that we paddled up to the far end to start, then raced back towards the finish line.  We had to stop the boat when told – if we didn’t there was a large brick wall at the end! The boats had been fitted out with the dragon head and tail and a drum up front. I hadn’t seen them like that before and it added to the festival atmosphere.

 

The dragon boats were not the only boats in the harbour which made the day more interesting. Several times the races had to wait while another boat went in or out of the harbour. There were some huge boats moored, but unfortunately we were too busy focussed on paddling to get a close look.

 

The first races were the 20 person boats and the whole team took part. We came a respectable second in the heat against other mixed and mens teams.  We made the plate final but unfortunately did not fare as well in that. We all realised that we could do better and took valuable learnings away with us. The 10 person competition followed and the teams were changed around for that so that we all had a least one race. We made the breast cancer survivor final. As a newbie I was not in the final and instead cheered the team on from the side-lines. It was an exciting race and the team paddled well, but the other teams did better. Plenty for us to think about and we will be training hard for the Regionals in just over a months’ time. Well done to the ladies in the other teams though for paddling such a good race.

 

My experience of the anniversary day regatta was awesome and I really enjoyed the day. The ladies in the busting with life team are amazing and I still have so much to learn to improve my paddling. While we are a breast cancer survivor team and we have a lot in common because of that, the focus of the team is on the dragon boating, not on the past. It’s a really positive and supportive environment. Competitive too and now the focus will be on preparing for Regionals.

 

3-2-1 BUSTING

Auckland Regional Championship Regatta 14th March 2020

               

Auckland Regional Dragon Boat Championship Regatta

 Lake Pupuke 14th March 2020

We have been training very hard for this day, and all of a sudden, it's here. The forecast is good for the day, 16° getting to 22° - with a light SE breeze changing to an easterly for the 200m and then to a southerly for the 2km. This is good news, as we have seen some bad days on this lake. The first races are announced, and we are race 4, so we get ready to go, all warmed up. We have 2 heats of the 500m races, where we could be up against any of the teams, including the really fast ones - you know who I mean.

When we set up at the start, there are several ways of getting in a line, some more complex than others, but this time it is a standard - line up to the markers and go. This goes well for the first round, but our second heat was a false start, with technical issues.  One of the boats got to the finish line without realising that they were being chased by the safety boat, frantically waiving a red flag for them to stop. We went in and let a couple more races go through, and then out again for heat 2.

We had a good race in the 500m final, and came third, with Can Survive first, Booboops second and Pink Dragons in fourth place.  I think that the Pink Dragons have done so well to get a great team together, after not even competing last year when their numbers were so low. They have come back to challenge us another year! Well done ladies.

This was followed by the flower ceremony, always a moving and emotional time for everyone.  All the
spectators stop to face the water, where all the BC survivors are rafted together, holding roses aloft, humming or singing to the music, most with tears streaming down their faces, all hugging whoever is close. In this we are all united. No teams, no rivalry - just emotion - for those lost (our paddling angels) for anyone who is suffering, for ourselves, having suffered, and joy that we have survived, and are doing what we love, with our BC family. The men on the lakeside then start a haka in our honour -- as respect for our courage. It always gives me goose bumps - I feel so humble and proud, and not worthy, I'm just doing something I love.

We move on .. the 200m heats. It felt good to be sprinting, trying different combinations of fast / power /reach (I’m not going to give away our secrets!) in the final it was the same order as before, with another
third place for us. 

The 2km was the last event of the day, with three ‘flights’. We were in the first race, and were third off the mark - 15 seconds apart. This was a very eventful race, with us having to stop and being almost T boned, but
catching and overtaking the two boats in front of us. This is due to our very clever sweep, reaching every turn with the advantage - which means that no-one could overtake us. We seemed to fly down the last straight towards home, everyone joining in the screaming and yelling to get us to the finish line. We felt so good, just from the amazing effort we had put in. We had no idea of the results - even up to the time that it was announced at the prize giving that evening that we had won ...... GOLD!

Another fantastic day of fun, laughter and some incredible racing in there too.

Medal tally was: - BC division

  2km Gold

  500m Bronze

  200m Bronze

Well done Busting with Life - All of us!

Sadly, this year, the Nationals which were to be held two weeks later, were cancelled due to the virus - COVID-19 so we didn't get a chance to try for more 'Bling'.

Next year we will have twice as much energy!!

Mac

                               

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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta 2020

 

2020 Auckland Anniversary Day Dragon Boat Regatta 27th
January 2020

What a beautiful and unforgettable day to celebrate the 180th
anniversary of Auckland by joining an amazing team of incredible, courageous and determined ladies of Busting with Life in the Dragon Boat racing regatta at the Viaduct. This is the very first team sports competition in my life!

Woke up early in the morning, excited as well as a bit nervous , geared up with new hot pink racing shirt and paddles, off we go to the viaduct crowded with hundreds of paddlers ready to have fun and a competitive racing day.

We have two teams, Busting with Life and Busting with Life
blue, both a mix of experienced paddlers and newbies like me, set to make the most of the opportunity to blend in, to test our determination, techniques and team work. Most importantly to have fun enjoy the sun, great laughter, support and friendship alongside the hustle and bustle of the Viaduct lined with bars, restaurants and super yachts.

Life is beautiful with some cold beers and drinks with team mates at the end of a hard working day!

What a privilege to join such a great team, to meet up with
those amazing ladies, I will cherish the friendship and those memorable moments for life. So looking forward to the regional and national competitions.  3.2.1 Busting!

Maria







auckland anniversary day regatta 2020

Beach Races 30th November 2019

Christmas Super 10 Beach FUN Races 30th NOV 2019

 

One of the BEST and most unforgettable days of my Life!

 

On the 25th of November my life changed completely for good, real good. Busting With Life gave me the opportunity to try the most enjoyable and invigorating sport ever. I was over the moon after the end of the Give it Go session and just couldn’t wait for the 1st training session the day after with my amazing team of courageous and incredible ladies. 

Celebrating the beginning of the Golden era! 

After only 2 training sessions, the first big adventure took place!. Super mega FUN Xmas races at Milford Beach. Yes, it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Competing just after 1 week training? Are you sure? Yes, I was 100% no, 200% sure! I’m pretty crazy and crazy people do crazy things, so this was totally suitable for me :-D 

Mr Sun gave us such a lovely day :-). When I got there around 9am some of my lovely team mates had set everything up. They welcome me, as usual, with a huge smile :-) What a good start to the day! 

When the best coach ever arrived, this is our coach Leslie, we went through all the safety stuff as paddling on the beach is pretty different than paddling in Westhaven. Waves can be pretty tricky and they were! That was the fun! 

We raced 5 times, we got hit by other teams but we managed to survive and we did not capsize, unlike some other teams! It was so exciting, vitalizing and energizing! I just wanted to do it again and again! 

Although we didn’t win this time, we did a really good job and it was a great learning experience for all of us. 

After the final, we had a celebration time, full of sweets and other delicious treats. Thanks to all of you who came to support, cheer on and spend a great time with us. 

The last and most important, a big THANK YOU to all the amazing ladies who are part of Busting With LIfe. You rock! It’s a pleasure to spend time with you all. You are full of life and energy! You might be tired, but you always smile, you are AWESOME! Thank you a million! You changed my life for good, for really good. This is, if not the best, one of the best things that has happened to me in my entire life and I’m so grateful for having each of you in my life, :-D

 

We are gonna win the GOLD medal! We can do this TOGETHER!

 

3,2,1 BUSTING!!

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Hamilton Regatta Nov 2019

Newbie News

It has fallen to me, the newbie for Busting With Life, to share our latest adventure on the water - the Hamilton regatta on Saturday 16th November. The day started with dawn-cracking convoy coffee en route and progressed to lakeside team tent set-up amidst some showers, some cloud and the odd splash of sunshine, interspersed with the occasional gust of wind. So, pretty much your usual spring weather, but nothing that caused so much as a ripple in the focus and determination of the pink paddlers once we were “on the high”.

We started smoothly in race one and built our speed, strength and timing as each race progressed, led by the inspirational coaching of Leslie, but also by the spirit engendered from being together for a whole day, sharing food, laughter, advice and encouragement.

Spurred on by the amazing support from Deb, Di, Michael, Pete, Paul, (Cath’s cousin) and Robyn’s sister Jan. We “breasted the tape” in first place in the BC final in a time of 1:16:54, a hair’s breadth ahead of Boobops who surged to close on us at the line in 1:16:58.

This is my second month on board as a dragon boater, and I am constantly challenged by the knowledge of what I have still to learn, but also loving the growing sense of what I have to gain from and share with an incredible group of fellow paddlers who are fast becoming friends. I have the feeling that we are only going to get stronger, faster and bolder - so bring on the 2020 finals - we can bust this!!

Lovin’ y’all - Donz. xx