18 May 2010

By Staff Sergeant Taff Tawhara

As Martin Luther King once said “I have a dream….”

I have one too, and that is to see the NZ Army Dragon Boat Team win the NZDBA Dragon Boat National Championships. This wouldn’t happen over night, and definitely not in one, two or even three seasons. It would be a work in progress and will take all the team’s Courage, Commitment, Comradeship and Integrity to achieve.

When I joined the team in 2007 as a rookie, I quickly realised that the team had the potential to do very well. We had strength, stamina and fitness along with training in teamwork; all of which had taken us far. The NZ Army had attended two Festivals that year and made the National Championships Corporate Division Grand Final, coming third in each event. The seed was set back then but when I was asked to take over as manager on my return from Timor-Leste in 2008, I wasn’t keen to take the position initially. All I wanted to do was just enjoy the sport as a paddler. However, as no one else was available for the job, I took over and began planning for the 2009 season. It was definitely a steep learning curve for both me and the team, but we achieved much that season with very little support. By then the rules of the National Championship had changed. The NZDBA started to move towards International Compliance in race rules and regulations. All teams compete for a single National title now, which meant competing against Open Grade Teams.

At the end of the 2009 season, after winning the Wellington Championships and coming middle of the field in the National Championship, I began thinking about the upcoming 2010 season. I knew that we would have to make significant changes to the way the team operated, both in terms of organisation and training, if we were to improve our overall performance and standing within the New Zealand Dragon Boat League table. Pre-season training started in September 2009. Warrant Officer Class Two John Irving, a team member and Physical Training Instructor designed an excellent programme to build muscle strength and stamina specific to the Dragon Boat paddling action. This involved upper body, core and overall cardio using Circuit Training and rowing machines. It was hard work, especially having done physical training earlier in the day, but it was very effective. By the time the team got on the boat in December for the start of water training, we all felt the benefits of pre-season training. Under the guidance of the Army Sweep/Coach Calum Bennachie, and new Technical Coach Kath Masoe, we worked hard on improving our technique and timing.

Wellington Events

Our season started in January 2010 with the icebreaker event, winning all races in Wellington Harbour despite atrocious conditions. Unfortunately, the 2.5km event was cancelled but had the added bonus of remaining undefeated in this event for another year.

The Wellington Dragon Boat Festival was an awesome event. Thousands gathered on a hot sunny Saturday to watch the racing. The Army team was undefeated throughout the heats, quarter and semi-finals and set the two fastest times of the day better than the Open Division teams by two seconds. We qualified for the Grand Final as the favourites and in pole position. We were challenged hard at the start by the other finalists, but urged on by the cheers of the crowd and Army supporters screaming “Go Army!!” we powered up in the middle of the course to win convincingly. Army had won Gold and the Wellington Corporate Championship for a second year running.

NZDBA Dragon Boat National Championships 2010

The build up for Nationals took a step up in the month following the Wellington Festival. The National Championships were being held in Ashburton at Lake Hood. We needed to simulate the heavier density of fresh water, so during water training we towed a car tyre behind the Dragon Boat and worked for longer periods to build endurance and strength. The weather during this period was terrible and at times the team was battling at least 1.5 metre swells and 25 – 30 knot winds. It seemed to push the team harder though and there were a few enjoyable moments where we had the boat jumping or riding on the crests of waves. It certainly made you concentrate!

NZ Army were fired up and exploded from the start line to an early lead. We kept a good pace and following a power call at 200M, tried to maintain our lead. At this stage the experience and extra training of the Open and Auckland Corporate crews came into play, slowly grabbing the lead from Army and expanding their lead. The field came up to the last 100M in line and no-one knew where it would go. The end result:

• 1st Place – Hamilton City Water Sports
• 2nd Place – Tumeke Dragonz
• 3rd Place – White Tigers
• 4th Place – Nga Waka Hoe Airforce
• 5th Place – Ridge Riders U23 development
• 6th Place – NZ Army Te Waka O Tumatauenga

Only three seconds separated first and last place, with second to fifth place all finishing within one second.

This season’s accomplishments were only achievable due to the whole teams’ efforts over six long months of fundraising, training and competing. We achieved all of our objectives and goals for this season. Their dedication to the sport and to each other truly showed me that with Courage, Commitment, Comradeship and Integrity, anything is possible. I am very proud to be a part of the NZ Army Team both as the Manager and Captain. I look forward to the 2011 season where the NZADBT will continue to grow and improve during its journey to National honours

The team would like to thank the following supporters and sponsors.

• Trentham UPF
• Defence Communications Centre (Army)
• Qantas
• Inter-Islander
• Ordnance Developments Limited
• The Thistle Inn
• Export Warehouse
• Flaunt

The team would also like to thank the Commanding Officer Trentham Regional Support Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Piercy for his continuing support, and everyone in the Wellington Defence area who supported the team’s fundraising efforts over the last six months.

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