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Monday, 20 May 2013 |
Greetings paddlers from the 4th Walgreens New Orleans International Dragon Boat Festival held in Madisonville, Louisiana on Tchefuncte River this past weekend May 11. This is another event making up the Gulf Coast Competitive Dragon Boat Alliance (GCCDBA). Things did not start out very well with team Houston Heat heading out Friday as a very wet front was coming through and followed us all the way to NOLA. Traffic was backing up in Baton Rouge and this made the trip even longer. HH congregated at Chef Ron’s Fri night for a short pre-race meeting. The food was muy excellente and worry beads were passed out as Coach Jeff and coordinator Ann briefed us on what to expect in the morning. Rise and well, there was no shine Sat morning as a torrential rain kept falling as we made our way across Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the race site. All of a sudden the DB Gods intervened and the rain actually stopped when all teams arrived and were ready to go. The venue, although a little muddy was perfect as waters were calm and lanes well defined. Kudos to Great White North and local volunteers for putting together a well organized event.
HH raced four times Saturday. Ist qualifying heat was against Chinese Fire Drill 1:48.93 and Cajun Invasion 1:48.78, with HH winning at 1:36:98. Although promoted as a 500 meter course, it was actually closer to 380 meters which called for long power strokes almost the entire race. 2nd heat was a 200 meter medal race labeled as the Travelers Cup, featuring Toronto Firefighters 0.55:99, HH 0.58.17, and Cajun Invasion 1:04:20. It was a sprint from start to finish but the Firefighters took home a well deserved Gold. 3rd heat featured Follow The Leader 1:51.88, Cajun Invasion 1:51.76 and HH crossing the finish line with 1:41.55. HH knew it was going into the finals against 2 teams that were almost 6-7 secs faster in their semifinal heats. The last race of the day was the Premier Mixed A Division Championship Final featuring Toronto Firefighters 1:36.63, Lions venture Scout Dragons 1:38.63 and HH at 1:40.60. Kudos to the Firefighters and Scout Dragons for their 1st and 2nd place finishes. HH was last out of the starting gates and could not move up on the leaders but nonetheless, left it all on the water and that’s really what it’s all about.
Kudos to all of you that attended and competed in NOLA. Several made the long drive just to support us and as always, we are most appreciative. Kudos to Lead Event Coach Jeff, Ann and Coach Albert for putting in long hours to get us battle ready. Kudos to the Austin Coolers who joined us this weekend on the water and later on Bourbon Street as well as Cajun Invasion for picking up a couple of HH paddlers. Kudos to Jackie who came along for the ride, took a nap and ended up with 2 golds, courtesy of drumming for Toronto Firefighters.
This was a very good test to see how far HH has come and how much more work needs to be done. Coaches can only do so much; it is up to us to decide how good we really want to be. We have the best coaches who make sure the boats are always available, so failure to attend practice is not an option and is not fair to your teammates who take this sport seriously and put in hours on the water and land to be competitive. So how bad do YOU really want it?
Next up: DFW Dragon Boat Festival - May 26 on Lake Carolyn, Irving, Texas
BE HUMBLE … GET HUNGRY AGAIN
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Wednesday, 08 May 2013 |
Last Saturday the Houston Heat colored the 13th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival in Downtown’s Allen’s Landing orange once again. Under the esteemed supervision of Coach David and assistance from Coach Lex, the Orange Machine sped to victory once more. The morning was cold and damp with record lows, but a little warm-up spiced everyone up. The Buffalo Bayou had almost white-water conditions, so very tricky to steer and maneuver. The city of Houston had decided a couple of days earlier to open the flood gates so the current made for a great rafting course..... Coach David’s first reaction after seeing the current: “WHAT IS THAT?!?!”. The weather cleared up nicely later in the day, and everyone enjoyed the performances and the food trucks in between the races.
This was also the first time our rivals from Austin had made the trip. After last weekend’s loss, they came out with revenge written all over their faces. Their paddles were blazing in the Final, but we held them off and were able to speed up towards the finish line. Everybody did their part. For the coaches, the most difficult thing was to make a line-up with such dedicated people like this. Coaches try to look at all factors and sometimes have to make adjustments accordingly, so thanks for all ya’lls understanding in this.
A big thanks to Graham and his team for coordinating this event. Thanks to Ann & Coach Albert and everyone who helped out with supporting the Blind Fury. Thanks to the Austin Coolers in giving us a run for our money. Thanks to the coaching staff in helping out with steering other teams as TDBA had a steersmen problem later in the day. Also, thank you Thomas and Ace for giving the coaches that cold shower that they apparently so desperately needed. But most of all, thank you Houston Heaters in giving it your all, whenever the coaches asked it from you.
Still……. STAY HUMBLE and on to NOLA
(thnx Houston Press for the Great pictures)
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Tuesday, 30 April 2013 |
Greetings paddlers… a big thanks to all of you who were fortunate enough to compete in Austin last Saturday and to all who were unable to attend but supported us unconditionally. The day began in eerie darkness in enemy territory as Houston Heat was prepared to wage battle with some old adversaries. There were going to be 3 heats this day – 2 prelims and the final so we knew there was no holding back, every race demanded our full attention. First heat time = 2:13.70 … better than any practice times we put up since the kickoff. Second heat time = 2:14.70 … neither race was against the top teams so we were not pushed and did not know how things would stack up for the competitive championship final. Other teams were starting to lose their jitters by the 2nd heat and their times were close, if not better than HH. Going into the championship round it was anybody’s race. HH had not won this event since year 2011 when our teammate, Honorable Judge Herbert Gee, passed away and we paddled with a lot of emotion that day. This year had a 5 team final with Houston Heat lane 2, Samsung Fire lane 3, Austin Coolers lane 4, DUC Delite lane 5, and Team TORA in lane 6. The HH start seemed a little better than the first 2 starts since we were all juiced up and ready to leave it all on the water. There was instant separation from the field and, halfway through, it was OUR race, with everyone syncing up to glide us to the finish. Final results, HH 2:09.40, TORA 2:14.78, DUC Delite 2:15.75, Austin Coolers 2:17.25, Samsung 2:21.78. Congrats to HH for putting it all together and bringing home the gold once again! We salute the other teams for their competitive spirit and pushing us to reach our maximum performance. We will see some of these teams throughout the year and look forward to close finishes, but we know there is no substitute for hard work and it will be tougher as the season progresses.
Special kudos, to Coach Albert and Coach Jeff. They recognized our shortcomings last year and came up with different training regimens to prepare us for the new season. Coach Albert keeps us on course and makes sure everyone paddles at least twice during any competition. Coach Jeff brainstormed the Gulf Coast Competitive Dragon Boat Alliance (GCCDBA) for teams Houston Heat, DUC Delite, Austin Coolers, Cajun Invasion, Pink Phuree, and Exmar. If you haven’t already committed to any of our events this year, you do not know what you are missing. Kudos to all those who worked behind the scenes, not including coordinating, and making sure we had ample provisions to stay hydrated and nourished. They all put in extra time not only for practices but for every festival, so everyone should always acknowledge their contributions to make HH a better team from top to bottom. Special thanks to the significant others (Cynthia, Gigi, Joanne, Alicia, Kathryne, Clair) who also helped with some of the logistics in the tent, for spending the whole day/weekend cheering the team on, and for supporting their partner or family in this crazy, time consuming sport.
Next Up May 4, 2013 – 13th Annual Houston Dragon Boat Festival - Allen’s Landing in Downtown Houston.
BE HUMBLE … STAY HUNGRY
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Monday, 05 November 2012 |
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Over the weekend Houston Heat set the next step in our progression as a Dragon Boat Club. On Saturday afternoon (November 3, 2012), a few Houston Heaters and coaches have successfully launched the new boat in Sugar/Oyster Creek in Sugar Land, TX and did a trial practice run. As you can see on the photo, it was a combined land and water practice at some spots because of the amount of weed/water plants, but overall, a successful test run.
We got refreshed by a gush of rain when crossing Highway 59 and later paddled between Mallards, Geese, Cranes, and even Turtles in this beautiful part of Texas. We plan on alternating water practices between Sugar Land and Clear Lake for the 2013 year. Please continue to check back at the website later for more on this.
Heat It Up Houston Heat!
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Monday, 13 June 2011 |
Honorable Judge Herbert W. Gee epitomized all the good things that team Houston Heat stood for. Herbert was our beloved teammate who passed away after a long illness in March 2011. For our newer teammates that did not get the opportunity to compete with Herbert, many have had the opportunity to hear the stories and proudly wear the HG patch specially designed by our fellow paddler, Si Tran.
Herbert inspired us in many ways and always put the team first. He worked very hard to improve each year and usually was the first at every practice, Houston Heat Dragon Boat Club has dedicated the 2011 dragon boat season to Herbert, and our Houston and Austin races featured an empty seat in his memory. Not coincidentally, Houston Heat has performed at optimum levels by winning Austin and Houston Festivals ... we remember.
Herbert never quit and left it all on the water in each race; he would encourage and congratulate his teammates at every opportunity. THE consummate team player, who stood so proudly with wife Cynthia, and son Jeff, joined his teammates for the last time as he dotted the eyes in blessing our new dragon boats. This season is far from over and there are many more races where we will remain focused, determined, and willing to give it all up ... we remember.
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2013 Race Calendar
New Iberia, LA
March 23
CANCELED
Austin, TX
April 27
First Place
Competitive Championship
Houston, TX
May 4
First Place
Competitive Championship
New Orleans, LA
May 11
Third Place
Premier Mix Division A
Championship
Dallas, TX
May 26 (Sun)
Toronto Canada
June 22, 23
Shreveport, LA
September 14
Woodlands, TX
Tentative
Sugar Land, TX
October 19, 20
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