I have been paddling since August 2007 and have only competed in this past October regatta here in Houston. I have a background in rowing in college and have loved being out on the water in kayaks and canoes all of my life. I was first was aware of dragon boat racing several years ago and knew it was a rapidly growing sport. As a newbie coach, I am still learning a lot and am excited to share what limited knowledge I have. Dragon boating is indeed an total team sport and performing in synch is so much more important than paddling harder/faster than one's competition. Dragon boating is growing so much that we have the amazing opportunity to visit great cities in both the US and Canada to compete and meet other teams. The sport is really about learning, sharing and improving oneself while getting a fantastic workout. My other interests are eating, sleeping, movies, volleyball, basketball, racquetball, beach combing, travel, and oh yeah, did I mention eating?

Having raced in dragon boat events with multiple teams over the last 6 years, I’ve finally become involved with a group of hard core paddlers, the Houston Heat coaches, who are every bit as passionate about the sport as I am. A great deal of attention to detail is constantly reviewed and discussed as we choreograph all the workouts and coordinate with one another to ensure that the practices, on land and water, are beneficial and safe for all members and guests. Boats and equipment availability, the practice venue, safety conditions, the coaching rotation and level of intensity and material are all determined by the lead coaches for each group and boat, prior to the all the workouts. 

The practices on the boats are “full body” workouts, using all the major muscle groups (back, shoulders, arms hips and legs) to lock into the seat of the boat and generate as much power, as possible, into each paddle stroke. Working together in perfect unison is the desired net result of all the hard work and effort that goes into these practices as each team member prepares for the next racing event ahead.  

I’ve been involved in many team and individual sports (tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, skiing, you name it…) but this is the one sport that has provided me the greatest enjoyment to date. I’ve always been very competitive by nature and, with this water sport, I’m not any different in wanting to compete with the best nationally and to perform at peak efficiency and effort at all times. There‘s a constant drive for improvement and all the other Houston Heat coaches seem to share in this desire, also. 

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