Sudbury Living - Winter 2008 - (Page 52)

p a s s io n s Best in the world TEAm ChiRO BROughT hOmE mEdAls fROm wORld ChAmPiOnshiP dRAgOn BOAT RACEs. BY hEAThER CAmPBEll PhOTOgRAPhY BY JORgE CuETO eam Chiro, sudbury’s internationally competitive premier dragon boat club crew, came home with a handful of medals from the Club Crew World Championships in pengan, Malaysia. they travelled with hope and came back with silver in the 2,000-metre race, bronze in the 500-metre race and silver in the 200-metre race. the fish from eating his body. this rescue has been re-enacted for more than 2,000 years on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese calendar. today it’s all about racing, although many festivals are raising large sums of money for charities especially cancer research. team Chiro was doing so well at Ontario festivals that they When i see them getting out of the boat exhausted and hear them ask,‘why did i do this?’ then i know i’ve done my job right. “the sights, sounds, smells are all very different and it was 35 C in the middle of the summer,” says coach Jeff Walker about competing in Malaysia earlier this year. it was a whole new setting but it didn’t hamper the team, nor any other Canadian team since the top four teams on the podium were Canadian. the world championships hosted boats from 21 countries and more than 2,000 paddlers. Dragon boating is one of the fastest growing team sports worldwide. sudbury is no exception. in 2000, sudbury held its first Dragon Boat Festival with 62 teams participating, and spawned competitive teams including team Chiro. Dragon boating began more than two centuries ago as a way for the Chinese to honour the death of poet and philosopher Qu Yuan. Disillusioned by the political regime, he attempted to drown himself in the Mei Lo River. however, villagers wanted to save him, so they jumped into boats and paddled vigorously while throwing rice into the water to scare away decided to move to the next level and compete internationally. Canada is a powerhouse at international dragon boat competitions making Canadian competitions an excellent training ground. For team Chiro, they have risen to the top, a goal they set for themselves over six years ago. “Why did i do this?” those words are like gold nuggets to Walker. he wants to see his paddlers exhausted when they climb out of their dragon boat after a gruelling race. “When i see them getting out of the boat exhausted and hear them ask,‘why did i do this?’ then i know i’ve done my job right.” the sudbury crew is comprised of 26 members including a steersman and drummer. Walker likes to describe them as “alpha types.” it’s that competitive drive that took this team from sudbury to the Canadian National Dragon Boat Championships in Calgary and the World Championships in Malaysia. 52 Sudbury Living Winter 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sudbury Living - Winter 2008

Sudbury Living - Winter 2008
Contents
Cover Story
Decor
Food
Drink
Treasures
Fashion
Health and Fitness
People are No Longer Shy about Getting a Little Work Done
Passions
Pets
Travel
On the Town
Arts
Wonderful Winter
Calendar
City Stories

Sudbury Living - Winter 2008

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