Team Guam proved itself in the international Dragon Boat racing scene, returning recently from competing and winning in the 2nd Korea Open Busan International Dragon Boat Regatta.
The team won two Gold’s and one Silver medal, according to Team Captain, Raymond Barnes, who is also a Specialist in the Guam Army National Guard. Eighteen members of the Guam National Guard were part of the 22-man team of paddlers.
"The team's win was significant because this was their first exposure to competing in an international paddling competition, and against 14 experienced paddling teams," said Senator Tom Ada, who accompanied the team and paddled in a couple of the race events as a relief paddler.
"In addition to the Gold and Silver medals, the team's strong finish captured the attention and respect of their competitors," Ada said.
"The Team proudly represented Guam and earned the respect of competing teams from Korea, Macao China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, and Germany," according to Michael Wu, the Team's coach. In these countries, Dragon Boat paddling is a well established sport.
"Although the entire team from the Guam National Guard was not always able to consistently train together as a team due to individual requirements to go off-island for temporary military assignments, the team quickly came together as a cohesive unit as evidenced by their outstanding performance," said CPT David Santos, who occupies the Stroking position in the boat.
"And the normal requirement for every member of the Guard to maintain a high level of physical fitness was also an important contributing factor," he added.
The team's travel to Korea was funded in part by the Guam Dragon Boat Federation, and by fundraisers held by the Team. The Federation also provided five of its regular members to fill vacant seats due to unexpected cancellations. The races were held on Sept. 1-5 in the city of Busan.
The sport of Dragon Boat paddling is well established in many countries around the world, especially in Asia. Races are conducted in 22-person and 12-person boats. Dragon Boat paddling is a growing sport on Guam and adds an additional dimension to Guam's numerous water sports.
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(For more information, you can contact SPC Ray Barnes at 671-685-2293 or raymond.c.barnes@us.army.mil)
Photo Captions:
003: Guam Dragon Boat Team members take a break for a group photo during the 2nd Korea Open Busan Dragon Boat Regatta. Team Guam won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal. (Photo by Jesse Toves)
002: Team Guam warms up before the start of a race at the 2nd Korea Open Busan Dragon Boat Regatta. (Photo by Jesse Toves)
Last Modified on 20/09/2011 05:20
