By Jenny Huang, Technician, Conway Lab, CBR
On July 21, 2017, the CBR Health and Wellness (H&W) Committee led a group of eager and excited CBR members to the False Creek Racing Canoe Club, located in Granville Island, to experience firsthand the thrill of Dragon Boat racing! The CBR Health and Wellness Committee’s goal was to encourage members of the department to participate in new sports and to learn new skills. In addition, what better way to relieve stress than to have a friendly competition!!
While it had been sunny for most of the month, it was just our luck that we had an opportunity for the authentic Vancouver experience by Dragon Boating in the rain! Fortunately, everyone was warned of the chance of getting wet from a water sport, so no one seemed to mind the light drizzle.
The two labs with the highest turnout, the Conway lab and the Hancock lab, were quick to form teams, each heading one Dragon Boat, with the Devine, Brooks, Jefferies, and Kizhakkedathu lab members choosing sides with their collaborators. As the Dragon Boat instructors trained the groups, loud (but friendly) banter could be heard across False Creek.
With high spirits, both boats paddled along the river, perfecting their rowing techniques. At one point, there was a small group of cheerleaders composed of enthusiastic husbands of CBR members traveling along the riverside taking pictures. After getting a taste of what it takes to be a Dragon Boater, the races were finally on! Victor Lei, lab manager of the Conway Lab, and Quinn Matthews, summer student in the Devine Lab, led the Conway Dragon Boat team, while Arjun Baghela, graduate student in the Hancock Lab, and Heidi Wolfmeier, postdoctoral fellow in the Hancock Lab, headed the Hancock Dragon Boat team. It is still up for heavy debate which team won the races (rumor has it the score was 3:1 for Conway vs. Hancock), but one thing is for certain: everyone had a fabulous time out on the water!
We would like to extend a big thank you to the False Creek Racing Canoe Club for being patient, awesome teachers, as well as the members of the Health and Wellness Committee for organizing this outing. We hope to see everyone at the next CBR Health and Wellness event!