The drum is beating, the scream is deafening, and the crowd is overly hyped-­‐up! That’s just the highlight of the 2014 Chinese New Year Dragon Boat Race at Darling Harbour on Sunday, 9 February 2014.

After a long absence, Australian Chinese Community Association is proudly participating in the race under the banner of ACCA YOUTH DRAGON BOAT.

Though our preparation and training are limited, the team finished in respectable 3rd position against more experienced, well-­‐resourced competitors.

The team went through 3 heats before the 4th Final race. In the first heat, the team was a little bit overwhelmed and was not entirely in-­‐sync. But luckily they finished in 3rd position. Second heat was much better as the paddlers gained more confidence.

But the third heat was the most exciting one. An excellent Sweep and Drummer were assigned to the team. This tremendously boosts the team’s morale. As soon as the starting bell went off, they jumped out of the starting line, and kept on putting the pressure on the stronger rivals. At the finish line the team came 2nd position in 1 minute 13.92 seconds – almost a full 4-­‐second faster than the previous heat!

No time to celebrate. After a short break and a pep talk by the team manager, Rudy Limantono, and the team captain, Wiley To, time of reckoning – the Final – is about to commence. After finishing 2nd in the previous heat, the team is in with a chance to wrestle the top position! Not surprisingly, other teams were also eyeing the top spot.

The starting bell went off, and off went the three finalists. ACCA YOUTH DRAGON BOAT paddled frantically imagining a giant fire-­‐breathing dragon chasing behind them. They managed to keep pace for 100 metres, but unfortunately cracks starting to appear. In the end, the team finished in 3rd position in 1 minute 13.03 seconds.

Our generous sponsor, KVB KUNLUN, congratulated the team for their tremendous effort and achievement.