NZ Corporate Champions

By Mrs Liz Portas

Dragon Boating. (AK-08-0127-58-tn).

Having recently competed and won the Auckland Regional regatta, Saturday 29th March 2008 at Lake Pupuke saw the Air Force Dragon Boat team compete in the National Dragon Boat Champs.

Pressure was already on the Air Force team to perform and prove that our smoking times from the Auckland Regionals were not typing errors. Top teams from the Wellington and Christchurch regions were there, like us to take the NZ national title.

Competition was fierce and we had to fight hard in every heat we raced throughout the day to secure a spot in the grand final. The coach fielded 4 different crews until the final where he had the hard task of deciding who was to race in that final. Normally a win is the ultimate goal to achieve, but our coach decided to add just a couple more goals for us to achieve.

1. Win the National Title.
2. Get a time under 2.30 mins.
3. Prove that we can field it with the best in the Open Division.

The Corporate Championship Final

We were the first team out of the blocks and hitting the 250M we were in the lead. At the 400M mark crews on either side of us were gaining very fast. The 450M it was neck and neck. It’s over and the only way to describe the finish was blood, sweat and tears. Add a bit of pain a little bit of determination, mix it all together and you get winners. We’d like to thank our supporters, team mates and the Army Dragon Boat team for cheering us on in the final, just knowing that your comrades were there at the end to support and encourage you adds to the mixture, and the best thing of all was that we achieved all three goals.

2008 NZ National Corporate Champs Air Force. (AK-08-0127-74-tn).

We were fortunate to race all our races in the new DPRU sponsored boat with the new “Piki Ake” Step Up Air Force Logo plastered on it. A huge thank you to DPRU for the new racing tops with the new logo’s, they were like gold after our win with other teams asking if we’d like to swap. Sadly we had to decline as we need them for Hong Kong and next year’s nationals.

With the 2008 regional title and now a national title added to an impressive season we now have the daunting task of competing against the best from other countries at the 2008 Hong Kong International Dragon Boat festival in June. We go to Hong Kong not only representing the Air Force, but as a New Zealand representative team.

No rest for the wicked, after the nationals we got a week off training and then it’s back on the water for us. With daylight saving over we now train in the Base swimming pool. And yes for those people who inadvertently wander into the pool area on Mon and Wed nights, it is a real dragon boat tied up with 20 paddlers sweating away profusely and doing resistance training.

Our coach Ben Finau has set realistic goals for us and through his expert coaching and motivation we will achieve those goals. A big bonus for us is that he will be coming to Hong Kong with us to keep us on our toes, or in this case keep us in the boat. We are very fortunate to have Ben because not only is he coaching our Dragon Boat team but he is also the NZ Assistant coach for the Junior and Senior women’s teams in wakaama (Outrigger Canoeing). Those teams will be competing in the World Wakaama Sprints in Sacramento in early July this year therefore Ben is back in NZ for one week before he heads off again to another world event.

A report and update on Hong Kong will be featured in the June/July issue.

Once again we would like to thank the following for their support:

Family and Friends; Base Auckland MT Section; Base Auckland Education Squadron; Base Auckland Camp Pack-up; NZ Army Dragon Boat Team; Navy Team; DPRU; Ben, Sugar and Maki Mauri Ora.

Results: Open Championship Final

Race 33 / 4.30pm

Coach talking to the drummer via radio. (AK-08-0127-37-tn).

Results: Corporate Championship Final

Race 34 / 4.45pm

Image Gallery - Issue 92