July 10, 2011 - Quarry Lake, Fremont, California

CDBA Sprints Results:

BAD Masters – Masters’ Cup: 4^th Place 01:02:91
BAD Women – Womens’ Final: 2^nd Place 01:08:44
BAD Bromance – Mens’ Final: 2^nd Place 00:59:49
BAD 3 – Rec B Final: 2^nd Place 01:10:84
BAD 2 – Comp D Final: 5^th Place 01:05:67
BADonkadonk – Comp A Final: 1^st Place 00:57:60

Download the complete race results here: http://www.cdba.org/documents/race_results/2011/2011_sprint_race_results.pdf

Sunday mornings are supposed to be for sleeping in, a day for relaxation to get ready for the upcoming week, not so for this past Sunday. The sun was tucked behind a soft, fluffy marine layer as if telling the drone of paddlers gathered below that it was still too early in the morning to rise out of bed. The mumble and murmur of people can be heard throughout Quarry Lake in Fremont as paddlers from all over the Bay Area gathered for the annual 250m sprint races.

As customary, the older and wiser paddlers lead the first race of the day with the likes of LW & Dragon Warriors Masters, ADF Rusty Dragons, BAD Masters, DragonMax, KP Dragons and Renegades. As usual, the masters final race certainly set the tempo for the rest of the day as well as setting the time to beat; 1:01:68 set by LW & Dragon Warriors Masters. (this was untouched until 11 heats later) First place eluded our BAD Masters grasp, but this was a spectacular race for the battle of second place! 3 boats in particular danced head to head on the water jostling for 2^nd place, each barely out beating another by a scant of the dragon’s whiskers. In less than a blink of an eye, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place crossed the finish line with BAD Masters finishing 4^th, with 6^th/100^th of a second behind 3^rd place.

Our diamond in the rough, BAD 3 crew, which comprised of BAD alums and new/novice paddlers definitely showed the rest of us what team work can accomplish. BAD 3 battled against a bunch of high energized high school kids and more experienced teams in their very first race of the day, they paddled valiantly with a finish time of 01:14:77. The team bounced off the dock after their first race determined to do better in their semi final heat, which they did by clinching a spot in the Rec B final. In the final race, BAD 3 raced neck and neck the whole way next to the kids from Galileo Academy, while leaving behind Dragon Max2, KP Dragons 2, Renegades 2 and Live Love Survive to battle for 3^rd. With one second difference between 1^st and 2^nd place, our BAD 3 crew walked away in 2^nd place, which was amazing despised having never practiced together at all. All of you deserve a huge pat on your backs.

BAD 2’s day did not start off on the right foot. With its first race they tried gallantly to hang onto 3^rd place with barely 31/100^th of a second separating between 3^rd and 4^th place. Undeterred, BAD 2 rallied together and headed into the semi-final. Like a dragon that just awoke from its long slumber, BAD 2 flexed its power across the water combating SF Blazing Dragons all the way to the finish line, once again, victory slightly slipped away from BAD 2’s grasp, finishing 2^nd. With improved time and placement, BAD 2 headed into Comp D final. With renewed hopes going into the final, BAD 2 gave all they had into their very last race of the day. Competition was fierce with everyone closely nipping on each other’s heels out on the water, BAD 2 plowed through the field but was not able to chase down the leader, finishing 5^th place in Comp D final. BAD 2 had worked and trained diligently leading up to this race, I for one believe they are the “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” waiting to unleash its full fury come September at the race in Treasure Island. Keep your eyes on the horizon for this amazing team and the potential of what they can accomplish!

With their game faces on, BAD Women headed into the womens semi final and opened water on the rest of the field. The team even had time after crossing the finish line to see the battle for 2^nd place. With the spectacular semi final win, BAD Women slated for the womens final with confidence and strong focus. The race was a rousing sight to witness with 6 boats trying to out race each other. It all came down to the middle of the race between Dragon Warriors, BAD, SFL/CAL and DRD jockeying for lead position. One boat would surge forward; the others would give chase not letting the other boat advance. Spectators held their breaths on shore as they witnessed at what seemed like all the boats had crossed the finish line all at the same time. 23/100^th of a second was the difference that separated BAD Women from 1^st place finish behind Dragon Warriors. It was a tight race and the BAD Women did an awesome-tastic job.

The men of BAD donned on their “guns” and headed out to conquer their first battle. BAD Bromance easily outstripped the rest of the field in their semi-final by finishing under one minute. Testosterone level was at an all time high at the mens final. With the afternoon wind started to kick up, all boats lined up quickly. The blast of air horn sounded off, all boats clamored one another trying to be the first one off the starting block. BAD Bromance loaded up their “guns” leaving SFL/CAL, DragonMax, DRD and RFX behind. The real showdown on the water was between BAD Bromance and Dragon Warriors, both teams determined to cross the finish line first. Much like a western movie with 2 opponents standing in opposite ends facing each other, both itching to be the first one to draw and fire his weapon. Dragon Warriors Men drew their weapon just a hair faster than our BAD Bromance. Luckily, BAD Bromance walked away unharmed and with the knowledge that with each race they were able to improve their race time, but most of all the bromance on the team is still strong as ever.

BADonkadonk has worked hard all season and with the last win from Lake Merced, the team was determined to do well at the Fremont Sprint races. With the slight cool early morning weather, BADonkadonk geared up and marshaled off to their first race of the day. With the familiar “Paddlers are you ready?” followed by the blast of an air horn, 6 boats were off. BADonkadonk took a commanding lead from beginning to end finishing 1^st in their first heat of the day. This was repeated again at the semi final.

The amazing feeling of coming in 1^st in the qualifying round and in the semi final had BADonkadonk on a slight cautious high. Not willing to let their guards down, BADonkadonk mentally prepared for the final race of the day. The final call for the last race was echoed throughout the racers village; BADonkadonk suited up and headed out to engage in one last bout. The strong afternoon wind was relentless as nerves were strung tight after several attempts trying to align all of the boats. Expert steers person, Sid, slowly and carefully aligned the boat at what seemed like the thousandth time, finally, what all paddlers have anxiously waited for, the blaring sound of an air horn and the race was off! The furor borderline ling mania that poured out of each stroke as BADonkadonk jettisoned out of the start line was amazing. All the teams were elbowing one another for the lead position acquired by BADonkadonk, but BADonkadonk refused to give the rest of the field the satisfaction of overtaking them. BADonkadonk held steady and fought off the rivals giving chase, with her vantage point, Mandy, the drummer called for a finish with perfect timing. BADonkadonk cranked up the power to another notch and furrowed its way into the finish line with the fastest time of the day with Dragon Warriors and Ripple FX battling for second place.

The elation of being the overall winning team and bringing home the “gold” to the entire team was truly marvelous. Some of us may not have walked away with “hardware” or may not have come in first, but our results have improved with each and every single race. We were all pulling faster and harder than ever before. Give your BADselves a round of applause, its well deserved. Our biggest race at Treasure Island is fast approaching; I hope all of you have your eyes feasted on the prize ahead. Just imagine the possibilities that await us by coming together as a team. So, paddlers, suite up and get ready for more excitements coming your way! 

See you out on the water!

Tiffany

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Included photos by:Nedy Reddy, Cindy Ng, Kathleen Fernandez

Special thank you goes out to our Coaches and Captains. Without your planning, coaching and dedications to the team, we would not be where we are today.

Like the rising sun, our food committee, equipment managers and silent team helpers are there without fail every single time. All of you deserve a *COLOSSAL* thank you! ~Sandra & Wanda, thank you for your tireless dedications~

A Yum-O-licious thank you goes out to our BBQ Chef Master, Stan & Sous-chef, Aaron; Chicken experts, Norm & Sue; Master of all Foods delicious, Cindy & Don; Desert extraordinaire, Val & Wanda. Thank you for prepping/cooking/feeding the entire BAD team.

Thank you to those that helped with recording the races.

New paddlers/racers/members – the seasoned paddlers hope you have enjoyed your experience at Fremont and we hope you will stick around with us to experience the awesomeness of the team.

View Race Videos here: http://vimeo.com/album/1641057

Video by Cary Chien

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Comment

Add Comment