CityScene
The Bucket List:
Paddling with LEGENDS Jess Vamplew
By Amy Jones
LEGENDS practicing on Boulevard Lake.
I
am not a team player. Probably the closest I’ve come to being a part of a sports team is nodding at the guy on the treadmill next to me at the gym before cranking up my iPod. But in the interest of self-improvement, I decided it was time to learn to play well with others. I would try practicing with a dragon boat team—the somewhat notorious LEGENDS. Dragon boat racing is as team-oriented of a sport as they come: packed two by two in a narrow boat, you move together as a unit, maintaining a rhythm set by a drummer and the pacers at the front. And LEGENDS are as tight as a team gets: they have rad jerseys, inside jokes, and a common language that extends beyond the jargon of the sport. But they are also excellent ambassadors for dragon boat racing—welcoming and helpful, making something that might seem intimidating to an outsider
feel relaxed and fun. After a lesson with experienced paddler Hedy Koski—straddling the picnic table on the edge of Boulevard Lake, learning to lean forward at the somewhat unnatural angle required of the racers—I cram into the back of the boat with another first-timer and raise my paddle with the rest of the team. Behind us stands the steersman, Dave Koski, a fifteen-year veteran whose good-natured leadership has kept LEGENDS at the top of their game. We begin pulling our paddles through the water under gentle reminders from Koski to keep our heads up, lean into it, use those abs. At first it feels awkward, but I know if I stop I risk getting in the way of the paddler in front of me, and I have nightmarish visions of causing a domino effect that culminates in the entire team in the water. So I keep paddling, and soon
something that felt unnatural begins to take on an almost soothing rhythm. By the time we are back at the dock, my butt is numb, I am completely soaked, and my fingers have seized into an ugly, talon-like configuration from which it will take hours to free them. But I’m smiling, begrudgingly admitting I had fun. Hobbling to my car, I look back and see a clutch of supercool yellow jerseys preparing to head out for post-practice beers, and I feel a momentary pang of yearning for that team camaraderie, that group dynamic, that common language. Or maybe it’s just a pang of actual pain from turning my aching neck. Either way, I’m opting for a solitary beer at home. After all, selfimprovement is an ongoing process. LEGENDS is recruiting new recreational and competitive paddlers for the 2013 season; contact Dave at bigbraindog@hotmail.com for details.
Amy Jones (right) and fellow newbie paddler Chantal Hargreaves (left) at the end of practice.
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Victoria’s Cupboard Dealing in antiques and collectibles for 23 years Summer hours: Wednesday to Friday 10:30-5 Saturday 11-4
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(Bay & Algoma Shopping District) The Walleye
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