2018 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships Program

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In partnership with

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Thank You

TO OUR SPONSORS!

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MDI/VKI Foundation in Partnership with the Hall County Schools.

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Welcome to the World Championships

(Scott Rogers)

Message from the mayor Welcome to the City of Gainesville, Georgia! Gainesville-Hall County is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation. I am sure you can see why, as you take in the beauty of Lake Lanier and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.

As the economic center of Northeast Georgia, Gainesville offers the services and cultural experiences of a much larger city. However, we pride ourselves on our friendly, small-town spirit.

In fact, Gainesville earned the title of “Hospitality Capital of the World” during the 1996 Olympic Games. We plan to continue that tradition during this ICF Dragon Boat World Championships.

During your stay, please take time to enjoy the historical and natural beauty that surrounds you. Take advantage of the free transportation to Lake Lanier Olympic Park, as well as the evening shuttle from your hotel to local shopping, dining and attractions. We are happy to share with you everything that makes Gainesville special.

You’re always welcome here in Gainesville!

Mayor Danny Dunagan

Event schedule

Inside

■■Sept. 12. Opening ceremony, parade of athletes, practice ■■Sept. 13. Qualifying, 500 meters ■■Sept. 14. Finals, 500 meters; qualifying, 200 meters ■■Sept. 15. Finals, 200 meters ■■Sept. 16. Finals, 2,000 meters ■■Closing ceremonies, 7 p.m. Sept.

16, Smithgall Arts Center Lawn, 331 Spring St., Gainesville; tickets $20 Full event schedule, page 9

■■The teams: rosters for all 14 nations. 4-8 ■■The schedule. 9 ■■The sport. 10 ■■The course. 12 ■■The boats. 14 ■■The venue. 16 ■■Athlete profile. 18

A publication of The Times, a Metro Market Media company. ©2018, in conjunction with the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue and the city of Gainesville.

General Manager Norman Baggs

Director of Revenue Leah Nelson

Executive Editor Keith Albertson

Cover Photos by Austin Steele; Design by Kerri Ivie

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THE TEAMS

United States JUNIOR MEN Aaron Dickson Alec Wilson Allen Marsh Andrew Surles Caleb Copper Drew Deppe Ethan Deppe Jackson Hickerson Joshua Burchardt Lucas Pitts Nate Boyd JUNIOR WOMEN Bailey Leist Caitlin Marsh Maggie Bowmar Paige Farley SENIOR MEN Adrian Sudjono Albert-James Perez Brian Moreland Corban Martin Dan Huynh Dan Rodriguez Daniel Lui Douglas Kenny Eric Hall Ethan Jackson Ethan Palmer Matthew Au Mike Blundetto Jr. Richard Stewart Taylor Mar Yno Fernandez SENIOR WOMEN Angie Fealy Anna Crawford 4

(Austin Steele)

Benika Pinch Brittany Blundetto Cannie Ash Christi Pham Christine Lai Cristina Rodriguez Diana Esteves GraceKelly Gucciardo Katherine Nishimura Kristin Walsh Laura Baack Linda Fox Macy Dwyer Mika Kleinschmidt Olivia Clark Shirley Che Stefani Rodgers Swati Kadam Tanisha Mason Thandwe Tenn Tina Young Yumi Chen MASTER 40-PLUS MEN Daniel Warren

Dave Bittenbender Dennis Yu Enoy Chanlyvong Hawk Zhang Jackson Lau Jim Ellis Joel Castaneda Kristof Erkiletian Mugabe Tenn Newton Kwan Peter Chan Raymond Lee Sean Allen Vladimir Samylenko MASTER 40-PLUS WOMEN Cynthia Wainwright Dionne Reed Denise Del Gardo Faith Douglas Franzi Petermann Geri Nuevo Ha Nguyen Heather Mercado Heidi Cinker

Hew Kwan Jacquelyn Wetzel Katie Smedley Kila Nixon Laura McGinnis Leah Payne Liga Veips Liying Zhao Lynne Franks-Meinert Victorina Piccio MASTER 50-PLUS MEN Chris Marquart Dan Rodriguez Doug Parzuchowski Coach David Wald George Marousis Harry Wong Jim Morris Coach Jim O'Dell John Jamerlan Coach Mike Blundetto Peter Vogel (Bong) Raynald Mercado Thomas Yoo

THE TEAMS

Armenia Gevorg Gyulumyan, coach Karen Arustamyan, coach Emma Stepanyan, doctor Andranik Mesropyan Anzhela Beglaryan Ararat Karapetyan Arman Simonyan Azat Santrosyan Davit Poghosyan Edgar Stepanyan Gevorg Aramyan Hovhannes Aghabekyan Margarita Martirosyan Maria Hovhannisyan Movses Grigoryan Poghos Berberyan Sargis Sargsyan Satenik Beglaryan Satenik Beglaryan Silvia Kirakosyan

Bangladesh Aslam Hossain, manager Md Amirul Islam, coach Gopal Das, drummer Mohammad Arifuzzaman Gobinda Mondal Rasadul Islam Md Tanzir Rubayeth, captain Prosenjit Roy Tawhidul Islam Mohammad Taufique Elahi

Mohammed Rashadul Sikder Tomal Hossain Utshuv Mohammad Ali Tarak Nath Paul Bikash Roy Ranjit Roy Md Rubel Ahmed Raisul Islam Mithun Nandy Md Mohosin Karim S M Tauhidul Islam Emon Mondal Md Nurul Amin Ashrafuzzaman Md Shakir Hosen Morol Md Shamim Mia

Canada Amber Friesen Andrea Wazney Andrée-Anne Boisvert Andrii Khainatskyi Angel Rempel Barb Miller Barbara Magee Beth Wonneck Bev Anderson Brian Reece Carolyn Hiraoka Cheryl Ramsey Chris Schimnowski Colin McRae Daryle Kalafut Dave Anderson Don Anderson Donna Harpe-Manby Doreen Houston Francis Untereiner Gord Ramsey Greg Laxdal

Ivan Poturica Jan Dumontet Jennifer Treacy Jérome Seremak Jo-Ann Deneweth Joelle Little Jordan Smallwood Kevin O'Neill Kim Parke Linda Leclerc Lisa Laxdal Lori Irwin Lori Miller Louis Pacilli Marcin Golebiewski Martin Simmons Mary Markesteyn Micaela Crighton Micheal Treacy Mohamed Crossman-Serb Natasha Mohammed Nicholas Mysko Olga Slipak Paige Ellison Patricia Ryan Pauline Johnson Rachael Mierke Richard Hutton Rick Henault Ron Wonneck Roy Houston Sacha Skirzyk Sandra Page Sarah Mitchell Sean Manby Shaneesa Ferguson Shawn Gagnon Tamara Harrison Tammy Mitchell Taz Stuart Teresa Untereiner Tracy Shibou Ute Holweger Valerie O'Leary Wendy Hutton Zachary Branscombe Zachary Adams

Czech Republic Andreas Predka Filip Šmátrala Jan Krizovic Jiri Prikryl Josef Pavlík Katerina Solarova Katerina Milova Kristýna Špalková Kvetoslav Suba Lucie Kotoucova Lukas Novotny Magdalena Tomanová Marek Nedorostek Matej Holy Matous Reznicek Nela Maria Marková Nikol Peterkova Patrik Smatrala Roman Müller Tomáš Fridrych Alena Roubalová Andreas Predka Barbora Kučerová Barbora Bartikova Filip Šmátrala Filip Hager Frantisek Uhlik Ivana Večerková Jan Hrabčík Jan Pazourek Jan Krizovic Jaromir Manak Jaroslav Zajic Jaroslav Opavsky Jaroslav Malina Jiri Prikryl Josef Pavlík Kamila Schönweitzová Karel Večerka Karla Hutařová 5

THE TEAMS Katerina Milova Katerina Solarova Kateřina Peluhová Klára Buržaková Kristyna Sloukova Kristýna Bubelová Kristýna Špalková Kvetoslav Suba Libor Šulák Lucie Kotoucova Lukas Novotny Magdalena Tomanová Marek Nedorostek Marek Knejzlík Mario Ostrcil Markéta Magátová Martin Prchal Martin Ticháček Matej Holy Matous Reznicek Milena Staroštíkova Monika Vyoralová Nela Maria Marková Nikol Peterkova Patrik Smatrala Petr Hutečka Petr Vesely Petr Gnida Radek Soukup Roman Müller Tomáš Vytrhlík Tomáš Fridrych Vojtěch Müller Zbyněk Zbytovský Zdeňka Zbořilová Zuzana Bednářová

(Scott Rogers)

Camila Wagner Camille Coquart Damien Marat Masson Patrick, co-captain Maxime Moll Nicolas Boursier Robin Beuzeville Sananikone Agathe Stephanie Vigier Thomas Argenson Vendangeot Margot

Germany France Alexis Serrurot Bertrand Daille, Captain Brasseur William 6

Alexander Kurt Gonas André Schmidt Andrea Lutter Andreas Trzenschiok Andreas Becher Andreas Wambach Andreas Scholl

Andy Jänicke, co-captain Angela Bockholt Angelika Martin Anja Huebel Anke Wollberg Annett Schmidt Antje West Astrid Menges-Frenzel Beatrice Gotzhein Bettina Kuetter Bettina Thiel Björn Rätsch Britt Gutmann Christian Kuhlmeier Claudia Röder Claudia Ilsemann Claudia Sand Cornelia Scholl Daniela Hahlweg Dennis Lepperhoff Doreen Dietrich Elke Südholt Esther Romy Claußen Frank Struck Frank Stuhlmann Gabriele Schweble-Juch Grit Kaletta, co-captain

Guido Driescher Hanna Wenderoth Heiko Jelitto Hella Jänicke Holger Zacharias Holger Kottke Hubert Klimpel Ilona Brudel Ingo Triebel, co-captain Iris Steinecke Iris Prüfer Izabela Wiskulska Jacqueline Reimer Jan Filipp Janine Windmann Jens Balcerek Josef Blume Julia Gierig, co-captain Karl-Heinz van Hall Karl-Heinz Born Karsten Hasemann Katherine Kaminski Kathleen Beaujean Kathrin Poser Kay Lutter Kristin Broszio Lars Bode

THE TEAMS Lisa Karras Lutz Thierbach Maike Zimmermann Manja Heyn Marc Glauber Marc Preiß Marco Pötsch Marco Kalinke Marek Fuhrmann Maria Rhoades Maria Stark Martin Alt, captain Martin Suhrbier Mathias Urbatsch Michael Vogel Michaela Wollborn Nadine Kirschner Nicole Hindenberg Nils Weise Nora Kriegel Olaf Werner Olaf Mahlkow Oliver Schadow Oliver Friedl Pascal Maslanka Patrick Wölfel Ralf Schnitzius Ralph Gottschald Renate Lorenz Rene Wolf Ria Jänicke Robert Ecker Ronald Wollberg Sabine Wambach Sabine Winkler Sandra Burmeister Sandro Focht Silke Brandt Silke Matusch Simon Fink Simone Schulz Sophie Frenzel Stefan Frenzel Stefan Scholz Steffen Nittke Stephan Wollborn Susann Rieder Susann Müller, co-captain

Susanne Vossen Susanne Kottke Susann Josefine Ebbeke Tanja Neuenhofer Thomas Neumann, team leader, captain Thomas Eilert Thomas Hoecker Thomas Huebel Till Kuhlmeyer Torsten Friebe Ulrike Ruehl Ulrike Kohlitz Ute Szymanski Volker Hanika

Lilla Süveges, co-captain Márton Kövér Melinda Patyi, captain Nóra Kövér Pal Benyo Pál Sarudi Peter Remenyi Peter Korisanszky Pintér István Zoltan Kirschner Zoltan Prancz

India Hungary Adam Fekete Agnes Szigeti Dr. Ágnes Tas Alexandra Korisanszky András Pataki Bence Dori Csilla Bellér David Korisánszky Dóra Kolb Eldar Yam Ferenc Szalai Gabor Balogh Gábor Kopjás Gitta Reményi Győre Attila Gyorgy Kovacs János Lindenmayer Jozsef Ring Karoly Prath Károly Kővári Katalin Reményi Kótiné Fábián Ágnes Zsuzsanna László Nagy Lelovics David

Bijender Singh Satyavan Singh Sachin Kumar Pradeep Sandeep Kumar Pushpinder Sandhu Rana Pratap Kshetrimayum Rakesh Ajay Harpal Singh Ravinder Singh Raman Mann Sidhant Mohit Kumar Vishal Raman Nishant Tushir Ramik Ahlawat Vikramaditya Chouhan Manjeet Singh Preet Singh Sanjeet Singh Arjun Dahiya Sachin Kumar, manager

Italy Alberto Colangelo

Alessandro Lolli Alessandro Fedeli Alexandru Galeotti Alfio Commendatore Ambra Favarin Andrea Granini Andrea Pasqualini Antonio De Lucia, captain Barbara Pica Claudia Zamariola Cristiana Salviati Cristiano Galassini Daniele Puddu Elisabetta Russo Enrico Calvi Fabio Angelini Fabiola Bellato Federico Mezzadra Francesca Pricca Francesco Cotilli Gaetano Flavio Cigna Juljan Rushaj Leon Galeotti Leonardo Galantucci Leopoldo Iannarelli Luca Rodegher Marco Travascio Marco Maisano Maria Antonietta Simonelli Marina Diano Maristela Bordon Garcia Mattia Fontani Michele Galantucci Michele Noventa Monica Pelfini Nicola Mignano Nicolò Ocello Noemi Pavoni Paolo Maisano, co-captain Paolo Palazzi Roberto Barbieri 7

THE TEAMS Sandra Steraj Serenella Banal Sergio Lovison Simona Porfili Stefano Premoli

Raquel Almencion Baligasa Lealyn Patricia Ann Bustamante Maribeth Caranto

Philippines

Russia

Christian Abejar, coach Almario Acosta, head of delegation Arnold Agustin, head of delegation Francine Duchess, technical official Leonora Escollante, technical official Judith Laygo, team staff Celia Kiram, official Diomedes Manalo, coach Maripi Obillo, team staff Arche Baylosis Jordan De Guia John Lester Delos Santos Lobertsan Duayao Franc Feliciano Mark Jhon Frias Ojay Fuentes Hermie Macaranas Christian Macayan Oliver Manaig Roger Kenneth Masbate Reymart Nevado Daniel Ortega Roberto Pantaleon John James Pelagio Miflone Pizon Jonathan Ruz Lee Robin Santos John Paul Selencio Jerome Solis Apple Jane Abitona 8

Filimonov Valerii Karpelevich Sergey Koksharova Victoria Kudriashova Irina Lebedev Mikhail Ponomarev Vladimir Presniakov Sergei Sergeev Aleksander Sergeeva Svetlana Shulgina Rimma Sigachev Valeriy Sigacheva Svetlana Smirnov Vitaly Tochenov Sergey Ushakov Sergey Vinogradov Vladimir

(Scott Rogers)

Nina Huber Paul LĂźthy Samuel Martin, co-captain Sven Bachmann Timo Hummel Wayra Huber Yannick Nieba

Ukraine Switzerland Frederik Schmidt Iris Huber, co-captain Ismael Rohwedder James Corrigan Katja Brodmann Bachmann, co-captain Marietta Grundmann Mirjam Voltz Nina Hummel

Bidenko Mykola Brayilo Oleksandr Buchkovskyy Andriy Bundz Roman Dmytryshyn Roman Dudka Yakiv Fedorenko Oleksii Gileta Igor Gryshchenko Andrii Havrylenko Andrii Ivashchenko Oleksandr Kamerylov Denys Khanchevskyi Serhii

Klochko Viktor Kopytko Yuriy Korets Andrii Lvov Stanislav Markovskyi Dmytro Maslyuk Andriy Momotiuk Mykola Morgun Valerii Nazaruk Dmytro Nosovets Valerii Petrushyn Dmytro Prysydko Oleksandr Romaniuk Hryhorii Savin Dmytro Savin Igor Savluk Oleksandr Sbytnyev Yevgen Semeniuk Sergiy Shemetylo Eduard Shevchuk Andrii Shtykalo Dmytro Shtykalo Roman Soltyk Serhii Stetsyna Oleg Storozhuk Dmytro Tsymbaliak Andrii Verheles Vitalii Volianskyi Viacheslav Yatsiuk Mykola Yevseyenko Borys Zelenyi Oleksandr Zhekov Valentyn Kuziv Olha Ambrosevich Valentyna Boiko Natalia Bundz Sofiia Diordiichuk Oleksandra Ieremenko Nataliia Ivanochko Oksana Kartavenko Olha Kotliar Nataliia Mazna Anna Serdiuk Olena Vartanian Karine Yakovleva Yuliia Yevseyenko Natalya Valuiska Vita Fedorenko Zoia

THE SCHEDULE Thursday, Sept. 13 8:00-8:10-8:20. Heats 1-3, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed (1-4 in each advance to semifinal) 8:30-8:40. Heats 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 advance to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 8:50. Time race 1, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Mixed 9:10-9:20. Semifinals 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed (top three to final) 9:30. Semifinal, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final) 9:50. Time race 1, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Men 10:00. Time race 1, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Women 10:10. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 10:20. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed 10:50. Time race 2, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Men 11:00. Time race 2, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Women 11:10-11:20. Heats 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Master 50plus Men (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 11:30-11:40. Heats 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40plus women (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 11:50-12:00. Heats 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 12:10-12:20. Heats 1-2, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Women (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 12:30. Time race 1, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men 12:40. Semifinal, 500m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men (1-2 to final) 12:50. Semifinal, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women (1-2 to final) 1:00. Semifinal, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final) 1:10. Time race 2, 500m, 10-seat, Junior Mixed 1:20. Semifinal, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Women (1-2 to final) 1:30. Time race 2, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men Medal ceremonies 1:40. 10-seat, Junior Women 500m 1:50. 10-seat, Junior Men 500m 2:00. 10-seat, Junior Mixed 500m 2:10. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men 500m 2:40-2:50. Heats 1-2, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 3:00. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Junior Mixed 3:10. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 3:40. Semifinal, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final) 4:00. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Junior Men 4:10. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 4:20. Time race 1500m, 20-seat, Junior Women 4:30. Final, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed 5:00. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 500m 5:10. 10-seat, Senior Mixed 500m 5:20. 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men 500m 5:30. 20-seat, Senior Mixed 500m 5:40. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 500m

Friday, Sept. 14 8:00. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Men 8:10. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Senior Women 8:20. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men 8:30. Final, 500m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women 8:40. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, Junior Men 8:50. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, JuniorWomen 9:00-9:10. Heats 1-2, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 9:20. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 9:30. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Women 9:40. Time race 1, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 9:50. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, JuniorMixed 10:00. Semifinal,500m, 20-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final)

10:10. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 10:20. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Women 10:30. Time race 2, 500m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 10:50. Final, 500m, 20-seat, Senior Men Medal ceremonies 11:00. 20-seat, Junior Women, 500m 11:10. 20-seat, Junior Men, 500m 11:20. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women, 500m 11:30. 10-seat, Senior Women, 500m 11:40. 10-seat, Senior Men, 500m 11:50. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women, 500m 12:00. 20-seat, Junior Mixed, 500m 12:10. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men, 500m 12:20. 20-seat, Senior Women, 500m 12:30. 20-seat, Senior Men, 500m 1:15. Final, 2,000m, 20-seat, Junior Mixed; Final, 2,000m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 1:55. Final, 2,000m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed 2:35. Finals, 2,000m, 10-seat, Junior Women; 2,000m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women 3:15. Finals, 2,000m, 10-seat, Junior Men; 2,000m, 10-seat, Senior Women 3:55. Finals, 2,000m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men; 2,000m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men 4:35. Final, 2,000m, 10-seat, Senior Men Medal ceremonies 4:55. 20-seat, Junior Mixed 2,000m 5:05. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed, 2,000m 5:15. 20-seat, Senior Mixed, 2,000m 5:25. 10-seat, Junior Women, 2,000m 5:35. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women, 2,000m 5:45. 10-seat, Junior Men, 2,000m 5:55. 10-seat, Senior Women, 2,000m 6:05. 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men, 2,000m 6:15. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men, 2,000m 6:25. 10-seat, Senior Men, 2,000m

Saturday, Sept. 15 8:00-8:20. Heats 1-2-3, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40plus Mixed (top four to semifinal) 8:30-8:40. Heats 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 8:50. Time race 1, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Mixed 9:10-9:20. Semifinals 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed (top three to final) 9:30. Semifinal, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final) 9:50. Time race 1, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Men 10:00. Time race 1, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Women 10:10. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 10:20. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed 10:50. Time race 2, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Men 11:00. Time race 2, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Women 11:10-11:20. Heats 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Master 50plus Men (1-2 to final, 3-4 to semifinal) 11:30-11:40. Heats 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40plus Women (1-2 to final, 3-4 to semifinal) 11:50-12:00. Heats 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Men, (1-2 to final, 3-4 to semifinal) 12:10-12:20. Heats 1-2, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Women (1-2 to final, 3-4 to semifinal) 12:30. Time race 1, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men 12:40. Semifinals, 200m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men (1-2 to final) 12:50. Semifinals, 200m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Women (1-2 to final) 1:00. Semifinal, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final) 1:10. Time race 2, 200m, 10-seat, Junior Mixed 1:20. Semifinal, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Women (1-2 to final) 1:30. Time race 2, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men

Medal ceremonies 1:40. 10-seat, Junior Women 200m 1:50. 10-seat, Junior Men 200m 2:00. 10-seat, Junior Mixed 200m 2:10. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Men 200m 2:40-2:50. Heats 1-2, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 3:00. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Mixed 3:10. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 3:40. Semifinal, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed (1-2 to final) 4:00. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Men 4:10. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 4:20. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Women 4:30. Final, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Mixed Medal ceremonies 5:00. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 200m 5:10. 10-seat, Senior Mixed 200m 5:20. 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men 200m; 20-seat, Senior Mixed 200m 5:30. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 200m

Sunday, Sept. 16 8:00. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Men 8:10. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Senior Women 8:20. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Master 50-plus Men 8:30. Final, 200m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women 8:40. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Men 8:50. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Women 9:00-9:10. Heats 1-2, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final, 3-5 to semifinal) 9:20. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Women 9:30. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 9:40. Time race 1, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 9:50. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Junior Mixed 10:00. Semifinal, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Men (1-2 to final) 10:10. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Women 10:20. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 10:30. Time race 2, 200m, 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 10:50. Final, 200m, 20-seat, Senior Men Medal ceremonies 11:00. 20-seat, Junior Women 200m 11:10. 20-seat, Junior Men 200m 11:20. 20-seat, Senior, Women 200m 11:30. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 200m 11:40. 10-seat, Senior Women 200m 11:50. 10-seat, Senior Men 200m 12:00. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Women 200m 12:10. 20-seat, Junior Mixed 200m 12:20. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 200m 12:30. 20-seat, Senior Men 200m Finals 1:15. 2,000m, 20-seat, Junior Women, Junior Men, Master 40-plus Women, Senior Women 1:55. 2,000m, Master 40-plus Men, Senior Men 2:35. 2,000m, 10-seat, Junior Mixed 3:15. 2,000m, 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 3:55. 2,000m, 10-seat, Senior Mixed Medal ceremonies 4:25. 20-seat, Junior Women 2,000m 4:35. 20-seat, Junior Men 2,000m 4:45. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Women 2,000m 4:55. 20-seat, Senior Women, 2,000m 5:05. 20-seat, Master 40-plus Men 2,000m 5:15. 20-seat, Senior Men 2,000m 5:25. 10-seat, Junior Mixed 2,000m 5:35. 10-seat, Master 40-plus Mixed 2,000m 5:45. 10-seat, Senior Mixed 2,000m 7:00. Closing ceremonies, 7 p.m.

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THE SPORT

‘Hardest fun you’ll ever have’

Team USA paddlers practice on the course under the direction of coach Jim O'Dell. (Austin Steele)

2,000-year-old sport has grown in popularity

L

By Layne Saliba

egend has it, some 2,000 years ago, a much-loved Chinese poet committed suicide in the Miluo River in China after learning his home state had been invaded. As soon as others in the area heard, they raced in their fishing boats, banging on their drums and paddling as fast as they could to save him.

And with that, dragon boat racing was born. Now some 2,000 years later, the Lake Lanier Olympic Park is playing host to the 2018 International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships in Gainesville.

“In the 1970s, the first standardized dragon boat race was held,” said Jim O’Dell, high performance and dragon boat coach for the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club and coach of

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Team USA. “And that’s what began, what we call, the modern era of dragon boat racing. And since then ... it has just exploded all around the world.”

O’Dell said those fishing boats from long ago were slender and had dragon heads on them, which is the style of boat still used today. He said some heads were “really ornate” and some boats were “humongous,” often holding 70 people.

The main reason O’Dell, and many others, think the sport has grown so much is its accessibility. He said there about 90 million people around the world who paddle a dragon boat each year.

Robyn Lynch, executive director of Gainesville Hall ‘96, had her first experience in a dragon boat a few years ago when she

was participating in a team-building exercise.

Since then, she’s learned more about the sport and has grown to enjoy it.

“The thing I love about the dragon boat athletes is, it’s every age,” Lynch said. “It’s pretty cool that so many different people can participate.”

Numerous festivals held across the globe throughout the year, including one each fall on Lake Lanier, the Atlanta Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. This year’s festival is set for Sept. 8 as a prelude to the ICF World Championships.

O’Dell said when people realized they could easily get a group of 20 people together to compete in races and raise money for different causes through the festivals, it helped increase the visibility of the sport.

THE SPORT As more people saw dragon boat racing, more people became interested. Now, there are teams dedicated to the dragon boat racing all over the world and they meeting up for the World Championship to see which country comes out on top.

“Dragon boat racing is particularly exciting to me because the teams are so large and they’re very vocal,” Lynch said. “There’s the drummer, so you’ve got the beat of the drum keeping the pace. You’ve got the steerer talking to the team. The boats are beautiful, the uniforms are colorful and the races are fast.”

Qualifying to be one of those teams isn’t easy. O’Dell said it’s cliche, but it’s truly about dedication. Athletes who paddle work out three times a week in the gym. They do yoga twice a week and stay in shape by running and cycling. All that is in addition to paddling on the water for practice two or three times each week.

“Really, this year has been a difficult year,” O’Dell said of paddlers in the United States.

“The amount of rain they’ve had up in the Northeast has been difficult for their paddlers to get on the water. All the smoke and haze in the Pacific area is causing them to have a hard time getting on the water. So we’re really in the captain’s seat here.”

O’Dell said the U.S. is at a disadvantage in some aspects, though. Since paddlers on Team USA are from all over the country, it’s not possible for them to get together for practice. Smaller countries don’t have that problem because it’s a shorter distance to travel.

In some countries, dragon boat racing and similar watersports are paid, year-round jobs.

The Team USA paddlers are all amateurs.

“The Russian team for example, we know they train together all the time,” O’Dell said.

“Most of them are former Olympic canoers, so they kind of know a thing or two about paddling. So they’ll train at their training center, probably three or four times a week.

Same with the Hungarians.”

Each team competing in the World Championship can bring its best paddlers from its country. For countries without national teams, like the U.S., the rosters are usually formed by different trial competitions.

In the U.S., the country was divided into seven regions, and coaches watched each paddler, and deeply evaluated their skills.

There were videos to watch and rewatch, seeking perfect form and timing. They even used special paddles that electronically measured the pressure, power and angle of each stroke.

Team USA paddlers practice on the course. (Austin Steele)

Once the best from each region were chosen, they met in Gainesville to be narrowed even further to the final team.

For Team USA, the coaches want everyone’s strokes to be the same, which is essential to success. But other teams may have different styles, and that’s what O’Dell said makes the sport so interesting.

“You can be super competitive using this stroke, that stroke or your own hybrid stroke,” O’Dell said. “You can get away with some variation depending on the makeup of the team and how the team thrives on one particular style of stroke.

That’s one of the unique things spectators will see out here is stroke rates and stroke technique variations.”

And when spectators see the fun each team is having on the water, O’Dell is hoping they give the sport a chance and try it themselves. He’s excited about its future and wants people from all over to enjoy the sport as much as he does.

“It’s the hardest fun you’ll ever have,” O’Dell said.

(Scott Rogers)

11

THE VENUE

A gold-standard facility Site has been upgraded since '96 Olympic debut

J

By Layne Saliba im O’Dell sat on the floating grandstands at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park in 1996, wearing a United States hat, even though the U.S. didn’t have a team in the finals of any of the Olympic paddling events taking place on the water that day.

His family had recently been host to a German exchange student, so he decided to root for that team by waving a small German flag. Soon, he had created his own German section on Lake Lanier. Supporters from other countries followed suit and before he knew it, the stands were full and the atmosphere was electric.

“It was so cool,” said O’Dell, high performance and dragon boat coach at the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club. “I’ve got cool pictures of the Swedes coming in, the Norwegians coming in with their Viking horns and banging their cowbells, the Australians and their chants. One of the Norwegian paddlers came along and saluted the fans.”

That Olympic Park that was filled with spectators from all over the world in 1996 is still there today, even though it’s seen numerous changes, big and small, in the 22 years since.

The timing tower at Lake Lanier Olympic Park. (Austin Steele)

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THE VENUE Lake Lanier venue championship events ■■1996, Centennial Olympic Games ■■1997, National Canoe/Kayak Championships ■■2003, Senior World Canoe/Kayak Championships ■■2010, National Rowing Championships ■■2011, National Canoe/Kayak/ Rowing Championships ■■2014, National Canoe/Kayak/ Rowing Championships ■■2015, National Rowing Championships ■■2016, Pan American Championships, canoe-kayak ■■2016-17, Canadian Team Trials, sprint canoe-kayak ■■2016-17, US Team Trials, sprint canoe-kayak ■■2018, ICF Dragon Boat World Championships The grandstands at Lake Lanier Olympic Park were added in 2003. (Austin Steele)

Perhaps the most visible change to the venue was the installment of the permanent grandstands in 2003. What used to be a steep, grassy hill is now a terraced, concrete seating area for spectators.

The 16,000-seat grandstands constructed for the 1996 Olympics on the opposite side of the lake were removed after the Games.

“That was a really big expense for the venue, but a very needed and well used part of the race course now,” O’Dell said. “So that, No. 1, I think helped to make this more of a world-class facility.”

The original timing tower from the ‘96 Olympics is still in place, and used for its same purpose, and it has seen its fair share of renovations. Two years ago, a pedestrian ramp to the second level of the tower was added. There was also no restroom in the timing tower, so officials were left searching for the nearest port-a-potty when races were in progress. So along with some other cosmetic renovations inside, restrooms were added to the timing tower in 2016.

Nearby, an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp was built to give access to the lower plaza.

“That did make winning bids for these larger events a little harder because we didn’t have those facilities,” said Robyn Lynch, executive director of Gainesville Hall ‘96.

“So we now have not only that, but we have

A tunnel under Clarks Bridge Road made access to the park easier and safer for pedestrians and athletes. (Austin Steele)

ADA accessibility, which is great.”

Just across the street from the venue is the boathouse used by the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club, which was originally supposed to be torn down after the Olympics. It’s still standing and being used.

Prior to 2016, athletes had to cross over Clarks Bridge Road, often carrying their canoes or kayaks, to get to the venue. Not only that, when big events were held, specta-

tors had to cross the road, too.

Now, there’s a tunnel under the road to make access easier and safer.

“We have to park cars on both sides, so we would have to hire police officers to direct traffic and stop traffic for pedestrians to come across and that just puts a back up on the road,” Lynch said. “So that tunnel really made it much nicer for the residents and the neighbors that we never have to stop traffic.

It’s a very rare event if we have to stop traffic for anything.”

Investing money into the Olympic venue to renovate and upgrade amenities was all part of Gainesville and Hall County’s Vision 2030 plan to upgrade parks throughout the area.

Lynch said the Olympic Park has a $5 million to $6 million impact on the community each year from the events held there and visitors it attracts. In July, some 15,000 cars came through the park. That’s why she said they are working hard to make the site even better.

There are plans for a sun shade to be added to the grandstands, walking trails, a boardwalk and picnic pavilions. The aim is to keep the Olympic Park a welcoming location for future events and lake visitors.

“I don’t think people realize how much this park is used,” Lynch said. “Although rowing, canoe and kayak have been our backbone and that’s what created this park, this is definitely a public-use park that is not just for those athletes. It’s for the whole community.”

13

THE BOATS

That’s a mighty big canoe

New vessels get their first taste of the water

By Amber Tyner

W

hile dragon boat racing has spread across the world since its origin 2,000 years ago in Asia, acquiring a boat to participate in the sport isn’t so easy for some areas.

Jim O’Dell, chairman of Team USA for the upcoming 2018 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships, said most dragon boat manufacturers operate in China.

“There are really four major manufactur-

14

ers, three of which are in China (and) one is in Germany,” he said.

With the world championships set to take place Sept. 12-16 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, the local organizing committee for the competition had to decide where to order 38 new boats needed for the event.

“Not every team has their own boat,” O’Dell said. “You’re using the boats that are supplied at (the) world championship.”

He said bids from manufacturers started coming in as early as two years ago, and the

boats had to be ordered last November.

“Those that we have for the world championship just arrived from China a few weeks ago,” he said. “Our supplier, where we purchased the boats, is a company called Champion Dragon Boats.”

He said all the boats had to be to the same specifications.

“For world championships and really pretty much any dragon boat race, you go to where boats are supplied, the boats all have to weigh within a few pounds of each other, so the best way of doing that and the only way

THE BOATS really of doing that is to have a brand new fleet of boats,” he said. The new dragon boats are all standard for international competitions, which O’Dell said wasn’t required until the 1970s.

“It (dragon boat racing) became modernized in the ’70s in Hong Kong,” he said. “Instead of having boats of all various shapes and sizes, they became standardized to where there’s the 20-person and 10-person boats we have today.”

Although they are similar to canoes, he said the dragon boats actually seat 12 or 22 people.

“When I tell people initially what a dragon boat is, it’s a 20-person canoe,” he said. “You have 10-seat and 20-seat boats and what that alludes to is paddlers sitting side-by-side on either five benches or 10 benches with a drummer and a steersperson in each boat. So each boat holds either 12 or 22 people.”

To hold that many people, the size of the boats has to be quite large.

O’Dell said the 20-person dragon boats are 38 feet, 10 inches long without the head and tail, and they weigh just under 600 pounds. The 10-person boats are a little over 29 feet long and weigh 374 pounds. And while that may seem pretty heavy, the new, standardized boats weigh much less than the old ones.

“The old boats had a lot of teak,” O’Dell said.

“They were very, very heavy. The modern boats now have fiber reinforced plastic and fiberglass.

As boats get more and more modernized, there’s less and less wood mixed in the body.”

The design of dragon boats for the world championships is pretty generic, he said.

“The No. 1 thing with dragon boat racing, whether it’s the designs of logos or the dragons themselves, it has to be an Asian dragon,” he said.

“One thing that we did have a choice of is what color dragon scales go along the sides of the boat.

Basically I told the manufacturer I want this to be colorful. It’s a nice combination of colors of the scales. Rather than keeping all the boats exactly the same, which to me is boring, it adds a little color to it.”

The 20-man boats cost $6,750 each; the 10-man boats are $5,887. They will have their first dip in the water at the world championships, but they’re actually for sale to the public now and can be picked up after the competition. Event organizers purchased the boats and hope to recoup its investment by selling them after the championships.

“It’s a chance to own a piece of history — a boat that’s being used at a world championship,” he said. “Other than that, they’re brand new.”

To purchase one of the dragon boats from the 2018 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships, contact Robyn Lynch at robyn@lakelanier olympicvenue.org.

Facing page and above: New dragon boats arrive July 20 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park. Below: Team USA members carry a boat to the boathouse. (David Barnes)

15

THE COURSE

Deep, fast, straight, ideal

Team USA paddlers practice on the course. (Austin Steele)

Lanier’s waters are rated among world’s best

T

By Kaylee Martin

he ICF Dragon Boat World Championships come to the U.S. for the first time on a course wellknown to big-time international competition.

The event Sept. 12-16 will be held at Gainesville’s Lake Lanier Olympic Park, site of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games rowing, sprint canoe and kayaking events.

The venue is still used for its original purpose while hosting many other global events since the Olympics, and lures thousands of athletes and teams for practice each year on its famous lake course.

16

The genesis for the course came when local leaders were able to convince the Atlanta organizers to move the events to Lake Lanier for the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Games.

“The way that the lake course came to be all started in the early ’90s when the U.S. Olympic Atlanta Organizing Committee was searching for a place to hold the rowing and canoe/kayak competitions for the 1996 Olympics,” said James Watson, park manager. “The committee was originally interested in holding the competitions at Stone Mountain, but there was an island in the middle (of the lake).”

Watson said Bill Fields, a Lake Lanier

resident and member of the “Great 8” rowing crew and 1952 gold medalist at the Helsinki Olympics, consulted with the committee, which settled on Lake Lanier as their site. It’s natural beauty and assets made it the perfect course.

“Unlike Stone Mountain Lake, the course on Lake Lanier is perfectly straight,” Watson said. “This is also not a manmade lake specifically for rowing or paddling, so it’s pretty well protected from wind by trees and other natural barriers on both sides,” he said.

“Today, people come from all over to row, canoe, kayak and paddleboard because they can go so far without having to turn around.”

THE COURSE Jim O’Dell, coach of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club and Team USA, described the Lake Lanier course as being “very high on the list of prospective venues” for the 2018 ICF Dragon Boat World Championships.

“In 2013, Dragon Boat USA was looking for a place to hold the championships for the first time in America,” he said. “Lake Lanier Olympic Park submitted a bid, as well as a venue in Long Beach, Calif., and the rest is history.”

O’Dell believes Lake Lanier is one of the top three natural courses in the world, because of the depth and amount of the water.

“The water is very deep which makes the course very fast, and there is a lot of water even in the midst of a drought,” he said.

Because of the size of the course, he expects some very good competition at the World Championships. And with the lake at full pool after a rainy spring and summer, conditions should be ideal.

“This course sets up really well,” O’Dell said. “All of the manmade courses I have been on are narrow. The 200-meter and 500-meter are done in a straight line, but the 2000-meter is done in a large oval, so with this lake being so wide paddlers have plenty of room to turn.”

Despite all of the pros of the course at Lake Lanier, he explained that one of the biggest challenges will be combating disturbances in the water due to motorized boat traffic during the championships.

“Docks and ramps will be closed and the entire lake will pretty much be under surveillance that week,” O’Dell said.

“During one of our practice sessions several weeks ago, a motorized boat came racing across the water and caused one of our dragon boats to flip. We can’t have that happening again during the championships.”

The Lake Lanier Olympic Park course is considered ideal because it is natural, not manmade, and offers calm water on a straight line to the finish. (Austin Steele)

‘This is also not a manmade lake specifically for rowing or paddling, so it’s pretty well protected from wind by trees and other natural barriers on both sides. Today, people come from all over to row, canoe, kayak and paddleboard because they can go so far without having to turn around.’

James Watson, Lake Lanier Olympic Park manager

17

ATHLETE PROFILE

Journey from Laos to Lanier Georgia man earns a spot on Team USA

G

By Layne Saliba

rowing up in Laos gave Enoy Chanlyvong every opportunity he needed to fall in love with dragon boat racing. But it never stuck. Each year, he watched others from the village he lived in cut down a tree and carve a dragon boat out of it.

His family made their way to the United States when he was 8 years old, but it wasn’t until he was 35 that he found a passion for dragon boating.

“Some friends were trying to race the (Atlanta Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival held at Lake Lanier) ... and they didn’t have a good team,” said Chanlyvong, 44, a Dacula resident. “He was trying to build his team again and gave me and my brother a call. And ever since then, me and my brother are still at it.”

Now, Chanlyvong will paddle with Team USA in the International Canoe Federation World Dragon Boat Championship.

Chanlyvong usually races for and coaches the Mekong Dragons, a dragon boat team in the Atlanta area founded in 2007. He tried to qualify for the U.S. team for the world championship in Poland in 2014 but missed the cut. When he heard the 2018 competition was just an hour drive from his home in Dacula, he knew he’d have to try again.

He registered with the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club four months ago and started training with the coaches there.

“It’s very stressful and hard on your body,” Chanlyvong said. “You’re leaning to one side. You’re stacking your shoulders. You have to have some kind of physical ability to keep that form.”

He said he didn’t have that kind of physical ability in 2014, but when he started training in 2018, it finally came. He’s been traveling from Dacula twice each week just to get on the water and train with the team.

“If you want it, you’ve got to make time for

18

Enoy Chanlyvong prepares a dragon boat during the 2017 Atlanta Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival on Lake Lanier. (Sam Sith)

it,” Chanlyvong said. “I really, really wanted to prove to myself that all this time dedicated to it, ‘Why can’t you get on this USA team?’

And I really set my goals high and I’m glad

I made it.”

He’s in the gym almost every day working out different groups of muscles that will help him paddle more efficiently. He’s also been running more, trying to build up his cardio.

“I’m just trying to imitate on land the kind of stress in the boat,” Chanlyvong said. “Four years ago, I was cramping up because my cardio wasn’t up to par. I was cramping all the time. I mean, I had the stroke, but I couldn’t maintain.”

Chanlyvong will race in the master division and may race in the senior division, too.

“It’s here, and I really have dedicated myself to it,” Chanlyvong said. “Four years ago, I didn’t practice with (Team USA coach Jim O’Dell). I just practiced with Mekong once every week. But what I did with Jim was dedicate more time in the water to get on the team and luckily it worked.”

(This story appeared in The Times of Gainesville on Aug. 30, 2018)

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ICF DRAGON BOAT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Lake Lanier Olympic Park | Gainesville

September 12-16, 2018