THE pink ladies were a force to be reckoned with at the inaugural International Dragon Boat Festival Cancer Survivors World Cup and third Malaysia International Dragon Boat Festival.
The cancer survivors were an inspiration as they showed that there was life after cancer and it was not a deterrent to living life to the fullest.
Margaret Gabrielle from the Pink Challenger, a breast cancer survivor team, said, “It is not about winning, we want to show that there is still life after breast cancer.”
Teams were in high spirits on race day and the supporters’ enthusiasm was infectious.
On the water: Boats cutting through the choppy waters of the lake. However, beneath the cheery facade, the team managers meeting held the day before the festival was chaotic in contrast.
Teams discovered that they were not in the categories they had signed up for while others wanted to sign up for more categories on the spot.
Lee Shih, the team manager for Skrine Dragons and KL Bar-barians Team, said the event could have been more organised.
“Our race was moved two hours ahead of schedule and I was informed of this the night before, I had to quickly notify my team members.
“The organisation of teams, scheduling of races, dissemination of information and general communication between organisers and teams could have been better,” he said.
Off we go: The boats leaving the dock to head for the starting line. Mega Events managing director Datuk Herman Chin, the organiser of the festival and WP Putrajaya Dragon Boat Association president, admitted that there was room for improvement.
“Many participants made last minute changes, some wanted to take part in more categories while some wanted to withdraw.
“We were flexible as we wanted everyone to have the chance to take part in as many categories as they wanted.”
Chin said another reason for the last minute changes in race schedules was because many did not know that they could actually enter different categories.
For example, a corporate team could not only enter the corporate category but also the open categories.
“They only found that out at the team managers meeting,” he said.
On the first day there were delays and Chin said it was because some teams took their time to report at the marshal booth to stand-by before their race.
“They only hurried to the booths when we said we would disqualify teams who did not get to the booth immediately,” he said.
On the second day, when the opening ceremony was held, one team manager was angry that his team had to wait in the boat under the scorching sun for the ceremony to begin and demanded the emcee allow them to get out of the water.
“It was delayed for more than an hour and 45 minutes and we were only notified of the delay at the last minute,” he said.
Dragon Abreast Hong Kong team manager Susan Chan lamented that there were no identification tags for all participants despite them submitting the needed details.
“We would have liked to have it to remember the festival,” she said.
Chin explained that 80% of the Malaysian teams did not submit their photos and ID, hence the organisers could not make the ID tags.
For next year’s event, he will be putting his foot down.
“We will be firm with our deadlines and require all participants to follow the rules.”
That means organisers will not tolerate dawdling from participants and last minute requests.
Despite the hiccups, participants seemed to enjoy themselves at the race.
Corporate teams came with company identities and products.
The spirit of sportsmanship was in the air as many were cheering for other teams and congratulating not only the winners but also those who participated.
Despite the problems, Lee said he will still be back to participate in next year’s event.
He lauded the event as it encouraged the participation of corporate and beginner teams, unlike some events which were only for professional teams.
“Such events are good for the development of dragon boat races in Malaysia and this festival is still the premier event in Malaysia,” he said.
International Dragon Boat Federation executive president Mike Haslam, special international guest of the festival was impressed by the good turnout and beautiful race site.
“This is a very good turnout for a relatively new event as it is difficult to draw the crowd for new events.
“Everyone is very impressed with the venue and the people here,” he said.
He added, “There are always one or two problems but the crews accepted that. Next year, I am sure the situation will improve.
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