The Las Vegas Dragon Boat Festival was the last race of the school year for the UCSD Dragon Boat Team. It took a lot of fundraising and team efforts to make this race possible, but we had a great time in Nevada and it was our seniors’ last race. Originally the race was supposed to be a 2-day event, taking place over both Saturday and Sunday. However, due to the predicted 25+ mph winds, the Sunday races were cancelled. The races were condensed and all took place on Saturday, which meant a lot of races in a short amount of time.

The results of this race were a huge success over the previous races this season. Both our white and blue boats placed in the A division finals. The white boat placed 2nd in the 200m Mixed A Division Finals, 2nd in the 500m Mixed A Division Finals, and 1st in the 2k Guts and Glory Race. The Blue Boat placed 3rd in the 500m Mixed A Division Finals and 2nd in the 2k Guts and Glory Race. This was the UCSD Dragon Boat Team’s first time competing not only in the Las Vegas Dragon Boat Festival, but also racing a two-thousand meter race.  2k races are unique in that teams have a staggered start and the ability to lap and pass other teams during the turns. Our blue boat pulled through and while they started the race last (30 seconds after the first boat), they passed two other boats and took 2nd place overall. This was a strong finish for both of our teams and a great end to our racing season.