As we thanked and celebrated our country’s military veterans for their service to the nation this Veterans Day weekend, the UC San Diego Dragon Boat team geared up for competition at the 12th annual CDBA College Cup Championship. The team traveled to the Bay Area for the event which is held at Lake Merced in San Francisco. College Cup is the first real dragon boat race for the members recruited this fall quarter. This experience of seeing the many other college dragon boat teams competing against each other out in the water, surrounded by the beats of the drum and the calls of their team members, is truly an exciting one.

As for the others, the veterans approached the competition with the same intense fervor they approach every competition. Many family members came to spectate their loved ones’ accomplishments. Alumni from the team also came to reunite with the team they once raced with. The atmosphere was one of celebration; still, the UC San Diego Dragon Boat team never lost sight on what they came to do, there at Lake Merced.

Their months of training for the event were greeted with clear weather and an equally determined group of other college crews, all racing for gold. Crews from UCLA, UC Irvine, and UC Berkeley are three of many other crews from different colleges that came to compete and celebrate sportsmanship in dragon boating.

The championship held heats for both open divisions and mixed divisions. At the end of the day, the UC San Diego Dragon Boat team’s Open Division crew took 3rd place in the Open Division, and the Women’s Division crew took .  The UC San Diego Dragon Boat team’s mixed crews, “UC San Diego Dragon Boat Blue” and “UC San Diego Dragon Boat White,” placed 5th for the Mixed Division B and 4th for the Mixed Division A, respectively.

With the end of the championship, the UC San Diego Dragon Boat team reflected on their efforts. They were truly satisfied in that they put forth all they had for themselves as individuals, for their desire to support their team members, and for their upholding of sportsmanship as athletes in the dragon boating community. What an incredible weekend this was, for the celebration of dragon boat and for that of the service of our nation’s military veterans! Now, the team prepares for the holidays for a much needed time to rest, form their resolves, and establish their goals together.