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The British Dragon Boat Association (BDA) National League is a series of dragon boat racing events organised by the BDA over the summer season at venues throughout the UK.  Each event has a regatta format, with qualifying rounds, repecharges, minor and major finals to determine overall placings at the event. Races are typically held over a 200m and 500m distances.  Further info is available on the BDA website

The Three River Serpents are in the Premier division of the BDA league.  A crew's placing at the end of the year is decided on the sum of the crew's best six points scored over the season.   During the 2006 season, Three River Serpents have raced at  Liverpool, Stockton-on-Tees, Nottingham, London, Worcester and Peterborough. In August, we flew out to Toronto for the 2006 IDBF Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships.  The season will finish late this year with the National Championships at The National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham, October 7-8th.  

BDA NATIONAL LEAGUE
Sunday 10th September, 2006
Peterborough 
For race report, click HERE

                      BDA NATIONAL LEAGUE
                            Sunday 25th June 2006
                                      Nottingham
Thank goodness, another race not a million miles from home for the Serpees. Some set of cheerily early from Durham-Newcastle-Gateshead, others much later because it would be less challenging if the boat was to arrive on time; some of us awoke not in the usual Travelodge but on a futon courtesy of Notts Anaconda a mere two minutes from the river (and still managed to miss the crucial moments of the crew managers' meeting) and a certain elder statesman with a menacing gleam in his eye had last been seen heading for ‘Hooters’ the previous evening, rather than the trusty Travel Inn.

But that aside, the BDA knew well enough to place us in the penultimate 200 m heat at 10:40. Despite a variety of shenanigans from approximately 10:15-10:35 involving no boat, no helm, no drummer, then boat ok, emergency drummer employed but helm still on other side of river, the Serpees pulled it off at the last minute and were on the start before the BDA official could get the words ‘time penalty’ out of his mouth.  Quote of the race came from coach Keni, "We’ve got no cox box, we’re on the last minute so do whatever you want, but just paddle like hell" .  Against our old friends Powerhouse, Notts Anaconda and WAM Dragons, we took it home in a winning time of 50.64 s.  Interestingly, this was a time beaten by only Thames and Batchworth in the heats...

 After some much needed respite (almost 2 h, an ideal window to apply sun cream to face?) and a couple of Debs’ many animated warm-up/cool-down/warm-down/cool-ups, the Serpees were back in action, this time with cox-box firmly attached to both Keni and the boat.  We set off early for technical drills (Keni) and a guided tour of Nottingham (Matt).  We knew we needed to either win the semi or get the fastest runner-up and after a monster start, we left Amathus on the start. Being Amathus they caught us up and we fought them to the line where they took the race in 49.13 s compared to our 49.43 s.   It was enough though, to put us in the Major final as fastest runners-up and it was a happy, motivated, gelled crew that loaded for our first final of the day against Batchworth, Thames and Amathus.  

With Michelle from Notts Anaconda physically kidnapped to drum, we set off for the start, locked-on and looking good.  A minor element of confusion rendered us slightly 'off the mark' with our usually fabulous start and we were immediately down on Amathus (can't say about the others as obviously I was looking forward).  Not sure what happened to the finish 'hooters' (John??) but we didn't hear them.  There was a call for 'stop' but seems it got lost somewhere in the array of noise on the finish-line.  In an amazing display of decorum and self-control, our very own Kempie shouted something probably quite rude (luckily it was in Australian) and ejected his paddle into the foaming waters of the Trent.  The scene which followed was likely the Serpents' finest moment in the history of racing: to the amazement of our fellow racers, onlookers, resident wildlife, the BDA - and indeed the rest of the Serpees - Chris Kemp(ie) completed the sequence by actually launching himself into the Trent.  And that was the last we saw of him for over an hour.  It could have been that he was simply taking his re-hydration strategy to the extreme, but he could just have gone to the BA Hurricanes stall for boiled water, completely free of Weils disease and other interesting pathogens.   May I refer the interested reader to the following site: 
http://www.leptospirosis.org/
Click on the thumbnail below for Geoff Watson's 'in-action' shot (thanks Geoff). 
Kempie.jpg (37768 bytes)  And so onto the 500s, which was really the only place to go, considering.  A quick turn around saw us in the third heat, taking on Kingston Pretenders, Thames Raging Dragons and Birstall Running Club (?).  We 
won by quite a lot and went off for a quick lime and soda with our newly acquired drummer, courtesy of Paul (she was very good too!).  We were next up against our seemingly new rivals Batchworth, and also Thames Raging Dragons and Amathus Bees.  With Kempie rescued, relaxed and restored we took Batchworth on the start (much to their amazement) and tracked them stroke for stroke up the course.  0.59 of a second on the line gave victory to a rather perplexed looking Batchworth crew (wait until we have our new boat) but we had fought hard and paddled probably our best ever (well, actually apparently we have video footage to dispute this so, erm maybe we should have won).  Whatever, we did blooming well and we were chuffed.  2:04.54 (us) v 2:03.95 (them). Just a minor final to do then (we missed out to Kingston on fastest qualifier for the Major) and we won that pretty convincingly: 2:04.32 against WAM, Henley and Brute Force.  Well done to Amathus who won the Major final in 2:00.26!

So in summary, we were 4th in the 200s and 5th in the 500s.  Which is not bad.  Don't be put off with our current position in the current BDA league table, look closely and you'll see we are 2 races behind most of the other crews.  Roll on London, the Regatta Centre and the Thames post-race party: How, how can James rise to the occasion this year?  Will everyone remember to pay for their room? Will the eels still be in residence? And will the Volvo return for another innings? Time will tell. It's an exciting year, Serpees.

                        BDA NATIONAL LEAGUE    Click here for photos
                            Sunday 11th June 2006
                                Stockton-on-Tees
                            by roving reporter Michael Nattress

Once again the BDA road-show rolled into Stockton for its annual visit to the North East and as usual a poor turn out for the most northerly event of the year. A big thank you to those crews who travelled "up north". Amathus DBC including Wasps & Bees, Thames, B.A., Cool Runnings and Pool of Life together with our hosts Powerhouse provided us with a good days racing.

As per usual the event started with the 250m races. There were two heats and progression was based on the average time of the two heats with the 3 fastest to the major final, next 3 to the minor final.

The day started well for the Serpees. In the first heat of the 250m race we were lined up against Powerhouse and Amathus Bees. Local pride was at stake in this one and the Serpents came out on top with a time of 1:02:86. Powerhouse finished 2nd (1:08:01) and Amathus Bees 3rd (1:08:031).

In the 2nd heat the Serpents were up against B.A. Hurricanes and once again Amathus Bees. Once again the Serpents dug deep and crossed the line in 1st place in a time of 1:03:49 followed closely by B.A (1:04:55) and with Amathus Bees cruising through to the finish line in 3rd place (1:09:34).

As we had won both of our heats we were placed into the major final. We were all aware that Amathus and Thames had posted some good times in their heats but with the usual Three Rivers grit and determination we rolled up to the start line with glory in our minds. The race was a blur and in a time of 1:01:38 we crossed the finish line – in 3rd place. Amathus waited until the last 250m race of the day to pull out the fastest time for that distance, crossing the line in a time of 59:85 with Thames finishing 2nd in 1:00:26.

With the 250m races over and finishing with our fastest time for that distance we settled down for some lunch and a chance to enjoy the sun which did in fact shine in the North East all day.

At 2pm the first of the 500m races took place. As with the 250m races, there were two heats and progression was based on the average time of the two heats with the 3 fastest to the major final, next 3 to the minor final.

Once again the Serpents were in the first race, crossing the finish line in 1st place in a time of 2:00:58. At one point it looked like we were actually doing a slalom course but we all know that if that dragon boat decides to go one way it’s a struggle for the helm to get it back on course!!! Powerhouse came in 2nd (2:04:97) and Pool of Life 3rd (2:24:32).

Before our second heat we new that Thames had posted a time of 1:53:42, Amathus 1:49:78 and B.A 1:59:66. It was so important to pull out all the stops, dig deep and go for a good time.

Before our second heat we new that Thames had posted a time of 1:53:42, Amathus 1:49:78 and B.A 1:59:66. It was so important to pull out all the stops, dig deep and go for a good time.

In our second heat, we lined up against Pool of Life and Amathus Bees. After sorting out our balance issue by swapping a light leftie for a not so light rightie we were on our way. The rate was good and we got into our stride and once again finished first in a time of 1:53:91. Amathus Bees followed (2:00:34) and Pool of Life finished 3rd (2:23:24).

We did what we wanted to do and posted a better time than our first heat. Qualification for the major final all depended on what time B.A would finish in the next heat…..

Luck wasn’t on our side today as B.A finished 2nd in their heat in a time of 1:52:66 putting them into the major final against Amathus and Thames.

The Serpents lined up in the minor final against Cool Runnings and Amathus Bees. Once again we won our race stomping home in a time of 1:53:91 with a close battle for 2nd place which was won by Cool Runnings in 2:00:20 with Amathus Bees finishing 3rd in a time of 2:00:64.

Amathus waited until the last race of the 500m to pull out the fastest time of the day over that day winning the race in a time of 1:42:81. Amathus were in cool down mode before Thames crossed the line in 1:47:18 followed by B.A. in 1:52:59.

All of the Serpents went home happy in the satisfaction that the only race they were beaten in was the 250m final.

Click here for photos

                                    Training Camp

                            BDA NATIONAL LEAGUE
                                Sunday 30th April, 2006 
                                Albert Docks, Liverpool

 Proceedings started well with most of the Serpees arriving on time for the first race - but poor old Wennie was noticeably absent (must be another of those age-related maladies, chap's clocking on nowadays).  Debs did a sterling job of running us round a large concrete platform to warm up whilst Kempie attempted Gladiatorial feats on the parallel bars.  First up the 200 m, a good break-in for the newer paddlers and we stormed off the line using our fast start to huge advantage.  Our fast time put us straight into the Major Final (no pesky reps to get through, that's not a typo) and although we didn't beat Batchworth, we gave them a run for their money and threw down the gauntlet for the rest of the day's challengers.  Batchworth: 47.70 s; Amathus: 48.39 s; 3RS: 48.90; Kingston: 50.02 s.  How close??? AND a win against Kingston Royals!   Fantastic first race and we knew we had more.   This was what all that winter training had been about and I think everyone would agree that it has been worth every technical correction and rainy piece in the shallows down at Durham.  There's much more there in the tank... I wonder whether we scared a few people... Not the usual Serpent show.

Five hundreds were a  bit hit and miss with some close races and some less so.  To be perfectly honest, the Serpent life is never an easy one and this was blatantly apparent to both our new paddlers and our new 'guest paddlers' who are under starter's orders to race with us in prep for Toronto.  We qualified for the Cup competition due to our 200 m success and were up against Thames Taniwhas and BA Hurricanes in the first heat.  Thames won in 2.08.50, 3RS 2nd with 2.08.92 (a dragon's breath from 1st) and 3rd were BA with 2.18.44.   With virtually no time between heats, we flew back onto the water only to find our boat fenced in - several scary minutes later we were back on track and paddling furiously to the start only to hear those infamously demoralizing words "Three Rivers you are late to the start and have incurred a 3 second time penalty".  Well thanks a lot.  No warning, no discussion, no way!  Team leader Keni put her head in her hands momentarily and I watched an impressive display of self control as she put a stern face on and instructed us to put it out of our minds and focus on the job in hand.  We have to win by more than 3 seconds then!  Traditional Serpent fight was ignited and we shot off the start determined to win.  We took a circuitous route colliding with a large white buoy (it was a heart-stopping moment for me as my beautiful, marvelous new paddle had it's strength tested against this white monster - Susie T even created a new demonstration sport of airborne paddling acrobatics)..............  I wonder was it entirely necessary for the tannoy announcement regarding the time penalty, before we were even off the water?  Keni and Matt (guesting from Batchworth both as paddler and diplomat) went to reason with the chiefs, but to no avail.  We got into the semis anyway which is pretty good going on pure adrenalin and Serpent fighting spirit.  It only makes us faster you see.

So, onto the semis but we ended up in those damned reps again, we will kick this nasty habit though.  Bit of a mare really and we had to settle for the minor final but hey, that's not too bad all round is it? Worst we could do was sixth overall.  Actually we were convinced we had come at least 5th, with a close call between us and Kingston for 4th, but apparently not.  "Sixth place Three River Serpents etc etc". Well, by this time we were in need of warmth, showers, beer and food anyway.  Any order.  I know that different people had mixed emotions about the day, but I think we need to focus on the following:  Look again at the times that I have posted.  And again.  See, they're pretty damn good.  And we can do more than that.  Ok, we may have had the odd 'less good' race and we were hindered by political issues etc but we did really, really well!  I think we would all have liked to see the photo finish for that 500 m final.  We can win that next time, in fact we should really be in the major final.  Teeside will be a good day for us.

Big thanks to Matt, Michelle and Adie for joining the Serpents, you were all great in paddling, drumming and peacekeeping...

And so on to the main event, as predicted finding the Travelodge proved a quest in itself with Spencie on the case with his SatNav, hotly pursued by Kerry-car, Jane-car and Susie-car. Several car park changes later we arrived to queue for 45 min whilst some youngsters checked in one by one, paying in 20p's and taking 10 min a piece to string a sentence together. Kempie correctly insinuated that it was a close call in the intelligence stakes either side of the counter. Jane managed to get us all (n=14!) a free bfast which was later revoked by the manager (see below).  The finale was a splendid performance by award-winning Debs which can be best summed up as follows:

"Five-Storey Hotel in Liverpool City Centre Evacuated in Hair-Straightening Smoke-Out" [please email entries for the caption competition (see below) and indeed your version of events to carolinedod@aol.com - the best will be posted here].

 Personally, I will never quite get over the sight of two massive firemen in full burning-building regalia, including helmets (c'mon, did she do this on purpose?) in our doorway with expressions lying somewhere between utter boredom and complete astonishment.

By the time we made it out of the hotel, had dinner and battled the elements to find a bar it was pretty late and some retired early to bed, others joining Glen and Twistin' for a revival of the old flamenco routine.  Thanks to James for rescuing my top and bag from the top of the fruit machine and the greasy paws of  the local scallys - you'd think, living in Gateshead.....

Hangovers abound, a quick jaunt up the multimotorway and we were back in the good old NE.  See you next time fellow racers!

Click on the thumbnail to the left to see  "Debs Macosie Washington, latest recruit for the Big Brother House..."