“You can only enjoy that what you acquire with hard work and toil. The harder you work for something, the more you enjoy that. If something is easy, how much reward is in it?” - The Barkley Marathons

Hello team, I think that 2016 has been a very special year for CYSM Sea Dragons.

I joined the team in mid-2014, so my memory of the team does not go further back than that. And although I know that in years past, CYSM was a very competitive team, this was not the case when I joined. Nothing wrong with that.

I first fell in love with the people and the atmosphere of the team, and with the sport later on, mainly as a consequence. But something was missing. Coming last all the time was not fun. Losing paddlers to other teams was not fun. I think that most people in the team felt like that, at some level or another. The end of the year survey results was very clear. Two years in a row, the survey responses focused on being competitive and improve overall fitness.

With the end of 2016, I would like to look back and review all the positive things we have accomplished as a team.

Being competitive in races

In 2016 we moved from being a team of social paddlers, to place consistently in the medals by the end of the year, getting very close to the top teams in the state.

State team

In 2016 CYSM sent four paddlers to AusChamps to participate in the Inter-State competitions. Three different categories, both female and male, to a very successful Victorian team that came back home from Adelaide full of medals.

Those four paddlers kept moving up the competitive ladder and after applying for Auroras and bringing up their training to the next level, all four made it to the National team selection camps.

I was lucky enough to be accepted into the National team.
Although on the surface this may appear as an individual achievement, for six months I was training with the team. My motivation came from the other members of the club. The four of us went through the process together with an absolute team mentality. Trained as a team and coming out stronger and more confident.

By the end of the year, more than 20 CYSM Sea Dragons have applied for State team selection for AusChamps 2017. Regardless of how many of us make it, this is a HUGE step forward as a team. Unthinkable back when I joined the club.

Training programs

2016 saw our first structured winter training sessions. Thirty paddlers participated in these sessions at one point or another, be this in the concerted gym sessions with a PT or at CYSM headquarters in Blackburn. This represents 75% of the team and is one of the main contributing factors for the club's boost in performance.

Training sessions also increased. We moved from training mainly on Saturdays, struggling to fill a boat on Tuesdays, to have five sessions. Three water sessions (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays) land training on Mondays and Sprint/running sessions on Wednesdays.

TK1 is also now available for members of the club (we had no assessors and no members using this training tool in 2015). As of today, we have six certified members and the interest keeps increasing.

International competitions

In 2016 the club sent a crew to Hong Kong for the International Dragon Boat Carnival, and even brought a trophy home for the Dry-Land Competition. This trip is one of the best experiences I have hd in the last few years, not in dragon boating, but in general.

Collaboration with other clubs

We all are proud of the culture and atmosphere of the club. We are a family and it truly feels like that. When I joined, the members of the club spent a lot of time together, in and out of the water. And it was fantastic.

In 2016 the culture also changed in regards to other clubs. This is one of the developments that makes me proud of being a CYSM member. In 2016 we moved from being a bit of an isolated club, with little interaction with other clubs to being one of the clubs that drives collaboration and growth with other clubs not only from Melbourne, but from inter-state and Hong Kong too.

We regularly get paddlers from other clubs to train with us and go for dinner/lunch with us after training. We have combined our crew in races with Dragon Masters, Southern Storm and Melbourne Flames in three different competitions. 

YRD allowed CYSM to use their 10s boat to train for Hong Kong and helped mentor our paddlers in their training for Auroras.

Eric has collaborated in the production of a promotional video for DSA, after DSA sent an ambassador to our End of Season Awards night. Both Eric and myself have paddled on different occasions with DSA when travelling to Sydney. 

Karen and KitKat also regularly paddle with other clubs when travelling internationally.

CYSM Sea Dragons website

Our website has been setting examples for other clubs in the last year. A lot of work has been put into the site in order to be our main tool to manage the club. Big shout-out to Fung and Crispy for all the behind the scenes on this.

Tons of amazing CYSM videos

Awesome compilations by our marketing manager Eric: check them out in our video gallery.

Fantastic new team gear

Design by our awesome Carol: check out our merchandise.

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Happy New Year Team and I look forward to the season ahead!

Palmy
2016/17 co-captain