Rowbust Dragon Boat Racing Team

Rowbust - 2018 Adventures, a few final thoughts...

7/28/2018

It’s been a week since our final race in Szeged, Hungary effectively wrapping up our teams 2018 European adventures that we’ve been planning for the last two years! Many (…many) fundraising events, training camps, fitdex testings, weigh ins, paddling practices and workouts later and it’s all done!

Our traveling members are making their way home after well-deserved vacations. Some are already home, some are on their way and some are on extended vacations traveling around Europe.

I’m sure that each of us have taken time over the past week or few weeks, depending upon which event we’ve participated in, to reflect upon what we accomplished this July. It was nothing short of “Awesome good” …a term that somehow found it’s way in to our boat in Hungary from the out-of-breath mouth of one of our crew after a particularly grueling race…and it stuck!

Our teammates who travelled to Florence, Italy and raced in the International Breast Cancer Paddler’s Commission (IBCPC) Participatory Festival for breast cancer survivors from around the globe did us proud as ambassadors of Rowbust! Many of this crew had never been to an event of this type or magnitude and they were thrilled to take part! We are thrilled that they were the crew who represented us at the Ultimate Celebration of Survivorship & Sisterhood! Teams from around the globe congregating in one place to share their love of paddling and togetherness while celebrating the best gift of all…LIFE! A life made better by living it together one stroke at a time.

In Hungary we pulled out some incredible racing. Personally, after our first 200m race when we had to put absolutely everything we had in to keeping our boat in the lead…I was scared. The other teams have been working hard to be faster than us…to beat us! No longer would Rowbust blow the other crews out of the water. No longer would we cross the finish line with fuel left in our tanks. We were pushed hard by our competitors and we LOVED IT! We dug deep. Deeper than we have ever had to in the past. We took no prisoners! We trusted our long powerful strokes, our drummer, our stern and our coaches…but most of all we trusted ourselves. Each stroke was a display of our dedication to this team. To each other. To the members on the shore. To the members at home. To the members we have lost…

I want to thank everyone, again, who followed us through our adventures this summer via our blog. I am never quite sure of how many readers we have until I hear from my teammates about the texts, emails and other messages they get from home and pass on to me. Or when a reader leaves a comment for me to share with the team. It has been an honour for me, Suzanne N. and for Susan O., to share our stories with you from Italy and Hungary on behalf of our teammates. It has been incredible for us to have these experiences and to share them. And to know how much it is appreciated at home makes it so much sweeter!

Humbly yours…Suzanne & Susan 😊

Paddles Up!

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Rowbust in Hungary - 2,000m Race Day!

7/21/2018

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This is it, the last day of racing for Rowbust at the Club Crew World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. The venue has changed. We were now racing on the Tisza River that runs right through Szeged. The same place where the opening ceremonies were held just a few days ago. The vendors have all moved their tents and their wares from the Olympic Regatta Center to the banks of the Tisza. And the locals can come and watch some excellent Dragon Boat races and cheer on their favourite crews.

Once again, it’s hot. There is little shade cover but we managed to find a good spot outside of the new paddlers village in the park above the river.

Soon we were warming up with some cardio exercise and mentally preparing for the 2,000m race we came here for.

We watched a few first. We saw the swift current that made the first and third 500m legs of the races look really easy and the second and fourth look really hard as paddlers fought the current in the opposite direction.

It was our turn. We loaded our boat. Each of us having to sit on the edge of a pier to step down to a platform to then get down in to the boat. Once loaded we push away from the dock and we head to the start line. We get a taste of what the second and fourth 500m stretches will feel like.

We were the last of 10 boats to leave the start line and we are drifting in the current that wants to snatch us. Shirley is an expert stern and keeps us from getting caught in it before it’s time.
Boats approach the start line at 15 second intervals for the 2,000m with the fastest boats last…this means we had some passing to do!

We floated up to the start line, we were set in our “Ready Ready” position and on the starters very calm and quiet “Go” we were off. Shirley got us right in the current and we used it to our advantage for the first 500m. We were just off the tail of the New Zealand crew in front of us. Shirley took us around the turn and Laura called us to “restart NOW” as we straightened up. The second 500m was rough, there was wake from other boats that jostled us around but we powered through. It took the full 500m to get the head of our dragon passed the tail of the New Zealand boat to attempt to have the right of way around the second turn.

Going in to the turn…even though the head of our dragon was definitely passed the tail of the New Zealand boat the official gave the right of way to New Zealand. However…we continued to power through the turn. The stern of the New Zealand boat was yelling at us to get out of her way but we didn’t stop. We’ve been caught in this position before and it’s cost us the gold medal…we would not be letting up to let that happen again! Shirley turned our boat so close to the bouys that we hit every one on our way by…but she kept them on the right side so there could be no penalty! Once we were cranked around the final bouy and in to our “restart” we took off like a shot and left the New Zealand boat in our wake!

We were in the current again on the third stretch. Our paddles hitting the water in sync on every stroke. Suddenly…Nathalie’s paddle “catches a crab” and flies out of her bottom hand…the same thing had happened to her at National’s and just like then she reacted quickly, grabbing it back and jumping back in to stroke like nothing happened!

In to turn three we go, our sites are now on the Vermont boat. We didn’t catch them on the straight away but we most definitely closed the gap!!

Again Shirley takes us around the bouys in a turn so smooth and tight…it’s really a thing of beauty to see first hand.

On the home stretch we are giving it everything we’ve got left in us to catch up and pass Vermont! Our strokes are long and strong. We are focused on our one job…to paddle with all our might.

A hundred meters out of the finish line we are called to bring our rate up with power. A few more strokes and we’re called up again. We power through the finish line before we are finally able to “let it run”.

Something that never happens….Captain Linda has collapsed breathless in seat one. We all know how that feels! You give and give and give everything to get you, your team and your boat across the finish line and there is just nothing left at the end! THAT is what gets us there! THAT is what gets us the GOLD!

There is no celebrating in our boat…1) we don’t want to tip 2) we really don’t know where we ended up in time. We knew that there could be penalties involved from turn two when we didn’t have the right of way.

So we paddled back to the dock. Got out of our boat and went back to our camp to wait for the official results. There was no celebrating of any kind, just nervous chatter until Coach Cheryl came to deliver the news. New Zealand was protesting our start and our turn two. But they’d LOST their protest!! We’d won our 2,000m race!! Three GOLD medals at CCWC!

We did what we came here to do! We came to defend our title and defend we did!

2,000m Race times:
* Rowbust – 10:34.152
* Vermont – 10:50.801
* New Zealand – 11:04.482

Lining up for our third turn on the podium we were told that we had to wait. The race was still under protest. We thought perhaps the young man who was volunteering surely had not been given the news. He must have been mistaken.

The announcer called the winner of the Silver medal – New Zealand???

How could this be? Vermont clearly had the faster time.

But Vermont had made a critical error…. They did not cross the finish line between the proper yellow bouys and they were disqualified. This cost them their medal. They did not get to the podium at all. How disappointing for them. But this is racing on a World level. There are rules. If they are broken, there are clear consequences.

Outside of the podium area we gathered with Vermont and New Zealand for more celebratory pictures. This is where the friendships are formed. Jersey’s traded, email addresses and Facebook info exchanged. There is no animosity here. That is left out on the water and we part as friends.

Until we meet again ladies! Thank you for a week of exciting racing!

Now it’s time to celebrate! Time to relax and enjoy our teammates and supporters.

Thank you to everyone at home who has followed us through this Hungarian adventure!!

We will all go in our separate directions now to enjoy some earned down time to explore more of Europe! But we will all be together again soon…at home, on our beautiful Fanshawe Lake!

Paddles UP! Take it away…..

(Pictures to follow....)

Suzanne Newington

Rowbust member since 2011. Keeper of the Blog. Proud member of the 2014 (Italy), 2016 (Australia) and 2018 Hungary CCWC crew!

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Rowbust in Hungary - 500m Race Day

7/19/2018

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Let me start this one by saying…..”Holy Cow!!! What an amazing day!”

Another early start today, breakfast at 5:30am, on the bus for 6:30am and headed to the Olympic Regatta Centre. The day started out cloudy, grey and cool with a threat of rain but we’re no strangers to adverse paddling conditions so the weather was no real concern. Turns out it warmed up!

Today moved very quickly…we got off the bus, dropped our gear in our space in paddlers village, got our marching orders from Coach, started our warm up and then headed down to marshalling for our first 500m race of the day.

Our first race had us in lane 2 right between Vermont and New Zealand. There was a delay on the dock so when we loaded our boat and headed to the start line we had some time to make up to catch up to the other boats in our race…no harm, it was a good warm up!

On the start line Shirley and Laura got us in the starting boot, the strokes (seat one – Tracy & Linda) made sure the head of our dragon was in the center of the boot while the back (seat ten) continued to paddle us forward to keep us in the boot. However, we rebounded off the boot and started the race slightly behind the other boats.

Even with the rebound we nailed our start. Up…up…UP…POWER and then lengthen! We surged down the race course and fought to pull our boat out in front. Laura and Shirley called a number of power series and we crept up seat by seat by seat to win our first 500m heat race! But looking over at the other boats we saw just how close Vermont was. So close! Too close!

500m Race #1 times:
* Rowbust – 2:24.113
* Vermont – 2:26.580
* New Zealand – 2:28.202

Back in our huddle we had the usual debrief with Coaches, we discussed and dissected our race…how did it feel, were we able to keep our strokes long and the stroke rate. As always there are things we need to work on.

And it wasn’t long before we got the chance to do just that. We were off to marshaling again for our second 500m race of the day.

This time we were not delayed in loading our boat…but this time the current caught us and pushed us towards other boats loaded and trying to get away from the dock. We found ourselves sideways and being pushed between two other docks. Shirley’s excellent steering skills and Laura’s eyes and direction got us clear of the situation and headed out to the start line. We shook off what had just happened and brought our focus back inside our boat.

As we approached the pass through between the back channel and the race course we were called to a stop because a boat had capsized just beyond the finish line! Yep, it happens…thankfully it’s not happened to us! But it certainly could.

The boat and paddlers were cleared from the water, everyone was okay and we were able to approach the start line for our second of three 500m races.

Second race, we were securely in the starting boot, this time in lane 1. For a 5th straight time we nailed our start! Again, we battled with Vermont down the course. Again, we pulled ahead seat by seat. Again, we crossed the finish line just before them. When Laura called us in to a power, their drummer called them to power…they were mirroring our race plan! We’d won, but we needed to make some changes for the third race.

500m Race #2 times:
* Rowbust – 2:23.466
* Vermont – 2:24.788
* New Zealand – 2:29.194

In our debrief huddle we formed a plan! Coach Sarah had one “small” request….she wanted to see us win by a half a boat length. Okay Coach, we’ll do our very best to delivery!
This time there were no hang ups in getting away from the dock and soon we were approaching the start line in lane 3 for our final 500m race of the day.

We had our orders…half a boat coming up Sarah!

We powered out of the start and went in to our nice, long stroke. Surging down the race course we put the new plan in to action. Shirley quietly spoke to the back 6 paddlers to power it up…we felt it in the middle and front of the boat and started our power series to get us out of there! It worked…the other boats were not powering! They couldn’t hear us, so they couldn’t mirror us! We did it again and again. We were in stealth mode. Quietly pulling out in front. Sarah had asked us to give her a half a boat length…we filled that order and more! We gave her more than one full boat length in our finish! We did it!! We’d won another Gold medal!!

500m Race #3 times:
* Rowbust – 2:22.161
* Vermont – 2:27.233
* New Zealand – 2:27.538

The last race proved to us that if we trust our long stroke it will carry us to victory! Cheryl & Sarah are always telling us to trust the stroke, trust the race plan…and we did just that. Each 500m race we did better and better, shaving time off with each pass across the finish line. We worked together as a well oiled machine and got the job done! We are elated in our performance today as are our Coaches.

Another trip to the podium for us! Another medal to wear proudly!

Only one race stands between us and total victory. The 2km. It’s our favourite race!

Tomorrow is another day off for us, we’ll be nicely rested for the 2km on Saturday when the race venue changes to the Tisa River right in Szeged! The stands will be packed with paddlers and locals!

Check our Facebook page for pictures and videos of today’s victory.

Thank you to our readers who are following along with these adventures!

A very special Thank You to three very special sponsors – Movati Athletic, Egg Farmers of Ontario and Siskinds the Law Firm! Movati is where we go to get fitter and stronger all winter, Egg Farmers of Ontario provided our new race jersey’s and Siskinds our new uniform pants – all three make us look and feel GREAT! Thank you!!

Stay tuned folks! More excitement coming your way…

Suzanne Newington

Rowbust member since 2011. Proud member of the Italy (2014), Australia (2016) and Hungary (2018) CCWC crews.

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Rowbust in Hungary - 200m Race Day

7/17/2018

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It was an early start today…buffet breakfast at 5am, on the bus heading to race site at 6am! It’s a half hour bus ride to the Olympic Regatta Centre in Szeged.

We arrived at race site as many other teams were filing off of their buses and setting up camp for the day. All of Canada and Australia are parked inside a very large indoor area with huge bay doors open to the water, some bay doors open to the back to allow for air flow and some tents pitched out back for overflow of teams. Other countries are camped out in similar areas. It is cool in this “paddlers village” and we are out of the sun with ample space to stash our belongings.

Once we were organized in our space we got to the business of preparing for our first race. Before every individual race we warm up with cardio and stretching before heading off to marshaling. It’s important to get our heart rates up, our blood pumping and our muscles loose.

Our first race was race # 4. We were in lane 3.

Lining up in the marshaling tent was our first real chance to size up our competition and at the same time to greet and hug old friends we’ve not seen in 2 and 4 years since we first met them in Italy (2014) and Australia (2016).

Down to the docks we were lead by Shirley and Laura…we loaded quickly and headed out to the start line. This venue is unique in that we don’t paddle along side the race course in the opposite direction to get to the start line, there is a channel of water that runs along side the race course separated by a narrow strip of land and a passageway between to enter the race course area. In this channel we can practice a couple of starts and other technical while we paddle ourselves to the start line.

We approached the starting boot in lane 3 along side the other BCS boats who are gunning for us. As usual Shirley & Laura got the nose of our dragon in the boot with ease and then Linda & Tracy (strokes) and the paddlers in seat 10 kept us in place by applying pressure in the water.

The starts come quickly once everyone is lined up! The starter announces that all boats are in line…”Are You Ready”…”Attention” – Shirley & Laura call us to action with a loud “Ready Ready” and we wait for the starting signal.

On the “GO!” all boats nail the start and power down the race course…it was so quick, there was no time to think, only react! We powered through our finish and only looked over at the competition once we crossed the finish line to find Vermont and New Zealand right on our tale!! No open water between our boats. They stayed on us all the way…but did not catch us! Phew!!

Our Race #1 times:
* Rowbust – 56.968
* Vermont – 58.727
* New Zealand – 59.572

There was not much more than an hour between our first and second race.

Race #2 we were in lane 1. Lining up beside us to our left was Vermont and New Zealand beside them. We approached the line again…butterflies harnessed and ready to blow off that start line…. “GO!” and again, all boats nail the start and it’s another dash down the race course with no room to breathe. Again, they were right there! Holy crap…what was race #3 going to bring. Would we be able to pull it out?!?

Our Race #2 times:
* Rowbust – 58.118
* Vermont – 59.127
* New Zealand – 59.254

Again, not much time between races...just barely enough time to get a paddle repaired! Halfway down the race course in our second race Newton felt the handle of her paddle twist! Oh shoot! That's not good... Once we were off the boat and debriefed our race with Coaches, Newton and Captain Linda Kuska went in search of Linda's husband "Mr. Fix Everything Bob Kuska" for a quick paddle repair. Bob took it one giant step further and ran the paddle over to a paddle repair tent in the vendors area. Within 20 minutes the paddle was repaired and more solid than it was when it was manufactured! AND - the repair guy wouldn't take any money for it!! What service!! It wasn't even the same brand of paddle that he was also selling!

With a repaired paddle Newton wasted no time in getting over to the marshaling area to wait with the team for the final race of the day.

Race #3, back in lane 1…we’re lined up, we’re ready….”GO!” as we expected, all starts are nailed and it’s a dog fight to the finish!! But we did it…we held them all off to secure the GOLD in the 200m!

Our Race # 3 times:
* Rowbust – 58.128
* Vermont – 59.532
* New Zealand – 1:00.000

This was an awesome day!! We laid down some excellent races and emerged victorious!

Vermont & New Zealand gave us some serious competition! That’s exactly what we came here for, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best! And so far we are the best…at 200m! But we’ve got lots of racing left to do this week so there is no getting lazy about it now!

Thursday, July 19, 2018 is our 500m race day. After today we know that we’ve got a fight on our hands!

Stay tuned! More exciting racing coming up!

To see video footage of our final 200m race and our walk to the podium go to our Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/rowbust/

Suzanne Newington

Rowbust member since 2011. Proud owner of a newly repaired paddle!

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Rowbust in Hungary - Opening Ceremonies

7/17/2018

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Opening Ceremonies – Monday July 16, 2018

Oh what a night!! 6000+ dragon boaters organized by country waiting patiently to start the Parade of Athletes down to the waters edge of the River Tisa! The excitement was palpable as we found ourselves surrounded by many other Canadian teams as we waited for the parade to start.

Amongst the crowd we found our fellow paddlers from back home at Fanshawe Lake! At home we call them Pendragons, but here in Hungary they are paddling with the Great Lakes Paddlers alliance who are made up of a group of teams around Southwestern Ontario and they are making their first trip to CCWC!

Assembling 6000+ paddlers in to some sort of orderly fashion is a feat of engineering in itself! The organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job of corralling everyone and getting us pointed in the right direction.

Canada was in the first group of countries to make our way along the parade route. We are 20 paddling clubs strong…approximately 30 crews altogether…and it was our own Linda Wharton who got every Canadian in the crowd singing “O’Canada” as we walked! It was such an inspiring moment!

We walked from the city square through a park and down a staircase to the concrete river bank to pass in front of a waiting audience as they applauded and cheered for the athletes carrying their team banners and country flags.

Once we found our place we sat in the stands and joined the crowd in the cheering. As the other BCS teams passed we clapped and cheered louder while waving at the friendly faces we know from previous competition! As we watched we saw many happy reunions between paddlers from opposing countries, some actually broke from their groups in the parade to quickly greet and hug their friends that they may only ever get to see at these competitions!

When the parade was finally over the river bank was FULL! Then we were treated to an air show by one very talented pilot in a “Red Bull” sponsored plane. He did many dips, dives and many other airobatic moves…including a number of free falls and passes under bridges and low over the water before pulling up “just in time” to miss slamming in to another bridge. As he finished up the pilot made the plane “wave goodbye” with it’s wings in one final pass down the river. It was spectacular!! And likely the only way to get 6000+ people to be quiet! LOL

Speeches and other festivities followed the air entertainment but, sadly, we were just to far away to see or hear them regardless of our efforts. The crowd eventually dwindled and we went in search of our bus back to the hotel. Racing would start early the next day so we made it as early a night as possible.

The next days race schedule…if you want to look up and watch our races on YouTube when they are posted is: Tuesday, July 17, 2018 – 200m race #’s 4, 13 and 44.

Next post – 200m race day!

Suzanne Newington

Rowbust member since 2011, keeper of the blog and a very proud member of the 2014, 2016 & 2018 Club Crew World Championship crews!

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Rowbust in Hungary - Practice 1 & 2

7/15/2018

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And so the fun begins…and by fun I mean two practice sessions getting a feel for the water at the Olympic Regatta Centre in Szeged where we will be racing the 200m and 500m race distances on Monday & Wednesday.

You know that heat wave we’ve been having in Ontario lately…turns out it was a good thing for Rowbust because WOW it’s hot here!

We were picked up by the bus at 8am and were whisked off to the race site. The drive took about 30 minutes and we got to see some lovely Hungarian countryside scenery on our way. If we didn’t know better, at times it looked like it could have been a Canadian country road! Lots of trees, vegetation and growing in the fields are many of the same crops at home.

When we arrived at race site it felt as though every Canadian team had booked the same time slot so we knew we were in great company.

Arriving at race site for Club Crews is always a special moment. Taking that step off the bus and getting the first glimpse of it is exciting. And even more exciting is seeing the looks on the faces of those who are taking their first trip to Club Crews. It’s a feeling one doesn’t forget! And for those of us who’ve been here in 2014 (Ravenna, Italy), 2016 (Adelaide, Australia) and back again in 2018 seeing the stars in the eyes of the first timers puts us right back there in our first moments too.

Soon we were organized with a spot to put down our gear with a shady spot to warm up and to wait for our instructions from Coach. The only thing left to do was to get in the boat and see how the water feels, how the boat feels and to get our muscles moving after long days of travel and HEAT! Did I mention the heat?!?

Just like at home in Welland the start line is equipped with starting “boots” (they call them “cups” here) to hold each boat precisely in line for the start of the race. When the gun fires to signal the start, the boot drops away and the boats start moving toward the finish line. Held starts are a luxury that we appreciate!

The two practice sessions we had today were “good” and “better”. The first was good…getting the feel for it and getting those butterflies to settle. The second practice was better and we harnessed the power of the butterflies and laid down several good race plans. People were moved in and out of the boat and Newton (me! 😊 ) got a chance to practice steering just in case she get’s called up!

When we were done on the water we felt good, we were tired from the work out….oh, and HOT!

To give you a sense of the size of this event…here are some stats….

6 days
60 hours of racing
451 races
119 finals
6000+ athletes
30 Countries
140 clubs (20 Canadian!)
1331 entries
6732 medals awarded
62 international officials

This is a huge undertaking for the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the Hungarian Dragon Boat Federation and it is exciting for us to be a part of it for our third time!

No matter what the outcome of these Championships we are forever grateful that the Breast Cancer Survivors of the world can come together on a world stage and compete! We are athletes, cancer has brought us together but paddling and competing keeps us healthy and living life to the fullest!

That’s all for today folks!

Good night from Hungary!

***NOTE – Race times for day one have changed…I will wait to post them for you until after tomorrows practice & opening ceremonies in case there are any further changes!

Suzanne Newington (aka Newton)

Rowbust member since 2011, Keeper of the Team Blog, proud member of the Hungary 2018 CCWC Crew!

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Rowbust in Hungary - Day "2"...

7/13/2018

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After a good night sleep (well most of us) and a great breakfast at our Aqua Hotel in Kistelek, we figured out the bus situation and made our way to Szeged to register our crew for the Club Crew World Championships.

First off, trying to figure out the bus system when the people we are asking don't speak English and we don't speak Hungarian is a challenge but hand signals and gestures really do work.......and of course Google Translate :)

Once we figured out what bus to get on and how to pay....we were safely on our way to Szeged!

Then we arrived at the bus station in Szeged and with the help of our bus driver who did speak English, we then had to figure out the city bus system.........but we got on the bus and hopefully our bus driver would tell us when to get off.

But, also had some helpful local passengers who also wanted to help us out........maybe some a little too much. One passenger told us to get off at a stop, half of us got off the bus, the bus door closed but that wasn't the right stop....."open the door, get back on the bus".......so the bus driver opened the door let them back on and then to the correct stop and off we go......the bus was cheering for us when we made our stop!! We are entertaining anyway!

We walked to the Hotel to get our crew registered, which took about 30 minutes and off we went. We decided that we had enough of the city bus system and that we would walk back to the main bus terminal to catch the bus back to Kistelek.

We found a lovely pedestrian shopping district and took our time getting back to the bus terminal.

We found our bus station and then waited for our bus. Once back on the bus, a little nap before getting back to our quiet little village.

Once back at the hotel, a workout in the gym facility next to the hotel and a little team meeting.

Supper...some stayed at the hotel, some went across the road to have THE BEST Pizza EVER!!! For $5 each, we had our fill of HUGE pizza slices........it was awesome!!

After supper, some played cards and then some of us went in the Thermal Pools........WOW....what an awesome feeling that is.....nice and relaxing and then off to bed!!

Tomorrow night, Suzanne, Glynis and Tracy will be arriving and then our crew will almost be complete!!

Till tomorrow......Good night!!

Linda Kuska

Linda is an original member of Rowbust and has been with the team for all of it's 19 years. She is also the Team's Captain. Linda has served on the Board of Directors as well as chaired many committees.

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Rowbust arrives in Szeged, Hungary!

7/13/2018

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July 11, 2018
The majority of the crew representing Rowbust at the Club Crew World Championships in Szeged, Hungary were picked up by Robert Q and taken to the Toronto Airport to take an overnight flight to Budapest. Three remaining members will fly out of Toronto on Friday July 13th.

What we discovered that on our flight were mainly dragon boaters from all all over Canada flying to Szeged. It was going to be one noisy flight...

After a short delay, we were off. Lots of chatter initially on the plane but the crew fed us early on in the flight and then slowly, sleep.....or restless sleep took over.

We arrived in Budapest at 11:30 am their time which was actually 5:30 am Ontario time.

Some of us had short bursts of sleep.....but most didn't sleep much......so now to stay awake until we went to bed tonight!

A few people spoke English in the Budpest airport but not many and now we were on the hunt for our bus to take us to our hotel in Kistelek.

After some phone calls, translating and tracking down, we found our bus and driver!

We loaded our luggage and paddles and off to our hotel in Kistelek which is about 30 minutes from the race site.

Once on the bus and the 90 minute ride many drifted off to sleep for a short nap!

Then to our Aqua Hotel, this is a small hotel with only 20 rooms and we took 17 of them! What helpful staff (who spoke English) and they guided us through the check in process and gave us tips on where to find things and bus, train etc.

Once we were checked in and settled, off for a run or fast walk and some stretches to get our appetite for supper and to get a little bit of activity.

Then the hotel buffet supper......WOW....what a spread! It was awesome and just what we needed.

We also have access to the Thermal baths but Thursday nights they close early so we'll leave that for tomorrow!!

Out for a short walk after supper and then some other Rowbust team members started to arrive from various places in Europe!

The plan for tomorrow.......take the bus to Szeged, get the team registered for CCWC and explore that city for a little bit.

Now....off to bed and get some good sleep

Linda Kuska

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Rowbust @ IBCPC Florence, Italy - Sunday & Closing

7/11/2018

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Sunday, July 8th

Day 2 of racing was impossibly hotter than the day before. Rowbust thankfully had a late morning start so team members were well rested upon arriving at the venue. As always, we completed our warm up and convened for our "marching orders". Coach Sarah encouraged us to focus on the long powerful stroke and to feel in harmony. We headed out to the start line and practiced a full start and some technical work. As we were about to line up, we quietly said, "For Sarah". The start was quick but we were ready and got off to a powerful start. We did our power out of the start and Shirley called a number of powers throughout the race to keep us focused. Our timing was on and you could feel the length and the harmony in the boat. We finished and left it ALL on the water. We were all pleased with how we'd come together and Sarah was happy with how we'd executed the race place. Here is where our "Believe" tattoos (thank you Linda Kushan!) finally hit their mark - we believed in ourselves and the power of the team!

The heat was unrelenting so we did our best to stay in the shade and to stay hydrated. We enjoyed another delicious lunch provided by the organizing committee - in the shade - and chatted with our fellow paddlers from around the world. After lunch, there was time for more pin trading, shirt swapping and team visiting. We were all very inspired by the team from Argentina who was fundraising to purchase their very first boat. They can currently only afford to rent a boat once a month to practice.

Our final race in the late afternoon was not as powerful as our morning race but we were happy with the day on the whole and prepared ourselves for the next part of the program. The Sandy Smith Global Race featured a representative from every team paddling in mixed boats. Our newbie Pat Holdsworth represented Rowbust admirably. These boats then reformed on the water for the flower ceremony - an extraordinarily powerful and emotional experience for all.

The closing ceremonies wrapped up the day and the weekend - featuring impactful speeches by the husband of Sandy Smith and by Dr. Don McKenzie, the "Father of BCS Dragon Boat Racing".
With the event at an end, we enjoyed one final meal at the site and team members split up into their respective groups to head "home" for the evening.

Teammate Patsy shares a story of a chance encounter in Florence...
I was walking along the pathway between the rows of teams looking for pins to trade. I love lighthouses so was looking for one on my travels. I suddenly noticed one on a team's sign. There was one woman sitting in the team's tent so I went in to speak to her about a pin exchange. When she asked where I was from, I replied "London, ON". She gasped. She said, "It's because of you guys that I'm here today. My husband and children are here with me. She recounted that 20 years ago, she was at a business meeting with a woman from London. The woman from London had shared that she was on a dragon boat team that was just starting. This woman (speaking to Patsy) said that she had held onto that memory. A few years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She contacted IBCPC to ask about a dragon boat team in her area (in Florida) and was told that there was no team. She was disappointed, but only momentarily because - the contact then told her, there WAS someone moving to that area who was a dragon boater who was intending to start a new team!! So, inspired by Rowbust, that is how she started!

Susan asked the question (of Rowbusters) - "what word or words would use use to describe this event and what it's like to be here?"

Susan Oster

Rowbust member since 2014, current Board member and proud member of the 2018 IBCPC Italy crew.

Contributor - Pasty Ste. Marie - Rowbust member since 2014 and proud member of both the 2018 IBCPC Italy crew AND the IDBF CCWC Hungary crew.

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Rowbust @ IBCPC in Florence, Italy - Friday & Saturday

7/9/2018

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Friday, June 6th, 2018

Today was a day of “rest” or “active rest” for many. I think most of us slept very well after the long flight (or “extreme sightseeing”) and practice the afternoon before. The weather was sunny and hot again – perfect for being outside and exploring Firenze – our host city!

Because members of the team were spread out around the city, staying in small groups, there was no fixed plan and groups were able to explore based on their own interests.

We all convened at Piazza Pitti at 5pm to line up for the Parade of Nations. Here we met one of our two amazing Team Ambassadors, Patricia, who stayed with us and supported us throughout the evening. More than 4000 paddlers from 121 teams from 18 countries were represented at the parade, coming from all continents. The teams lined up with their countries but walked with their teams. Rowbust “R” was alphabetically closer to the end of the Canada pack (33 teams!!) so the spectators along the route were warmed up with Canadian spirit and cheered our teams on – many waving Canada flags and/or breaking into “Oh Canada”. The parade route lead to Piazza Signoria for the Opening Ceremonies – hot hot hot – but full of amazing energy and fellowship. Rowbust then retired to their respective accommodations to get a good night’s sleep before the first day of racing.

Saturday, July 7th

Day 1 of racing at Cascine Park

Rowbust arrived Ready Ready for a day of racing. Our first morning race was “not our best” but we learned some great lessons and coach Sarah provided some helpful feedback for us to take into our next race for the afternoon (lengthen, lengthen, lengthen). All races at the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) Participatory Festival are 500m races – a perfect distance for our venue and the picturesque Arno River. In between our first and second race we had plenty of time to trade pins and shirts with other teams and to spread the word about our 20th anniversary event in June 2019! The energy at the venue was electrifying! We were also honouring our treasured teammates Karin, Deb and Kerry in Florence – their photos and their spirits were with us on the shore and in the boat for every race.

Our hosts offered paddlers a wonderful lunch, which we enjoyed in the shade as a team. Yes – shade was a hot commodity over the weekend as it was swelteringly hot and humid. The afternoon races were a bit delayed by rain/thunderstorms that passed through the venue. Relief was only temporary as the humidity returned with a vengeance.

Race two came late in the afternoon with Rowbust in the top twenty of all teams (120+). The team focused on our length and paddled hard but we were still not happy with how the race had come together. Coach Sarah again provided constructive feedback and appreciated the impact that the weather conditions and travel were having on paddlers.

So – with a later finish than anticipated, we were sent off to our accommodations to “freshen up” for a team dinner at Ristorante Ginori, a recommendation of our Ambassador Patricia’s. Patricia was a great help to Rowbust throughout the day – our wish was her command!!

Our team dinner was spectacular and the staff at Ristorante Ginori treated our team members (and spouses) like gold. The team presented a special “thank you” of leather-bound journals to our captains, Carolyn and Maggie, and to Coach Sarah for all of the work and support they’d provided during and leading up to this Festival. Grazie Mille! Paddlers then struck off for “home” to rest up for day two!