On March 7, 1998, 22 eager, if inexperienced, paddlers set forth in a dragon boat from the False Creek Community Centre dock on Alder Bay, in Vancouver, British Columbia, heading out onto the busy waterway of False Creek. It would be the first in a series of grueling, exhilirating, exhausting, and fun practices, culminating in the team taking part in the Alcan (Canadian International) Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver on the weekend of June 20, 1998.
The members of the Tragically Quick, most of whom had never picked up a paddle before, would succeed beyond anyone's wildest expectations. Rather than compete in the Novice division, where inexperienced teams normally race, they were bumped up past the Novice B division into the very competitive Recreation A division, racing against teams with five and more years of experience. The "underdog" Quick would place a respectable 8th overall in their division. Most boats were separated by mere seconds in the races the Quick competed in, leaving no room for error.
Such was the Quick's enthusiasm for dragon boat racing, they decided on an encore performance, competing in the August 1998 Victoria Dragon Boat Festival on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Once again, they held their own in the competitive Rec A division, racing against top teams from around the Northwest and North America, showing a solid 18th overall in the tournament. A job well done!
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