Colleen Richards

“I grew up an athlete. Played soccer since I was 6 and played in college for the William Smith Herons. 15+ years of soccer did a lot of damage to my lower body, especially my knees. My NYC dentist knew how athletic I was and that I had chronic knee issues. He suggested I try dragon boat, as he said it’s little to no impact on knees and upper body-focused. Little did I know that he was with DCH Racing, one of the best clubs in the world. I remember getting lost going to my first practice and just made it in time before we pushed off. I had NO IDEA what I was doing and it was really hard. I didn’t think I would go back, honestly. My second practice, though, was much better and I started getting into it. Then I did my first race and knew I was addicted.

In 2012, I traveled to Hong Kong with DCH for the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in the harbor. It was like the World Cup or Olympics. Teams from all over the world were there. I loved how each country and team had their own style. Some teams were smaller with a quick stroke rate, or a bit broader with big power strokes. It will always be a very fond memory of mine!

2018 has also been a rush. Being part of PDBC has been life-changing. We train with intention, making each stroke count. Our final race was in our own backyard, the Schuylkill River. We had two boats out; I was on the A boat and once we hit the water, we knew we were in game mode. We lined up, ready for our 500m race; we shot out of the gate, with open water the whole way. We finished in 1:55:55, our fastest of the year.

We were pumped but humble, as we knew all teams had their eyes on us. Going into the grand final, we knew we had the fastest time of the day, but other teams were at our heels. We hit our start hard, fast, and strong; we wanted that open water. Our drummer, Roxanne, quoted a line from an email our coach had sent us: “Playtime’s over. Let’s take this!” she said. Immediately, our energy increased and we got a full boat-length ahead. I feel it was a mix of wanting gold and knowing this was the last race of the whole season; all 20 of us were huffing and puffing when we crossed the finish line at 1:56. “I think I blacked out” was the common phrase, as we caught our breath. We’d given it our all and left it all on the water.

Honestly, races are very memorable, but what we do off the water is what I’ll remember most, like dinners, concerts, trips, etc. Bonds with teammates are what I hold near and dear to my heart and will forever change my life.

[Colleen Richards (Philadelphia & New York City, USA), paddler on Pennsylvania Dragon Boat Club, ex-paddler on DCH Racing.]

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