The “KFC Angels and Saints” were proud participants of the first ever Dragon Boat Festival in Trinidad and Tobago. The Festival was a focal point of the celebrations of the Chinese Bicentennial Arrival in Trinidad. The main feature of the event, held at the Kayak Centre in Chaguaramas, was the dragon boat race, the first of its kind in Trinidad (Dragon Boat Racing is a newly introduced sport here). The team comprised scouts from the 6^TH Trinidad Sea Scout Group (6TSS), in St. Mary’s College, the “Saints”, and nine (9) females, the “Angels”.

            6TSS involvement in aquatic activities, led to an invitation from the organisers of the event to be among the first learning the sport. Due to a number of factors, we were originally not scheduled to participate in the event (the Festival), but expected to prepare for another event involving secondary-school level teams, which is hoped to be held later. We therefore had few practice sessions, as the emphasis at the time was mainly on the races for the corporate and various Chinese Association teams.

            As time progressed however, we were notified about plans for an exhibition race, in which a World Class, Canadian team was to participate against several local teams. Three (3) weeks prior to the race, 6TSS was invited to participate. This opportunity we eagerly accepted, and set about the task of meeting one of the conditions for participation –  of the twenty-two (22) member team (plus four (4) reserves), at least eight (8) must be female

            We were able to recruit the likes of Ria Ramnarine (WIBA Mini Fly Weight World Champion), CherylAnn Sankar (Bronze Medallist Feather Weight Division Taekwondo – CAC Games), Shanice Mohammed (National Swimmer – Back and Free style strokes – CCCAN and CISC Competitions), and Emily Fitzpatrick (National Swimmer – Butterfly stroke – Goodwill Games,], Kay Moyou, Christina Rodriguez, Michelle Newallo, Rhonda Chan Soo and Melanie Trim who are all athletically fit. 6TSS went into high gear, seeking sponsorship, which was eventually obtained from Prestige Holdings Limited and Maxm. We only had seven training-sessions on three Friday afternoons, three Sunday mornings and the final training session on the Wednesday afternoon before the big day. As the race day neared, several interested members of the Scout Group were disappointed when they were not selected for the final team. More excitement was to come though, as the withdrawal of another team meant that the “Angels and Saints” were asked to enter into the qualifying heats before they would be allowed into the exhibition race.

            The team performed admirably on the day, winning our first heat in a time of 2.09.6 minutes, and coming from behind to finish first in the A division of the second heat. Unfortunately, the aggregate time of 4.36.13 minutes did not qualify to advance into the finals, but nevertheless, we came in a creditable fourteenth (14^th) out of the thirty (30) participating teams. Overall, the hard work and preparation resulted in a learning and exciting experience, and we deserve to be proud of our accomplishment.

Adrian Gittens

Immediate past Senior Corps Leader

6TSS

Team Member “Angels and Saints”