Camaraderie During Covid
Navigating uncharted waters in empty boats.
The past two years have been an interesting challenge for all, and Dallas United Crew’s Pink team is no exception. We began our 2020 season with a record influx of new paddlers, all of whom experienced one practice on the water. One practice. Then it all came to a screeching halt. Our focus shifted to keeping everyone engaged and connected despite our physical isolation. Our boathouse, Dallas United Crew, stepped up by allowing everyone to bring rowing machines to their homes for individual workouts. A teammate, Emily Atlas, hosted Qigong classes via Zoom call. We used our Facebook page to maintain community, post training videos, celebrate birthdays, and communicate the growing number of festival cancellations. Would we ever get back on the water?
When our boathouse re-opened in early fall, we masked-up and showed-up. Yes, we had to record temperatures, sanitize, utilize multiple boats, and alternate rows for social distancing….but at least we were back on the boats! It was a short season, but we made the most of it.
The 2021 season began with much promise. We maintained most of our roster and even recruited a few more. We had been living with Covid for a year, most were now vaccinated, and the outlook was bright! Enter the variants. Despite new restrictions, we maintained our 2021 practice schedules and added a few opportunities to build relationships. We gathered in small groups to walk, hike, bike and kayak. We grabbed brunch or coffee together after most practices. We created our own opportunities to celebrate being together. Themed practices became frequent, whether it be “super(s)heros”, “pink-out” or our epic Halloween costume practice. Everyone enjoyed taking on a new persona, perhaps none as much as our coach, Jovin Lim, who arrived in full Wonder Woman attire. His explanation? He was simply paying tribute to “the strongest women I know.” He is an absolute gem and will do anything to encourage us and lighten our hearts.
In the absence of festivals for a second year, we realized that almost a third of our team had never known the excitement and camaraderie of a BCS Dragon Boat race day. Nor had they had the privilege of experiencing a flower ceremony. The festival schedule was out of our hands, but we could sure do something about the flower ceremony. On a beautiful, crisp, fall morning Dallas United Pink teammates, family and friends gathered in the boats and on the dock. We told stories and recalled fond memories of those we’ve lost. We celebrated the resilience of spirit for all breast cancer survivors. We shared a moment of silence to both honor the past and embrace hope for the future. It was such a wonderful morning. More than we could have imagined.
Our 7th year, is off to a great start. We’ve added even more names to our roster. Both veterans and rookies alike are hopeful for a more traditional season in 2022. We are taking it one week, one practice, one festival at a time. Paddles Up!