The Going for Gold dragon boat crew has gone to Malaysia to take part in this year's Annual Sarawak Regatta. (Sarawak Regatta 2006)

Off to Sarawak
By Kelly Crane, Staff Reporter

Forget breakfast in the hotel lobby. What about sharing your orange juice with the governor of Sarawak? That's just what a team of fitness fanatics from Dubai will be doing. The Going for Gold dragon boat crew has gone to Malaysia to take part in this year's Annual Sarawak Regatta. After the all-woman team crossed the line at an impressive second position last September, the state governor has this year invited the team from Dubai to enjoy breakfast with him — after the race.

Preparations

We caught up with the 19-strong team — this time mixed — as they made last-minute preparations for the race. Led by Julie Amer, founder of Mountain High and coach Dave Martin, the team consists of UAE residents who originate from 10 different countries. Under the guidance of team coach Dave Martin, the squad has been training since July at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, the team's official training centre. Martin has had the team at the lap pool three times a week for paddle technique training and, thanks to the long awaited arrival of Dubai's first Dragon Boats, the team has been out on the water from 6am each day to prepare for their races in Sarawak. Gym-based training was run by Tracey Rogers, a personal trainers who was on last year's squad. Cultural exchange Amer said: "It's a great way to promote and strengthen the ties between Sarawak and Dubai and connect our unique cultures through our participation in the event. We look forward to meeting the other international teams and racing into modern-day adventure history by going for gold in all three races we take part in." Aiming high This year the Going for Gold team plans to participate in three races . These include: - Tourism Malaysia Cup — where they will be up against teams from Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. - Women's Open 10 paddler category — where they will be up against local and international teams. - Men's Open 15 Paddler category — where the nine men from Dubai will join forces with five local Sarawak men to make up a squad to race.

The place The town of Sarawak is located on the north-western shore of the island of Borneo. The river is the focal point of the town and the Sarawak Regatta has been an important event with historical and cultural significance since 1872. Sarawak is home to 27 ethnic groups and is also famous for having the biggest population of Orangutan and the proboscis monkey. Also know as the land of the hornbills, which is the state's national bird, Sarawak is one big adventure playground with the world's richest tropical biodiversity and rugged rainforest wilderness. The regatta The Sarawak Regatta is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board and takes place on the first weekend of September each year. Originally, the regatta was held to settle local rivalries between disputing tribes without resorting to war or head hunting. It's an offshoot of the Baram Regatta that originally saw huge war canoes bringing ferocious warriors travelling up the river.

Tabloid
Society
Published: 09/01/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

sourced from http://www.gulfnews.com/tabloid/Society/10064259.html

Even the Chief Minister was equiring about them, They had great fun at the Astana but i believed that they did not exactly enjoyed the event on the water...

My heart goes out to all of them... nothing i say will change anything... since i am not there anymore, i still think the organizing committee has to get the objectives figured out, international or local? technical standard have to be upgraded and it is not based on the events alone, logistics, after/post event services, the list goes on... full time secretariat at least 6 months ahead...bla..bla...

btw they did not return this year, news that they went to the Penang Dragon Boat Race, hope they enjoyed themselves there