2006 San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival

The 2006 season was one of the most successful and eventful years SFL has ever had. A sponsorship from Under Armour provided the team with brand-spankin’ new jerseys, as the team welcomed some new faces and some long-time dragon boat vets. As for the race itself, this was the first year that the CDBA welcomed a slew of international teams, truly making the event a worldwide affair.

The lineup:

Ready to take on the world!

Quite a few of this “Dream Team” would later move on to coach other teams, assisting in the growth and development of dragon boating in the Bay Area.

Though at the young, tender age of 4, SFL had achieved quite a lot:

Four years of excellence.

2006 was the first time SFL took 1st place in the College Division at Long Beach, and we kept the momentum going into TI:

Under 2:10, as we edged out the ever-strong Cal team and take 1st place. SFL would maintain that momentum heading into the 2nd Annual College Championships a month later, with one of the team’s most impressive outings ever.

As far as the Mixed Division goes, the 2006 Treasure Island race welcomed international newcomers from Canada and Germany, bringing the competition to new levels. However, despite all odds, SFL finishes strong:

Mixed Competitive B Champions!! A step up from last year’s second place finish in the same division. It was a very remarkable achievement, considering the increased difficulty of the competition and the wide margin of victory.

Post-race celebration:

Getting out that last bit of energy before we nap at the tent.

Other ways of killing time until/during the awards ceremony:

“Whoa!!!”

My personal favorite:

“How many people does it take to measure Leslie’s height?”

And finally, after the long wait, our moment of glory finally arrives:

Yippee!!!

After receiving our awesome medals, the boys rejoice with glee. The celebration jump was fun:

… but the landing… not so much.

The celebration continues, as the team attempts to douse Jeff…

… but he darts like a true champ!

Later in the evening, we held a farewell dinner party for Jeff, who was leaving the team to study at Cal Poly:

To this day, nine of the 2006 squad still remain. Can you guess who’s missing from the picture?

And, of course, a farewell wouldn’t be complete without awkward man hugs:

And thus, the captain/coach Jeff Ma era came to an end, but Jeff would return and continue as our steersman (the best damn steersman dragon boat has ever seen, actually). When it comes to SFL, goodbye never means forever.

• Mixed Competitive B Championship: 1st Place
• College Cup: 1st Place – College Champions