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That’s how German coach Gerd Stinner described the performance and commitment of his American team participating in this year’s annual dragon boat race at the harbor of Wiesbaden-Schierstein July 10-11.
The team included 15 Soldiers of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, a spouse and two German neighbors. The brigade represented the U.S. military community for the second year in a row, after teams from the 1st Armored Division and the Red Cross had started the tradition two years ago.
Each one of about 70 participating teams competes in three boat “sprints” over 250 meters on day one. The results, created by a helmsman, a drummer and 18 paddlers, determine the category in which the team starts the next day.
“What you lose at the start, you cannot make up for during the race,” said Stinner. “That’s what we’ve trained for until we dropped. Folks need to start off like they are doing the whole 250 meters with that first beat of the paddle.”
More long-term training contributed to the team’s success in being significantly faster than last year, said Stinner. “It’s a very complex movement. It takes time to settle in the brain. That’s why we started training in April, coming out here about twice a week early in the morning, as opposed to a kind of a crash course we did last year. This approach really paid off. I am proud of them.”
Gretchen Robertson, a 66th MI spouse who used to do one-day 70-mile canoe races in the United States, said the sprinting style of the dragon boat race is quite different. Getting everyone on the same rhythm was a challenge. “You have to go off the person in front of you. But once the adrenaline kicks in, you just go. We have a lot of fun. I would do it again.”
Maj. Pat Wicker, also a Florida canoeing veteran, said he had never participated in a similar water sport as organized as the dragon boat race. “The challenge is working together as a team,” he said. “Folks get tired. We have to keep each other motivated. We have to listen to our own boat drumming and stay in the rhythm.”
Wicker said the event was not only an important physical fitness part of the community’s comprehensive fitness program, but it also touched on the social aspects. Wicker said he has taken advantage of many events in the local communities since arriving 18 months ago. “Anywhere there’s a fest involved, I’m there.”
“Once you get the rhythm and you feel the boat move, you’re all out,” said Master Sgt. James Farina, who coordinated the team’s participation. “You’re all out. You don’t think of anything else. You just look at the seat in front of you, and then you suddenly think, ‘is it over? I can’t move my arms.’”
Staff Sgt. John Jefferson knocked on the door of his German neighbors in the vineyard town of Kiedrich a few weeks ago, asking if they would like to join the unit’s American team. Father Andreas Wenz and son Maximilian did not hesitate. “We’ve been friends ever since John had us join a run around the airfield once and invited us for breakfast afterward,” said Wenz senior.
“It’s interesting to get to know Americans,” he said. “The culture is different. Americans do better barbecues.”
For the final race on July 11, the group advanced by two out of five levels compared to last year.
“You demonstrated a fighting spirit,” said Stinner. “You were noticed by the other teams and you won their respect. The only thing that makes my heart ache is that you passed my home team.”
Stinner said he is looking forward to training another team for next year’s competition, adding there are additional boat races in different parts of the country that the team could participate in.
