by Patricia Kepler
Anyone who knows me knows that my life is never dull. Over the years I have taken on a lot of challenges, and have accomplished many goals. I never dreamed I would ever be called an athlete, but last year new doors were opened for me.
In the spring of 2002 a few representatives of the Oregon Commission for the Blind had an idea. One of them had heard of the annual Rose Festival Day Dragon Boat Race and thought it would be fun to organize a team of blind paddlers. Naysayers told them that nothing like that had been done before. A little research revealed that it had been done in other countries. After many meetings, the commission agreed to sponsor a team, and Blind Ambition was born.
Our first year was fantastic. Blind Ambition was irresistible. The press flocked to us, wanting to capture our spirit and help us spread our message. We practiced in all types of weather, including a hail storm. We were determined to show anyone who might want to learn that being blind does not preclude an urge toward being competitive. When that first race day finally came, it was all we could talk about. We all reflected on how it had all begun and how much we had improved over such a short time.
Our first measured practice time was over 5.5 minutes. What would we do today?, we wondered.
What we did was amaze ourselves. We didn’t win the regatta, but we finished our final race in 3:12.
It was the commission’s intention that the Rose Festival race day would be the end of Blind Ambition. We weren’t ready to say goodbye, though. The sport had gotten into our blood. We were eager to see just where dragon boating could take us. So, we pooled our funds and signed up for practice times. Blind Ambition became Blind Ambition PDX.
Our coaches worried about us. They didn’t think we would be safe in the standard Hong Kong style boats, which are longer, thinner, and much closer to the water. Their warnings frightened some of us, but we were determined. We gave the boats a try.
That summer centered around that boat. Still, our coach remained fearful for our safety. “What happens if you capsize?”
Well, we didn’t have long to wait to find out what would happen. One warm summer day a speedboat flew by, creating such a wake that our boat was swamped. One minute we were paddling along and the next we were floating in the Willamette. Instead of being frightened, our confidence soared. There was nothing Blind Ambition could not do. We decided we wanted to once again feel the thrill of competition.
We were invited to compete in the Oakland Dragon Boat Festival. It took a lot of hard work, phone calls, and letter writing, but thanks to ACB of Oregon, California Council of the Blind, Enterprise Car Rental, Albertson’s and Nike, we did it! The crowd in Oakland was amazing. Their support brought tears to my eyes. Hundreds of people patted us on the back, shook our hands or hugged us as we approached the dock for our first race. Our excitement was replaced with a touch of anger and a lot of determination when we heard the announcer introduce us as a team that is not competitive, but there for the fun. We showed them we could have fun and be competitive too. We finished that first day of the regatta ranked first in our division. The next day the announcer introduced us as a competitive team. We left Oakland with the Spirit of the Dragon Award.
From there we traveled to Washington state, where we placed fourth at the Vancouver Lake Regatta.
Our next challenge was scheduled to be the 2003 Portland Kau Shung Dragon Boat Festival. Our times were better than ever, and we couldn’t wait to show Portland the more experienced, stronger Blind Ambition. Our plans for that summer included regattas in Hawaii, San Francisco and one more in Portland. We have been very effective in demonstrating that blind people can be competitive. Dragon boating is such a great way to demonstrate this because we receive no accommodation. We are using the same boats and the same paddles as our sighted competitors. We have the same number of paddlers on the boat. It all comes down to the skill of the team
Blind Ambition hopes eventually to make its presence known at every dragon boat regatta in North America. This year we are considering Colorado, New York, and Toronto. We are busily looking for grants and donations to help us fulfill our dream.
Dragon Boat History
The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is a significant holiday celebrated in China, and the one with the longest history. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by races in boats shaped like dragons. Competing teams row their boats to a drumbeat, racing toward the finish line.
The boat races are a traditional custom which symbolizes an attempt to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Some three centuries before the birth of Christ, Chu Yuan served the King of Chu during the period of the Warring States. As a loyal minister, Chu Yuan at first enjoyed the full confidence and respect of his sovereign. Eventually, through the intrigues of his rivals, he was discredited and found himself in disfavor. During that time, he composed his immortal poem, “Encountering Sorrow,” an allegorical description of his search for a prince who would listen to good counsel in government. Chu Yuan was never able to regain the emperor’s favor and on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the year 295 B.C., at the age of 37, Chu Yuan clasped a stone to his chest and plunged into the Milo River in the Hunan Province.
Dragon boat racing is an entertaining and enjoyable event. It gives the observer an opportunity to glimpse a part of Chinese culture and history. The traditional Kau Shung style boats hold 16 paddlers, a caller who beats the drum to maintain the rhythm of the stroke, a flag catcher strapped to the head of the dragon who indicates the end of the race by grabbing the flag as the boat crosses the finish line, and a tiller who steers the boat.
To learn more about Blind Ambition, visit the web site, http://www.blindambition.info.