ROWING FOR CANADA by Stephanie－iWriting線上寫作網

線上老師Meagan本週日(6/17)早上10點50分將在台北大佳河濱公園代表加拿大隊進行龍舟競賽，想要和線上老師Meagan聊聊嗎？星期日早上記得到現場為她加油喔！ Stephanie當天也會在加油陣容中喔！

Stephanie連續2年參加了端午節龍舟競賽，今天她要與你分享過去練習划龍舟與參加比賽的經驗。

I rowed for Canada in 2005 and 2006. I'm not on the team this year, but Meagan, your Virtual Teacher, is! Do you want to cheer on her team? The Canadian team's first race is on Sunday morning at 10:50. I'll be there!

The Dragon. Can you see his gleaming red eyes?

One of the great things of living in a foreign country is that you get to do things you never thought you would do. I certainly never expected to find myself rowing on the Canadian team in the Taipei Dragon Boat Festival.

Go Canada!

Taipei, a hot day in June, Keelong River. It is still early in the morning when I arrive at the river. Immediately, I spot the red Canadian maple leaf blowing in the wind amongst a sea of other flags.

I join my team mates, every one of them in red shorts and white t-shirts with our team's logo printed on them. The air is filled with excited anticipation. I take some deep breaths to calm the butterflies in my stomach, and hurriedly eat a banana for last-minute energy. Our team gathers on the grassy area behind the tents to do some warm-up exercises.

從事任何休閒活動與運動前都要記得先暖暖身，讓身體動起來，避免受傷喔！

And suddenly, the moment we have all been waiting for is here: the loudspeakers crackle, and a booming voice announces our first race! Hearts beating, we walk at a fast pace down to the dock.

Stephanie走在隊伍的最前面，就在身穿橘色上衣的先生後面

I sit in the first row of the boat, so I get in first. I hold up my hand to steady my teammates as they climb into the narrow boat, one by one.

GO GO GO比賽快開始了

Ten minutes later, we're at the start. We sit and wait. I look at Mirjam, who sits with me in the front row. We smile nervously at each other. Finally, all the teams are ready. Our pulse quickens as we wait for the signal.

預備～～～～

At the start. Our team is at the very back.

Here it comes! “預備” the man behind us yells. A second later the gun goes off with a loud bang. We're off! I dig my paddle into the water and pull as hard as I can. I keep my eyes glued to Mirjam, making sure our strokes are in perfect unison. My ears ring with the sound of the drum, our coach's shouts of encouragement, and the panting breath of my fellow paddlers. I have no idea whether our rival team is behind us or ahead. A minute seems like an eternity. My arms are about to fall off. I feel as if I can't go on, but I know I have to. Every second counts. Then I see Iris, our flag-catcher, climbing up onto the dragon's head. Almost there! Out of the corner of my eye, I see Iris stretch out, grab the little red flag, and thrust it into the air. My arms collapse. I hear the whoops and cries of my teammates and know we made it! We won!

YA！勝利！

We win the race!

My muscles ache like hell, but the pain is nothing against the feeling of ecstasy that surges through my body. We really did it! We won our first race! As we slowly paddle back to the dock, saluting as we sail past the jury, I know everyone in the boat is thinking the same thing: Though we often complained about getting up at 5 o'clock in the morning twice a week for two months, showing up for practice in the pouring rain or the burning sun, this feeling of happiness at winning our first race makes it all worthwhile!

瞧，阿丹(Stephanie)開心的樣子，她的臉都被太陽曬的紅通通了