 |
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
2005 DieselFish News ’06 News » Current News »  Saturday December 10, 2005 : Box O'Fun A school of fish found caught in nets. Hairnets that is!!! Three dozen fishies turned up at the SF Food Bank for the 2nd Annual DieselFish Box O'Fun Day. It was a bone-chilling cold morning when we met up at the break room of the SF Food Bank at 9am. Trying to avoid becoming frozen fish in what felt like a meat locker, we were dressed in parkas and beanies. And, although many of us came geared up with lotion and gloves in preparation for paper cuts galore we were thrown a curve ball when we found out that we would be packaging deli meat this time around. No worries. The lack of a conveyor belt, cardboard boxes, canned food, and apple juice didn't bring down the fishies. Bring on the hairnets!! The meat packing crew was responsible for measuring out 2 lb. bags of salami, roasted chicken breast, roasted turkey breast, and smoked ham into plastic bags with the appropriate sticker labels. In true DieselFish style, immediate organization took place and we packaged all of the meat in just under an hour and a half. A smaller crew had to grind coffee beans and package them up. I bet they won't be using their Starbucks gift cards from the holidays for quite awhile. The employees of the Food Bank were left finding something else for us to do. So on to packaging frozen burritos, tamales, and tacos. I'm so hungry now... In just 3 hours DieselFish had packaged close to 4,000 lbs. of food! Awesome work. Winnie, who was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, and Doug came by for words of encouragement and sustenance (donuts). Michelle Kwan even took a day off of her ice skating practice to come and help us out and it wouldn't be a true DieselFish day without food. We ended our day with lunch at a deli appropriately enough. Maybe next time they'll let us drive the forklifts. -Thudaloo November 16, 2005 : New Officers Many thanks to our exiting 2005 officers for a phenomenal season of great racing, hearty laughs, fond memories and strong team building! The solid foundation of this past season will no doubt lead to a smooth transition as we welcome, with warm congratulations, our newly elected 2006 officers!: Head Coach: Gordon GrigorKeep those muscles warm, boys and girls! 2006 is going to be a great season! Scames 2005 Team Manager (Retired!) November 10, 2005 : End of the Season Summary Well Fishies, another great dragonboat season has come and gone. I hope everyone enjoyed every minute of it and will remember the good times, all the hard work you put into this season, and everything that you got out of it. We accomplished a lot and reached the goals that we set out for ourselves at the kick-off meeting way back in March. In the Beginning One of our goals was to increase the size of our team so that we could race two crews in local races and have two full boats at our practices. This would also let us field a crew of all DieselMeat and another of all DieselHotties (sporting their hot, new Dieselicious Hotties uniforms). Thanks to strong recruiting efforts by everyone during the first half of the season, our membership exceeded 50 paddlers by August. Not only did we meet the numbers but many of the new fish were very active throughout the season and helped DieselFish excel both on the water and off ( e.g., End of the Year Skit). The season started with our traditional and always fun/funny kick-off event on April 24 in San Ramon. It was the perfect day packed with games hosted by our hard-working social chairs, Debbie and Lisa (the wonder twins ;-). Our competitive nature took over as pigs took on cows took on monkeys in challenge after challenge ranging from basketball shootouts to blindfolded chases to ice block bowling! It was a great social bonding experience for everyone (but I still say those cows cheated... =o). Off to the Races! DieselFish competed in five races in 2005. Our first race was the CDBA Regional Regatta (May 21) held at Paragon Point in Redwood Shores. This would be the first race for DieselFish since our strong showing in last season's CDBA 9th Regional Championships at Lake Merced. This would also be our first race under new Head Coach Gordon, Team Manager Amy, and Head Captain Winnie. Competition was fierce but all of our crews gave superb performances with the men coming in 3rd in the Open Division, the women coming in 3rd in the Women's Division, DF2-Rec coming in 4th in Division C, and DF1-Comp coming in 1st place in Division A. On the weekend of June 11, DieselFish made their only migration out of state in 2005 to compete at the Portland Rose Festival in Portland, Oregon. Although we only had one crew and we were racing in an unfamiliar race format (flag catching), the weekend was packed with excitement and good vibes. The dragonboats were beautiful but quite heavy to paddle (like "doing tire pulls" as Al describes it). In addition to using longer and wider paddles, having a flag catcher was a new experience for most of the team. On top of this, part of the race weekend was in the middle of a downpour! Despite the factors that made this race so different, DieselFish was always ready to party it up and chow down after a hard day of racing (where we made it into the Division 3 Finals). More Voodoo Donuts anyone? Thanks to our Oregon host team, NCNM Phoenix, for making us feel so welcome! They generously provided food, massages (oooh!), and an enthusiastic cheering section during our races. Come early July, DieselFish geared up for the CDBA Regional Sprints in Fremont (July 9). These heats were only 250 meters long, half the distance of a regular race course but twice as exciting because they're over in a little more than 60 seconds.The difference between first and last in each heat could be less than half a second. At this race, DieselFish also competed in the outrigger canoe sprints in OC-6's (6-person canoes) as well as OC-1's (1-person canoes). It was a short day of racing, but everyone had a lot of fun paddling and cheering for our crews while feasting at the marvelous DieselFish barbeque table. Three weeks later, on July 30 & 31, DieselFish headed down to sunny Southern California to join over 90 competing teams at the Viewsonic Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival. We were hosted once again by our sister team, LARD (Los Angeles Racing Dragons), who showered us with shelter, food and most importantly sisterly love. Two days of intense competition brought out the best in all four DF crews: Comp, Rec, DieselMeat and DieselHotties. As much as we love to race, we also love to eat and the team did the DieselFish name proud by diving headfirst into the always excellent Brazilian BBQ and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Finally, on August 27-28, DieselFish mobbed Treasure Island, bringing two full and very hungry crews to compete at the CDBA 10th Annual Regional Championships. The night before, we had a team dinner with LARD, who we hosted over the weekend giving us a chance to return the gracious hospitality that they showed us down in L.A. Always a fun team to hang out with, they also offered fierce competition on the water to all Bay Area teams. Both days of racing were intense and emotional, with some good competition and some fantastic performances by the rec crew, the comp crew, the DieselMeat, and the DieselHotties. DieselFish was omnipresent at the races, in volunteering before and during the races to helping clean up and unload equipment afterwards. We even had some DieselFish paddlers coaching corporate and high school teams throughout the weekend. Some notable performances of the weekend: DieselHotties finished 4th in the women's division, DF2 finished 5th in the Mixed Rec B Championships, and DF1 finished 6th in the Mixed Comp A Championships. Of course, just as important and notable was DieselFish taking 1st place in the skits competition with our rendition of "Pimp My Ride". Way to go fish! Finally, to close the season, DieselFish held their end of the season banquet at Central Park Restaurant in San Mateo. Seeing all the fishies cleaned up and looking hot (for the ladies) and sharp (for the guys) was very different. Wonderful gifts of DieselFish playing cards were the keepsake tokens as well as beautiful DF awards designed by Jimmy. Head coach Gordon gave special recognition to four paddlers: Kathy and Al for being the Most Improved Paddlers and Sherry and Sean for being the Rookies of the Year. The new officers for 2006 were announced after the officers of 2005 were recognized for their dedication and hard work (I believe 2005 team manager Amy actually whooped for joy as newly elected team manager Sean took over). Festivities closed with a slideshow and the always amazing end season video. Thanks to everyone for their hard work and dedication to the team and to the sport this past season. We're on a roll - let's keep having fun, working hard, and playing harder in 2006. See you next year! Head Captain Victor Co-Historian Connie October 15, 2005 : DieselFish Sea Trek It's not just about racing and trying to beat the guy next to you. Seat Trek is a regatta held to race money for ETC (Environmental Traveling Companions) The race proceeds go to help allow people with special needs enjoy the outdoors. DF supported this event in typical DF style showing up with a trailer of boats and a herd of paddlers. The event organizers put on a great event in an incredible location. Simon, Connie, Kristina, Luke, Chris, Mike and I will certainly try to make this event every year. From veteran DF Connie Chin: September 3, 2005 : DieselFish Outrigger at Tahoe The crystal clear blue waters of Tahoe never fail to seduce me. To shove off from the shore and glide out onto water so pure that you can see the bottom hundreds of feet from shore is just amazing. This year DieselFish had just 5 paddlers that made the pilgrimage to this sierra mountans race. Christine, Luke, Mark, Bill and I were joined by Sharon from Benicia to complete our crew. Even though we had 2 ladies we were not quite a co-ed crew. Thus racing in the men's division we were uncertain how we would fare. Right from the start we were tailing the lead canoes. We were right behind Lokahi, and Kamali'i with Monterey Bay Outrigger and Sacramento right on our flanks. It was a fierce battle getting past Kamali'I and MBO was constantly on our tail. MBO and Sacramento pushed hard all the way to the turn but DF was spirited enough to fend them off and we were through the turn and on our way home in a solid overall second place. The way home became a lot rougher as the wind kicked up from a light breeze to full on gusts. The white caps surged and we found our novice-ness starting to show. MBO took advantage of the wind and smartly ducked into our downwind draft and sheltered from the wind they surged forward. We hung in there tough as we could as they were able to work their way around us and took us over with less than a mile to go. As we charged back to the marina area finish line, the waves were really kicking. DF managed to close the gap and were only a few feet from their tail but MBO was tough enough to keep ahead of us. . For DF-novice and our welcome guest Sharon it was one of the best 6 man races they had ever experienced. It has everything you could ask for: a great start, a tough first half and an exciting second half with lead changes and teeth clenching effort. We came in third overall, and that also meant third in the mens division. We were thrilled. This is the last 6 man race of 2005 for us. Next on the schedule is WaveChaser. Ken\ August 27-28, 2005 : DieselFish at Treasure Island Treasure Island was the site of the 10th Annual SF International Dragon Boat Race on August 27-28. DieselFish, coming off a strong showing at Long Beach, set no expectations for either of the two crews, instead focusing on doing the best we could in each race and improving over the course of the weekend. With 40+ fishies racing and the hosting of team LARD, the tent site was one big, happy family and thanks to the efforts of our social chairs, Debbie and Lisa, and vendor coordinator, Yvonne, keeping our bellies full, everyone was able to concentrate on the races and having fun. The racing on Saturday was tough with the presence of a number of top teams from out of town as well as the always strong hometown competition. Both DF1 and DF2 raced well in their seeding heats (DF1 finished first and second in their two heats; DF2 finished fourth in both of their heats) and the DF Hotties qualified for Sunday's Women's finals by coming in second in their heat. The DF Meat had difficult competition trying their best to make it into the top three, but were unable to qualify (coming in fourth) for the Men's finals. But after the first day's races were over, the day was not yet done as DieselFish brought down the house in their award winning (as in first place!) skit at the paddler's party in San Francisco that evening. Kudos to Sean for managing and working on the skit, along with Ellis (audio) and Jimmy (visuals) and a big round of applause to all of the actors and actresses. The highlight of the skit was the courageously bold part of Paris Hilton played by Luke (coming to video soon!). On Sunday, the DF Hotties took to the water first in their Women's finals. The racing was fierce as they battled it out with LARD and Killer Guppies coming into the home stretch. When the smoke cleared, the DF Hotties beat out both teams and finished fourth overall - great job ladies! Next up, DF2 competed in the Mixed Rec B Semifinals. Against the strong teams of Team Evolution, Ripple Effect Furious, LA Pink Dragons, and Rainbow Koi, DF2 finished second to advance to the Mixed Rec B Finals. DF1 then raced in the Comp A Semifinals against Dragon Max Gold, Aero Dragons, Merrill Lynch BAD, Roli Canada, and Cal Paddling Bears, needing a top three finish to advance to the coveted Comp A Finals. Knowing the importance of this race, DF1 raced with extra adrenaline and a superior will to win and finished third to advance! The last races of the day had DF2 in the Mixed Rec B Comcast Championship facing off against Foster City BAD, Dragon Warriors 4, Ripple Effect Furious, LA Thunder Dragons, and LA Pink Dragons. All of their hard work and many practices paid off as they raced to the finish line and crossed in fifth place. Finally, DF1 stepped up to the plate for the final race of the day. All eyes were on the six teams competing for the Mixed Comp A Kaiser Permanente Championship. Against the best teams of the weekend, DF1 raced their heart out and finished sixth. Already happy with being able to compete in the Comp A Finals, a strong showing by DF2, and a world class skit that rocked the house, DieselFish went home with their heads high and celebrated the night away at Kobe Restaurant. August 6, 2005 : DieselFish Outrigger and Hula at Chrissy Field 
Actually all the hula was happening at the aloha fest a couple of blocks up in the Presidio where all sorts of food awaited the Fish for after the races. The Alcatraz Challenge short course was 2 laps between Chrissy Field and Fort Point. At the starting line it was a mass of boats lined up any ol' direction. As the green flag went up canoes went all over the place as they raced toward the Golden Gate Bridge. I guess bangin' is racin'!?!
In the Novice Men's race: Mark, steering his first open water race, and his DF Men's crew (Todem, John, Mike, Bill, and Al) had a strong start and headed off to the first turn with the lead pack. That first turn had about 10 boats trying to round the pin at once and the first boats out of the turn took a big lead on the boats right behind them. But with all their might DF worked the next 3 miles and even passed a crew trying to catch the leaders. It was tough but calm and cool Todem waited in airline passenger style until the canoe came to a complete stop on the beach before jumping out to run up the beach to reach the finish line flag.  Racing at the same time were the Novice Co-Ed crew steered by Ken and powered by Kristina, Connie, Christine, Simon, and Luke. Starting from a bit back in the pack we reached the first turn and had a little bit of gridlock getting out. But from there on out it was full steam ahead. Passing boats and not getting passed was the mission. As we weaved through traffic we found ourselves right behind our sister co-ed crew from Hui Wa'a. We yelled to them and cheerfully challenged them to stay ahead of us. Going into the last turn towards the beach both crews put on the after burners. It was a dead heat hitting the sand but the race wasn't over until somebody made it up the sand. As the crowd went wild, both strokes gracefully jumped out of the canoes and did a face plant at the water line, then both seat #2's jumped out and tried to make it over the water logged and sand covered bodies of their comrades. In the end DF got third place. Congrats to Hui Wa'a for claiming the second place prize!
 After the race, all of us headed up to the Aloha Fest where many plate lunches, spam musubi, malasada's, shaved ice, and other island grinds replenished our bodies. DF's own Amy Hong was to dance Hula later that afternoon. Several DF stayed to watch her show us what grace and coordination we needed for the next beach finish race.
The next race on our schedule is Lake Tahoe: Bob Steele Criterion, Labor Day weekend. See you on the water! Ken\ July 7, 2005 : Outrigger Sprints at Quarry Lakes  DFish hit the water in dragon boats, OC-6s and OC-1s at the Quarry Lakes Sprint Regatta. The dragon boat end was sponsored by the CDBA while the outrigger side of things was hosted by Hui Wa'a and the NCOCA.
We entered the Novice women's OC-6 race powered by Christine, Kristina, Connie, Winnie, Yvonne, and Paula (+baby). Lined up right next to our sister novice crew from Hui Wa'a it was a fun race to watch. The DF crew lined up right on the line and shot out of the start and hit the turn first. Into the turn and out they kept the lead and poured it on to finish first in the heat. Their time put them 5th out of 13 overall, just outside of scoring points. Great job ladies. The Novice Men were up next with first time steersman Mark facing a sprint course and a boat that he never got a chance to practice in. Joining Mark was Victor, Luke, Simon, John and Mike. It was a fierce start as all the boats came off the starting line together. DF was last into the turn but made up ground fast on the way home. Over all they placed 7th out of 11.  In the OC-1 races we had 4 entries. Luke went first in the 19 and under boys race, and on a borrowed canoe he persevered and stayed in the pack. I went next in the Master Men division. It was a great run, and I finished in second place. Thanks Simon for lending me your nice new Huki canoe. Simon and Mike had by far the most competition as they finished 8th and 11th in a field of 17.
It was a great day for DFOCC as many of them have never raced in a outrigger sprint race before. We scored some points and got some great experience. Next DFOCC race: Aloha Fest - Alcatraz Challenge Aug 6th. Come join us! June 26, 2005 : Post Portland Pleasantries  Hey Diesel! Welcome to Portland — home of the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association (PKSCA) Dragon Boat Race Festival. That's right, after a couple year hiatus, DieselFish represented with style in the great grey north of our Oregon brethren.
The trip was perfectly organized by Amy who finagled reservations at a spa retreat along the Willamette River. The rooms were comfy, and yes, we had full access to the spa and massive workout room — not that we had any energy left over from paddling to enjoy the weights... The race site sat on a vast slope of grass on the bank of the Willamette next to downtown. For those who don't know, sitting on the grass for nine hours is better than sitting on asphalt. The course ran on a diagonal going across the current and ending right in front of the tents housing the paddlers. The object of the game was simple: move a heavy boat with no leg room across said river for about three minutes and then have the 'flag catcher' climb onto the dragon head. But wait there's more! Flag catcher must then strap their feet in, wedge themselves between the dragon's ears and extend their body with as much reach as possible. The reward? A flag mounted in a steel tube that they must pull up before being pulled off the boat in front of all their peers. Kind of like bowling only it's on the water and you're the ball. Paddlers rejoice at the finish right in front of their fans only to duck as the steel tube comes rebounding at their faces.  Friday's practice greeted the fish with a healthy dose of Portland rain when they entered the boats and cleared up when they left. Nelson from the Simpsons was conveniently on shore for a heart felt 'hah ha!' Dinner was served up Italian style, complete with mood lighting. Of note during the course of the evening:
a) Savy called to tell Gordon that Thu was sick and had to go to the hospital, making DieselFish short one girl from the 8 required to race. The call, of course, was from a couple blocks away and Thu was just fine. Gordon loves jokes like that — we should play more on him in the future. b) Al and Amy got engaged on the drive up the coast! Amy's retelling was glorious and (thankfully) taped so you will all get to hear it over and over. Good one, Al!  Although suffering from a severe lack of extra females and several not so healthy paddlers DieselFish powered through their races on Saturday with second and third place finishes in our heats. Gordon got a chance to paddle one race, the women got a chance to paddle all of them, and Ray changed roles from Jackie's supportive boyfriend and spectator to super fly flag catcher. Everyone enjoyed the food and drink our local Portland-ite, Jennifer, managed to muster up. The rain came down in buckets in the afternoon but some how cleared up long enough for the team to watch part of the Parade of Roses downtown or get a massage from our awesome host team, NCNM Phoenix (thanks for the big bag of nuts n stuff!).
Dinner that night was served bar and grill style and was attended by a couple members of our hosts. A DJ mixed some funk as we played pool, spun on the bar stools, and talked about donuts. Donuts? Yes! Voodoo Donuts — home of five million species like bacon and maple bars, mango jelly, vegan, and of course, phallic symbols! There was much rejoicing for this perfect late night snack.  Sunday the team woke themselves up sunshine and the dream of a 17 year old. Our resident teenager Luke was asking DieselFish to fulfill his desire, to be a flag catcher, even if only for a single race. So a deal was struck. If Diesel could pull out a top 2 finish in the quarter-finals, advancing to the semi-finals, Luke could flag catch.
DieselFish made Luke's dreams come true with a 1st place finish, advancing to the semi-finals. Despite the nervousness of being in a tough situation and under a lot of pressure, Luke responded in kind delivering a wicked flag catch, to secure Diesel a spot in the Division 3 Finals. As the clock ticked closer to airport departures and the time of the finals became unclear, the team voted to withdraw from the last race, leaving the Division 3 teams wondering how they would have really placed if Diesel was there to race. Instead, we packed up and enjoyed a stress-free meal along the river and left the competition wondering. Start as a team, end as a team. And to top it all off, Mary finally got to have a Full Sail Pale Ale. Cheers to a great weekend! Doug May 24, 2005 : DF Wins the CDBA Regional Race Regatta 
"Welcome sports fans! Who says the only game in town is the NBA Playoffs"?
Our own coach Mark's illustrious words accurately described DieselFish's experience at the 2nd Annual Paragon Point race on May 21st. Because if there's one thing DieselFish has got, it's game! In true DieselFish form, the team arrived early at the race site (and I mean early, like 6:30am, blink-blink early) to unload and prep the dragon boats for a solid day of racing. After mother nature threatened a cloudy, windy race day all week, we were treated to a warm, sunny, calm day. All the race prep came off without a hitch, and the first heat started on time. It was simply one of those days that you KNOW is going to go well. With Starbucks coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts, bagels, and a side helping of warm-ups, the Fishies were ready for the main course — some serious racing. 
DF2 was first on deck with 10 brand new fishies in the crew who had never raced before. The crew was full of energy, enthusiasm, and heart, racing their way to a 4th place finish in Division C and just missing the 3 spot in the finals. It was great racing for the salty and fresh fish alike to deliver some strong races.
DieselHotties (our female teammates), were true to their form of being hot (and I mean fast) on the water and sooooo good-looking on shore. The Hotties not only found a good boat movement to place 3rd in the women's final, they also found themselves a women's movement. Instead of paddling "for Meat (our male teammates)" they now paddle "to establish their own individuality". But the DieselMeat, who were very beefy and full of testosterone, were not to be outdone or forgotten by the Hotties' new motto. Paddling "for the Hotties" and then some, the Meat muscled their way to a 3rd place win in the men's final (only 2/10 of a second from first place). 
The silent and deadly story of the day was DF1. After losing the first round to Dragon Warriors 2 by fractions of a second, DF1 placed first in the semi-finals advancing to the Division A finals. DF1 was robbed of the opportunity of a rematch against Dragon Warriors, as Dragon Warriors 1st and 2nd crews crashed into each other during the semi-finals dropping both crews into Division B (is there a conspiracy here?). So during the finals, DF1 walked across the finish line beating BAD1 and BAD2 to take 1st place as the top coed crew at the race!
A strong showing indeed — DF2 placed 4th in Division C, DieselMeat placed 3rd in the men's finals, DieselHotties placed 3rd in the women's finals, and DF1 are the Division A champions! Victory is schweet! Head Coach - Gordon April 24, 2005 : Season Kickoff  Ringing in the 2005 Dieselfish season with our annual kick off event, excited salty fish and new guppies convened Saturday, March 30th at Central Park in San Ramon for a day of Fun, Fish and Friendly competition (just what we thrive on!) Even our injured Hugh couldn't resist the temptation to come out and play. The day bloomed bright and sunny and full of pollen; a somewhat nice break from all the rain. Fish and friends showed up at the park with game faces on and Kleenex in hand.
First things first, we had Fish introductions to be sure everyone was well acquainted. To assist in this there was Human Bingo. Did you know that Art has never broken a bone and that Jackie can speak 2 non-English languages fluently? Pretty impressive! And how sad that Claire has never seen Simon's pec dance. We'll have to change that, for sure!  Soon we all had herd ourselves into 3 teams for the rest of the day's activities... but the fun part was finding your teammates by making your assigned team animal sounds! Once the Monkeys, Cows and Pigs were gathered up, it was time for some friendly competition. Blindfold Circle Tag was just as crazy and hilarious as it sounds. (imagine the swimming pool game: marco polo) Teams formed circles around a blindfolded rep from another team who had to tag the circle around them. Shouts of "MOO, damnit" could be heard loud and clear as teams ran around the blindfolded fish to escape being tagged. Monkeys won the gold in this game by being the last circle standing, followed by the Pigs, and then the Cows. With adrenaline and competition surging through their gills, the Fish headed off to the basketball courts to play F.I.S.H. No H.O.R.S.E. for this water-loving bunch! After demonstrating numerous shooting styles and the not so infrequent airball, da'Monkeys came in first again! Finishing second and third were the Pigs and then the Cows. After "hooping it up" the Fish needed food. We feasted on Mexican food and afterwards lounged around in food comas on the grass. After the power nap everyone was craving something sweet for dessert. And what did we bring out? Marshmallows! But here's the catch. They were tied to the end of a string, and the only way to eat the sweet treat was to use JUST your mouth to get the marshmallow at the other end of the string into your mouth. Newbie Jackie impressed us all by getting her treat the quickest and earning 5 points for the Pigs.
 As we all got our second wind, we began the ever so challenging Lily Pad Hop, where teams had to get creative and figure out how to get all of their team members across a grassy area with their "deficiencies"- some could not use their legs, arms, etc., and using only 5 paper plates as stepping stones. Paddlers stumbled across the grass carrying each other and supporting each other in true Dieselfish spirit all the way through the finish line. The Cows beat out the Monkeys this time to take first, with Monkeys coming in second, and Pigs coming in third.
And the final game of the day was none other than our very favorite... Ice Block Bowling! We used ice "balls" to knock down as many water bottle pins as possible. Each pin knocked down was a point for the team, so this game was a chance for any team to take the lead. The Monkeys watched nervously as they feared losing the lead. Could they stay at the top? Round one: Monkeys and Pigs both scored 24 points while the Cows scored a close 21. Round two... even more pressure. Could the Monkeys maintain their lead? Other teams were slowly creeping up in points! The Pigs outscored them in this round with 29 points, Monkeys only scoring 24, and Cows scoring 21 again. But in the end, the Monkeys won the gold with 84 points, Pigs took the silver with 68 points, and the Cows were ever so close with 67 points for the bronze. Prizes included various Dieselfish paraphernalia and a chance to rejuvenate at Jamba Juice — oh and of course, bragging rights! April 23, 2005 : Time Trials If there's one thing we can count on with coach Gordon, it's creativity. Creativity as in making the team finger paint our impressions of the port of Redwood City? No. Interpretive dance by moonlight? Uh, wrong coach. Oh captain my captain decided it was time for a little creativity in... pain! Yes, dear paddlers, it was time once again for the annual time trials where we all get to see just how out of shape we are and dwell upon our times/numbers like some bad high school final that prevents us from getting into Harvard. Ok, maybe that's just my baggage. This year we headed back to the 'secret' launch area nestled amongst the Stanford boat house and million dollar yachts. That's not to say that the sinking boats and mud at the 'normal' aquatic center isn't attractive but rather the fancy boats made us feel, well, elitist, for a day. Fearless Gordon offered not one, but two ways to either boost our egos or make us run home to mommy: time trial by outrigger and time trial by rowing ergometer (erg). Lemme tell ya attendance was high, jokes abounded, and adrenaline wafted through the air. My, what a beautiful day for pain! So, the morning began with a row-off between Gordon and Ken. Grrrr - super strong coach and former coach (but still super strong) in a cage match. Since they own both boats and ergs their times were placed in the 'hey, that's not fair' category by fearless paperwork demon, Hugh. Thanks Hugh! Next came the masses who hurried up and waited for their turn on the outriggers for two people (OC2s). Thankfully, we kept one really heavy person in each boat to act as dead weight and occasionally steer the boat away from shore. Boats competed side by side over a specified distance and times were awarded. Unfortunately, fashion points and artistic impression were removed from this year's trials (booo). The best part? Paddlers finished in front of their peers! Guess where the cameras of were pointed as you gasped for breath and lost your perfect form - hey, that grimace and chicken winged elbow look great on you. After paddlers caught their breath, we were tempted by none other than the world famous horn of plenty we call the Dieselfish buffet. As a team, we paddle to eat and based on the copious amounts laid out by chef Winnie of Tsoi, I'd say we're doing alright. Kahlua pork, bagels, cookies, beverages, fruit, and salty snacks were ripe for the picking. For those brave soles with iron stomachs like Brian, Doritos abounded. Mmmm, cheesy burps. Done with your paddling set? Great! Let's get you on this device, attach your arms to the stick, strap your feet in, and make you row as fast as you can for 1000 meters. Rad. Vicarious coach Doug did his best to demonstrate good form so paddlers did pull there arms off or exploded. Oh how he empathized with your struggles, "I've been there, little ones, I feel your pain." Everyone seemed to survive in some form or another. Luke and Kent showed us what it's like to collapse on the ground, Winnie showed us what it's like to pull so hard you fall off the seat (which, by the way means she was doing it right), and Amy showed us that yelling curses at the erg really can improve your time. And who said this isn't fun?! Well, the foundation is set now. Time trial one is down and the season is under way. We should all do try to improve our times in the next trial or Gordon might come up with a third event like trampoline or that gymnastic ribbon event thingy. See you on the water February 28, 2005 : Go Speed (Kart) Racer! DieselFish is who we are, going fast is what we do. On Monday, February 28th, the Fish crawled out of the water and onto the Supertrack at Go Kart Racer in Burlingame. "But what is a Go-Kart?" you may ask... pure fun, my friend, pure fun. It's a 200 lb, 9 horsepower race car with racing slicks that seats your butt just inches above the ground. You can reach speeds of up to 35 MPH but when you're racing, it feels more like 70 MPH. Kind of like a Malibu Grand Prix race car on steroids. Ken, Al, Gordon, Mark, Bill, and Yvonne represented DieselFish with ex-Fish Abe and Deborah coming on board to Team DF. Andy and Aubrey were also present from BAD to join in on the fun and provide some friendly off-water competition. Jordy and Willie (non-paddling friends of Fish) came out to round out the group. Christine and Paula, while not racing, made up the Pit Crew girls, taking pictures, filming video, and cheering us on as we whizzed by the window. We arrived in Burlingame, fresh off of work and ready to race. After registering and payment, they issued us our racing licenses and helmet headsock. I got a cool black one, kinda like Sylvester Stallone in Driven. Ken got a hokey white hoodcap, kinda like David Duke from the KKK. We then headed to the locker rooms to suit up for the track. Inside, they had Sparco jumpsuits for us to wear and once outside, we all looked like we were about to head on a space shuttle mission in our blue jumpsuits. They were actually pretty comfortable and reminded me of the jammies I wore as a kid with the plastic feet except these had no plastic feet nor the ejector flap on the backside. After a quick briefing video, we lined up in the race area, donned our race helmets, and saddled up in our Karts. The setup inside was simple: left foot brake, right foot gas, steering wheel, seat belts. Everything you need to wreak havoc on the tarmac. Yellow flag means slow, Green flag means go so I gas it and start burning up the petrol. This thing is great! I'm whipping around corners, hitting hairpin turns, flinging the car around all over the racetrack. One of the race officials starts waving a blue flag with a yellow stripe, what does that mean? They're Cal colors so maybe he means Go Bears! I give him the thumbs up and cruise on by. Further down, another race official starts waving the same flag and I'm still trying to figure out what it means. Maybe it's an Ikea flag and I just got a great deal on a Fjördiläcker™ dresser from them last week. Right on, I give him a nod and keep on going. I hit the final turn before the lap ends and this time the official begins waving the flag franticly and giving me the big ol' stink-eye. I mentally flash back to the training video and remember that the blue & yellow flag means to let the other drivers pass. Doh! I slow down and pull to the side and a fleet of Karts race past me like a swarm of angry hornets. Damn, I thought the whole point of racing was to stay in front but now I'm getting flag-shy. I sure as hell didn't pay $75 to get ejected from the park for non-compliance so I start paying more attention to the flags. 15 minutes later, the first session is over and I'm ranked in the double-digits. I thought I was a pretty good driver but obviously, I've spent too much time on Hwy 880 and not enough time on a bonafide racetrack. We re-group in the lounge, compare race stats, and rest up for the next session. I got a pretty mean case of helmet-head going on but the adrenaline is sure pumping. I can't wait for the next session to start! Round two, we line up once again on the racetrack, this time based on the times we scored from our first session. Needless to say, I'm in the back sucking up all the gas fumes from the other better drivers. Yellow flag, green flag, go! We take off single file jockeying for position as the race officials hold up No Contact signs. Sorry, but I think I've turned Kart racing into a contact sport. Unfortunately, so has the guard rail of the racetrack as I take turn too hard and bounce off a corner. The race official again gives me the stink eye and waves the No Contact sign at me. Tell it to the rail, it ran into me! Anyway, these new crop of cars are much harder to control as we all begin slipping and sliding through the turns. I distance myself from the pack and begin trying my best to decrease my lap times unhindered by pesky drivers and blue and yellow flags. Several laps go by and I'm just starting to get the hang of it when the black and white checkered flag waves and like that, the race is over. The good news is, I've shaved off 3 seconds from my lap times, but the bad news is, I'm still in the same exact ranking as I was the first time around. After shedding our racing monkeysuits and sweaty headsocks, we regroup in the lounge to compare final race stats and tell track stories. All in all it was a fun night. My own car feels like a Sherman tank now with it's big steering wheel, comfortable seats, and inability to take cloverleaf turns at 70MPH but once I save up another $75, you know I'll be back at Go Kart Racer! -Al February 26, 2005 : DF Poker Night  
And the winner of the brand new blue ipod goes to... drum roll please... YVONNE! Hottie Yvonne was the winner of our "opportunity drawing" at our first-ever DieselFish poker night. In the midst of Oakland, DieselFish had its fundraiser at Big Al's rec room, with hip-hop in the background, woofs of hotdogs in the air and smack talking all around. As dealers dealt cards and folks anteed up, Connie and Winnie, in playboy bunny outfits served drinks and hors d'oeuvres to the high rollers! (Nah, we served sodas and hotdogs in our jeans and T-shirts). Special thanks to Judy for the wonderful chocolate cupcakes and brownies. Totem, Paula, Amy, and other gals must have been high on the chocolate as they giggled the night away at the banker's table. Now that I think about it, Totem, nice play in having all five women all to you! There were two tables for the experienced players and Christine lead a beginner's table. The night came to an end after three hours of playing. Everyone turned in their chips for "opportunity drawing" tickets for the grand prize of the ipod. For every two-buck chip, they got one ticket. Doug had the best chance as he won the most tickets... but as luck would have it for the lady, Yvonne. Many thanks for everyone who helped with this event! Next round... Mah-jong anyone?
~hardiegirl~ December 11, 2004 : Volunteering at the SF Food Bank  On Saturday, December 11, 2004, two dozen fishies made their way to help the San Francisco Food Bank box groceries for seniors and
underprivileged kids in the community. Some wondered why DieselFish veteran Kristina Boleda came rockin' a stylish tank top on a winter day, but little did we know that she soon proved to be the most efficiently dressed for this ultimate sweat-a-thon workout! With many hardcore dragon boat paddling drills under our belts, we were well conditioned for over three hours of heavy lifting as we lined up along a conveyor belt and made like an "I Love Lucy" episode on fast forward.
Hugh Browne, fresh on the disabled paddlers list with a torn ACL, threw down the crutches like a champ and posted himself at the head of the line, assembling boxes while hobbling on one leg. Susan Suzuki quickly found her groove, having enough time to not only throw in a couple of boxes of cereal into the grocery box, but also to offer some trash talk, encouraging folks to "get a move on it!". Uniform Co-Managers Amy Fan and Lowell Saumwebber were quick to comply, stuffing and pushing the grocery box so quickly down the conveyor belt that you missed it if you blinked! Coach and event organizer Brian Suzuki slowly molded his hand into a human claw so that he could efficiently lift the heaviest item, the two large cans of apple juice, into the box. DFOCC Coach Ken Hong quickly stepped into this role as well. He slowed down only when DieselFish Co-Historian Alan Lau accidentally dropped an occasional case or two on Ken's hand while restocking the goods. Ken's yelp was only drowned by wife and veteran DieselFish Paula Hong's yell of encouragement of, "C'mon, people! Let's go faster!". When someone playfully asked a laughing Cindy Lam and Jennifer Wadama whether they were working or having fun, they should have answered, "BOTH!" Like they rest of us, they were doing double duty by stuffing boxes with food and laughing at all the silly antics.  Fellow Co-Historian and Captain Victor Cheng proved more efficient in
helping to restock the boxes. He was busy running up and down the
conveyor belt, restocking everyone's supplies! If he accidentally smooshed
a hand, he was too busy to know it — he was already on the other end
of the conveyor belt when you yelped! Claro Arzadon not only barked
out encouragement in military cadence, he also kept tabs of missing
items in the box, shouting for someone to toss in an extra can of yams or a
box of cereal that wasn't leaking. Head Captain Winnie Tsoi displayed
her architectural skills by stacking jars of peanut butter into a
pyramid while she waited for the grocery boxes to move down the conveyor
belt. Christine Inose and Bill Yu proved to be a tag team worthy of WWF
membership — one filled the grocery box while the other kept the stock
of goods at a high level, ready to be handed off and added in.
Treasurer Mary Wu proved that you don't need Tetris skills to fit everything
into the box — her bag of powdered milk plopped neatly on top of all
the other food items. Claire Murtagh and Dino Mencarini braved the
horrors of paper cuts as they added the finishing touch to the box — a
flyer to inform each grocery box's recipient about the San Francisco Food
Bank — and weighed each box to ensure that every food item was packed
and ready to go. Jason Te Whau and Web Administrator Jimmy Chan were
working down to their fingers and toes on the other side of the conveyor
belt. Jason slashed the empty stock boxes like Crocodile Dundee on a
vengeance and Jimmy stomped them down in a big wooden pen like a
winemaker raising hell on a barrel of grapes.
 By the end of the day, with shirts wet with sweat and hands swollen
with fatigue, we learned of our payment — the gratification of knowing
that we'd filled 1,773 boxes with groceries in a 3.5 hours span,
breaking the previous record by more than 200 boxes! Whether it's just over
2 minutes to win a dragon boat race or just over 3 hours to give back
to the community, DieselFish loves a strong finish! (Yes, Coach Mark
Inose lifted every single one of those heavy, full boxes from conveyor
belt to loading pallet!) Talk about the ultimate in teamwork — each of
us on DieselFish proved to have literally had a hand in giving back to
the seniors and underprivileged kids in the community!
Drop us a line if you ever want to join in our cause. Whether it's racing dragon boats or giving back to the community, DieselFish always finds a way to finish the day with many a grand story to tell! Scames |
|
 © Copyright 2005, DieselFish. All rights reserved. That means don't jack anything off this site sucka! Unless you ask for permission of course, send your groveling to web at dieselfish dot com. Site Design by Topsoil |