A field trip with her Girl Scout troop brought an unexpected opportunity for 13-year-old Kaitlyn Robinson.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
The John Long Middle School eighth grader also found a passion – a love for dragon boat racing.
On Aug. 15, she and her mother, Dawn Robinson, will fly to Welland Ontario Canada where Kaitlyn will compete in the World National Dragon Boat Championships from Aug. 19 to Aug. 23.
She is a member of the youth dragon boat team.
Her coach, David Nelson, plans to use her, at least for some races, as a drummer. She will sit in the front of the boat, beating a drum in rhythm with the paddle strokes of her teammates and cheering them on to victory.
At a feather-light 72 pounds, Kaitlyn is a natural choice for chief cheerleader in a boat that must skim over the water swiftly.
But she’ll have to do something that doesn’t come easily to this shy — at least with first-time strangers — and soft-spoken teenager.
“You’ll have to get loud,” Nelson told her at an afternoon practice at Rick’s on the River in Tampa.
The trade-off is a promise that she also will get the chance to paddle in other races. Paddling is what she likes most.
“I kind of like the water,” Kaitlyn said. “I’m looking forward to doing my best and helping my team finish well.”
Kaitlyn had never been in a dragon boat when her Girl Scout troop set out on a field trip two years ago, from Wesley Chapel to Rick’s on the River. She took to the water sport with a purpose.
She paddled in her first race in 2014, and is an active member of the Blade Runners Youth Dragon Boat Team of Tampa.
The Girl Scouts who went to Rick’s on the River were all children adopted from Asian countries. Kaitlyn was adopted from China when she was eight months old.
Her mother said troop activities sometimes highlighted cultural connections, such as dragon boat racing or Chinese cooking.
“It was something we wanted to do, and we thought it would be fun,” Kaitlyn said.
Dragon boat racing dates back 2000 years, to southern China and folk rituals, as well as to religious ceremonies. Dragon boats had ornate dragon heads painted on the front of the boats with the tails in the stern. Paddles represented the dragon’s claws.
In the past 10 years, modern dragon boat racing has zoomed in popularity.
“Anyone can paddle. I don’t care how old you are,” said Nelson, Kaitlyn’s coach.
The races often are linked to fundraising for good causes, he said.
Last year St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation was beneficiary of the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Classic. This year’s races, on Oct. 10, will benefit the Lowry Park Zoo.
In Ontario, about 4,000 competitors from around the world will battle for top speeds in the World Championships. Race divisions include youth, senior, coed, men and women.
Kaitlyn will be in the division for ages 12 through 17. Nelson will be the youth team coach and also will compete in the senior U50 division, from ages 40 to 49.
There will be three heats in the 200- and 500-meter races, and “one-and-done” races in the 1000- and 2000-meter races.
Kaitlyn briefly took up golf, but the camaraderie of team sports, and water, is more to her liking.
“It’s a great experience for her especially being in a dragon boat because it’s a true team effort,” her mother said.
Published August 12, 2015
