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Twelve seniors from theschool’s dragon boat team will join paddlers from another high school in thecity for a race against adult male teams on the other side of the world.
The seniors will leave with Galileo paddlers to travel to Macao, China on May 25 to race against adult male teams in the Macao International Dragon Boat Race. Last year, the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce, an organization thathandles the business and promotional activities of Chinatown and aims for community improvement, invited the Lowell dragon boat team, but coach Brian Danforth was unable to chaperone the paddlers during the trip. Instead, the invitation was then extended to Galileo High School. The Lions were invited again this year, but because not enough of their paddlers wanted to go on the trip. They asked Lowell paddlers to join them. The trip is partially funded by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce which will pay for half the airfare and also some nights of lodging. The paddlers have to pay the remaining costs of about $500 for airfare and hotels and another $130 for visas out of their own pockets. “It’s neat to go back to experience the culture in China, and it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come too often,” senior paddler Bryan Wong said. The 12 paddlers, Casey Alado, Michelle Chung, Christopher Ho, Helen Huang, Richard Luu, Daisy Mah, Stephen Mei, Courtney Quan, Sherry Tan, Bryan K. Wong, Jimmy Xin and Sandy Yip, were chosen based on tenure out of those who wanted to go. “I'm going to Macao because I love dragon boating,” senior paddler Jimmy Xin said. “I want to be able to see how they paddle in China because they are the best in international champions and we're going to be competing against them, which is very exciting.” The “Galilowell” team, as the paddlers going on the trip call themselves, will be the only youth group competing in Macao and also the only team composed of both males and females. “The thought that we're going to be racing against pure adult male teams, who practice twice a day six days a week, is very intimidating,” Xin said. “We know we're most likely not even going to be close to placing, but to race against such people and see how true professionals do it, is worth it.” |
