We were very happy to add our Claisebrook Challenge trophy to the cabinet at East Fremantle Yacht Club.
It was raining gold for Australia at the 2019 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships held in Thailand during August.
Australia medalled consistently across all age groups and the four Cockburn Dragon Boat Club paddlers in the 50-59 year-old category, Vivienne Wigg, Sharon Corsbie, Richard Marshall and Carlie Byrne, returned home with an amazing haul of 16 gold medals and 12 bronze medals between them.
Club President Carlie Byrne said, “It was a lot of training for five days of competition but when you got there it was all worth it. It was good fun and a good competition but it’s good to get back, share experiences and paddle with friends.”
World champions Vivienne Wigg, Sharon Corsbie, Richard Marshall and Carlie Byrne.
Cockburn Dragon Boat Club had a very pleasing campaign at the monthly regatta held on Sunday 25 February at Champion Lakes. The day kicked off with a gruelling 1000m race to ‘warm up’. All divisions raced together after a staggered start, so there was no knowing the result until times were announced post- race. In the Mixed 20s, Cockburn had the fastest time of 4:52.7.
The program then reverted to 500m races and Cockburn competed in the Women’s 10s (10 paddlers in a boat) and 20s (20 paddlers in a boat), Mixed 10s and 20s, and Open 10s. Each division raced in 3 heats.
Womens 10’s – 2nd, 2nd, 2nd (best time 2:37.873)
Mixed 10’s – 1st, 2nd, 1st (best time 2:22.113)
Open 10’s – 2nd, 5th, 1st (best time 2:18.079)
Womens 20’s – 2nd, 2nd, 2nd (best time 2:24.146)
Mixed 20’s – 2nd, 2nd, 1st (best time 2:09.319)
Later in the week, a contingent of Cockburn members travelled to the Sunshine Coast to take part in the Australian Championships and the team was placed within the top 10 in all events. Cockburn paddlers were also in WA’s Senior A (40-49 year olds) crew that won a bronze medal in the State v State competition.
First place: Cockburn crosses the line in boat no. 4.
Cockburn Dragon Boat Club members Vivienne Wigg, Sharon Corsbie, Carlie Byrne and Kristin Priest returned from the World Dragon Boat Championships held in Kunming, China, in October, loaded down with ‘bling’.
As members of the Australian Auroras team, they competed in 200m, 500m, 1000m and 2000m races in womens, mixed and open events. In total, they brought home 30 medals between them, including 3 gold, 22 silver and 5 bronze.
Representing Australia on the world stage of dragon boating is no mean feat when residing in Western Australia. The honour of being an ‘Aurora’ comes with having to make a huge personal commitment and sacrifice, involving several trips interstate for selection and then ongoing training camps, hours in the gym to maintain the level of fitness required and 70 hours of paddling per week.
Needless to say, as a club, Cockburn Blades is extremely proud of our Auroras and everything they have achieved.
Home from the World championships: Sharon Corsbie, Vivienne Wigg, Kristin Priest, Carlie Byrne
Cockburn Dragon Boat Club member Vivienne Wigg had the honour of bearing the flag for WA at the opening ceremony of the Australian Dragon Boat Championships held at Albury –Wodonga on April 21 and 22.
Cockburn was the only team representing WA and if success is defined by team camaraderie, fun and paddling beyond our expectations then CDBC had success in bucketloads.
Cockburn competed in the 200m and 500m Senior A Women’s (with only 2 Senior A, 40-50 year old, paddlers in the team and the majority nudging 60 or 60+). The results: 200m – 2nd in heat behind strong Brisbane-based Te Waka and 7th fastest in the semi-finals, just missing out on a finals berth. Overall 200m position 7 out of 17. 500m – 3rd in heat and 2nd in the repecharge with the overall position in 500m of 10th out of 14 teams.
Cockburn Blade’s member Rick Salisbury was recently awarded DBWAs highest award, the David Blackley Award. The recipient of this award demonstrates standards of behaviour that reflect moral values and depth of character in advancing the spirit of dragon boating.
Rick joined Cockburn Blades in 2004 and has since held committee positions within his club and at a State level on the board of Dragonboating WA. He has represented the Club and the State almost every year, and was selected as flag bearer for Western Australia at last year’s Australian Dragon Boat Championships.
In addition to his committee involvement, Rick’s has contributed much in the way of ‘hands on’ work for the sport. He is encouraging and inclusive of all members and does not hesitate to place the needs of the club over his own individual requirements.
Cockburn is very proud of Rick and considers him to be the epitome of what this award represents.
By Tim Byrne, Coach
Cockburn Blade’s successful season was capped off with two days of great results at the State Dragonboating Championships held at Champion Lakes on Sunday 12 and Sunday 19 March.
The photo finishes we were involved in highlighted the fierce competition over the two days of racing. We missed out on 1st in two of the Mixed 10s races by a ‘dragon’s nose hair’!
Being second in the medal tally on both days of the State Championships is a small measure of the club’s growth and success.
However, greater measures of the year’s achievements are the feeling around the club and the willingness to play our individual role in every aspect of training and racing. We are, without doubt, the happiest and most unified club in WA. That is the real measure of success!
Results:
200m
1st (tied) Women’s 10s
2nd Mixed 10s
2nd Women’s 20s
3rd Mixed 20s
500m
2nd Women’s 10s
2nd Mixed 10s
2nd Women’s 20s
1st Mixed 20s
Kristin Priest, Sharon Corsbie, Carlie Byrne, Vivienne Wigg
The Cockburn Dragon Boat Club is extremely proud of 4 members who were recently selected to represent Australia at the World Championships in China later this year.
Vivienne Wigg, Carlie Byrne, Sharon Corsbie and Kristin Priest had their sights set on making the national ‘Aurora’ team and their countless hours of extra training on the water and in the gym was rewarded when, after attending training camps in the eastern states, they were notified of their selection.
Being members of a small club in the forgotten ‘West’ did not deter these women and the club recongises the importance of supporting members who participate at the elite level. Not only does the club benefit from gaining current training techniques but it also grows experience, creates enthusiasm and raises the profile of our club.
Congratulations to all the paddlers from the Cockburn Blades, what an effort.
For a club that has been, for the last 3 years, competitive in the Women’s 10s and making up the numbers in other events, to finish in the top 3 of every race bar 1 is a mighty achievement.
Results:
Mixed 20s 2000m 2nd
Women’s 10 200m 2nd, 2nd, 5th (less than 1 sec between 3rd & 5th )
Mixed 10 200m 2nd, 2nd, 1st (winning the last race by 1.83 sec)
Mixed 20s 200m 3rd 2nd 3rd
Well done and welcome to racing for the new members at their 1st regatta.
As the coach I was very happy with the way the team has progressed during the preseason training. In the first 2 heats of racing 10s, Cockburn appeared to be finishing stronger than their opponents, which gives us a pretty good fitness base to build on for the 500m races next month.
Team fitness is progressing well but we certainly reaped the benefits of having 4 Aust squad members in our team. Carlie and Sharon paddled in every race, Viv and Kristin paddled or swept every race. The work that those 4 have done over the past 3 months has been huge.
Most pleasing things for me as the coach
Thanks to all who participated you made it the most enjoyable regatta I’ve ever been to.
Long-serving members honoured at first regatta
The day started bright and early for the Cockburn Blades as the first regatta of the season also celebrated the clubs 30th Anniversary. The members proceeded to set up the tents and the BBQ. The substantial raffle prizes were well displayed and caught the eye of many a paddler willing to try their luck. Club members also contributed to setting for DBWA and helping other clubs unload their boats.
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