Brilliant atmosphere at final day of Dragon Boats

By Volunteer Michelle Harris

It was the last day of the Dragon Boat event at the Lagan, Belfast. The sun was shining and everyone was smiling!

When I arrived at the Waterfront Hall I was greeted by Games Ambassadors from all around the world. From Spain to all the way from America! I had some interesting conversations with them about how they were finding Northern Ireland while suggesting to them the lesser known attractions in Belfast. One of the volunteers even said that if she won the lottery she would move to Northern Ireland!

That’s quite the complement!

Another volunteer from Spain seemed to be a bundle of energy as every time she met anybody from back home she greeted them with excited chatter!

The event began with the Mixed-10’s and after beating Singapore Police Sports Association and York Dragons, the German Police and Fire Team won the whole section! In the Mixed-20’s York Dragons won the section after defeating the German Police and Fire Team  and Aurora Australis. When Canadian side York Dragons were walking down to the boats, they had a bagpipe player which excited the crowd. He surprised the crowd by performing a rendition of Jingle Bells on their way down to the final race! They must have been so excited that it felt like Christmas!

Throughout my time at the event I have noticed the wide range of spectators. Today, it felt especially family orientated with many families making a day of it. Young children were getting involved by picking their favourites and cheering them on. One set of siblings weren’t sure who they wanted to win so they just picked their favourite colour and supported them! Seeing the children get excited about watching sport made me think about how our games could inspire a generation like the events over the water last summer.

The volunteers were offered the chance to take part in a Dragon Boat race of our very own. Why would I decline such an offer!? We helped each other into the small boats which didn’t feel as steady as they looked! The competitors made it look easy! It was very hard for us novices to keep in time with each other but it was all good fun. Just one of the perks of being a volunteer!

I’ve grown to enjoy the Dragon Boat event and I have really enjoyed my two days watching it. I’d definitely encourage people to go and watch a sport that they usually wouldn’t consider!

My next volunteer shift is on Wednesday at Queen’s Sport Upper Malone which will be hosting Gaelic Football, Rugby 7’s and Soccer 11 A-Side. Bring it on! 

Find out more at www.2013wpfg.com

Super Sunday's Triathlon...

By Volunteer Kat Cassidy

The three words that sum up this triathlon were 'to the line' which will become clear later! The sun was out and the crowds were gathered on mass in front of the big fish around Belfast Harbour. All were awaiting the Belfast Titanic Triathlon and the international WPFG Triathlon to start.

The transition area was a cacophony of international chatter, clanking of chains, hum of tyres and whirring wheel sets. Then the call over the PA system came and everyone crossed the harbour bridge to the steps that took them into the Lagan by the odyssey. The seamless stream of wetsuits paraded across like despicable me minions and descended the steps into the brisk water. A horn sounded and wave one was off.

Wave one consisted of all the WPFG International triathletes who completed a 1500 metre swim along the shores of the titanic - luckily there were no SOS calls. The second wave were those doing a sprint triathlon as part of the Belfast Titanic organised event.

In a matter of around 15mins the first sprint athlete emerged from the water into the transition area and shot of on his bike. Then the shouting from the officials began as more athletes came out of transition one. 'To the line!' ' to the line!' echoed from the officials mouths as athletes were reminded not to mount their bikes until across the white line. Soon it wasn't just the officials yelling this but the Spanish team and supporters were yelling this to all those who weren't complying with the rules - so they would avoid penalty points. One Spanish team member took over as he ran up and down doing an impression of the local official - and to some extent a little better!!

The athletes are certainly skilled in sport but also in the art of wardrobe changing as they managed to squirm out of their wetsuits with some sort of decorum and prepare for their bike ride in a matter of seconds. Some did transitions in their bare feet and shoved them into fixed pedal shoes with talc in them, others changed into trainers before leaving with their bikes and some even stopped to put socks on! 

For the second transition the verbal advice changed to sign language as everyone started waving their arms up and down to get the cyclists to slow down as they approached the all important looming white line. The speed in which these individuals came in after 40k and dismounted their bikes was incredible and to also find their 'spot' to deposit their bike and begin the gruelling 10k run.

The run consisted of four laps of a 2.5k route around the city. When the first WPFG athlete started his 10k run the first lot of the sprint triathlon had already finished - Tommy Evans taking first place.

Canadian Robert Ross was first across the line in an awe inspiring time off 1.53.45 followed swiftly by John Worcester from the Met 1.55.13 and hot on his heels was Spanish Albert Tottent 1.58.24

The triathlon was a spectacular day with throngs of people supporting all the athletes whilst enjoying the hot sunshine. One of the toughest sports when athletes have to excel in three sports in order to come out on top where it's more inner strength than inner tube!

Congratulations to all those who completed the triathlon and full results can be found here.

2013 WPFG Bodybuilding Competition

By Volunteer Megan Joyce

It was muscles galore at the WPFG bodybuilding competition at the Waterfront Hall yesterday evening.

Over 30 athletes from across the world tensed and posed to wow an excitable crowd in the Waterfront studio. Dame Mary Peters attended the showcase as judges from across the bodybuilding association NABBA awarded some of the finest physiques with gold medals. 

Both ladies and men competed in categories for all ages and heights with the majority of participants originating from the USA and Canada. Representatives from India and China performed well and proved the rise of the sport in both countries.

The evening took an unexpected yet memorable turn with one of the winning athletes proposing to his long-term girlfriend of four years. The answer being a resounding yes!

Just as the audience thought the romance was over, a competitor’s girlfriend was called to the stage to propose to her victorious champ. Again, the answer was never doubt.

The standard of entrants in the competition was extremely high with many athletes invited to compete in the Mr. Universe dual schedule in October.

Check the results page for the winners: http://www.2013wpfgfixturesandresults.com/