Sports
Gig Harbor Dragon Boat team wins gold medals at Tacoma races
Despite unseasonable weather, thunderstorms, and strong competition, the Gig Harbor Dragon Boat team kicked off its 2026 racing season with a historic, medal-winning performance at the Rainier Dragon Boat Festival in Tacoma on May 16 across multiple divisions in the 300-meter races.
The highlight of the day belonged to the “Fire,” team, club’s women’s crew. Competing in the highly competitive A Division, Fire captured the gold medal. The victory marks the first time in the Gig Harbor Dragon Boat Team’s history that the women’s team has taken top honors in the A Division at the Tacoma festival.
The club’s mixed crews also proved to be a force. The “Thunder” team qualified for the B Finals and secured a second Gold medal for the team. The victory also marked the successful racing debut of coach and club president Wendy Flick as Thunder’s drummer and coach.
Gig Harbor’s second mixed crew, “Storm,” faced an action-packed day of its own. During the semifinals, the boat was slammed by a massive side wake that nearly threw crew members into the water. Thanks to the expert maneuvering of steer Mike Swanton and the quick reflexes of the crew, the boat stayed upright and moved forward, ultimately qualifying Storm for the prestigious A Finals. Unfortunately, a sudden lightning storm forced organizers to cancel the final race before the Storm team could compete for a podium finish.
Coaches Anita Jones and Sherie Lou Santos credited the weekend’s immense success to the overall depth of the roster. Due to scheduling and numbers, both mixed crews competed without the full standard allotment of 10 men, meaning the team’s female paddlers stepped up to pull double duty, proving the sheer strength of the club’s athletes.
The festival also marked a milestone for eight new paddlers who made their competitive dragon boat racing debuts.
The success on the water was supported by a dedicated leadership and logistics crew on land, including Race Coordinators Nikki Jones and Carrie Barker, Team Captains Carole Rosenberg and Jenny Chronister, warm-up leads Jane Davey and Jenny Chronister, and Crew Captains Deana Fanning, Kathleen Swanton, and Catherine Schwab. Steering duties were expertly handled by Mike Swanton, Brandi Anderson, Kurt Grimmer, and Margaux Serock.
With two Gold medals in hand and their signature rallying cry of “DIG, DEEP NOW” fresh in their minds, the Gig Harbor Dragon Boat team is already back on the water. The team has turned its focus to the upcoming 500-meter races in Seattle, looking to carry this early-season momentum into their next major challenge.