Matthew Brunning
No5 Dragon Boat Crew
Fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity
Story
On Saturday 26th June, 15 members of chambers took part in a Dragon Boat race in Brindley Place to raise money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital, all dressed as Oompa Loompas with the cox/drummer as Willy Wonka.
It may come as something of a surprise that such a group of highly talented and driven individuals rowed as such: an amazing amount of effort but little co-ordination and no semblance of being a crew...or perhaps the lack of training had something to do with it. Either way, the end of the first round of heats saw No5 lying 15th out of 19 with qualification looking a remote prospect. However, the mass frustration and honed competitive instincts kicked in, everyone stepped up a gear, our technique benefitted from a small amount of instruction from our Dragon Boat skipper, and No5 lay 8th after the second round of heats after knocking nearly 3 seconds off our time.
Due out in the penultimate heat of the final round, No5 knew that we had to improve technique and power further if we wanted to compete in the afternoon. No stone was left unturned, no training aid neglected (especially those from the Den Horen Brewery), and the presence of an ageing hen party on the tow path added the final incentive to the boat's powerhouse. In a day of tight finishes No5 proved the exception yet again, and steamed ahead, winning by a clear length. Then came the wait for our time: after several anxious moments it was announced that we had nudged into 4th place by 0.06s. The nail biting last heat was watched from the tow path by those who could bear it; and when the times were announced the canal side erupted into a frenzied mass of jubilant Oompa Loompas. The noise from around the banks clearly indicated that the people's favourites had qualified.
Drawn against the event's sponsors, Weightmans Warriors, the No5 crew faced a stern test of their new found rhythm as their opponents were one of only two teams to have broken the minute barrier in the heats. Forced to wait behind the start line by a succession of narrow boats, Michelle Heeley raised crew morale by clearly out-performing the Weightmans' drummer in a drum-off. After a strong start, No5 were leading all the way. At the finish it was tight but the crowd reaction indicated that we'd won by a canvas. Unfortunately the results did not match, many suspecting that the Uruguayan referee had succumbed to sponsors' pressure in awarding the result to the Warriors. Several crowd members unrelated to No5 urged a stewards inquiry; but our sporting instincts drove us to accept the decision as gracefully as we had rowed! Our semi-final time was better than the losing crew in the other semi, meaning that we finished 3rd overall.
The result hit us hard, tiny little orange tears flowing into the chocolate canal; but we picked ourselves up and dusted off our green wigs ready for the prize giving. We knew that we were still in contention for the top prize - best fancy dress!
The prize giving ceremony attracted a packed crowd in Brindley Place, hosted by BRMB. Weightmans Warriors received their prize for second place, having lost out in the final to Dragin' Tales - 3 times finalists - who also received medals. Then came the big event: No5 were announced as clear winners of the best fancy dress, and mounted the makeshift stage for Michelle Heeley to make a short speech in inimitable fashion. We collected our prize (we can't wait to go bowling...) and Brindley Place erupted into spontaneous applause. It was apparent that, once again, No5 had "Raised the Bar"!
The No5 crew would like to thank everyone who donated money and supported us on the day. We have managed to raise nearly £2,500 for the Children's Hospital already, more than any other team. If anyone feels inspired to donate as a result of our achievement our justgiving page will be open until 30th July: http://www.justgiving.com/No5Dragonboatrace. Should you need any more encouragement, some photos of the crew on the day are attached; more can be viewed at: http://neil.fastmail.fm/Dragon/. Our exploits also feature in Monday's Birmingham Mail, although Victoria has been misquoted in gibberish to make her sound quite dim....
Thanks again.
The No 5 Dragon Boat Crew