Bus Stop – On the way home last night, I was standing at the bus stop when someone in line recognized me and blurted out, “Are you James, the dragon boat guy?” It was Cindy from Cal Juice, one of the three Cal teams that I helped sponsor and coach in the Northern California Championships. About once every month, someone tells me that they recognize me because I coached their team, or they recall my booming (and sometimes obnoxious) voice from the loudspeakers at the Championships. And believe it or not, I’ve had junior high schools kids telling me that they saw the dragon boat race broadcast on Channel 26 and want to race for a SF high school team.

These days, I really don’t miss paddling or being a team captain. But I do miss coaching the teams, especially those from high schools and colleges. And when my SF Chinatown LEO Club team won 3rd Place in the Novice group last year, I have to admit that I felt like a proud papa.