Apologies to those of you we missed at Voleur last Thursday. Apparently, it's closed for remodeling! Se we're moving the second information session (scheduled Tuesday, September 21st from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.) to Rock Bottom Brewery at 206 SW Morrison.

If you are interested in the team, but can't come Tuesday, let Gwyn know and we'll work something else out. Go 'Flies!

The OWLS dragon boat team, the Dragonflies, is hosting two informational meetings on Thursday, September 17th and Tuesday, September 22nd, each from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Voleur (SW 1st and Ash, Downtown Portland, on the MAX line), for those who are interested in learning more about joining the team. Drop in any time--happy hour goes until 6:00. We may wrap up early on Thursday if the Pub Quiz crowd gets to be too much.

Dragon boating is a great team sport that builds endurance, strength, and friends. We race in a big boat, with 16-20 paddlers facing forward, with half the paddlers paddling on one side and half on the other. There is a caller at the front of the boat, and a tiller in the back. When we race in the Rose Festival, we also have a flag catcher at the front who catches a flag to end the race. Check out our website to see pictures of our races.

No experience required, and no commitment necessary. If you're not sure if you want to paddle but want to be involved, we can also train you to call or till. Whatever your interest, just stop by one of the informational sessions and chat with us and see if you would like to give it a try! We'll fill you in on all the details of paddling with the team and answer the question that every new paddler asks, that is, what should I wear to practices?

The best way to determine if you like dragon boating is to come to a practice. Fall is a beautiful time to be on the river, so we'd like to give you the opportunity to get out on the water now. Practices for the remainder of the 2009 season are Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 and Saturday mornings from 9:30 10:30 on the Willamette River, leaving from RiverPlace. In November, we'll break for winter and start up again in February, with 2 hours of practice a week, working up to 4 hours. We may be switching our practice days to Tues/Thurs/Sat in 2010.

We usually participate in 3-6 race weekends in the summer. Most of our races are in Portland or around the Northwest. We usually travel to Victoria, BC for one race and sometimes throw somewhere like San Francisco or Vancouver BC into the mix.

For more information, please contact co-captains Robin Bellanca or Gwyn McAlpine. We hope to see you at one of our informational sessions!