Hello fellow paddlers! I am Julie from Los Angeles, CA, USA.

I've been paddling off and on for several years. I started paddling with the Los Angeles Pink Dragons but life changes stopped that several times...as in I joined and left the team 3x. It's been mostly off until I joined LACDBC (Los Angeles County Dragon Boat Club) in July 2023. I've paddled at Sante Fe Dam longer than I did at Long Beach with the pinks even with all the times combined.

One of the reasons why I quit pinks was because I couldn't consistently hold onto a paddle due to arthritis. The doctor said that it would get worse over time. Our bodies are strange and resilient. I can hold a paddle now with no issue.

I was thinking of quitting again, because I kept getting sick and my son passed away at the end of July. Life was/is overwhelming at times. I had signed up for the California Dragon Boat Camp in October and decided that I should just go as my son encouraged me to paddle and sign up for that camp. While there, I was reminded that many of us are struggling, coping and living with Dragon boating as anchor and the community as support. With that I will stop writing as this is getting long. Anyways, glad to be with you all!

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