I am not what one would typically call a “joiner” of group fun.
Instead, I’d put myself firmly in the self-declared (and proud of it) introvert category, preferring solo activities such as reading, binge watching crime procedurals and drinking coffee in silence.
Sure, I played softball for a few years as a kid and took dance during most of my childhood, but those were decisions made by my parents that I went along with.
As an adult, I tend to like the idea of doing things, but actually going through with it tends to be what one might call a stress-inducing moment in time where I plot to find a way out of it.
That’s why, when I was "volun-told" a few weeks ago that I would be representing BarrieToday as part of the Barrie Public Library’s Paddles Up Learn to Paddle session with my fellow media folks in advance of the upcoming 20th annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival, my immediate thought was to find a way out of it.
I won’t lie, a number of ideas passed through my mind: hit my head (sorry used that one up in December with an actual concussion); fell and twisted an ankle (nope, that one was taken when I fell and sprained both my feet a few years ago).
I even considered an impromptu trip to the emergency room, but alas even that has happened a few too many times in recent years for me to want to risk tempting fate again.
Instead, I was left with only one option: suck it up and give it a shot.
And you know what? I actually had a great time!
Sure, my shoulders were sore, given the general lack of upper-body work I have done in recent years, but getting in that dragon boat with library staff and other media members turned out to be a pretty great way to spend a few hours.
It also served as my first time out on the waters of Kempenfelt Bay in the more than 10 years I have lived in the area.
We couldn’t have asked for a nice day, weather-wise. It was warm, but a bit overcast. And the water was nice and calm. (Although, it did seem a bit splashy for the guy behind me who works for a different online publication … no possible idea how that happened!)
More often than not, the day-to-day job as a reporter doesn’t always leave a ton of space between assignments and writing to take advantage of these kinds of activities during office hours, so it was a nice way to get some first-hand experience and knowledge of a popular event that many of us cover each year from an entirely new and different perspective.
Thankfully for all of us in the boat, that perspective remained upright and made it back to shore without tipping over.
Although I will likely stick to the kayak and canoe moving forward, I truly did appreciate the invitation and enjoyed the laughs as we all tried to paddle our way back to shore in unison. But like typical reporters, we all wanted to do it just a little bit differently.
The annual Barrie Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place Aug. 17 at Heritage Park, has raised more than $2 million for more than 60 charities, including the Barrie Public Library's Future Branches Campaign.
(1).png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)