Desmond “Shinobi” Chan
Coach
Tell us about yourself!
I was born and have lived in the 6ix my entire life. I am a CIV1T3T1 + PEY.
My nickname is “Shinobi” because I’m extremely stealthy and you’ll never hear me when I eat, laugh, talk, or dragon boat. I currently work at 407 ETR as a Transportation Planner.
What made you try dragon boating and how long have you been doing it?
I learned about dragon boating in first year from my friend Hannah Wong who had made the team. Unfortunately, I was too late to join that year, so she successfully lured me in during my second year.
This will be my 6th year padding.
What do you like to do outside of ID?
Outside of dragon boat, I like to participate in a wide array of activities including soccer, badminton, tennis, ultimate, snowboarding, karate, and biking. Though not biking so much anymore as I have a car… so driving!
Why did you come back as a coach? What do you like most about coaching?
I returned as a coach because I really enjoyed learning every technical aspect of dragon boating and since I have nothing better to do, I would rather use my time helping complete noobs get off the floor and into a boat!
Coaching also reminds me of how I grew into the sport: through an active and engaged coach. It is also pretty fun meeting a bunch of new people every year.
What is your biggest drive to paddle?
My biggest drive to paddle is the competition. If we win a race against a team of similar athletes, it justifies the reason why we work so hard. Not only that, but I like the camaraderie you develop with the 21 other individuals on your crew.
What are you looking forward to most this season?
Feeling the wind through my hair as I steer a race. (Never steered a race before!)
What’s your favourite dragon boat memory?
One of my favourite memories was when I went down to San Francisco with Jetstart (one of the top 5 premier teams in Toronto). When we won the final, the whole crowd was screaming for Jetstart … I felt like I could conquer the world (;
The food prepared for us at the regatta was also phenomenal, they would bring fried rice / noodles, coffee, assorted meats, muffins, tiny tims donuts, etc.