Who Am I?

I know he feels inferior about being a mere scientist, however he makes up for it in being: highly intelligent, well read, a self proclaimed spelling and grammar expert, annoyingly correct about everything, highly competitive despite his obvious limitations, has a wicked sense of humour, can be brutally honest, doesn't suffer fools gladly, loves a bargain (he is a Scot, after all), sensitive (though it may not be readily apparent to many people) and loyal. On balance, I'd have to say he's a nice guy.

As a ‘statesman' of Dragon Masters, Gordon (Tribbick) is passionate about dragon boating, a compelling passion that is transferred to those around him.  Gordon is our club’s most successful Aurora, having represented Australia successfully at four World Championships.  He not only keeps his body fit and strong through Dragon Boating, he cross trains by cycling and golfing regularly.  He exercises his mental agility by keeping abreast of the latest scientific research.  His cheeky sense of humor lightens any intense moment and he is an inclusive team member.  He encourages new paddlers and builds confidence in those trying new skills to improve their technique.  Socially he is very popular with the ladies and he enjoys being the centre of attention. 

Teammates’ comments include:

I had the privilege of being his roommate on three Aurora occasions and I can attest to his drive and determination to do his best. His one fault is his intermittent snoring that has to be enjoyed.

The greatest encouragement I have had was when Gordon said, ‘it was a pleasure paddling behind you’ as we got out of the boat and I have heard him say similar things to many paddlers at many different levels.

Due to the demographic that Gordon paddles in, he is a big believer in staying on the drugs – legals of course.  He can advise how to open up your corpuscles, get more oxygen in to perform at altitude, and how to get your face tingling.  At the start of a big race, just before the starter calls paddlers to the ready position, you will hear the desperate cry from bench three right, ‘how much do you want it?’  Gordon is intensely competitive and committed to playing his part in his team doing well.

Gordon’s enthusiasm for the ancient philosophy of Stoicism is infectious and has supported him through significant emotional challenges.  His red socks and his floppy hat are famous at The Hub.  We seek out his cogent opinions and we love being around him.  Thank you Gordon for being a wonderful paddling mate and  friend.

But wait, just when we thought he would slide into his slippers and dressing gown, Gordon is back stronger than ever as the new PRESIDENT of Dragon Masters.

Sport Australia and Volunteering 

Following the release of the recent AusPlay survey results, Sport Australia has been examining the data collected to identify areas of the sport sector most impacted by the pandemic. While the impact has been broad, an area that emerged as a significant concern for sport volunteering. AusPlay insights indicated a possible decline in the number of volunteers returning to sport, even more so than sport participants. With such a high dependence on volunteers, especially at the community regatta level, any reduction in volunteers could impact the ability to deliver events and activities or reactivate sport into the future.

The full AusPlay report can be found HERE but in summary, the report highlighted:

• Before COVID, 19% of adults expected to volunteer in at least one sport. By August, the proportion actually volunteering was at 13%, which is 68% of pre-COVID expectations.
• By August, roughly a third of adults (37%) and children (36%) who expected to play at least one sport between April and December were back playing the same number of sports and a small number (2% of both groups) were actually playing more.
• Volunteers have been slower to return – by August 30% of those who expected to volunteer before COVID were back volunteering in the same number of sports or more.

To support our sport we really need to better understand any gaps and how we might all work together to enhance the Dragon Boat volunteer experience. In early 2021 Sport Australian will be hosting a series of co-design workshops with representatives from across sport, government and the volunteering industry to explore where the key opportunities for sport volunteering growth might exist. Our hope is that, through an open and collaborative forum with people closely connected to volunteering, we can truly begin to understand the challenges and opportunities. The workshops are still in the early stages of planning but we soon hope to provide details of how you can attend and contribute towards shaping the future of sport volunteering.