Heather Peel is a founding member of the Wonderland Dragon Boat Club Inc. and competes as a member of its first team, the Waves of Fury.

She also serves as webmaster for the London Dragon Boat Festival committee. In this capacity Ms. Peel has been going online to check out the buzz on the 14th annual London Dragon Boat Race Festival which takes place this Saturday, Aug. 19, at Fanshawe Lake Conservation Authority.

If what she has read is any indication, the festival is heading for another successful year.

"This is the third or fourth year since the festival incorporated that our committee has shown steady improvement," Mrs. Peel says. "There are a couple of dragon boat forums online where people talk about the sport, what's going on. I think people are really pleased with what is happening here in London. People are continuing to come year-after-year because it is so much fun."

This year organizers have added something extra to the festival. Where in years past any profits from the festival have been donated to local charities - and will be again - competitors are also being asked to collect pledges for a donation to the Children's Health Foundation on behalf of the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

There are 42 teams entered in this year's festival and upwards of 1,000 participants. However, one local team may just be more nervous than the others.

The Waves of Fury are the first team launched by the Wonderland Dragon Boat Club Inc., which was formed in February to provide Londoners interested in a more recreational approach to the sport the opportunity to compete and enjoy its benefits.

Maureen Gerofsky is one of Wonderland's founding members, also sitting on its board of directors, and says the driving idea behind forming the club is a simple one.

"We were all thinking we wanted to do something different than was being offered in London. We thought if we could find others to join, to share the cost of boats, paddles, life jackets, all the things you need, this could work," Ms. Gerofsky says. "Rowbust is a group of cancer survivors; they pay a high price to join. Dragon's Breath are cancer survivors, family and friends and the Dragon Flyers are very competitive. We wanted something the average person could join. Maybe not have to be in top shape, maybe not have any experience. Just to come out and have fun in the boat."

The club was giving an interest-free loan which was used to purchase a pair of used boats from the Cobourg Dragon Boat Club.

The loan was also used to purchase life jackets, paddles, insurance and everything the team needed to get going - well, just about everything anyway.

"We got a really good deal on the boats, but we still needed the life jackets, paddles, insurance. But the dragon head (for the boat) costs $275, maybe $300 or more. The tail around the same. So we figured that would be something for later on," Ms. Gerofsky says. "We also needed a place to practice out of, so we looked around. A lot of people were willing to help us but we thought if we could find a place and just stay that would be for the best. That led us to the Fanshawe Yacht Club and they have just been amazing for us ever since."

The group got together, eventually attracted new members (22 have paid to date), hired a couple of coaches (Leif Einarson and Joe Ho, both experienced paddlers who also each happen to be attending the University of Western Ontario) and made their way to their first competition, held back in July in Waterloo.

Perhaps surprisingly to a lot of people, the Waves of Fury won the division in Waterloo.

"We won the iron division, maybe it was the lowest division, but we won it and that felt great," Ms. Gerofsky says. "We were all so pleased, so excited. That's what really gets you hooked. Being out there, having fun, it's great. Whether you win or not, it's just so exciting, it's such a great sport."

Joanne Geddes, another member of the Wonderland club who also serves as treasurer for the festival organizing committee, says the excitement and interest in the sport was a key reason for a formation of a team like the Waves of Fury.

"Eventually we want to provide opportunities for other teams. Youth teams, competitive, non-competitive. It's really unlimited the number of teams we could have. We have the infrastructure, we have the insurance, we have two boats. We just want to help promote the sport and take the chance to get people involved," Ms. Geddes says. "It's a sport most people can do, at their own level. There is no pressure to be great athletes. It's just about having fun."

As excited as the members of the Waves of Fury are about competing here in London, there is also an excitement about the growth of the Dragon Boat Festival itself.

In fact, Ms. Geddes says this year's event could very special.

"It's looking like it could be the best ever. We really got together last year. Last year was good and a lot of people started talking about it. We are hoping that is just the beginning," Ms. Geddes says. "We have 17 merchandise vendors, which will be the most for a long time. We have five or six food vendors. The merchants are good for the fans, for the participants too. Michelle Van Beers has done a tremendous job with the volunteers, they will all have jobs. It's really all quite exciting."

Geddes says organizers are hoping for a big turnout, perhaps 500 spectators in addition to the friends and family members of the competitors themselves.

"We have the vendors, several cultural events, art, Chinese writing. And of courses, the races themselves," Ms. Geddes says. "We are expecting a really great event."