Team Xtreme Take the Win at Dragon Boat Race for Air Ambulance NI

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Last Friday, 18 of us from Xpert Workwear headed into the heart of Belfast to take part in the Dragon Boat Race in support of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

Across the morning and afternoon, 16 teams took to the River Lagan for a day of racing, team spirit and fundraising. We arrived as Team Xtreme, ready to give it everything.

The weather had other ideas.

It was one of the wettest days you could imagine. The rain was bucketing down from the moment we arrived, but the mood around the event was still incredible. No one there was fazed one bit. The DJ had the place buzzing, teams were getting ready, and despite everyone being soaked before the racing even started, there was a real energy in the air.

Thankfully, we were dressed for the occasion. The full team was kitted out in matching green Xpert Stormgear Bib and Braces and our new Sandy Beige Xpert T-shirts. We looked the part, even if we were about to get absolutely drenched.

Before heading to the boat, we gathered the team for a quick talk. The message was very simple: this was about putting into practice the Xpert DNA. Working hard. Pulling together. Not giving up. Everyone had a role to play, and if we moved as one, we had a chance.

Then came the first heat.

To be honest, I don’t think any of us expected what happened next. We absolutely flew out of the blocks and beat the first team comfortably. Not only that, but we recorded the fastest time of the day at around 50 seconds! For context, the other strong times in our runs were sitting closer to 54 and 56 seconds.

That first race changed the mood. Suddenly, we knew we had a real chance.

From there, we made it through to the semi-final and won again. The team was soaked, tired and running on adrenaline, but the rhythm was pretty much there. Everyone was pulling together, giving it their all, and the boat was moving well.

Then came the final.

It was tight. A proper photo finish.

By that stage, we had raced back-to-back, while the other team was fully rested and had more time to recover. There were also a few shouts from our boat at the start, with some feeling the other team had already started moving before the buzzer, while we were starting from a dead stop. But in the end, the result went our way.

Team Xtreme had won.

The celebrations said it all. Everyone was drenched through, but the smiles were massive. We lifted the trophy together and enjoyed the moment as a team. For a group of people who spend most of our time working across different parts of the business, it was a brilliant reminder of what happens when everyone gets behind the same goal.

A big thank you also has to go to the Rapid Response Team (RRT)for keeping everyone well fed on the day. The sausage, bacon and egg baps were exactly what was needed after racing in that weather.

After the event, we headed back to the office and gave the trophy pride of place in the welcome area. A good home for it.

More than anything, the day was a brilliant team-building experience and a great chance to support an important cause in Air Ambulance Northern Ireland. The weather was rough, but the team spirit was stronger.

Team Xtreme showed up, pulled together and got the job done.