True Grit 24U-PS
True Grit is 22Dragons’s 24 years old and under competitive team. They were established in 2012 by Michael Wu, Wendi Zhou, Christopher Wong, and Andy Shih. This team is largely composed of the paddlers from 22Dragons’ University and College teams; Marianopolis’ Descendents of the Dragons, McGill’s Dragon Boat Z, Université de Montréal’s Dragon Boat Team, and Concordia’s Dragon Boat Club.
About its creation
Summer 2009
Canadian university racing is dominated by the Greater Toronto Area teams. The U23 National Team will only include 2 from Quebec. Michael Wu is convinced that whatever success has happened in Toronto can be replicated in Montreal. He starts planting the seeds in the paddlers he coaches that Montreal student racing can achieve the same heights.
Fall 2011
McGill University’s Dragon Boat Z has hit a new peak in performance since its inception in 2009. Many paddlers are graduating, but have enjoyed their growth and want to keep challenging themselves.
At the same time, an opportunity was freed up to participate at CCWC 2012. We put our name in for the lottery, and the rest is history. Wendi Zhou, Andy Shih, Chris Wong and Michael Wu came together to form a team that would provide the highest caliber of racing to the young adult demographic, and True Grit was born.
Since then, True Grit will participate in 3 CCWC and medal every time. 31 paddlers will join the 24U National team. The entire club has benefited from the coaching they give back to their community.
2024 Season
True Grit competed at the CanAm Club Crew Championships in Welland, Ontario and at the Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy.
In Welland, True Grit won Gold in the Mixed Category and Silver in both the Open and Women’s Categories.
In Ravenna, True Grit won 1 Gold and 4 Silvers
Achievements
- 2023 24U National Champions
- 2017 U24 National Champions
- 2012 U23 National Champions
School Teams
22Dragons is home to many of Montreal’s best student teams! These teams are affiliated with a post-secondary institution and are completely self-managed.
- Descendents of the Dragon – Marianopolis College
- Dragon Boat Z – McGill University
- Concordia Dragon Boat Club – Concordia University
- Club de bateau-dragon de l’Université de Montréal – Université de Montréal
True Grit’s Team History
2024, CanAm & CCWC
In 2024, True Grit competed at the CanAm Club Crew Championships in Welland, Ontario and at the Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy. In Welland, their standard mixed boat earned the gold medal, their women’s boat earned the silver medal, and the open boat earned the silver medal, giving them a total ranking of second behind NDRC. In Ravenna, their small mixed boat were second on all three distances. Their small women’s boat were 2nd on the 200 m, 1st on the 500 m and were disqualified on the 2000 m. The small open boat ranked fourth in all distances.
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
- Chris Wong
Captains:
- Eugene Sweetoo
- Elizabeth Hua
- Hugo Gélinas
- Isla Warner
2023, National Division Champions
In 2023, True Grit competed at the Canadian National Championships in Welland. Their standard mixed boat received the gold medal, their women received the gold medal, and their open received the silver medal. True Grit ranked first place overall and earned the most competitive to date 24U-PS division championship banner.
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
- Chris Wong
Captains:
- Eugene Sweetoo
- Elizabeth Hua
- Anh Vu Pham
- Jenny He
2022, Rebirth at Nationals
2022 marked the year the Canadian National Championships would resume after the Covid-19 pandemic. Held in Montréal, Nationals were a revelation of the potential of the team that had rebuilt post-covid. Going in to the championships with a standard mixed boat only and unsure of what to expect from the rest of Canada, the team clinched the bronze medal.
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
Captains:
- Bernadette Ng
- Eugene Sweetoo
- Elizabeth Hua
- Julien Lemay
2021
2021 was the year that practices would resume for weeks at a time, between covid-19 contagion waves. Only outdoor practices were held when possible with half boat capacity, accounting for social distancing. Coming out of covid, the team had a handful of veteran paddlers and kicked off a new wave of recruitment. This is the year the True Grit fit test with a minimum standard was established.
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
Captains:
- Bernadette Ng
- Eugene Sweetoo
- Elizabeth Hua
- Julien Lemay
2020
- Bernadette Ng
- Andrew Anderson
2019
2019
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
Captains:
2018
2018
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
Captains:
2017
2017
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
- Laurie-Anne Dancause
Captains:
2016
2016
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
Captains:
2015
2015
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
Captains:
2014
2014
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
Captains:
2013
2013
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
Captains:
2012
2012
Coaches:
- Michael Wu
Captains: