PRESIDENT

Tania has a cheerful habit of saying yes to new adventures, which is how she ended up moving from Mexico to Seattle and discovering dragon boat, a sport she didn’t even know existed before trying it.

A lifelong fan of staying active, Tania has tried basketball, rock climbing, kickboxing, and even pole dancing, so it’s no surprise she fell in love with a sport that combines teamwork, water, and plenty of energy.

Over a decade as an elementary school teacher made her outgoing, friendly, patient, and always ready to take on a challenge (because really, what’s tougher than teaching kids?).

When she’s not on the water, Tania enjoys reading fantasy books, cross-stitching, and playing board games. She’s always open to book recommendations, bonus points if they have dragons!

email: president@seattleflyingdragons.org

VICE PRESIDENT

Janell joined Seattle Flying Dragons in the summer of 2015 as she was finishing up law school. After briefly taking a hiatus to finish the semester and take the bar exam, Janell returned to the club full time in spring of 2016.

Being born and raised on the island of Maui, Janell has always had an affinity towards being near water. When not practicing with the Seattle Flying Dragons, Janell can be found paddle boarding on the Puget Sound, reading a book cozy in bed, or working on her indoor and outdoor gardens.

email: vice_president@seattleflyingdragons.org

SECRETARY

John Weiss is a retired Naval Aviator and airline pilot.  John served in the US Navy for 20 years, flying the A-4 Skyhawk and A-6 Intruder; and spent the remainder of his career at Atlas Air as a 747 Captain. He now volunteers as a Docent at the Museum ofFlight.

John has been sailing since 1970. He has owned numerous boats from a 13’ wooden cat yawl to a 28’ Pearson Triton.  He has been a kayaker and rower since 1997; and now owns a 17’ sea kayak that he built in 2000, and a 15’ Adirondack Guideboat.

From 2014-2019, John was a member of the National On-Water Standards Program, which developed training course standards for Sail, Power, and Human-propelled boats.  These were adopted as ANSI standards in 2017. John was then certified as a lead course reviewer for the National Association of State Boating law Administrators (NASBLA), which verified commercial boating courses for compliance with the new ANSI standards.

He joined the Seattle Flying Dragons in early 2020, just in time for the COVIDquarantine. He is a qualified tiller, and usually paddles from the Kenmore site.

email: membership@seattleflyingdragons.org

TREASURER

IChein is originally from Taiwan. Besides watching the Dragon Boat races on TV, her first encounter with Dragon boating was in the summer of 2023 when a girlfriend invited her to join one of the free practices at South Lake Union. She was hesitant as a non-swimmer, and never thought of herself as an athlete.  But the club’s website stated “we can make a paddler out of anyone” so she thought she would give it a try.  She has competed in local races in 2024 and gained confidence in being a competitive team member.

Outside of paddling, IChein works as a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in her own practice.  She enjoys reading, going on excursions with friends, fitness training and volunteering with her church community.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Despite living in the desert for many years, Keilana has always loved swimming and being on the water. Keilana began paddling in 2022 after relocating from the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest. Outside of paddling Keilana enjoys hot tub boats and Karaoke - sometimes at the same time!

email: communications@seattleflyingdragons.org

FESTIVAL COODINATOR

​Katie is originally from California and competed in various sports before she started paddling in 2006.  She joined SFD in 2016 after moving to Seattle, where she currently works as a biostatistician doing cancer research.  She started coaching the competitive paddlers in 2018 and enjoys inventing new drills and workouts.  She's easy to spot at practices and you'll recognize her as the shortest, loudest, bossiest person there!  She firmly believes that the best practices are ones that are both fun and make you feel like you're dying, all at the same time.  She paddled for ACA Team USA in 2018 and likes attending international races that take her to warmer locales.  When she's not on the water, you can find her sleeping, complaining about the rain, or struggling to reach things on high shelves.

email: festival@seattleflyingdragons.org

COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Susanna joined SFD in 2012 and grew to enjoy year-round paddling. Besides dragon boating, her other interests include line dancing and lindy hop swing dancing. In years past, Susanna had served on a few local non-profit boards in the areas of civil rights advocacy, professional networking, and youth sports. Professionally, she managed software development and product management teams at Boeing.

email: outreach@seattleflyingdragons.org