Dragon Boating is a wonderful sport. I’m sure there is no other sport so versatile!
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You can paddle for fun, fitness and friendship – or you can train seriously for the regatta team; or you can even try out to join the state team.
You can paddle in interstate events, like The Ord River Marathon, the Gold Coast Pan Pacs Masters, or The Derwent Four Bridges Event.
You can paddle in China, in Hawaii, in Venice.
You can go wherever you want this sport to take you.
Or if you’re happy to just stay at home, you can paddle along beautiful Lake Forbes taking in the winter fogs, the summer sunsets, the graceful pelicans and other abundant birdlife – and not forgetting the camaraderie of the coffee shop or the bar after a hard training session.
As well as all these opportunities, you can join any regatta with or without the rest of your team, which is just what Bill and Beth Thomas did last Sunday.
Nowra Water Dragons were holding their annual regatta on the stunning Shoalhaven River, but the Lachlan Dragons of Forbes had not planned to participate.
So Bill and Beth joined the 250 competitors from community and sports teams for a great day of friendly competition.
The thing about dragon boat racing is that you are made so welcome wherever you go and you always come home with contact details of new friends you have made – friends who you know you will meet up with again at future regattas.
The Nowra regatta offered a great added bonus for Bill Thomas who had just attained his level 2 Sweep accreditation (The sweep has the responsible position of steering the boat and being accountable for the crew).
To attain Sweep Level 3, and to join the ranks of the highly esteemed Lachlan sweeps, Neil Stephens and Kathryn Sweeney, Bill must sweep races at two separate regattas.
He was able to carry out this task with great aplomb on the untried tidal river of Shoalhaven.
A waterway quite different to what he is accustomed, but he did an incredible job – sweeping his team to two first places in heats and a second in the finals.
Bill will now need to complete one more regatta to be fully qualified and join our great masters, Neil and Kathryn.
With Orange Regatta coming up in early November this should pose no problem.
Happily the Forbes Lachlan Dragons will be competing together as a team for this regatta.
A fun event, looked forward to with great anticipation, which is never missed on our calendar.
If you’d like to find out more about dragon boating or about our club you can find us on Facebook.
We have members from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and fitness levels.
We are a diverse but inclusive group with a common passion for dragon boat racing and enjoying each other’s company.
The Forbes Lachlan Dragons (which includes members from Parkes and Eugowra region) value teamwork, passion, achievement and friendship.
We aim to continually improve through committed training, to grow our club and to support each other in friendship.
We are based at Lake Forbes, behind the Sport & Rec Club in Lachlan Street.
We would love to see you come along on Sunday mornings at 8.15am (and 6.15pm Thursday evenings in daylight-saving time.)
It’s a great sport and a great club.
You would be most welcome to join us!