Interview: Why I… dragon boat

Advice Front (04/01/2019) –

The first day I tried dragon boating – about four years ago – was one of the worst possible days to do that. I had seen it from time to time on the Chinese TV channels and the more I heard about it, the more I wanted to see what it was about.

That first day was, cold and windy and we were told we might capsize. I obviously didn’t want to do that – I hear the shock of the cold water makes you lose all your senses – but we managed to stay upright.

It was something different – totally outside of my comfort zone. People were friendly and welcoming and I thought “I can see myself doing this”. And I have been doing it, just about every week since.

My team is called the Windy Pandas and is based in east London. We get together twice a week to train in the London Regatta Centre, just off the Thames, on Wednesday evenings after work and on Saturday mornings.

There are 20 people per boat. We’re in a league and compete nationally around the country. That means preparing! Each race will have different formats and distances- some include tricky turns so we have to train for that.

Dragon Boating a hugely traditional sport. When a team has a new boat they have an ‘eye-dotting’ ceremony from superstition – it’s supposed to give the boat life and protect it from capsizing.

It’s also a growing sport – but it’s not thriving yet because it hasn’t been introduced in schools, like in Australia and The States. We’re a little behind in the UK. Still, there are lots of teams around the country, not just London.

We travel all over the country and, once a year, abroad. I’ve personally been to Cyprus and South Korea with the team to compete internationally, gain some experience and… just for fun! Every year the Captains decide which international event we’ll take part in.

There is a big difference in styles around the world. Asian teams often paddle at a very fast rate – 120 strokes a minute. But in Europe we focus more on power. Some, like the Chinese, have power and speed.

I would say I spend four or five hours per week training on water. Then you have to go to the gym and do some running. It’s a lifestyle choice for me – keeping active is important.

When we’re not making progress or it feels like we’re not competitive enough, that can be a bit demoralising. You have to train for weeks, getting up really early and travel far to races. It’s a really tiring day and if the team is not performing well, that can be the aspect I dislike.

I love the social aspect. Windy Pandas set up lots of social gatherings and other sports, like dinners, dodgeball events, paintballing and tag rugby so it helps to build that team spirit. You join a club and instantly, you have 40-50 new friends. You’re bonding with people who are like-minded.

You need to be willing to learn – you need to adapt to new styles and take feedback from others. General fitness, hand-to-eye coordination and, obviously, teamwork are also very important.