Dragon Boating is thought to have started in China 2,500 years ago and is associated with agricultural rituals and festival celebrations.

The boat is traditionally made of teak, with a decorative dragon head and tail at either end of the craft. Unlike rowing, participants are called ‘paddlers’ and face the direction the boat is travelling and the paddle is not attached to the watercraft. Twenty-two people consisting of twenty paddlers, one sweep and one drummer make up the crew. The drummer sits at the bow facing the paddlers with the sweep at the rear. Two paddlers at the bow are the leading pair, also called ‘pacers’ or ‘strokes’, and their job is to set the pace for the team. The drummer is the heartbeat of the boat and is a ceremonial icon and a motivational coach for the team. Through rhythmic drumming they synchronise the crew to keep in time and pace. The sweep steers the boat from the rear using a sweep oar rigged to the boat. Like similar watercraft sports, the aim of dragon boating is to get over the finish line first.

Dragons Abreast was the first dragon boating team in Canberra. It was formed in the 90’s as a way for women recovering from breast cancer to get together, keep fit and manage a side effect of breast cancer called lymphedema. A common symptom of lymphedema is swelling of the arm and paddling can help prevent fluid from pooling in the arm.

Today, the Canberra Dragon Boat Association (CDBA) has over 800 members across ten sports clubs and three schools. The Diamond Phoenix Dragon Boat Club is a proudly LGBTQI friendly club for women paddlers. Women of different ages, fitness level, sexuality, identity and background are welcomed into the Diamond Phoenix family. If you are not the competitive type you can paddle at training sessions and sit out regattas.

I talked to Margaret Ritchie, Captain of Diamond Phoenix Club about why she started dragon boating.

‘I joined two seasons ago to gain upper body strength and I am now hooked. It keeps me challenged and feedback from the coaches helps my performance. Being on the lake in the early morning is wonderful — it is a great location and I enjoy the interaction with the team’.

Margaret says there are a lot of opportunities to participate competitively. Regattas are held locally as well as in Orange and Jindabyne, NSW. This year Diamond Phoenix is competing in the ACT championships and the national event AusDBF Australian Dragon Boat Championships are being held in Canberra. This is a week-long event which will see Diamond Phoenix paddle against strong inter-state teams.

More travel is planned later in the year, with the club setting sail to Hong Kong in June to compete in the Annual Crew Club Championships. And if that is not enough action, Margaret tells me Diamond Phoenix have been nominated for a 2011 ACT International Women’s Day group category award for fostering empowerment and friendship amongst women in sport.

Dragon boating is an all over body workout. It makes intensive use of upper body, arm and leg muscle strength, as well as core body conditioning. Endurance and stamina are required to keep up the momentum for paddling up to fifteen kilometres in a two hour training session. Training sessions occur three times a week and provided you attend at least one session, you will keep the coaches happy. The Dragon Boating season runs from September through to April. A number of open days are held in the first months of the new season for anyone wanting to test the water.

ACT Girls Dragon Boat Club :  www.diamondphoenix.asn.au
NSW GLBT Dragon Boat Club :  www.differentstrokes.org.au

Photo: The AusDBF Australian Championships will be held at Central Basin on Lake Burley Griffin. Get on down to the lake to support the ladies and remember ‘when I say Diamond, you say Phoenix’.