The Revved Up! team in action.
By Kathryn Stocks
As spring begins to emerge, there is one group of people really looking forward to getting out on the water again in May. I’m referring to the dragon boat teams that paddle out of Frenchman’s Bay in Pickering.
I spoke to Centennial resident Nancy Jones to find out more about the Pickering Dragon Boat Club. On-water practices start the first week in May and run through the middle of October. It’s a busy season with novice recreational teams paddling once a week, and more experienced teams paddling two to three times a week. Most teams compete in at least one regatta per season held in Pickering and other locations around southern Ontario.
At regattas, crews generally compete in approximately five races: 200 metre, 500 metre and 2K. The first takes just over a minute, the second takes 2.5 minutes and the third about 12 minutes. These boats move fast!
“The paddlers work hard on the water,” Nancy said, “as well as all winter long.” When the on-water season ends in October, they take two weeks off and then head to their gym for winter training. They work out regularly on paddle ergometers – rowing machines that have been specially adapted for their sport.
Nancy’s introduction to dragon boat racing came in January 2003 when her neighbour, Marg Todd, invited her to be on a team consisting entirely of moms from W.G. Miller Junior Public School. Nancy immediately said “yes!” and the adventure began. Twenty women joined and their team was called “Miller Time.”
In their second year, they had enough people to fill a second boat and called it “Miller Lite,” and in their third year they had brought in enough friends and acquaintances to add a crew called “Miller Premium.”
In the summer of 2005, Coach Chris Todd, said they should enter a team in the International Dragon Boat competition, which was going to be held at Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto in the summer of 2006. They had enough eager paddlers to enter one women’s crew in the Grand Masters Division.
“We surprised everyone, including ourselves, and won gold in the 200m and 500m races!” Nancy said.” That was it – they trained hard for the next two years and competed in the 2008 Club Crew World Championships in Penang, Malaysia. They brought home two more golds!
In 2009, Nancy started to coach. This means she stands up at the back of the boat and steers while the rest of the crew paddles hard. In 2017, she took over as head coach of the recreational division of the Pickering Dragon Boat Club, and now she’s coaching a 50+ recreational crew called “Revved Up!”
So, what is it about dragon boating that makes it so popular? “It’s the camaraderie, the fabulous energetic people you meet, the thrill of the race, the pumping adrenalin, working together as a team to achieve a common goal, and its to keep us motivated to hit the gym regularly and build our strength,” Nancy said.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Pickering Dragon Boat Club, visit their website at pdbc.ca. Whether you’re an experienced paddler or a novice, there’s a crew for every level and age group.