Coffs Coast Dragon Boat Club was happily overwhelmed by the good number of guest paddlers who attended its come and try day held on the Bellinger River at Mylestom last weekend.
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The aim of the come and try day was to enlist more male members to the club’s very active men’s crew, and women were welcomed as well. Eleven men and seven women took to the water to try their hand at what has become one of the world’s fastest growing water sport – dragon boat paddling.
The youngest paddler on the day was 16-year-old Rotary exchange student Bianca Lima from Sao Paulo, Brazil who is currently spending 12 months on the Coffs Coast as a guest of the Rotary Daybreak and the Coffs City Rotary Clubs.
And proving that age is no barrier in dragon boating, the most mature paddler on the day was club member, Thelma Nicks, who celebrated her 80th birthday on the riverbank after the paddling session.
After some 20 years of nursing her sick husband Thelma took up paddling only last year at age 79 and is part of the Club’s crew of 22 paddlers participating in the spectacular Chinese New Year Regatta being held at Sydney’s Darling Harbour this weekend.
“I needed to do something for me and dragon boat paddling had always looked like fun so I gave it a try,” octogenarian Thelma Nicks said. “I wish I had started earlier. I just love it. I’ve made so many friends and its great exercise.”
If you missed last weekend’s try out, there’s no need to be disappointed as the Coffs Coast Dragon Boat Club paddles four times a week at Mylestom and Sawtell and always welcomes new paddlers who would like to try this fun, rewarding and inclusive sport.
The club is governed by Dragon Boats NSW Inc. and has qualified coaches to teach the right techniques. And the good thing is that, unlike with many sports, there is absolutely no pressure. Members can choose their own level of involvement and either come along for a social paddle or participate in competitive events.
For more information about the Coffs Coast Dragon Boat Club – www.coffscoastdbc.com.au or 0418 953 882.