Our Club
Our Club
Bei Loon Dragon Boat Club Inc. was formed in 2003 and since then has remained one of the largest Dragon Boat Clubs in Australia. We are both a social and competitive club and provide an enjoyable, friendly environment for those who want to keep fit, but not necessarily compete.
 |
 |
A special welcome to all breast cancer survivors from the Bei Loon Pinks Dragon Boat Team.
The club enters teams into State, National and International level regatta events. Beiloon qualified and was selected to participate in the Club Crew 2024 World Championships held in Raveena Italy, approximately 40 of our members attended.
Further opportunities exist for those club members that seek even more; many of our paddlers are currently selected members of Sydney Metro, NSW State and Australian National teams.
The Sport
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. The sport of dragon boat racing has its roots in an ancient folk ritual of contending villagers, which dates back 2000 years throughout southern China, and even further to the original games of Olympia in ancient Greece.
Dragon boat racing has been a traditional Chinese paddled watercraft activity, and began as a modern international sport in Hong Kong in 1976. These boats are typically made of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and other lightweight materials. For competition events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. At other times (such as during training), decorative regalia is usually removed. For races, there are 18-20 people in a standard boat, and 8-10 in a small boat, not including the steersperson (sweep) and the drummer.[1]
References
- Wikipedia "Dragon boat".
