Gordon Hessell

“Dragon boat found me in 2013 through my mother. Her netball team decided to try dragon boat for team-bonding, and through one of the coaches, she found that their junior club was recruiting. My mother asked me (13yrs) if I wanted to try it. Completely unaware of what I was getting myself into, I agreed and what a decision that turned out to be. Since then, I've made life-long friends and found a family. I feel very grateful for not only the experiences that I have had but also the people I've been able to interact with over the years. In looking back on my beginnings in DB, I feel grateful for the environment my club created which allowed holistic development as a young teenager. I do not doubt that without that first experience, I wouldn't have reached the levels I have.

The experience that sticks out the most is the time I've spent with the Australian National Team, which stood out most prominently to me when I was part of the U24 Open team during the 2019 World Championships. From the first camp, everyone in that team could tell it was something special. Despite that feeling, there were points where we didn't know whether we would be able to race. Injuries, surgeries and illness all threatened to derail the campaign. One of our senior members had his campaign prematurely ended to remove his appendix weeks from flying out. Knowing the work he put in when it was time to race the 2k, there was no motivation needed. Just thinking about that race gives me goosebumps. The feelings that emanated from seeing him on the podium with us, given the circumstances, have stuck with me. That group transcended the idea of team and morphed into a family. I'm grateful to have shared my experience with them.”

[Gordon Hessell (Sydney, NSW, Australia), paddler on U16/U18/U24 Australian national team, paddler/steerer on NSW State team, paddler on ACCA Dragon Boat Racing Team, ex-paddler on Sydney Zodiacs Dragon Boat Team.]

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