Steve C.
“My wife Cheryl and I have a history with the sea. She was raised on the beach and I was a surfer. After meeting, we took up scuba diving, sailing and then, as a request from a friend, Cheryl joined Easts Dragon Boat Club. After dropping her off one day, I was hanging around the car park and the coach told me I looked like I might be handy with a paddle and now we are both part of this fantastic, wonderfully bizarre family. The original 2002 founder of Easts, Steven Davidson, is still a very active member of the club and is greatly respected as a mentor to new sweeps and paddlers throughout the dragon boat community. Easts also trains hard! We do 3-4 days a week, year-round. Plus, on weekends, we all enjoy breakfast together at a nearby cafe.
Our team consists of a diverse group of people from all walks of life, and a range of ages along with many countries of origin. We are all brought together by a love of paddling, of the sea, and of the great outdoors. Oh, and did I mention partying? We do a lot of that, too!
Part of our training routine is to cover about 6-8 kms a session. Now, you may say, ‘PFFFT, 6 - 8kms? That’s nothing!’ But wait - while doing those kms, we have to dodge ferries of all sizes, seaplanes (yep, we cross a sea airport!), jet skis, kayaks, yachts, fishing vessels, seals, and the occasional dolphin! We even paddle at night and early morning; there is nothing like watching the sun rise, bouncing its bright shimmering rays off the glass towers of the awakening city. It is truly worth the effort of the 4:30am rise, or watching it set in the west behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge and silhouetting the city skyline at the end of training.
Dragon boating has brought so much enjoyment to our lives, and we have met and made so many friends both locally and around the world. It has kept us active and together, because of our shared passion for the sea, paddling and that much-needed bond of friendship.”
[Steve C. (Sydney, NSW, Australia), paddler on ‘Easts’ Eastern Suburbs Dragon Boat Club.]
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