Thom Cullen

“I started dragon boating in 2013. I was living on Brisbane’s bayside at the time and often saw the Manly Dragon Boat Club training around the bay. I never considered joining the club until after I injured my knee playing rugby. After the knee rehab, my specialist told me to find a sport that didn’t involve running. That was when I joined the MDBC. They were very supportive and made me feel part of the family immediately. It was with this club that I developed a love for racing and training as a crew.

In 2014, I moved to Melbourne. On my second day in Melbourne, I found the Yarra River Dragons (YRD) and my passion for the sport of dragon boat racing has been steadily growing ever since. What I found at YRD was an instant group of friends and a family away from home.

I have so many fantastic memories being part of the YRD. Top of the list would be being a member of the open 20s 2km crew who fought hard and took gold at the 2019 Australian Championships. Nothing beats the feeling of pushing hard in a 2km race and coming away feeling like you could not have given any more. I also really enjoyed the whole experience training for and competing at the 2018 Club Crew World Championships in Hungary. For the past three years, I have been the male captain at YRD. I have loved being in a leadership role at the club and try my best to lead by example on and off the water.

Recently, we were told that the 2020 Australian Championships will be cancelled and that all on-water training must cease. It seems very strange not to be training, laughing and hanging out with my dragon boat buddies. I am already looking forward to getting back into the boat in the near future and thumping it down the course.”

[Thom Cullen (Melbourne, VIC, Australia), paddler & men’s captain on Yarra River Dragons, paddler on Victorian state team.]

[128]