DRAGON BOATING
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THE Bathurst Pan Dragons are inviting anyone looking to get involved in a new sport to head to Chifley Dam this weekend where they will be holding a come-and-try day ahead of the regatta season.
The club has been slowly building over the last three years and will also use Sunday as an opportunity to officially unveil their new shed.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole will be on hand to open the shed.
Pan Dragons media officer Laurence Outim says that it has been a lengthy process getting everything together, but the progress is now there for all to see.
“The club itself has been going for about three years, and the shed has been an ongoing project from the early stages of that,” he explained.
“The first step was for us to own our own boat which we took care of, then we got ourselves a trailer and the shed is the third part of it and it has taken a lot of fundraising and grants and help from Bathurst Regional Council.
“It is an expensive idea, but we’re glad it is done now and we have somewhere to house all our equipment.”
Though not quite a mainstream sport at this stage, dragon boating has gained a significantly bigger following in recent years and the Bathurst club hasn’t been short of opportunities to compete.
They often race at Orange’s Lake Canobolas as well as the Regatta Centre in Penrith and on Sydney Harbour to help celebrate Chinese New Year.
Unlike rowing and kayaking, which are as much about a smooth tempo as anything else, dragon boating has more in common with canoeing where strength and a frenetic action are crucial to boat speed.
The boats consist of 20 paddlers – 10 on either side of the vessel – as well as a sweep to steer in the right direction and a drummer at the front to keep rhythm.
It almost evokes an image of the galleys in Ben Hur when the paddlers are doing their job in unison with the beat.
“It is pretty chaotic in the boat, especially if you’re racing in a sprint,” Outum said.
“‘We are a growing club, it is happening slowly, but we are seeing more and more people getting involved.
“Anyone can come and have a go provided they are over 12 years old, you don’t need much equipment outside of clothes and shoes that can get wet along with a hat and some water.”
Sunday’s grand opening of the Pan Dragons’ shed is at 10am and will be followed at 11am by the come-and-try session as well as a barbecue fundraiser to follow. Everyone is welcome to attend.