Want to know more?

Pink Dragons welcomes breast cancer survivors of any age to join the team. If you want to get fit, be part of a dynamic team who want to win medals and are prepared to train all year round to achieve that goal, then call us. Other than being a breast cancer survivor, you must be able to swim a minimum of 50m.

What is dragon boating?

The sport of dragon boating is simply 20 paddlers, sitting side-by-side and paddling a 12-metre long dragon boat down a course, usually from 200 to 2000 metres depending on the event and venue.

Our team consists of

• paddlers who power the boat – we compete in 10 or 20 seater boats
• 1 sweep whose job is to keep the boat straight
• 1 caller who sits on the bow of the boat and keeps the team in time
• a coach. We are very fortunate to have the talented Sooupu Perese as our coach.

Where to find us

During the summer, we train twice a week on the water at Pier Z, Westhaven Drive, Auckland City on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting in October. In addition, after Auckland Anniversary Day, we also train on Sunday mornings at Lake Pupuke, North Shore in preparation for the Regional and National Championships. During the winter, we train on Sunday mornings as part of the Polar Bear and Ice Breaker programmes. We also compete in monthly regattas all year round.

Costs

There is an annual membership fee to be paid to the Auckland Dragon Boat Association as well as an annual team membership which covers uniforms, equipment and regatta entry fees. We fundraise to cover the team costs for all events including travel to the National Championships.

Equipment

Team uniform and equipment is supplied for your use for as long as you are a member. Our colours are pink and black. Equipment consists of a wooden training paddle, a carbon fibre racing paddle, PFD (personal flotation deveice) and sports bag. We have training, racing and travel uniforms.

Commitment

Your commitment to the team is to attend racing, improve your fitness levels, learn the techniques and contribute to the success of the team on and off the water. Being part of the team also means lending your expertise to support the management of the team. This includes fundraising, attending meetings and events and taking leadership roles as needed.

Competitions

We compete at local, regional and national regattas. There are also opportunities to compete internationally.