The Northwest was represented well in the dragon boating world earlier this month.
Women from Prince Rupert, Smithers, Terrace, Kitimat competed in the annual Penticton Dragon Boat Festival on Sept. 8 and 9 as a part of the Northwest Wave Riders, a regional dragon boat team that has competed together since 2013.
The team brought home first place honours in the women’s “Diamond-B” division as well as placing in the top-10 overall out of 46 teams, and are hoping to continue building passion for the sport in their communities.
“It was a wonderful feeling,” said Rupertite paddler Paddy Jones. “We really gelled together as a team, practiced hard and the competition was wonderful.”
READ MORE: MVP of the Week – Synchronizing the Rainbow Warriors dragon boat
Jones, along with Rupertite riders Janice MacPhee, Joan Patriquin and Joy Sundin, had already been dragon boating as a member of the Rainbow Warriors in Prince Rupert since 2003. But, like so many other riders from communities in the Northwest, their local club was too remote to consistently compete in regional regattas.
In 2013, the Northwest Wave Riders team was created to allow enthusiastic riders from these communities to compete together in provincial competitions like BC Senior Games.
“We enjoy the sport, we enjoy the fellowship we get from coming together and the joy we get from competing is awesome,” said Jones. “It gave us a goal to work towards.”
The team started out as a coed group and raced together for two years. However, the majority of paddlers on the team were women and they saw an opportunity to enter even more competitions as an all-female group.
Thus, while enjoying beers after a race in 2015, they decided to form an all-female team, which attended its first festival at the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival in 2016.
“We decided to spread our wings, replace our four men with some younger women and compete in other festivals,” said Jones.
Individuals on the team train with their respective clubs and come together to practice on weekends before big competitions. Jones said the group has had numerous adventures over the years, like paddling three foot high waves on Lakelse Lake in the rain and wind, getting stuck on low tide in Prince Rupert or battling horseflies in Kitimat.
“We’re sure we are the only team whose coach conducts with a flyswatter,” said Jones.
Despite the logistical challenges involved with bringing together a group from such a large area, Jones said she is proud of the fact that they dedicated enough to log the kilometres necessary to practice and be successful at competitions.
“We can boast that our boat extends 350 kilometres from bow to stem, as we come from Smithers Kitimat, Terrace and Prince Rupert,” said Jones.
Read More: Rainbow Warriors paddle in sync
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