The Dragon Chatterpod

GB and Hong Kong National Trials: Our Quest to Join a Paddling Elite and Fly the National Flag

By an extraordinary coincidence, we found ourselves trialling for our national Dragon Boat teams - Great Britain and Hong Kong - on the same day! It was C's first national trial, an emotional rollercoaster even before the first test. With the experience of the Senior A trials behind him, A took the onslaught of GB Premier assessments in his stride.In this episode, we share our unfiltered thoughts and emotions before, during, and after the trials. Join us as we navigate the highs and lows of this intense experience. We hope our journey inspires you to embrace an athlete's mindset and find your own path to paddling perfection!

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL: Why Paddlers Make the Best Partners

In this day and age, we might think we're spoiled for choice when it comes to opportunities for meeting that special someone. But how do you know you've found a keeper? We've struggled with that question and have seen friends struggle with it too. So here we are, discussing an alternative to dating apps, running clubs, and pickleball: join a dragon boat club! It might take a while to meet your match, but their qualities will be worth the wait. In the meantime, you can get fit, make a bunch of new friends, race, and see the world with a paddle in your hand!

Episode 5 - Filipino Dynamo Dragon Boat Team: Empowering Women Through Sport

We chat to the founder of The Filipino Dynamo - an all-women dragon boat team in Hong Kong - who made it her mission to empower domestic helpers, and show them they too can achieve greatness in sport through dedication and hard work.

Episode 4 - Oh, Canada: Top tips to dominate the world!

We've been following Canadian dragon boat teams for as long as we've been interested in paddling. And what do you get when you bring together the crème de la crème of Canadian clubs? A legendary national squad, that's what! C needed a few months in HK to get over the effects of seeing some of them up close and personal in Ravenna. And A ... let's just says he's gone bonkers over some Canadian fitness training videos he's found on social media. So we caught up with Matt Smith and Antony Chandra of Canada's Premier dragon boat team - and spent a very enjoyable hour talking about everything from the 4th IDBF World Cup in Miluo, to winter training, and the secrets of putting together a world-beating boat.

FESTIVE SPECIAL - Christmas OC Yap and Internet Wisdom

After lots of nagging, A gets to wear his favourite Christmas outfit: a Die Hard T-shirt styled with coral red antlers. C bakes a loaf of bread and promptly breaks it with a new bunch of people armed with spoon-shaped paddles. Good luck to anyone trying to stop her talking about her Boxing Day outing in an OC6! Plus we plumb the depths of the internet for some controversial thoughts on dragon boating.