A total of 13 Kempsey Macleay Dragon Boat Club paddlers travelled to the International Regatta Centre in Penrith, Sydney to compete against the state's best teams.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The River Rats members left Kempsey at 5am on Sunday, March 26, and arrived at the Sydney International Regatta Centre by about 10am in preparation for their race in the Senior divisions that afternoon.
Kempsey Macleay Dragon Boat Club member Belinda Fowler said "it was a fun day with lots of racing".
"Some of the crew had to back up several races in a row, they worked so hard," she said.
The Senior C (60+) crew came home with third place in the open category, while the Senior A (40+) women placed second in the Women's 500 metre event.
"We were racing some of the strongest crews in the state, and for a Waratah crew to perform so well is just awesome," Fowler said.
A Waratah crew is made up of a mixture of three clubs or more who can't enter their own crews as they don't have enough members to qualify.
"These people often don't know each other and don't train together, but they are usually super mad keen paddlers which makes them a force to be reckoned with," Fowler said.
The Kempsey Macleay Dragon Boat Club has 11 members who are also in the NSW state teams in various divisions, including eight in the Northern Region State Crew, one on the NSW Junior Team, and two in the NSW State Senior B (50+) team.
"They are all training hard [to be] ready for the upcoming Australian Championships to be held in Albury next month," Fowler said.
The club has been working tirelessly to build membership and become a competitive force in the region.
The club encourages anyone interested in joining the team to reach out through their Facebook and Instagram pages, or their website.
"It's such a great sport to be into, if your keen to give it a go, reach out!"
IN OTHER NEWS:
