Canberra Griffins Dragon Boat Club

The Canberra Griffins were established in 1996, making it one of the longest established clubs that trains and competes in the exciting sport of dragon boat racing in Canberra. We are a family friendly club and have several parent-child combinations in the team. The club encourages all age groups and all fitness levels to join. We have members who are social paddlers through to ACT representatives and we all train and race together focusing on technique, timing and working as a team. We strive to improve our own abilities without losing sight of the fact that it is a fun sport with great team spirit. Everyone gets to paddle at every regatta. Whilst we train hard on the water, we also love to catch up off the water to share a coffee, cake or meal after paddling. Griffins hold several social events throughout the season (e.g. Christmas party), and we also get together to volunteer in other local charitable and sporting events. Griffins are a member of Dragon Boat ACT - the governing body for the sport of dragon boating in the Australian Capital Territory. More information about the broader sport of dragon boating in the ACT can be found on the DBACT website. What is dragon boat racing? Dragon boating is an energetic, fun and challenging team-based paddling sport. A dragon boat team consists of 20 paddlers sitting two to each bench seat, plus a sweep who navigates the dragon boat from the rear and a drummer who sits up the front. The team of paddlers work together to drive the boat forwards and with good timing, technique, strength and endurance, aim to reach the finish line in the fastest time. Teamwork is critical. Racing can be in teams of all women, an equal mix of women and men or an open category. Race distances vary but the most common are 200m, 500m and 2kms. Whether you are a first-timer looking to improve your fitness in a social environment or a driven competitor wanting to experience the adrenaline of racing there is a seat for you on a dragon boat.