Salvatore Lannutti (“Cuz”)  

On a whim, my fellow paddler, Ky, and I attended the Sloan’s Lake Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in 2024. We watched the racing and thought, “That doesn’t seem that difficult—I can do that!” A quick search led me to the Phantom Dragons, and I first picked up a paddle that year just in time for our next race at the Riverdale Regatta.

I quickly found that I had the competitive drive required for racing, but the true fulfillment came from the sense of community inherent to this sport. That camaraderie extends far beyond the water: winter training provides a great way to stay active with pool workouts and weight lifting, but catching up with the same great folks has proven to be even better. The Phantom Dragons helped me find a group of people who inspire me to not only become a better paddler, but a better person.

I’m typically found in the Engine Room focused on transmitting the rhythm from the front of the boat into a solid, sustained push, while also helping by counting our start sequences and relaying commands to the stern.

With the Phantoms, I’ve raced in the following events:

• Riverdale Regatta – 2024 (3rd Place)
• Tempe, Arizona – 2025
• Polson, Montana – 2025 (2nd Place)
• Sloan’s Lake Dragon Boat Festival – 2025 (250M 2nd Place Sport Division, 500M 2nd Place Premiere Division)
• Riverdale Regatta – 2025 (1st Place Sport Division)

Outside of paddling, some of my other interests are tending to my garden, foraging for mushrooms, camping, paddleboarding, knitting, and, of course, Dungeons and Dragons.

Kimberly Watanabe  

Kimberly started dragon boat racing in 2023 after being recruited by Deborah Boyd during Deborah’s CardioYoga class that she instructs at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center. Being land locked in Colorado and spending most of her life within miles of the Pacific Ocean, Kimberly enjoys being on the water again – exercising, competing and being a part of a great community.  She typically sits directly behind Capt. Bligh trying to keep everyone in sync with the stroke rate and taking on any tidal waves coming off Capt.’s paddle from his powerful stroke.

She has traveled with the team to competitive events and dragon boat camps in Arizona, Montana, Kansas and Ontario, Canada.

Karla Gudino  (Karlis)

Karla started training with the Phantom Dragons in February of 2020, and has been a core member of our crew since that time. She trains with us year-around, and has raced with us in numerous competitive events including the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the Riverdale Regatta, and the Kansas City Dragon Boat Festival.

Prior to joining the Phantoms, Karla was already an accomplished paddler with an impressive resume of achievement, including: