On June 10, 2023 DRACO hosted the sixth annual dragon boat day on Sloan’s Lake for the Shining Stars Foundation. It was a great event for all the children and their families, and again proved to be such a success that next year’s event is already in the planning stages. This is always one of the high points of the year for our cancer survivor paddlers.
More photos can be seen here: Shining Stars Dragon Boat Day 2K23
On September 17, 2022 DRACO hosted the fifth annual dragon boat day on Sloan’s Lake for the Shining Stars Foundation. It was a great event for all the children and their families, and again proved to be such a success that next year’s event is already in the planning stages. This is always one of the high points of the year for our BCS / cancer survivor paddlers.
More photos can be seen here: Shining Stars Dragon Boat Day 2K22
This season’s dragon boat events were all canceled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that didn’t stop us from practicing, initially by holding “socially-distanced” training sessions in outrigger canoes. After we determined (via anonymous polling of our paddlers) that we could address COVID-19 concerns by requiring that everyone be fully vaccinated, we resumed our training in dragon boats. At the conclusion of the summer practice season, we moved back inside, holding dragon boat pool simulator practices.
Miscellaneous photos and video clips of our practices can be found at the following links:
Outrigger Canoe Practices 2K21
Dragon Boat Pool Simulator Practices 2K21
Our dragon boats gunwales were badly in need of repair. We decided to try a novel approach – encasing them in PVC pipe to protect the existing wood structure, and hopefully provide a more maintenance-free surface moving forward. More photos of the project can be seen here: Dragon Boat Gunwale Repair
This season’s dragon boat events were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and appropriate social-distancing making training in the close quarters of dragon boats inadvisable. Consequently, our summer training was restricted to one- and two-man Outrigger Canoes (OCs). An album at the following link includes miscellaneous photos and video clips taken during our practices: OC Practice Excerpts 2K20
On September 26, 2020, DRACO hosted the fourth annual dragon boat day on Lake Arbor for the Shining Stars Foundation kids and their families. Proper social-distancing was carefully observed, and the event proved to be a great success, and everyone had a wonderful time again this year.
More photos can be seen here: Shining Stars Dragon Boat Races
The event was so successful that planning is already underway for another Shining Stars dragon boat race next year!
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of this season’s dragon boat events, and appropriate social-distancing making training in the close quarters of dragon boats inadvisable, DRACO is gearing up to train in OCs (one and two-man outrigger canoes) this season. To facilitate these practices, Head Coach / Team Captain Michael Boyd (Captain Bligh!) acquired a Yakima Trailer, and converted it to haul four boats, along w/ an inflatable dock. Coupled with the capacity of his rooftop rack, a maximum of six boats can now be staged for safe practices.
More photos of the trailer conversion can be seen here: OC Trailer Conversion
On June 29, 2019, DRACO hosted a dragon boat race on Lake Arbor for Epic Experience, a non-profit organization that provides outdoor adventures for cancer patients and survivors. The event was well-attended, and everyone had a wonderful time.
More photos can be seen here: Epic Experience Dragon Boat Races
On September 22, 2018, DRACO hosted the second annual dragon boat race on Lake Arbor for the Shining Stars Foundation kids and their families. The event was a great success, and everyone had a wonderful time.
Here’s a link to a Shining Stars newsletter, describing the event: Dragon Boat Races
More photos can be seen here: Shining Stars Dragon Boat Races
The event was so successful that planning is already underway for another Shining Stars dragon boat race next year!
On September 9, 2017, DRACO hosted a dragon boat race on Lake Arbor for the Shining Stars Foundation kids and their families. The event was a great success, and everyone had a wonderful time.
Here’s a link to a Shining Stars newsletter, describing the event: Dragon Boat Races
More photos can be seen here: Shining Stars Dragon Boat Races
The event was so successful that planning is already underway for another Shining Stars dragon boat race next year!