Team USA/Philadelphia Premier Rosters Win 2007 World Championship
First ever Nations Cup win for Philly-based Team USA - New World Record Time

Outstanding performances marked by three stunning come from behind victories for world championship gold medals are the legacy of the 2007 season. The Philadelphia Dragon Boat Association (PDBA) formed the core of the United States Dragon Boat team that captured the Nations Cup at the International Dragon Boat Federation’s World Championship held in Sydney, Australia from September 20-23, 2007. The Nations Cup is the overall point trophy awarded to the top country. Team USA won Gold in 4 individual events, the Men’s 2000 meter, 1000 meter and 500 meter and the Mixed 500 meter on the way to the team title. The USA victory in the 500-meter Men’s race set a new World Record at 1 minute and 48.7 seconds. A silver medal in the Mixed 200 meter event and a pair of fourth place finishes by the USA women’s team helped secure the point trophy over Team China, the traditional powerhouse of Dragon Boat racing. Philadelphia and the PDBA were at the center of it all. (More)

The Premier Open 500 final is the featured race of the world championship, the last event of 4 days of races; the “big show” if you will. It was even bigger for us given the stakes. We gathered on a hill behind the stands and laid it out, last time together as a boat, last race, Cup on the line. We had not emptied the tank yet, the heat and semi-final strategy left us with something but would it be more than what the rested Brits or fast-starting Philippines had left? The strategy was simple and pure, a better start, the most explosive one you have ever done to keep contact with the Philippines and China off the line, pound the body, reel them in, crush them with the sprint, essentially beating them at the end with their own game. It worked to perfection.

-Head Coach Bob McNamara

Dragon boating is the oldest continuously raced sport in the world, begun on China’s Mi-lo River around 400 BC. Today, with well over a million teams competing worldwide, it is the second most popular sport on the planet. Poised in a 40 foot long canoe with a carved dragon head and tail, twenty athletes paddle at rates exceeding 90 strokes per minute. That’s Dragon Boat racing, and Philadelphia is home to one of the world’s elite teams. Established in 1983 and training on the Schuylkill River five days a week from April through September, the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Team has become a world powerhouse, earning the right to represent the United States in the last 6 World Championships, including the 2007 World Championships, recently held in Sydney, Australia.

The PDBA (originally the Philadelphia Mens Dragon Boat Racing Team) is essentially a local club-crew team that practices and performs year after year at a World Championship level. We are working professionals with jobs and families living right here in the Delaware Valley. The team was established in 1983, has been the defending US Premier Mens National Champion since 1995, and medalled in 5 out of the 6 World Championships since then, including Gold in 1997 and 2004, and the Nations Cup in 2007.

The team has outgrown just that single division, and now includes men, women, and kids ranging from 11 years of age to 65. Quite a few of our members have been on the team for nearly 20 years. Once the Nationals are won, our rosters open up to other athletes from all over the country to form Team USA.The capstone of that growth was the recent World Championship.

Philly Defends the US National Championship in 2008
Philly will head to Long Beach California to Defend United States National Championships

The 2008 season will focus on winning the 2008 National Championships in Long Beach, California. We also intend to race at a variety of other venues in order to give the new blood a chance to get some racing experience including Ithica in July.

Recruiting Continues as Heavy Practices Begin

Philadelphia's Schuylkill River is the training ground of the United States champion dragon boat team – the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Association – and we are actively recruiting new members to help us compete in the 2009 World Championships in Poznan, Poland. We've been holding practices 3 times a week since the beginning of April. The rookies are learning the Philadelphia style and the vets have been getting their river-muscles back after a winter in the gym. We'll be getting into the real work starting in May when we return to the usual 5 day per week schedule.

We can train you and lend you a paddle until you choose to buy your own. All you need to bring is enough of an athletic base to keep up with the pace. Our practices are held at the docks at the Strawberry mansion bridge. Directions Here. Practices shove off at 5:45 AM and are finished by 7:00 AM. This may sound early but you'll be surprised at how good you feel afterwards, and that charge remains all day. It's also worth mentioning how pretty the river can be so early in the morning.

The weekend schedule will vary from week to week depending on the rowing regattas being held at the same location, but are typically held around 7:00 AM. OC-1s are also available for individual practice, and some members of the team practice with the Philadelphia Police team that practices in the early evening.

Second Annual Independence Dragon Boat Festival - June 7th
There's a New Race in Town

As I mentioned – we are an amateur team, and the National and World Championships are almost never a “home game”. All the hard work and practices goes for nothing if we can’t fly the team to the starting line in Poland next year. For that reason we’re asking you to add another race to your 2008 schedule. We’re calling it the Independence Dragon Boat Regatta and it will be held here in Philly on June 7th.

The IDBR is run very similarly to to the autumn Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival but each team will be coached by one of the PDBA’s veteran National and World championship paddlers. The proceeds will benefit the PDBA’s expenses to compete in the next World Championships in Poznan, Poland, as well as the rehabilitation of military veterans wounded in the war. In the longer term the funds will be committed to expanding the availability of recreational and competitive dragon boat paddling to the entire city of Philadelphia. More info can be found at www.independencedragonboat.com.

Philadelphia Youth Dragon Boat Team
For Paddlers 11 to 17

The Philadelphia Youth Dragon Boat Team was started in 2000. Coach Bob McNamara, Pete McNamara or Erik Werner lead the workouts. We've had a really great turn out and its been lots of fun.

Practices began on April 19th, but newcomers are still welcome. We'll provide paddles and training. Practices are held Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am. In May, we will go to a 4 day a week schedule continuing with the Saturday and Sunday morning practices and adding two weekday evenings at 6:30pm.

The dues for this year will be $50.00 dues plus $25.00 uniform fee. For each additional sibling, the dues will be $25.00 dues, $25.00 uniform fee per child. The uniform top has not been chosen yet, but we will be sure it will be comfortable and appropriate for our Team. If a parent is joining the PDBA, the dues are $150.00 for the Adult membership and $ 25.00 dues plus $25.00 uniform fee ($50.00) for the youth.

Please let us know if you are aware of anyone interested in the Youth Team.

This video ia a great example of how a well-trained team can hold together under pressure. In this race the Senior Mixed boat shot out to a great start, but were then rammed by the team to our right, knocking steersman Bill Hefernan down and veering us towards the retaining wall from which this video was being shot.

Fearless drummer Joyce Wald kept us at full pressure regardless of her own safety, and actually began to steer the boat by calling out pull and push commands to individual paddlers. Hef regained his footing and the steering oar just in time to yank the boat around away from the wall. Joyce immediately yelled out "We can STILL win this race! Now POP IT!!" The next 30 seconds was a total adrenaline-soaked sprint. Hef got us back onto the race course and into our legal lane as we crossed the finish line to win the race.

Contact Us
610-649-7262
7C East Athens Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003
Via Email
Joining the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Team
Joining the Youth Team
Team USA 2009
Independence Dragon Boat Regatta
Press Inquiries
Sponsorship Opportunities
Corporate Team Building Outings