Established 1983 |
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Team USA/Philadelphia Premier Rosters Win 2007 World ChampionshipFirst 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) |
![]() Katie Horn, Ross Flemer |
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 |
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Philadelphia Dragon Boat Team Marks 25th Anniversary An Overnight Sensation a Quarter-Century in the Making
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. |
![]() Head Coach Robert Mcnamara ![]() |
Philly Defends the US National Championship in 2008 Recruiting Continues as Heavy Practices Begin 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. |
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Second Annual Independence Dragon Boat Festival - June 7thThere'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. |
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| 2002 World Club Crew Championships - Rome, Italy Get rammed? Win anyway! |
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![]() Steersman Bill Hefernan |
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. |
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![]() PDBA Treasurer Tesfa Myrie |
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