Learn to Paddle!
Every year, the Schuylkill Dragons host a five-week Intro to Paddling program teaching the basics of dragon boating to prepare paddlers for potential membership on our team. We look for fit and coachable women eager to learn and possibly compete. During the class, coaches will assess students and invites to those selected to join the team will be sent after the course is complete.
No equipment or experience needed. All we require is a willingness to learn and challenge yourself!
Registration typically opens in April, and the five-week program runs on Sunday evenings in late May through June.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Intro to Paddling is your opportunity to try dragon boating without a full season or equipment commitment. You show up and our coaches coach. Five weeks later, our coaches invite participants to join our team.
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Join our mailing list (above) and/or pay attention to our Instagram and Facebook posts, as we also announce the registration on those platforms.
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The five week program costs $150. If you’re invited and you choose to join our team, your yearly dues are pro-rated.
At the end of the season, the team bills individual paddlers for their participation in any of the dragon boat festivals.
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For our Intro to Paddling Course, we provide PFDs and paddles. Many paddlers use seat cushions (a square of a yoga mat, for example) to protect from blisters.
If you end up joining our team, you will eventually need to purchase your own paddle and PFD.
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The dragon boat dock is in West Fairmount Park, along the Schuylkill River. There’s a parking lot for your convenience.
The physical address is 1233 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131
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The Schuylkill Dragons welcomes athletes of all ages and sports backgrounds. Our focus is dragon boat, but we encourage off-season workouts (weight lifting, ERG rowing, running, and the like). The age range our current team is late 20s through early 80s.
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From April through the end of October, our team paddles Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:15-7:30pm (ish), and Saturday mornings, 9:00-10:00am. Through mid-summer we add a Wednesday early morning practice. Paddlers are encouraged to make at least 2 practices a week.
During paddling season (April through October) we participate in between 6-8 dragon boat races. Local races are typically an all-day commitment. Some races are out of state and may require overnights. Paddlers are not required to race, and may choose which festivals they would like to attend.
From November through March, team members are encouraged to keep fit, and we offer weekly group weight training and ERG workouts. January through March we also paddle indoors on Saturdays at a local paddle-pool.
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The short answer: yes. Dragon boat is a full-body physical activity, requiring both stamina and short bursts of energy
That said, we don’t expect new members to know the intricacies of dragon boat paddling form. We do expect a solid base of physical fitness.