2013 AUSTRALIAN DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS PADDLING IS HERE VISITOR INFORMATION LOCAL INFORMATION • THINGS TO DO • WHAT’S ON • FREE WI-FI Penrith Visitor Information Centre is excited to welcome Australia’s leading paddlers to our home. We can help with bookings, local advice and our range of maps, brochures and fact sheets will help make your stay in Penrith exciting, enjoyable & adventurous. Panthers Carpark, Mulgoa Road, Penrith Tel: 1300 736 836 • Fax: 02 4732 7690 [email protected] • www.penrithishere.com.au Open 7 days 9am-4.30pm SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL REGATTA CENTRE PENRITH APRIL 15-20 2013 SUPPORTED BY: 2013 AUSTRALIAN DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS 1 Typhoon8 Paddling Products Australia Supplier of premium paddling products from the heart of Asia. www.typhoon8.com.au View our extensive range of dragon boat accessories online or visit our tent during the Championships. 0411 116 441 We are proud sponsors of ACCA Dragon Boat Racing Team in Sydney, Canberra Ice Dragons, Brisbane River Dragons and Dragon Masters in Victoria. SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL REGATTA CENTRE PENRITH APRIL 15-20 2013 Sponsors 1 AusDBF President’s Message 4 Minister of Sport and Recreation’s Message 5 Mayor of Penrith’s Message 5 Dragon Boat NSW President’s Message 6 IDBF Executive President’s Message 7 Event Schedule 8 History of Australian Championships 10 Merchandise 11 State Flag Bearers 12 State Team Profiles 16 Club Team Profiles 21 Organising Committee 57 AusBDF Honour Roll 58 The Venue 59 General Information 61 Entertainment for Opening Ceremony 64 2013 AUSTRALIAN DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS 3 The first Dragons Abreast regattas began with a handful of crews but now boast scores of entries and waiting lists. And it was just a few short years ago that Chinese New Year at Darling Harbour could accommodate interstate crews, but it’s now bursting at the seams and no longer can. Another progression for the AusChamps is the scheduling of Masters and Open Age competitions for the first time. While huge growth is a welcome problem, designing an event that fits people’s racing desires and financial and time commitments is a challenge yet to be solved. However, it’s clear people are voting with their feet by signing up for the Open Age and Trans-Tasman event. With paddlers not worrying about ‘doubling up’ across age groups a huge number of crews have registered President’s Message for the Open Age sprints. At last count around 150 crews will contest the 200m. It’s the largest dragon boat regatta in the world The event would not be possible, of course, without this year! The 2013 Australian Championships - the hard work of a small army of volunteers. The incorporating Oceania and Trans-Tasman races for AusDBF and DBNSW Boards, the Organising the first time - has arrived. Committee, the race officials, volunteers, our sponsors and supporters, including Penrith City More than 3000 paddlers will share the Sydney Council, have had huge roles over several months International Rowing Centre course this week in the and throughout this week. On behalf of the national second largest gathering of dragon boaters ever paddling community I would like to thank them for assembled for a Championship. Only last year’s their commitment and passion. And anyone who’s Club World Champs in Hong Kong has been bigger. ever been near a training session will appreciate the massive workload taken on by club and state This is the fifth consecutive record year for individual coaches, managers, executives, volunteers and paddlers, crews and total races. When I was elected support crew. Without their work there would not President at the Perth AusChamps in 2008, a little even be a need for this regatta. over 720 paddlers competed. A determined effort to build our flagship event has seen numbers grow The final acknowledgement goes to the families steadily each year. At Caloundra in 2009 we saw and friends of our paddlers. We might not have 1,490 paddlers; 1,973 in Adelaide (2010); 2,492 in recruited you yet (although we’re trying), but Canberra (2011) and 2,964 last year in Melbourne. you’ve been supportive of our passion and helped This year represents another milestone as we break us get to our big race day. Thank you. the 3,000-plus paddlers and 100-plus clubs for the first time. I can’t wait to discover the final numbers So, best of luck to you all as you race hard to win when the paperwork is wrapped up. the Peter Bristow and Trevor Huggard Trophies, Joining us for the first time since 2010 are New watch the presentations of the Jon Taylor Award Zealand paddlers. They take their place this year and the 2013 Australian Auroras, and then get as our sport takes an important evolutionary step. ready to party on Saturday night. It’s going to be Eventually the Oceania and Trans-Tasman events a big week. will grow and a standalone event, but every great journey starts with a small step. You only have On the water! to consider the figures from the last few years to appreciate how quickly things can change and grow with some vision and support of the national community. For example, AusDBF was established in the late Kel Watt 1997, but it took eleven years for all states and territories to become members. AusDBF President 4 2013 AUSTRALIAN DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS Message from the Minister for Message from the Mayor of Penrith Sport and Recreation It is my great pleasure to welcome athletes from Penrith Welcomes You! around Australia and New Zealand to the 2013 AusDBF Australian Dragon Boat Championships. I am excited to welcome you to Penrith for the 2013 Australian Dragon Boat Championships 2013. This is the third time the Championships have been held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre Let me introduce Penrith, home of the Sydney which is a legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic International Regatta Centre, venue for this Games and is still acknowledged as one of the important event. Penrith is also home of the Nepean world’s premier rowing facilities. River and together they make Penrith a mecca for fresh water based recreation. This year the Oceania and Trans- Tasman Championships will be held in Penrith is one of the most important regional conjunction with our National titles and centres in Greater Sydney with beautiful outdoor, heritage, retail and entertainment attractions all I extend a warm welcome to all overseas here for you to enjoy. competitors, administrators, family members and friends who are visiting for the event. During the 2013 Australian Dragon Boat Championships our city will be buzzing with Dragon Boat racing is a great sport with competitors excitement, so come and tour our great attractions of all ages and backgrounds participating. and dine out at our unique restaurants. I have no doubt this event will continue to grow and Diverse and inspiring, sociable and entrepreneurial, I’m confident this year’s Championships will see the people of Penrith are special. Sport is important records broken both on and off the water. to us and I promise that everyone in Penrith will make you feel very welcome. I offer my best wishes to all involved with the 2013 AusDBF Australian Dragon Boat Championships Visit PENRITHISHERE.COM.AU and click through and hope first time visitors to Sydney and NSW to our visitor information section for great places also take the opportunity to enjoy the sights and to eat, things to do and all that’s happening in our attractions of Australia’s leading tourism and events wonderful place. city. I welcome you to Penrith and hope that you enjoy our City and our great water facilities. Yours faithfully Graham Annesley Councillor Mark Davies Minister for Sport and Recreation Mayor of Penrith 2013 AUSTRALIAN DRAGON BOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS 5 To all our competitors, best of luck to you, we hope you take away something shiny, (as long as NSW gets the most!) Finally to all the friends, family and visitors, we invite you to select one of the great vantage points available along the course, grab something delicious to eat, and enjoy one of the most amazing sporting events on the calendar. If you want to give it a go, ask for your local state contact and we will have you paddling before you know it, all are welcome. Dragon Boats NSW President Stay well and paddle safe. Welcome to the National Dragon Boat championships for 2013, here in NSW at the famous Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC). The board and staff of DBNSW are honored to host this event, and cannot wait to experience this amazing Trish Tinyow week with so many friends, colleagues, competitors, President DBNSW officials, volunteers, spectators, event sponsors and partners. DBNSW are no strangers to SIRC, seeing as we run 3 regatta’s a year here with well over 1300 participants at each. So to host a few more friends = no problems! Thanks to our friends at AusDBF who have given us the opportunity and provided all the direction. Our board, staff and the organizing committee have been working hard for 18+ months alongside the team at AusDBF to make this week happen and it’s been a flurry of activity with more than one sleepless night for the committee as they worked through the detail. We would like to take this opportunity to applaud the dedication, patience and professional acumen of Kylie Bromwich, David Abel, Melanie Cantwell and Geoff Roberts who set the event foundations, and also to Mal and Kay Wills , Karen Taylor, Cameron Devenny, and Beth Jacobs who round out our fabulous organizing committee.