Even if you can’t hear it, dragon boating’s drum beats are reaching a crescendo as the sport continues to become popular in the UAE.
Though dragon boating itself is believed to have originated in ancient China over 2,000 years ago, the sport has recently caught on in the emirates over the past half-decade, with the region now supporting dozens of teams.
One of those clubs, Dragon Warriors Dubai, has brought the distinctive and historic style of the Philippines to the Gulf.
Self-proclaimed as the biggest dragon boat club in the UAE with 126 members, Dragon Warriors Dubai have been one of the sport’s leading outfits in the country.
The club started in 2011 when former Philippine national team member Nerza Del Rosario was encouraged to introduce the region to the Asian strokes used back in her home.
Del Rosario gathered fellow Filipinos with dragon boat backgrounds, as well as paddlers from Canada and Australia to form Dragon Warriors Dubai. Though the club is predominantly Filipino, their nationalities include Indian, Pakistani and British and they welcome everyone.
Dragon boating may not be a first love for many athletes, but it can grow on you, as it did for Del Rosario, who made the jump from swimming at her university to the women’s national team at the age of 17.
“Well, I love watersports. Secondly, dragon boat is a team sport and is fun,” said Del Rosario, coach of Dragon Warriors Dubai.
“Compared to individual sports, it’s a synchronised sport. You have to be one with the entire boat and with the 22 crew members – 20 paddlers, one drummer and one steersperson.
It’s also really fun and it’s a noisy sport. You have to be one with the beat of the drum. Then you have to follow the steersperson, who dictates the pace of the boat, how it changes and how it transitions. So the adrenaline is really high.”
For as much as she loves dragon boating, even Del Rosario will admit that sticking solely to one sport can be “boring”.
That’s why you’ll find members of Dragon Warriors Dubai engaged in a range of other sports and fitness activities, such as swimming, running, cycling, frisbee and more.
“In any sport, you need endurance and stamina,” said Del Rosario.
“Part of our training is to actually run and a lot of members are doing marathons. That got people starting to do triathlons also.
“Swimming of course is part of our training too because paddlers should be able to swim 100m. From there, people like to try aquathlons.
We were cross-training on that level and then we started doing biking and the triathlons.”
Though training can be just as rewarding as what the club accomplish in the water, Dragon Warriors Dubai do have aspirations to make waves in international competition.
Growing in stature: The Dragon Warriors club comprises 126 members.
The club has qualified for the Club Crew World Championships, held in Adelaide, Australia from March 30 to April 7, as they look to
build off their first appearance in the event two years ago in Italy.
“It was the first time for the team and we did well, reaching the finals,” Del Rosario said.
“We really had a good fight. Everyone was a first-timer for the team to compete on that level, so for us we were very happy. This time, we are aiming for the podium for the women’s crew.”
Locally, the club compete in various events like the Dubai Creek Dragon Boat Festival and Shangri-La Abu Dhabi Dragon Boat
Festival.
