Congratulations to Haidyn and Jacob Waldron who were part of the Australia Auroras Junior team participating in the 16th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships Thailand, 2023.
Haidyn won 1 silver and 5 bronze medals and Jacob won 5 bronze medals in a variety of races as part of the Junior team. Both Haidyn and Jacob agreed that taking part in the regatta gave them opportunities to learn from other experienced Aurora paddlers and to make friends amongst the Australian and International dragon boat junior community.
Both Haidyn and Jacob have been paddling with the Bathurst Dragon Boat Club since they were 12 years old. Before she was old enough to get in the boat, Haidyn would come along and watch, whilst with her mum Jen and older sister Caitlyn paddled.
To be selected in the Australian team takes months of training and commitment from the paddlers. Once they were selected into the teams after several trials, Jen would take them to Sydney twice a week for training sessions. They also needed to train with the local club to meet and maintain their fitness levels. “It’s been wonderful watching my children grow as paddlers and young adults and seeing the pride and joy in wearing the green and gold colours,” Jen said.
If you’re interested in giving dragon boating a go, contact: pandragons.website@gmail.com
