Four local athletes travel to Italy for the Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships

Sophie Demers 

Meet Marcel Beaudry, Geoffrey Pross, Nicole Germain and Sachin Zalera, four athletes from Aylmer heading to the Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships. They are all members of the Ottawa Dragon Masters team. 

The Championships gather over 7,000 athletes from 50 different countries and this year they are taking place in Ravenna, Italy. The event started on September 3 and will end on September 8. Each team is composed of 20 paddlers, one steer, and one drummer. 

There are many recreational dragon boaters in the region. These four athletes represent the group of competitive boaters that compete at the national and international level. To qualify for the World Championships, the team had to be in the top five teams in their category at the national competition that took place in Welland, Ontario, in July 2023. 

“To prepare for the championship, one must train every day. Sometimes it’s twice a day because you should be training from 7 to 9 times a week,” said Nicole Germain. “We train all year in the on-water season, and in the winter months in the off-water season. There is also group training with the team.” 

Three teams with the Ottawa Dragon Masters will attend the World Championship, namely Senior B Women, Mixed, and Open teams. 

“Everybody's very excited. We have all worked so hard. Every time we get tired, we always remind ourselves that we’re almost there and now it’s happening,” said Germain about how the team is feeling going into the championships. “It takes real dedication, but the rewards are great. It is like your family.” 

The origins of the sport can be traced back over 2,000 years ago to ancient China. Over the centuries it has evolved to what it is today. The sport involves a long boat with a carved dragon head and tail. Paddlers work in synchronization with a drumbeat to complete races at high speeds. 

To find out more about the Ottawa Dragon Masters team, follow their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odm_senior_open.

Photo caption: The Ottawa Dragon Masters team includes four from Aylmer, Marcel Beaudry, Geoffrey Pross, Nicole Germain and Sachin Zalera, four athletes from Aylmer headed to the Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy September 3 to 8.

Photo credit: Courtesy