Twelve members of the Lithgow Flash Dragons competed at the 2019 Dragon Boat State Championships in Penrith on Saturday, March 3.
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The Flash Dragons combined with eight members of the Illawarra Dragon Boat Club to paddle at the Penrith International Regatta Centre.
There were 58 teams, comprising of around 1300 paddlers who raced over five divisions.
The Lithgow/Illawarra side said they had no illusions of bringing home a trophy with the championships held over a 500 metre course and up against some of the toughest Dragon Boaters in the state.
Flash Dragons publicity officer Gary Hoye said unfortunately the team were further disadvantaged as rules required composite teams to have an equal number of paddlers, and with Illawarra only having eight, Lithgow could also only have eight.
"So the team were paddling with 16 paddlers against 20 in the other boats which is a great disadvantage over a long course especially at the 350 metre mark when fatigue sets in," he said.
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The team members also rotated through the eight available seats for each heat.
Despite the handicap, Hoye said the team performed fantastically all day completing the course in the first heat in a very credible two minutes 28 seconds, only 20 seconds behind the best team in the state.
The team were also able to shed ten seconds off their initial heat time by the end of the day to draw them closer to the elite teams, with the Flash Dragons sweep Paul Dowler commanding the boat and lead strokes Polly Slattery and Jen Mannell setting the pace over four heats in two major divisions.
"It was a great result for the combined team in light of the number of paddlers allowed in the boat," Hoye said.
Hoye also said Dragon Boat racing was a sport of great comradery and whether a team placed first or last in an event, all other teams watching provided great encouragement.
"As always the Flash Dragons had a great day out and we would like to express our gratitude to president Pam Day for organising the combined team," he said.
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