Nature Coast's regional state paddlers win medals at National Dragon Boat Championships

Four members of Merimbula Water Dragons, Ali and Steve Brett and Gill and Geoff McCallum, joined six members of Moruya's Nature Coast Dragon Boat Club, Deb Healy, Therese and John Holgate, Julie Salter and Ross Galvin, in the fiercely competitive regional round of the nationals.

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Southern NSW is one of six regional teams in the competition with members hand-picked for their strength and endurance from Merimbula Water Dragons, Nature Coast, Mako Jervis Bay, Sudu and Nowra.

The silver medal was won in a 1km pursuit race which included three turns around an oval circuit.

Each regional team had a men's and women's boat. The women's boat had a 30 second lead with the idea that the men's team had to catch the women and both men's and women's boats cross the line in the fastest time but together.

Team manager John Holgate said the two sweeps have to work together to not force the other boat out too wide on the turns.

"Carolyn (Lean) and Gill (McCallum) did that really well. They had a plan worked out with the men on the outside and the woment on the inside. It was really nice that all the regional members from Nature Coast and Merimbula Water Dragopns were in the team pursuit," John said.

Merimbula Water Dragon's sweep Gill McCallum who swept the men's boat said the men caught the women's boat and stuck with them.

"And then we turned the last corner and raced with them to the finish line. It was a well-executed race. We had a plan and we worked to that plan," Gill said.

The Southern NSW Regional team also won a bronze medal for the men's open race (10 in the boat) over 500m.

The regional racing followed a program of 200m, 500m and 2km racing for some of the best clubs around the country as they competed in the National Championships at club level.

Merimbula Water Dragons and Nature Coast combined to form the Southern Warriors and over 30 paddlers from the two clubs joined forces at Albury.

Although there were no medals for the Southern Warriors, Gill said she was proud to see the teams from the Far South Coast represented on the national stage.

"The men's senior B (over 50s) open made the grand final despite having some older paddlers in the boat," Gill said.

She was also pleased with the senior A ladies (over 40s) 2km race, (10 in a boat) in which she was a paddler, which was not passed and held off a strong challenge in the last 300m of the race.

The mixed senior B race with 10 men and 10 women was only passed by one boat.

"The 2km is such a technical race with the speed and turns around the course. With 18 crews on the water it can be mayhem and charnage out there," Gill said.