Waimak Attack

Waimak Attack is a Premier Mixed club, based in north Canterbury (Kaiapoi).


From 15 Aug 2014:

Waimak Attack/ Waimak Thunder

In January 2010 Rick Smith was looking for half a dozen paddlers to fill the corporate team he was managing at the time. He placed an ad for paddlers in a local North Canterbury paper and got more than 70 replies! What to do??? Start another team of course! And so Waimak Attack began. Marie Childs formed an ad hoc committee and in three weeks we had a team name, uniforms organised and we were competing in our
first regatta. We did the South Island champs and the Nationals that year and have never looked back.

From these small beginnings Waimak Dragon Boat Club has grown to the biggest in the South Island. We now have an open team and a women’s team and more than 50 paddlers on our books. The club is very well managed through the committee. We do a small amount of fund raising to keep our fees as low as possible and we have used the grants process to fund our trips to the North Island for the Nationals. Our teams train on Wednesday nights at Lake Pegasus and on Sunday mornings in the lead up to the big regattas in February and March.

Waimak Attack

Our mixed team competes in open grade and is very competitive. Over the years we have grown from social to socially competitive to serious contenders in all events. We have been very successful in recent years winning medals at the South Island Championships and the Nationals over the last two years. There is a great spirit in the team and a real determination to support each other and to be the best we can. Waimak
Attack’s coach Rick Smith has been in the sport since 2000 and brings a wealth of experience to the team.

Waimak Thunder

Waimak Thunder was the first women’s team in the South Island and they too have been very successful. In 2012/13 the girls took out 3 gold medals at the South Island champs and a bronze at the nationals. Women’s teams are the fastest growing division in the sport at the moment. Dragon boating is great for women wanting to get into a sport that is social, easy to learn and develops fitness.

Our club is very inclusive. We have paddlers of all shapes and sizes and levels of fitness ranging from 16 to 76 years old.

If you want to join us or find out more about Waimak Attack contact Marie Childs at waimakattack@gmail.com