After a gruelling 2 days of dragon boat training, our Sea Dragons are finally coming back to Melbourne!

For those that have never heard of the Auroras Selection Camp, the 2 day camp (held in Sydney this year) is an opportunity for paddlers, sweeps and drummers to try out for the Australian National Dragonboat Team and represent Australia at international level competition. At the camp, paddlers must complete multiple benchmarking assessments that consist of the beep test, bench press, sit-ups, pull ups, one arm snatch (kettle bell), TK1 and dragon boat drills. For drummers, they are assessed on their calls, coordination with the sweep and strokes and overall ability to encourage the paddlers. For sweeps, they are assessed on their calls, turning ability and overall management of the boat.

After day 1, all paddlers attended a team dinner where each and every person gained insight into their dragonboat technique. They learnt about what aspects of the technique could be improved and conversely what a good paddling technique looks like. They were then given the opportunity to showcase what they learnt in day 2.

The Auroras Selection Camp was a real challenge for our paddlers, sweeps and drummers, but they gained invaluable experience which will make them better dragonboat athletes. Good luck to everyone who tried out for the Auroras and we hope that you have earned a spot on the team!