UK Premier League
"Rage as one"
Paddling with Raging Dragons
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Dragon boating is a competitive sport that relies on timing and team work. See with your eyes. Listen with your ears. Paddle with your heart. Fight fatigue to emerge champions. Rage as one.
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What is dragon boat racing?
The sport’s origins reportedly date back to around 278BC. According to legend, respected poet and minister Qu Yuan drowned himself in a river in protest against a corrupt government. Villagers raced out in boats to save him and threw dumplings into the river to deter fish from eating his body.
Modern day dragon boat racing is a thrilling and colorful sport. It is fiercely competitive, involving large teams of twenty paddlers, a drummer and a helm. A crew’s strength, stamina, timing and team work are crucial to its success. It is recognized as one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
Raging Dragons – how it all began
Back in 2002, a group of university student friends built a remote controlled fighting robot and entered him into a competition. They named him ‘Rage’. His masters later decided to form an amateur dragon boat racing team. To commemorate their beloved robot creation, they called themselves the ‘Raging Dragons’.
It has taken over a decade of persistence and determination to get to where we are now. Today, Raging Dragons is a club with members of all ages and ethnic origins.
Rage continues to grow from strength to strength. Some of our members have gone on to represent Great Britain in European and World Championships, bringing home some gold medals in the process.
Want to try it out?
You don't have to be super fit – everyone has to start somewhere. We regularly welcome newbies to our training sessions...so chances are, you won't be alone :)
You can bring a buddy if you like, and our friendly team will look after you anyway. Your first three sessions with us are free. As a beginner, you'll be seated with or behind a Rage buddy so you have someone to follow. Just come and get a feel for timing, technique basics, and most importantly, have fun!
Just drop us a line and let us know when you're free to join us for a paddle :)
Meet the team
Photo | Name | Position | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|
Jo Tang | Chairman | As a small club, we offer a warm and supportive environment where beginners and seasoned paddlers alike can grow and improve their skills. Since joining the club a decade ago, I've really enjoyed the camaraderie and challenge of this dynamic sport, which combines physical fitness with teamwork and fun. Whether you're looking for a new adventure, a way to stay active, or simply a chance to connect with others, our club is the perfect place to start your dragon boat journey. Come paddle with us and discover the joys of dragon boating! | |
Richard Edmunds | Welfare | Raging Dragons are like no other team I know – full of life, energy, people from all walks of life, from different countries and cultures, but when on that boat racing, the connection with 22 people is truly fantastic – one heart.
Once a Rager, always a Rager, no matter who you are. Once you get into that boat, you belong.
I have more than 40 close friends now thanks to Raging Dragons and dragon boating.
As a chap over 50, I can honestly say I'm in the best shape I've ever been. If you want to be part of something exciting, don a Raging Dragons race top and become part of dragon boat history. | |
Peter Li | Membership & Recruitment | Pete has been Dragon Boating since 2003 and is the club's 2025 membership recruitment lead and member of the coaching team.
He is an Advanced Race Helm and British Dragon Boating Association (BDA) Coach Level 4 and spends some of his free time teaching others to the BDA coaching standards.
"Dragon boating has given me a lot of cool opportunities, including participating in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant and winning Gold Medals at both European and World Championships" |