Nathan Benderson Park Paddlers Dominate in 14th IDBF Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy

The United States Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) held the 2023 Club Crew National Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota from July 21-23, 2023.  Over 100 crews from around the nation registered to compete.  The top two teams in each Small Boat Division and the top five teams in each Standard Boat Division earned berths to compete at the 2024 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy from Sept 3-9, 2024. Among them was the NBP Paddling Team.

72 athletes and their supporters traveled to represent Nathan Benderson Park at the 2024 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy from Sept 3-9, 2024.This biannual event brings together the best dragon boat clubs from over 30 countries to compete. NBP Paddling had 5 crews competing in 5 divisions. Senior B Mixed (age 50+ men and women), Senior B Women (age 50+ Women), Senior C Mixed (age 60+ men and women), Breast Cancer Paddlers, and All Cancer Paddler. NBP paddlers competing at the event are 49- 83 yrs young, with 4 athletes in their 80s!

Notable Achievements by NBP Paddling

Our Sr B Women’s standard boat (50+) placed 5th in the world and #1 among teams from the U.S. in all distances (2k, 200m & 500m).

Our Sr B Mixed small boat (age 50+ men & women) competed in the largest division against 22 other clubs around the world, placing 7th in 2k, 5th in 500m, and 4th in 200m (.61 seconds from the podium.) 

Our SrC Mixed small boat (age 60+ men and women) is a new division for our club and did us proud representing in a field of seasoned international crews. 

Our ACP (All Cancer Paddlers) small boat won Silver in 2k, Silver in 200m, and Gold in 500m. 

Our BCP Team (Breast Cancer Paddlers) aka Survivors in Sync won bronze in the 2k, Gold in the 200m and bronze in the 500m. Congratulations to all athletes and participants!

Interested in joining the sport of legends and trying out dragon boating? Join us for our New Paddler Day on Saturday, September 28 at 9am. The event is free, and all equipment is provided. To attend, please rsvp at NathanBendersonPark.org/event. Can’t attend New Paddler Day?  Register on our website for a session of Dragonboat 101.

About the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy

The Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 business created to manage Nathan Benderson Park, a community/public asset and world-class, multi-use sports venue. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our community and be an economic generator for our region. The Conservancy’s primary purpose is to develop and promote the park as a world-class event center, team training site and Sarasota County Park, while providing outreach programs through recreation, safety training, education and volunteering as a service to our community. See more at Nathan Benderson Park.

About Dragon boating

Dragon boat racing began in China more than 2,000 years ago and has evolved into one of the fastest growing and unique sports in the world. Teams compete in Dragon Boats, which are large canoe-like vessels, adorned with carved dragon’s heads and tails. Unlike other competitive sports, the success and victory is soley dependent on the team’s collective precision.

Photos from Nathan Benderson Park