Imagine canoeing, with 20 people, on a Viking ship … with a dragon head. This is the life of dragon boating and we are NYU Abu Dhabi’s dragon boat team. Yep, this isn’t kayaking, rowing, or canoeing, it’s something very different.

How did I get into it? Well, it’s been almost two years now. I love watersports and getting out into any body of water (except open water swimming). My twin brother and I enjoy rowing. We started rowing at a local club back in the United Kingdom when we were in sixth form. After that, I kept at it (on and off) during university, and eventually made it on the NYU rowing team. When I came here to NYUAD, it was a little disappointing to find that there wasn’t any rowing team or club, especially when the water was so blue and warm! Back in New York, you can only imagine what the icy and muddy rivers were like to row in. But here? It’s a dream in comparison.

I learned about dragon boating shortly after I arrived on campus and lept onto it as it was the next best thing. For the last year and a half, I've been captain. I’m not saying that to brag, but instead getting across the idea that it’s super easy to pick up and eventually lead the team.

After a basic, but challenging, swim test, that is required for all our new paddlers, we recently invited them to our semesterly “Open Paddle Day” last Sunday. There they were introduced to the magnificent boat itself at our training site and shown what dragon boating is all about. Surprisingly, we’re one of the oldest sports teams at NYUAD, but not many of us on campus know that this is even offered as a sport! We’ve competed and won several regional and national championships across the UAE in that time.

As someone who’s tapped into a range of sports, I can say we're a unique sports group — open to both those who are new to being on a boat and those who are experienced with watersports. It's also the only sports group that shuttles you off campus and into the sea! In one boat all 10–20 team members have to paddle together in sync — one stroke, one sound.

A lot of our races are spread out across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah — but we’d love to have some NYUAD representation in the audience one day. Perhaps we can get permission from the Athletics Department to organize a bus for all of you. The team roster is now full for this semester, but please come to try-outs in the new year after Winter Break! We’ll happily have you onboard.

Did I mention that we take you twice a week to the beach? It's not every day you get to study on an island, so you might as well enjoy the beach while you can! Come join us. :)