Welcome to
Pennsylvania Dragon Boat Club
WHERE PHILLY ATHLETES ARE MADE
TRAIN HARD. HAVE FUN. BUILD TOGETHER.
Your success in dragon boat is determined by the milestones you set to accomplish. Train with our coaches and a team of athletes to develop grit and mental strength.
70
Races Completed
4
Dragon Boats
9
Outrigger Canoes
Our Story
"We have a saying in our club. Anything is possible. This club is living proof."
- Henry Chow, Head Coach
From Underdogs...
...to National Champions
2025 PDBC STAFF
Henry Chow
Head Coach, Dragon Boat
Janitor
Paul Alba
President
Assistant Head Coach
Jie Yi Kuang
Chief Marketing Officer
Kirsten Banaag
Chief Financial Officer
Assistant Coach
Vanessa Xie
Chief Operating Officer
Ben Wong
Head Coach, OC
Jian Xu
Operations Manager, Communications
Brandon Pritts
Operations Manager, Docks
Assistant Coach
Roxanne Chu
Assistant Head Coach
Water Practice
Our dragon boat club holds team water practices at the Schuylkill River every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning during the dragon boat season.
Philly Hillz
Paddlers and non-paddlers attend weekly off-season workouts at the Rocky Steps. Exercises include full-body calisthenics with a focus on team dynamics.
Training Philosophy
01. Guts
It takes guts to begin anything, especially something challenging like dragon boating where you might be stepping out of your comfort zone or facing the unknown.
02. Grind
Keep the momentum - the daily commitment, the repetitive hard work, and the discipline to continue even when motivation dips. It's about perseverance where the real work happens.
03. Grit
Push through to the end to overcome the final hurdles, to keep going when every muscle might be telling you to stop. It's about resilience, determination, and the mental toughness.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is your club different?
We had humble beginnings as a clueless recreational team and grew ourselves into a nationally competitive race team.
How big is the commitment to join?
The commitment to dragon boat is as small as you want or as big as you want. Recreational members may practice once a month, whereas really dedicated may members practice 3x per week.
