Sapphire Water Dragon Chris Cheung heard form the Australian Dragon Boating Selectors this week that he will be part of the team representing Australia at the World Dragon Boat Championships in Canada in 2015.
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His selection follows a gruelling three-day trial in Melbourne where all candidates in the premier age group (under 40s) were tested for general fitness, paddling ability, strength, flexibility and their ability to work together as a team.
Tests included single craft paddling, bench presses, chin ups, sit ups, running, single arm lifts and stand up paddling in the dragon boat.
All activities were timed.
For example, everybody was expected to do 100 sit-ups in just two minutes.
All tests were filmed and selectors analysed the footage late into the evening.
Cheung has been juggling his training with his full time work as head physiotherapist at Bega Hospital, his family, other interests, and his coaching of Merimbula’s two dragon boat clubs, Sapphire Water Dragons and Zen.
“Sometimes you just have to grab time when you can, rather than spend hours at the gym,” Cheung said.
“Two minutes of maximum effort doing sit ups, bench presses, or whatever, done regularly throughout the day, does wonders for your fitness levels.”
There are five members of Sapphire Water Dragons and Zen who have yet to go on their selection camp.
These paddlers are trying out for the senior C division, ages 60 and above.
The tests are the same, although mercifully there is a reduction in the required repetitions and weights for both men and women in this age group.
These great grand dragons only have to do 70 sit-ups in two minutes, bench press two-thirds their body weight and do 10 chin ups among other strenuous tests.
Local members said different people take different things out of dragon boating.
For some it is simply a social outlet, for others it is a way to recover from breast cancer, and for the really competitive paddlers, sweeps and drummers of any age, it can lead to the chance to represent your club, your region, your state or even to wear the green and gold and travel the world.