PENNSYLVANIA DRAGON BOAT CLUB

Introduction

They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. This year is our ten year anniversary and those words ring more true to us this year than any other . We started from nothing and today we couldn't be prouder. 

​

Since 2015, we've been building PDBC from the ground up. We taught ourselves how to coach and paddle. We raised enough funds to purchase three dragon boats, four outrigger canoes, and dozens of paddles and PFDs. We've competed in dozens of dragon boat races across the East Coast against some of the best teams in the country. We have even had the opportunity to compete internationally in Canada and qualified for the world stage at Club Crew World Championships in 2020. In 2021, one of our dreams came true: we won Nationals and re-qualified for Club Crew World Championships for the second time. We are thrilled to exist. 

​

Now that we're here, we don't take anything for granted. We believe that if you do things the right way, good things will happen. We believe that if you create good habits, you'll create great results. We believe that anybody can become a great athlete with hard work and consistent effort. We believe that team culture isn't just one important part of building a team; it's everything.

​

We welcome new members with open arms. Many of us started with PDBC as our first taste of dragon boat. We'd love for you to do the same. Try it out for a good workout, but you might just stay for the community. 

​

Mission Statement

Pennsylvania Dragon Boat Club (PDBC) is an 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to building a community around the sport of dragon boat. The team promotes healthy lifestyles, develops team managers and coaches, and teaches members how to be role models to others. Although our focus is dragon boat, our philosophy emphasizes the development of members as athletes and as successful individuals in their lives outside of the team. PDBC’s mission is to train and develop paddlers to be their best on and off the boat and to act as role models within our Philadelphia communities through the sport of dragon boat.

​

PDBC started in 2012 as a recreational team made up of University of Pennsylvania alumni. After two years of recreational racing, we rebuilt the organization as a competitive dragon boat club with a commitment to set the foundation for a large, scalable organization. The team is built on five core principles – culture, camaraderie, competition, character and community. We respect team and individual culture through inclusivity, encourage camaraderie through trust and having fun, embrace challenges by seeking out competition, promote good character by practicing good sportsmanship and help build and support the communities around us, whether it be in dragon boat or the greater Philadelphia region. These pillars will be the backbone of our organization as we continue to expand over the coming years.

​

​