Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Racing Club
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Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Club is based in Teddington on the non-tidal Thames. Along with Walbrook Rowing Club it forms part of Royal Canoe Club, the first canoe club to be founded in Britain. Kingston Royals, the dragon boat section of Royal Canoe Club (RCC) was founded in 1988 and was one of the first dragon boat clubs to race in the UK. The section was formed from a mixture of RCC members and members of Kingston Rowing Club. The club obtained one of the original teak racing boats brought into the country by the Hong Kong tourist association to promote dragon boating in the UK. This boat was used for racing and training prior to the introduction of the new glass fibre racing boats.
The club first started competing in the far east in 1988 and by 1990 was the first European team to get to the finals of any competition. The club also represented Great Britain (GB) at a number of events in the past, prior to the existing GB squad system coming into existence.The club continues to be active within the GB teams and a number of club paddlers have regularly represented the country at European and World level. In addition the GB Women's coach is based at the club and coaches the club crew.
The club is now racing at the highest level of racing in the UK following promotion to the Premier Division of the British Dragon Boat National League at the end of 2003. In 2006, the club won the Women's and Mixed events at the British National Cup. The club's occasional second crew, known as the Kingston Pretenders, won the Open Plate competition. The club runs a number of teams for both men and women and for beginners to international racers.
