Try-it Day – Tees Valley Dragons

Come and give it a go!

Tees Valley Dragons is a vibrant and developing water sports club located in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. The club has members of all ages, abilities and backgrounds who train together on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

You won't be expected to turn up to every session as we welcome all levels of commitment, from the serious athletes to the casual social and fun paddlers. Free taster sessions are offered to individual prospective new members (and their friends) to join us in the boat at any of our training sessions.

We offer you a free, safe, fun and exciting introduction to the sport of Dragon Boat Racing. The sport is suitable for all ages, both men and women, and you can start at any fitness or ability level. It won’t take long to develop your technique and strengthen your body. You don't have to be fit to start doing something, but you have to start doing something to get fit.

A typical free session will include the following:

A safety briefing from a qualified coach
A warm-up to get the blood flowing
Advice on paddling technique
Focused aerobic and anaerobic training pieces
Practice start sequences and race distances
Friendly team banter!

Dragon boating is an all-body sport, which does not just focus on the arms and upper body. When done properly, Dragon Boat paddling works the muscles in your legs, back, shoulders and core abdominals. It’s a great sport to help get rid of those love-handles and bulgy tummies!

We can be found at River Tees Water Sports Centre: The Slipway, North Shore Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 2NL. Bring comfortable clothes (eg, tracksuit and trainers, no jeans) and a small bottled drink, a change of clothes might be a good idea too! We will provide all the relevant equipment. More details are in the FAQ's page.

For groups wishing to have a full boat to themselves will need to contact us for prices (to cover the equipment and coach/helm costs). Our usual day fees may apply, but discounts are available.