Charleston Paddle Club

Coach: “This drill will really help you work on your leg drive. Just hold the paddle with ONE hand.”
Us: 👀
“So… when do we get to paddle fast?” 😂
Because apparently the road to race pace includes looking slightly ridiculous while trying to trust the process.
One hand on the paddle.
Legs doing the work.
Brains screaming: CAN WE SPRINT NOW?! 🚣‍♀️🔥
Turns out Coach may actually know what she is doing. Weird drill today = stronger stroke on race day. 💪🐉

🐉 What’s stopping you from trying dragon boating?

Dragon boating is a year-round sport - and with Charleston Paddle Club, you can train, challenge yourself, race, travel, meet some pretty amazing people…and have a ridiculous amount of fun along the way.

Never paddled before? Perfect.
You don’t need experience. You don’t need to “get in shape first.” You just need to show up and be willing to try something new.

Your first 3 practices are FREE, so really…what’s stopping you? 👀🐉
Come see why so many of us tried dragon boating once…and somehow ended up planning our lives around practice. 😂
🔥 Paddle with us. Train with us. Race with us.

When the cool down is a little hotter than planned… 🚣‍♀️💨🔥
If the camera had feelings…: I’m sure they’ve got this.”
Ron Burgundy: “I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT!” 😂
Camera: 📸😳
Boat: COMING IN HOT!
Paddlers: “We got it. We got it. WE GOT IT.”
No cameras were harmed in the making of this reel…
but Ron’s reaction feels pretty accurate. 🤣

With Charleston bringing the extra crispy temperatures, we traded long endurance race pieces for a practice focused on technique, timing, connection and making every stroke count.
Because getting faster isn’t always about going harder. Sometimes it’s about slowing things down, cleaning things up, and finding those little technical improvements that make a BIG difference when race day comes. 💪🚣‍♀️
The heat didn’t beat us… it just made us train smarter. 😎🔥
Paddles up, Firebreathers! 🔥🐉

Small boat race practice was going great… until the dolphins decided we needed a little distraction. 🐬😂
Hard to stay focused on race pace when your training partners start playing alongside you! But on another ridiculously hot Charleston day, we weren’t complaining about a little dolphin-induced break from the “heat” of training. ☀️🔥
Race prep can wait a minute. Dolphins cannot. 💙🌊
Just another day of training with the best spectators in Charleston!

The Charleston heat may be relentless, but it’s going to take more than a heatwave to keep us off the water! ☀️🔥🛶
We traded some of our intense drills for a little paddle-and-appreciate time - still getting in the miles and working on technique, but slowing things down enough to enjoy the incredible historic scenery we’re lucky enough to paddle past.

Because sometimes training isn’t about going harder…it’s about remembering how lucky we are to call the Charleston waterways our playground. 💙

Paddles up, pace down…at least until Mother Nature turns the thermostat down. 😅🔥

Calm Start, Strong Finish 🌊💪
The women’s crew started out with calm water and smooth strokes… but the Charleston Harbor had other plans. 😏
As the wind picked up, so did the endurance training. Strong strokes, steady rhythm, and plenty of grit as the crew worked together through the wind and chop.
Because race day doesn’t promise calm water… so we train for whatever the harbor throws at us. 🐉🔥
Calm water is nice. Strong paddlers are better. 💪

Apparently, when Charleston turns the thermostat to “surface of the sun,” boat cleaning suddenly becomes a VERY popular volunteer activity. 😂🔥🌊
Our crew insisted the boats needed a good scrub… and if that required getting in the water to clean the bottoms, well, sacrifices had to be made. 😉

Kidding aside, clean hulls = less drag = better glide = FAST boats! 🚣‍♀️💨 And our boats are now looking slick and ready to fly.

Huge shoutout to our members who showed up, jumped in, scrubbed away and got the job done on one seriously HOT morning. That’s teamwork… with a side of heatwave survival. 💪🐉
Clean boats. Fast boats. Cool paddlers. 😎

When someone is talking to you, but your brain is already on the water… 🛶😂
Them: “So anyway, I was thinking…”
Me: Nodding appropriately while mentally checking the wind, tide, weather and the next practice schedule.
Me: Sorry… were you saying something?
I was trying to figure out when I can paddle again. 🤣