NBP Paddling

PADDLE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR THE BENDERSON CHASE!

Calling all NBP paddlers and dragon boat and outrigger teams throughout Florida—join us at Nathan Benderson Park on Sunday, October 11, for an exciting day of racing during the Paddles, Oars & Pours Festival, presented by FloridaCentral Credit Union!

Choose your 5k race:

🐲 Dragon Boat — Standard
🐲 Dragon Boat — 10s
🌊 OC6
🌊 OC1 & OC2

With morning and afternoon heats, crews will have two opportunities to race:

5k Heat 1: 9:30–9:45 AM
5k Heat 2: 1:30–1:45 PM
Dragon Boat Racing League 500m Sprints: 2:30 PM

Between races, enjoy Sarasota Oktoberfest featuring authentic German food, live music, a beer garden, DJ, Kids Zone, stein-hoisting competitions and more!

Gather your crew, challenge another team and come experience racing at our world-class venue. We would love to welcome paddling teams from across Florida and the region!

Register here:
https://paddleguru.com/races/BendersonChaseHeadrace

Please share and help us spread the word throughout the paddling community about this new race opportunity at NBP!

🐉 READY TO TRY SOMETHING NEW? GET IN THE BOAT!

The NBP Dragon Boat Racing League is kicking off — and this fall, we’re building teams for both adults and youth ages 12–18!

No experience? Perfect. We’ll teach you everything you need to know.

Dragon boating is about so much more than racing. It’s a chance to:

•Learn a new sport
•Get stronger and more active
•Meet new people and be part of a team
•Spend your weekends on the water
•Train together and experience the excitement of race day!

ADULT LEAGUE
Choose a Saturday or Sunday practice and join other new and returning paddlers for an 8-week season.

YOUTH TEAM • AGES 12–18
Saturday mornings at 8:30 AM — a fun, active way for teens to learn a new sport, build confidence, and experience what it means to move as a team.

You don’t need to be an athlete. You don’t need your own team. You just need to be willing to try.

Grab a friend, bring your family, or come on your own. We’ll find your seat in the boat.

📍 Nathan Benderson Park
🐉 Fall Dragon Boat Racing League

See the flyers for registration details — and please SHARE with someone who might love to get on the water with us!

https://nathanbendersonpark.org/dbrl/

Many thanks to Lesley Dwyer and Your Observer for featuring Survivors In Sync and the upcoming International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission Festival, in addition to covering many wonderful parts of our paddling program.

Dragon boating offers healing to cancer survivors, veterans | Your Observer The paddling program at Nathan Benderson Park has grown to about 150 members.

Our Survivors In Sync team is in the final weeks of preparation as they get ready to represent our community at the International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission (IBCPC) Participatory Dragon Boat Festival in France!

These incredible breast cancer survivors have trained with determination, resilience, and heart. They remind us every day that dragon boating is about so much more than racing—it's about hope, healing, friendship, and proving that life after breast cancer can be strong and vibrant.

Please join us in cheering them on as they prepare for this unforgettable journey. 💗🐉

Be sure to follow the Survivors in Sync page for training updates, travel highlights, and photos from France as they represent Nathan Benderson Park, our community, and survivors everywhere!

We are so proud of you, SIS! Safe travels, paddle strong, and enjoy every moment!

Every paddle stroke brings us one step closer to France. 🇫🇷In just 3 weeks, Survivors In Sync will join breast cancer survivor teams from around the world at the 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival in Aix-les-Bains. 4500 paddlers from 37 countries together in one beautiful location! We paddle for those beside us, those who came before us, and those still fighting.

We had the privilege of introducing nearly 600 kids and counselors from Sarasota County Parks Summer Camps to the sport of dragon boating this summer!

Lots of smiles and laughter on the water… It was truly rewarding. We hope we inspired a few future paddlers along the way!

Thank you, Sarasota County Parks, for partnering with us. We can’t wait to do it again next summer!

A BIG thank you to Natalia at ABC7 Sarasota - WWSB for this wonderful feature on our NBP Veterans program!
We hope this story reaches military veterans—and anyone searching for community, a renewed sense of purpose, inspiration to get active, or simply a little hope. Dragon boating is about so much more than paddling. It’s about finding your people, supporting one another, and discovering that you’re stronger together than you ever imagined.
If this story speaks to you or someone you know, we’d love to welcome you to the team.

Veteran dragon boat team finds healing on the water “It’s all about teamwork… working together for a good cause,” said Rickard Jensen, a veteran and team leader.