History of San Diego Dragon Boat Team
In the Beginning
Dragon boating arrived to California in 1983 when Singapore presented the City of San Diego with three boats. A competition among thirteen local teams was held to select a team to compete in Singapore the following year. The Hanohano Outrigger Canoe Club, under the coaching of Rena and Egon Horcajo, was victorious and selected to compete in the 1984 World Invitational Dragon Boat Races in Singapore. This team won the tournament and became the first non-Asian team to capture this coveted title.
Club Development
Since its inception, the San Diego Dragon Boat Team (SDDBT) has developed in many ways amassing an impressive history of success at all levels including national and world championships. We have grown by adding other crews, including our first women's crew in 1992. This crew won silver medals in Singapore and Hong Kong at their first major international competitions. The club has since added a women's cancer-survivor program (Team Survivor) and a collegiate program with students from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A youth program is also under development.
Traveling the World
In addition to U.S.A. based competitions, SDDBT members travel extensively to compete against the best teams in the world. Foreign competitions have involved many trips to Asia, including over a dozen stops in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Trips to Europe have included competitions in Italy, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Other competitions have taken the team to South Africa, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Team members are encouraged to keep their passports up-to-date!
To learn more please visit our main team website at www.sddbt.org
Dragon boating arrived to California in 1983 when Singapore presented the City of San Diego with three boats. A competition among thirteen local teams was held to select a team to compete in Singapore the following year. The Hanohano Outrigger Canoe Club, under the coaching of Rena and Egon Horcajo, was victorious and selected to compete in the 1984 World Invitational Dragon Boat Races in Singapore. This team won the tournament and became the first non-Asian team to capture this coveted title.
Club Development
Since its inception, the San Diego Dragon Boat Team (SDDBT) has developed in many ways amassing an impressive history of success at all levels including national and world championships. We have grown by adding other crews, including our first women's crew in 1992. This crew won silver medals in Singapore and Hong Kong at their first major international competitions. The club has since added a women's cancer-survivor program (Team Survivor) and a collegiate program with students from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A youth program is also under development.
Traveling the World
In addition to U.S.A. based competitions, SDDBT members travel extensively to compete against the best teams in the world. Foreign competitions have involved many trips to Asia, including over a dozen stops in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Trips to Europe have included competitions in Italy, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Other competitions have taken the team to South Africa, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Team members are encouraged to keep their passports up-to-date!
To learn more please visit our main team website at www.sddbt.org
