Welcome

Welcome to Pittsburgh Paddlefish, home blog to the dragon boat team affiliated with the Three Rivers Rowing Association. We are a diverse (some might say motley) group bonded through our appreciation of teamwork, river water, sore muscles, and an occasional beer or two. We are coached by Ben Ledewitz, captained by Kit Ayars, and steered by Chuck Lyon.

We are actively recruiting new members. No prior boating experience is required. If it’s your first time on a dragon boat, we will give you a step-by-step introduction aimed at getting you paddling on the water safely and quickly. You just need to come prepared to work up a little sweat, get a little wet, and have a lot of fun!

Our on-the-water training starts in early April and ends in November; we practice three times a week (Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM; Saturday mornings at 9 AM). Over the winter, we keep up a three/week schedule but work out indoors at TRRA's Millvale Boathouse facility.

For the 2005 season, we sent representatives to the New York City indoor paddling sprints. We traveled to Washington DC in May and competed in the DC Dragon Boat Festival and to Toronto, ON, for the Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival. Three of our paddlers have been selected for the US Team traveling to Berlin, Germany, to compete in the Grand Masters Division of the World Dragon Boat Championships in August.

To find out more about the Pittsburgh Paddlefish, and see how you can get started, contact Lisa Kennard, our Membership Director, at paddlesup@verizon.net .