Sunday morning training on Wellington Harbour.
Wellington campus lead administrator Sophie Petelaud signed up to paddle with the University’s dragon boating team in the summer of 2020, excited to participate in something different.
Fast forward four years, and Sophie is participating in national dragon boating competitions, and even has her sights set on competing internationally.
When she joined the University of Otago Wellington Leisure & Sport (U-Owls) team Sophie was a team sport rookie, not knowing what she’d signed up for, and with no knowledge of what dragon boating actually involved.
Sophie ready to board at the Whairepo Lagoon boat ramp for a race on Wellington Harbour. Photo: Big Mark & Co
She enjoyed her first season so much she stayed with the team, taking on the role of manager from 2021 to 2023, a task she compares to “corralling caffeinated cats - challenging yet oddly rewarding”.
U-Owls training was confined to six to eight weeks over summer in preparation for the annual Wellington Dragon Boat Festival and after her first few seasons Sophie decided she was ready for more.
In the winter of 2022, she joined the Pōneke Watersports club, and began year-round training on chilly Wellington Harbour.
This year she qualified for her first national competition, joining her Pōneke team at Lake Karāpiro in April for the two-day Dragon Boat National Championships. She paddled in 14 races over two-kilometre, 500-metre and 200-metre distances, competing against teams from around the country and overseas.
“We did not bring back any medals, but as our first time on the national scene we have definitely made an impression, and the rest of the country will be expecting us next year,” she says.
Sophie has been the Pōneke club’s committee secretary since 2023 and was this year awarded the trophy for Most Improved Paddler in the Ika Moana/Nationals team.
“This is not because of my exceptional strength - I’m the weakling of the team - but for my willingness to learn, showing up to training and be a team player,” she says.
Sophie (third from left) paddling out into Wellington Harbour with her Pōneke Watersports’ team to compete in the Wellington Dragon Boat Festival. Photo: Big Mark & Co
Looking forward, Sophie has her sights set on the next New Zealand Dragon Boat Association (NZDBA) Nationals in 2025 and perhaps one day on competing on international waters.
“This means adding gym and personal trainer sessions to my training, as well as participating in various regattas across Aotearoa.”
She has also developed an interest in nutrition and women's training science, and has been studying the work of Otago PhD graduate, exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist Dr Stacy Sims – author of the phrase ‘women are not small men’ - to improve her stamina and recovery.
And while strength is important in the hyper-competitive sport, Sophie says timing and technique are paramount.
“Every paddler counts, which is why our mantra is ‘One team, one dream’.”
Sophie says dragon boating has become far more than just a sport to her.
“It’s really a lifestyle. It promotes wellbeing and develops a sense of community. It’s about laughs, social support - and the occasional unplanned swim!”
She is also inspired by paddling alongside the CanSurvive team of breast cancer survivors.
“Their courage on the water teaches us about the power of perseverance.”