Training
Training reveals what you are really capable of.
Summer Training
Nothing beats paddling on a hot summer’s day on the cool water of the Lachine Canal with a refreshing breeze on your face. We train on the canal throughout the summer racing season, from May to mid-September.
To help give you the best start, we’ve put together some useful information for you about summer training.
Practices are organized according to team: both of our mixed (men and women together) and single-sex teams (men and women separately) train in the summer. You can count on us to help guide you to the team that offers you the best fit.
Each Verdun Dragon Boat team trains twice a week, for an hour each session. Equipment (paddles, PFDs when required) is provided free on site, at 5527 St. Patrick Street in the Côte St. Paul neighbourhood.
We practice rain or shine. For most of the summer season, a t-shirt, quick-dry shorts and sandals are recommended.
| Team | Training Time |
|---|---|
|
Force, full team (men + women) |
Mon. 7-8pm |
|
Force, White (men + women) |
Wed. 7-8pm |
|
Force, Blue (men + women) |
Wed. 8-9pm |
We party as hard as we train!
Winter Training
We put the emphasis on getting you to reach your potential, during the extended winter pre-season. Training takes place indoors in a specially-designed paddling pool from November to May.
We’ll teach you paddling technique step-by-step. We’ll design a strength-training program for you and introduce you to sports nutrition. The winter pre-season is also when you’ll learn about mental prep and the advantages of effective goal setting.
Paddles are provided free on site, at 5524 St. Patrick Street in the Côte St. Paul neighbourhood.
We suggest you wear a t-shirt; quick-dry shorts; and sandals, paddling shoes or old sneakers. Lockers and showers are available on site
| Team | Training Time |
|---|---|
|
Force (men + women) |
Tue. 8-9pm |
Training Camp
Saturday, August 24 or 31, 2024
Lachine Canal
The training camp gives you the opportunity to develop your skills and bond with your team.
Training camps consist of lots of paddling, video reviews, and plenty of time for recreation. Each year, a new theme is integrated into the training camp, such as mental preparation, international travel, or injury prevention and management. The theme reflects the Club’s goals for the current racing season.
Paddlers always look forward to the training camp. It’s a great time to bond with teammates and improve technique.
Verdun Dragon Boat Club Coaching Staff
Ira E. Lax
Head Coach
Ira achieved a tremendous level of success with his Verdun DBC Premier Mixed teams at the Canadian Dragon Boat Championships, winning two team national championships in 2014 and 2016, and a bronze in 2010. He led his Premier Open's (men's) team to a seventh place finish at the Canadian Dragon Boat Championships in 2011, and won silver with them at the provincial level. Ira also coached his Senior A Open team to a bronze medal finish at the national championships in 2015. More recently, Ira coached Verdun DBC's mixed and women crews to success at the 2019 Pan American Club Crew Championships, in Tobago, coming home with a gold and three silvers.
Ira competed regionally and internationally as a dragon boat paddler for five years, starting in 2000, frequently earning a spot on the podium with his teams. He helped found Verdun DBC in 2003 and joined the coaching staff there in 2005.
Sheri Cameron
Coach
Sheri has successfully competed at the international and national levels of dragon boat, racing on both mixed-crew (men and women combined) teams and women's teams. Sheri's mixed Verdun DBC team won the Club Crew World Championships in Macau in 2010, one of four times Sheri competed at the CCWC. She also paced the Canadian National Premier Women's Team to gold at the 2013 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
Sheri has podiumed nationally and internationally numerous times as a paddler, both with Verdun DBC and her Premier Women's team. She led Verdun DBC as general manager from 2010 to 2013 and joined the coaching staff in 2016.