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About Us

 

We are Notts Anaconda, Nottingham's longest running and most successful dragon boat racing club.

 

It all started on May 17th 1994, when Phil Kirk was asked by Steve Bradley of Nottinghamshire County Council if he and his friends would be able to produce a crew to paddle a dragon boat on the River Trent in the Lord Mayor's Charity Event.

 

The team was entered, they raced and this resulted in raising money for various charities in and around Nottinghamshire.

 

The interest from that day grew to such an extent that Phil and his friends entered dragon boating events around Britain.

 

Entering initially as a 'scratch' team, Nottinghamshire Anaconda Dragons, as they were initially known, were soon promoted to the Premier Division of the BDA National League which has seen them compete against the best teams in the U.K. and Europe.

 

These efforts along with good training, teamwork and self discipline, brought Nottinghamshire Anaconda Dragons into second place in the 1996 National Finals for Dragon Boat Racing at The National Watersports Centre, Holme Pierrepont - a truly great achievement for a team so new to the sport.

 

This initial success was quickly followed the following season with even greater successes, culminating in 11 race wins, one second place and one fourth place at the 1997 National Finals as well as the junior team being crowned Junior Champions at the same event.

 

Further success followed in 1998 at the European Club Championships held in Amsterdam. 

 

In recent years, there has been a period of rebuilding within the club which since 2006 has seen the club recruiting more members and steadily climbing up the Standard Division of the BDA National League to where we are today, second place in both the 200m and 500m disciplines.

 

 

2010 has been a great season for a number of reasons, not least the fact that this season we had no fewer than five club members chosen to represent Great Britain in the recent European Championships held in Amsterdam.

 

From left to right above, four of our chosen GB representatives were Neil Lomas, Jackie Lloyd-Davies, Charlie Christian and Steve Calver.

 

Click here to view the press release.

 

Why 'Notts Anaconda'

 

An Anaconda is a large South American snake, similar to a boa constrictor, which is one of the largest, most voracious snakes in the world. It grows to nine metres or more and is found in and around bodies of water. Rather an apt name for a dragon boat crew I think you'll agree!

 

In Chinese mythology, a classic dragon has the head of an ox; a deer's antlers; the mane of a horse; the body and scales of a snake; the claws of an eagle and the tail of a fish.