It's an exciting time for the Lambton Shores Dragon Boat Club.
Five members of the Port Franks-based organization will be representing Team Canada at the upcoming World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Thailand.
Jase Peters, Julia Chagnon, Megan Johnston, and Katelyn Finch will be rowing on the 18 U squad, while Georgia Peters is competing in the 16 U division.
Head Coach Cathy Johnson said she's very proud of the group.
They've been training for the world championships four or five nights a week since last September.
"It was pretty intense," said Johnson. "They have what are called 'paddling ergs'. We have two of them. The kids were on them twice a week with myself and fellow coach Kelsey Bright. They worked all winter, and had testing they had to do in Welland in October. They got a base amount of how far they could go for 500 metres, and how much time it took. They had to do on-water training and OC1 training which is on a small boat that has a big paddle and they have someone at the back who steers for them. On top of that, they had physical training... going to the gym and doing pushups, that kind of thing."
Johnson said dragon boat racing is a great team event.
"You have 20 people in the boat, plus somebody who steers and somebody who drums to keep pace," she said. "You all have to work together at exactly the same time. There's a lot of intensity with it, it can get kind of crazy out on the water. They have a lot of different distances, they do anywhere from 200 to 2,000 metre races. It's just a really entertaining sport and great for team building and sportsmanship. It's a full-body activity, you use your arms and legs. There's a technique where you drive with one of the legs to push your body back and you drive with the other to come forward. It's a full-body workout."
Johnson said it isn't the first time the club has been featured on the international stage.
She said 15 other kids have competed in the world championships since the club was established back in 2008.
The group will leave for Thailand on July 30.
The 16th annual event is scheduled for August 7 to 13 in Pattaya.