Welcome to Ripple!
click here to read all about our goals for the 2009 season!
Who are we?
We’re an SF bay Area dragon boat paddling and activities club made up entirely of dynamic young (and young at heart) free spirits who live to have fun, exercise, eat well and paddle hard… and then eat again. Does this sound like you? What are you waiting for? Let’s get ready, get on the water and Get Ripped!
Practices
Never held a paddle before? No problem! One of the great things about dragon boat racing is the shared experience of learning it together. Despite being thousands of years old, it’s still a relatively new sport outside of China and Hong Kong. New paddlers are trying it all the time.
Aside from meeting other new paddlers, other things you can expect to do during practice include:
- go on a short warm-up run (about 1/2 mile) at an easy pace
- do some stretching and conditioning before getting on the boat
- spend 90 minutes on the boat
Sound good? Curious? Take a look at the practice schedule and come on down!
Dragon Boat Racing
Although the team’s main goal is simply to have a great time both on and off the water, racing is definitely at the core of the team’s being. The rush of twenty paddlers, a steersperson and drummer working is among the most exhilarating experiences in team sports.
This year we plan to participate in all local races including the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival at Treasure Island, the largest dragon boat regatta in the country. We are also planning to paddle in Vancouver, Canada and Southern California.
- CDBA Dragon Boat Regatta
Redwood City, CA - Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - CDBA Dragon Boat Sprint Race
Fremont, CA - Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival
- San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival
Activities
Ripples are known for having fun on the water, but it doesn’t end there. Groups of us frequently get together for bike rides, 5K & 10K runs, rock climbing, half marathons, hikes, surfing and kayaking (just to mix things up a little). We’ll also hook up for house parties, trivia nights, board game nights, poker games, movies, bowling, shooting, sporting events and even monster truck rallies when we just feel like hanging out. We even have a Ripple Club House for many of these activities.
Did we mention that we also love to eat? A group usually gets together to eat after every practice. We also plan on having several barbecues throughout the season.
Community and Charity Work
Our team members have always been involved with many charitable causes. In our eight-year history we’ve articipated in numerous fund raisers and charity drives for organizations including Tour de Cure against diabetes, Habitat for Humanity, Asian American Theater Company, American Kidney Foundation, San Francisco Food Bank, Family Giving Tree, Nike Women’s Marathon, AIDS Walk, the Bay Area Make-a-Wish Foundation and National Marrow Donor Program.
We have also organized a wine and chocolate-tasting fundraiser to help benefit our local American Lung Assocation and the San Mateo County Asthma Education Program. Every year our team members are involved in helping our community and it has become a core aspect of who we are.