Annette Gilkeson has been a paddler for over a decade, but the Santa Barbaran found a new passion when she first stepped into a dragonboat four months ago.
“I’m totally addicted. I love it,” she said.
Annette Gilkeson
Gilkeson, 53, traveled to Prague in late August to compete for the United States in the World Dragonboat Racing Championships. Competing in the Women’s Senior A Division (racers ages 40-50), she was part of an American contingent that had its best ever showing in the event.
Gilkeson’s team finished second in the 200-meter race and took third in both the 500-meter and 1000-meter competitions.
Dragonboats are a bit different than the outriggers that Gilkeson paddles with the Santa Barbara Outrigger Club. There are 10 rows of two paddlers on the boat along with a drummer at the front and a team member to operate the rudder in the back. Unlike in outriggers, each rower only paddles on one side of the boat.
“I’d been outriggering for 13 years and I hardly knew what dragonboating was,” said Gilkeson. “It’s the fastest-growing water-sport in the world, is what they’re telling me.”
Gilkeson was part of a team that is based in San Diego, and the group emerged as the U.S. representatives thanks to winning in the national trials. The world championships are held in a different country every two years, and include hundreds of races in different divisions.
Gilkeson and three other Santa Barbarans decided to give the sport a try at the beginning of the summer and excelled right away. They plan on continuing to race the dragonboats when possible while continuing primarily on the outriggers.
