The Rusty Dragons club is all about accessibility and fair play, with a variety of non-profit teams to fit your interest and schedule. We especially welcome new paddlers to any team. We have several teams, each with a different practice day or time, and also different number of practices or regattas (race events). To choose a team, ignore the team names and just look at each team's program details.
Our focus is for all members to:
> See that they are an equal and valued member of a team, no matter their fitness level, age, gender, size, or abilities.
> Have fun in a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment. We train on scenic Outer Harbour, between Cherry Beach and Tommy Thompson Park.
> Meet new people - the camaraderie of this sport is amazing. What other sport brings people together from all walks of life?
> Learn some new skills - participate in a sport over 2,300 years old.
You can then register with a team if their program suits your interests, schedule, and budget. See the Teams menu at the top of the page for details on each team. New paddlers are welcome on ALL teams (you don't have to start with a specific team). The Barracudas are the only team with a twice-a-week program that runs 11 months of the year for those motivated for a more competitive experience and race results. Below is a summary of each team...
Flying Dragons - This long-time team fills quickly every year. Their coach for 2025 will be Michael Teixeira (past coaches were Natalie Wong and Terence Yu). Their co-captains Shalini and Kalpana look after the team very well. This team trains Thursdays from 7:10 to 8:45 PM all summer, and races in three regattas (Canada Day on Toronto Island, Woodstock in early August, and scenic Stratford in September.
We Will Rock You is a newer team created in 2022 as a sister team to the Flying Dragons (Guns n Roses) team. Several of it's members had previous experience with the Drag'n Angels team. They practice Tuesdays at 5:50 to 7:40 PM all summer, and their coach is Catherine MacInnis. The team races on Canada Day on Toronto Island, Woodstock, and Christie Lake.
Liberty Waves - This team is comprised of members of the LGBTQ community and allies, and are one of a few teams that practices on the weekend (Sundays, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Their coach since 2024 is Jonathan Navarro (Tim MacFarlane coached them before this). Their team captains are Lynn and William. The team races on Canada Day on Toronto Island, then Welland in early August, and finally scenic Stratford in September.
Strokes of Luck - This team is our second "weekend" practicing team as they practice on Saturdays from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. NEW in 2025 is we are making the team a half-season team in order to provide an option to the public for a shorter duration program that is also less expensive as a result. Their team co-captains are Charmaine and Nathan. They will race on Canada Day after 8 weeks of training. If there is interest, a second half of the season might be arranged which interested members can sign up for.
Barracudas - The club's competitive team for paddlers who want MORE! They have a 21 week winter training program (November through April) and a comprehensive racing program this summer. They practice twice-weekly on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:45 PM. They have 6 race days in 2025, as well as an Outrigger Canoe training session in early June. Their coaches are world champions paddler Beth Yam and Sammi Wai. Their captains are Graeme Kondruss and Hamza Shahzad. The team will race in Pickering in late May, then Ottawa for the first time in late June, then Welland in early August, and finish with the big end-of-season regatta in Toronto at the Great White North Challenge. This team does accept NEW paddlers!
Butts in a Boat - This NEW Toronto team is being supported by the Rusty Dragons. The team is for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, and this is the third city to form such a team in Canada. The founding Butts in a Boat team was in Vancouver and it was modelled after the huge success of Vancouver's "Abreast in a Boat" team for people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Then Moncton formed the 2nd prostate cancer team. The coach and captain of the team is Glen Williams. See their website at www.buttsinaboat.ca/toronto for details and Glen's contact information. THey will race on Canada Day for their first-ever race!
If you have any questions or have any registration issues, please feel free to contact team captains as details on the team pages, or to club owner Tim MacFarlane as detailed in the contact info at the bottom of this (and every) page.