We are a competitive racing team who had their first season of racing in 2022 (5 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) and then a great year two in 2023 (5th overall at GWN Sport Regatta, and "B" Grand Championship winners at the GWN Challenge). The team is for motivated paddlers who want to step up their training and goals to another level. We welcome paddlers to join us on our rise in the dragon boat world.
Need another reason to join us? We are very fortunate to have world champions Bethany Yam and Jamie Gleason as our coaches. They returned from the 2023 World's in Thailand with fistfuls of medals.
** October 21 Update: Winter training registration with the Barracudas at Afterburn Fitness and Higher Ground is still open, but as of 1 PM Monday, October 21st there are just TWO SPOTS LEFT! If interested, register ASAP or reach out to the captains for more details. The Barracudas are rising fast in the Toronto rankings, and we are still recruiting for paddlers who want more out of the sport.
The team has eligibility requirements, including a higher attendance commitment to practices and mandatory regattas, basic fitness testing, and adequate space on the team for each gender.
Co-captains: Graeme Kondruss and Hamza Shahzad
Coaches: Beth Yam and Jamie Gleason
Team Manager: Tim MacFarlane
Contact our team co-captains if you have any questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
This is the fifth year for this team. Join us and spend your summer months enjoying the paddling, camaraderie, and fresh air on waterfront that comes with this team. New this year is monthly video review - where we take video of team paddling and can look at it later to identify areas where the team can improve. This is an invaluable tool to becoming a better team. We have two dedicated co-captains identified very early on to help plan for an amazing year!
Winter training starts November 18th. See the winter program details on the LEFT panel below entitled "2025 WINTER TRAINING".
Summer program registration will open in December. See last year's details on the RIGHT panel below entitled "2024 SUMMER RACING" for a sample of what our program is all about. We'll be updating it with our 2025 Summer program by December.
We are training twice-a-week, Mondays and Wednesday evenings. This program is mandatory for those looking to join the team this summer, but space permitting we can accept a few others wanting to train with us. To register, click on the big BLUE button at top left of this page.
Mondays - 230 Nantucket Blvd - Unit#1.
> Pool at 7:30 PM and Gym at 8:35 PM.
> Nov 18 to Apr 14 (18 weeks).
> Except Dec23/30 and Feb17/24.
Wednesdays - 382 Yonge St - 4th Floor.
> 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Jan08 to Apr16.
> 15 weeks.
Beth Yam
Jamie Gleason
This is why we train! Our 2024 summer regattas are still being worked out by the team management committee (coaches, captains, manager) and reviewed by all team members. You can register now using the big red "registration" button at the top left of this page or the red button below (both lead to same form).
May 25 at Outer Harbour. Training and time trials included.
June 15-16 at Toronto Island. Two days of 200m & 500m races as final tune-up before Nationals.
July 1 at Toronto Island. Races include 2x200m and 2x500m.
July 25-28 at Welland (WIFC). Races in all distances over 4 days. Practice likely on Wed July 24.
Sept 7-8 at Marilyn Bell Park. Four 500m races.
Mondays, May 6-Sept 30 (Except June17, July1, Aug5, and Sept2).
Thursdays, May 9-Aug 26 (Except July25).
Practices run 6:45 to 8:45 PM
Beth Yam
Jamie Gleason