Sport

Rowing and Dragon Boat

Catch, finish, and the paddle that has to last the piece.

Dr. Fava has covered rowing at Nathan Benderson Park for years, including as Chief Medical Officer. The catch, the finish, and a long piece load the hips and the low back. A dragon boat piece loads the shoulder, the trunk, and the forearm in a different pattern. We treat the one you actually do.

Sarasota Crew runs youth and masters rowing on the 2,000-meter course, plus Learn to Row for adults who are new. The park’s paddling program runs Dragon Boat 101 and then team practices for NBP Dragons, Survivors in Sync, an all-cancer team, and a veterans team.

You can launch your own kayak or paddleboard from the beach. Learn to Row and Dragon Boat 101 put you in a program boat. The lake closes for regattas, so check the calendar before you go. Tell us which boat and which practice. The plan has to survive that piece.

Related injuries

Topics

What we treat in the boat

Low back at the catch

When the hips and hamstrings do not supply the reach, the lumbar spine rounds and then extends under the drive. That is the grab halfway through a piece.

Ribs and the finish

A hard layback at the finish can irritate the ribs. We calm the tissue and look at the stroke before another long piece gets added.

Hips on the slide

The recovery asks the hip flexors to work every stroke. A hip that pinches getting out of the boat is a slide and a strength problem, not a week off the water.

Dragon boat shoulder

The paddle stroke is rotation and reach, repeated for the length of the piece. The cuff and the shoulder blade have to share it. Volume changes before the pain becomes the season.

Wrist and forearm

Oar and paddle grip both load the forearm. Numb hands or a hot wrist need the neck and the grip checked, not only a new glove.

Youth racing weeks

High school and middle school crew stack school and extra water sessions. Same-week care has to fit practice, not cancel the boat unless the tissue needs it.

Masters volume

Adult rowers often train year-round on this lake. Recovery is shorter in the heat. We change the pieces that are writing the pain and keep the ones that are not.

Event week at the park

Regatta weekends are a different load than a Tuesday practice. If you are racing or covering the event, say so. The plan is written against that calendar.

Venice/Sarasota Area Clubs

Local area rowing and dragon boat

We are not the club. We are the clinic rowers and paddlers use when the back, hip, or shoulder starts writing the piece. Mention the boat and the practice on the first visit.

Dragon Boat 101
Learn to paddle · Nathan Benderson Park
Ongoing intro. About three sessions a week. Most paddlers graduate in four to six weeks, then join regular practice and the racing league. You can start mid-month.
Club site
Nathan Benderson Park
5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota
2,000-meter course on a 400-acre lake. Bring your own kayak or stand-up paddleboard and launch from the beach. Learn to Row and Dragon Boat 101 use program boats. The lake closes for regattas — check the calendar.
Club site
NBP Paddling Teams
Nathan Benderson Park
After Dragon Boat 101. Teams include NBP Dragons, Survivors in Sync for breast cancer survivors, an all-cancer team, and a veterans team. Practices are Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Times shift with the season.
Club site
Sarasota Crew — Learn to Row
Nathan Benderson Park
Adult intro on the lake. Two-week sessions, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 6:30–9 a.m., plus a Saturday intro morning. The published session fee is $300. Private sculling lessons are also offered.
Club site
Sarasota Crew — Masters
Nathan Benderson Park and Osprey
Adult membership with coached sessions, team equipment, and racing. A weekly option is listed for experienced visitors. New rowers start in Learn to Row, then a coach clears them for team practice.
Club site
Sarasota Crew — Youth
4000 Sarasota Crew Way, Osprey, and Nathan Benderson Park
Elementary, middle, and high school. Founded in 2002. Fall novice high school practice is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 4–7 p.m., plus Saturday. Newer athletes also train at the Osprey boathouse.
Club site

Ready to get back to the sport?

Same-week athlete slots when we can. Book online or call for Venice or University Park.

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