Two members of the Great Lakes Pearl Dragons Dragon Boat Club have been selected to represent Australia.
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Wendy Orman and Peter Reed will compete for the Auroras in their respective age divisions at the World Nations Championships in August.
Held in Pattaya, Thailand, the event will see Wendy represent the Senior B (age 50-59) women's team for the third time, while Peter will make his debut in the Senior C (60+) men's team.
Pearl Dragons' club president Denise Marr said it was a wonderful achievement.
"Having people like this in our club inspires others to work harder and set goals for themselves," she said.
Despite having been selected for the Senior B team twice before, Wendy said she wasn't overly confident about being chosen a third time because she was one of the older paddlers in the division.
"I'm very lucky because I was competing against some young women," she said.
For Peter, the selection was something of a double-edged sword.
"I was very excited to make it - I didn't think I'd get in - but I also knew there was a whole lot of work to go with it," he admitted.
Both athletes will now stick to a rigorous training schedule in the lead-up to the competition, with their regime due to ramp up even more after they compete at the Australian Championships in Canberra later this month.
It's hard work but you get so much out of it.
- Wendy Orman
But despite the work they have ahead of them, they're both more than excited to be representing their country in a sport that brings them so much joy.
"The whole thing is fantastic," Wendy said.
"You're on a beautiful lake in the most beautiful part of the world with like-minded people."
"It's fantastic," Peter agreed.
"It's been an incredible journey so far. It's almost a way of life."
The Great Lakes Pearl Dragons Dragon Boat Club will be hosting a movie night on May 2 to raise money for Wendy and Peter.
To find out more, click here.
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