Great Lakes' dragonboaters Wendy Orman and Peter Reed will travel to Thailand this week to represent the Australian Auroras at the World Nations Championships.
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Both paddlers have put in months of rigorous training and are now ready to lay it all on the line for their country as they chase gold in their respective categories.
Wendy will represent the Senior B (age 50-59) women's team while Peter will be a part of the Senior C (60+) men's team.
No stranger to the demands of representing Australia after making the team twice before, Wendy said the training this time around had been nothing less than exhausting.
"It's been extremely intensive," she said.
"I don't think I could've done any more."
But despite the relentless hard work, she said it'd undoubtedly prepared her team to give their best.
"I feel confident the Senior B team will be in the best position we've ever been in," she said.
"If we don't win, the other team must be really something."
A member of the gold medal-winning Senior B women's team last year, Wendy said there was no better feeling than seeing the Australian flag go up and hearing the national anthem after victory.
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For Peter, who'll be making his debut for the Auroras, the prospect of representing Australia has been a cause of both nerves and excitement.
He also acknowledged the training had been intense from the get-go.
"It has been pretty full on," he said.
"Before the Auroras, I had never been into a gym and that experience has been an eye-opener."
Like Wendy, he believed it'd put him and his team mates in the best condition they could possibly be in.
"The Senior Cs have given our all in training and I'm confident that will be what we give in the championships," he said.
"If a medal results, that will be the icing on the cake."
Both paddlers acknowledged the support and generosity of the Great Lakes Pearl Dragons Dragon Boat Club, who had helped them with everything from their training to the cost of attending the event.
Club members had even been paddling modified Aurora sessions to help Wendy and Peter meet their training requirements.
"The Pearlers have gone above and beyond," Peter said.
"They've been fantastic," Wendy added.
The 14th World Nations Championships will run in Pattaya, Thailand from August 20-25.
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