I am a dragonboat paddler. I just have to correct you - if I may - we "paddle" not row. After 3 years I have finally got my husband to say paddle instead of row. I hope that you stick with dragonboating as it is a great exercise for our arms. I am sorry to hear that some of the ladies were "a bit funny". Our dragonboat club welcomes others with open arms because our numbers are quite low. (we have lost a couple of ladies to the disease) We never seem to have enough paddlers and have to cancel - we really only do it for the social factor but also to get the exercise. A few of us are heading to Bucca near Bundaberg in a couple of weeks for a carnival. It really gets the adrenaline happening when there is a race on. I know that the sunshine coast girls are quite competitive but don't let that worry you. We are thinking of relocating there in a couple of years and when I contacted the club they were very friendly and looked forward to my arrival. Stick with it as you will get a lot out of it. Glad to see that there is someone of your age there as well. Our club needs "young ones" XLeonie