The ultimate achievement in dragon boating is earning a seat on Team USA and/or qualifying on a club crew that earns a berth to compete in World Championships. NCAWPA's dragon boat training program is designed to give its athletes every opportunity to succeed through regularly scheduled supervised team training and individual development. The coaching staff, predominantly gold medalists of Team USA, actively conduct orientation sessions to brief interested members on all aspects of Team USA training and the selection process, mentor new applicants in their quest to try out, and conduct high performance / high intensity training sessions specifically geared to developing the athleticism that is required to qualify. As evidenced by NCAWPA’s strong representation across all of the divisions of Team USA historically, the culture and practices of NCAWPA’s Team USA-focused training program breeds a high degree of success.
Additionally, the NCAWPA dragon boat program offers top athletes an opportunity to try out for club high performance crews, with the goal of competing and medalling both nationally and internationally.