- May 2, 2024
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Paul Hoffmann's athletic future changed because of a single email.
Hoffmann was living in Seattle in 2013 when he received the note from his then-boss. Come try dragon boat, it said. No experience necessary. Only four practices required to compete. Hoffmann didn't know anything else, but he was a marathon runner, and was intrigued by what he found after a quick Google search for dragon boat.
"I was like, 'Eh, I can do four practices,'" Hoffmann said. "And then I liked."
Hoffmann said the chance to use the sport as an upper body workout, while still running marathons, was the type of cross-training he found appealing. And as it turned out, he was good at it: Hoffmann quickly transitioned from his initial team — a community team — to a recreational team, to a competitive team.
A decade later, Hoffmann has been named to Team USA for the 2023 International Dragon Boat Federation's World Dragon Boat Championships, held Aug. 7-13 in Pattaya, Thailand. Hoffman was one of 10 Benderson Park athletes named to the team on June 20, joining paddlers Mandy Boyers, Doreen Clyne, Don Bickel, Brian Long, Dana Trimble, Duneska Grant and Joni Carone, plus steerer Angela Long and drummer Paula Murray.
The appointment is technically Hoffmann's third Team USA spot, though he personally doesn't count his 2021 appointment, as that year had its world championships canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoffmann did compete at the 2019 championships, also held in Thailand, where competed in the Senior A Men's boat and won silver and bronze medals, but no gold.
That's something he's chasing this year, as a member of the Senior C Men's boat.
"I have that drive to train and to help the team get to that point," Hoffmann said. "This is the ultimate team sport. There's 20 paddlers in the boat. So you want to give everything you have got to help your team get there."
It's not only about the gold medal, either. Hoffmann said he wants to hear the National Anthem play over the loudspeakers while on the podium. Hoffmann said the thrill of representing his country on the national stage is a feeling with no equivalent.
"You put that uniform on, and it has the red, white and blue and the USA, and it is just an honor," Hoffmann said. "You have earned it, but it is still an honor. After doing this, you look at what Olympic athletes are doing. You understand the dedication and training that goes into representing the country. It's a privilege."
Mandy Boyers, who will race on the Senior A/B Women's team, has a similar story. Like Hoffmann, Boyers started in dragon boat in 2013, at a community festival in Burlington, Vermont. She didn't consider herself to be an athlete and was at the festival to be social, but she decided to give it her best shot.
Never could she have guessed where that decision would lead her. She, too, is headed to the world championships, after also having her 2021 stint on Team USA canceled. As someone readying to compete on the world stage for the first time, Boyers is soaking in the experience.
"It's overwhelming," Boyers said. "I worked hard for this. It feels incredibly satisfying that this goal that I have had for years has finally come true.
"I tear up when I think about putting that uniform on."
Boyers said she never knew how competitive she was before trying the sport, and she's proud of how driven to improve she has become. Boyers said she was a "study nerd" growing up. Before dragon boat racing, she said, she was out of shape. Getting into the sport helped Boyers turn her overall fitness around, and led to her losing 30 pounds.
"It's possible for other people, too," Boyers said. "I never thought I could compete at this level, but I have. It is amazing to see it happen."
Boyers said Benderson Park's facilities give its paddlers an advantage in training. Not only can local paddlers practice year-round, unlike in northern states where the water gets too cold in the winter, but the park offers the chance to train in single-person outrigger canoes. Boyers said spots on her Team USA Senior A/B Women's boat were decided by time trials conducted in those canoes. Unless a person has their own canoe, access to them can be tough to find, and Boyers said the canoes can cost thousands of dollars depending on the manufacturer.
Boyers has also been working with personal trainers to improve her strength, she said, something she has not done previously. She said her motivation levels are as high as they have ever been, and she does not see them dropping any time soon.
"You can continue to do this sport as you age because it is age bracketed," Boyers said. "You don't have to go against 20-year-olds. I can go against people my age, which is awesome."
