Dragon boats have been competing against each other in China for thousands of years—in Ladenburg since 2016. Today, the Römer Dragons are racking up victories in championships.
“A-a-a-at the catch!” The sweep is standing upright at the rear of the 13-metre-long boat. In front of him, 16 people are bending forward and plunge their paddles into the water—eight people on each side. “Are you ready?” he shouts. “Attention! Go!” 16 paddles pull synchronously through the water, pushing the boat forward in spurts. Then, the drummer takes over. At the bow of the boat, the drummer pelts the drum in front of her and shouts out the count of paddle strokes. “2, 3, 4!” Faster and faster, the paddles plunge into the water until the boat starts flying over the Neckar. And when 16 paddles puncture the river’s surface in synch, it actually sounds as if the boat is hissing.
Mit dem Laden des Videos akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerklärung von YouTube. Mehr erfahren
In the same boat: Team spirit is what counts for the Römer Dragons—as our video shows.
And these are definitely dragon boats that are under way on the Neckar here in Ladenburg. Even if Smaug, Ladon or Zagg do not look like dragons at all during training. The dragon heads and tails are only pulled out for competitions and events—just like it has been done in China for thousands of years. The sport found its way to Ladenburg on a beer-induced whim, as coach Christian Gebler recounts.
Smaug and Ladon with their dragon heads at full speed at the dragon boat event in Ladenburg in 2023. Photo: Packwerk Photography
A fun race with dragon boats was conducted during the “green project” in Ladenburg in 2005. Some people in Ladenburg thought it “sounds exciting.” They spontaneously put a team together and had so much fun during the race that they decided to bring this sport to their hometown between Mannheim and Heidelberg for good. Thomas Thieme, chairperson of the FV 03 Ladenburg soccer club, also loved the idea and a few months later the soccer club got involved in the Römer Dragons’ water sport. And this is how the first dragons moved into the boathouse at the Römerstadion arena.
In the boathouse at the Römerstadion arena, the dragons are waiting for their next training.
The dragon boats got company: There are two new divisions now—outriggers and SUPs.
Balanced: Christian knows exactly who sits where in the dragon boat before training.
Christian and Klaus on their way to the river.
This is where the dragons learn to hiss.
At least, this is what it sounds like...
… when 16 people synchronously paddle at full speed.
A training location cannot get much nicer than this.
During winter, the paddlers build up their strength for the summer season.
In the meantime, the dragon boats got company—by outrigger canoes and stand-up paddleboards (SUP). Both, by now, are water sport divisions in their own right, managed by Klaus Keller since 2024. While the SUP division is still under development, the outriggers are already heading for success. “We purchased the first ones in 2009,” he recounts—actually, only for training purposes.
No matter what size, what gender, how well trained you are or how long you have been part of the team—in the end, we all come home together.
Klaus Keller
The outrigger canoes also come as one- or two-seaters, allowing for much more individualised training than with a dragon boat, in which up to 20 people can be seated. Yet, some Römer Dragons enjoyed outrigging so much that they stuck with it. With their patterns, the paddles made of bamboo and carbon are still telling of their homelands today. People of the Pacific Islands paddled across the ocean already thousands of years ago.
Neckar instead of Pacific—the Ladenburg outrigger team also participates in the world championships.
The temperatures today also make you feel as if you were in the South Pacific region. It is 7 p.m. as Klaus and Tanja Hanni Keller, together with their team, are launching the Va’a 6—the big canoe that seats six people—into the water, and the thermometer is still showing 35 degrees Celsius. Today, they will most certainly not navigate 27 kilometers like in the German long-distance championship in the Baltic Sea at the end of May 2025. But they will at least benefit from a nice cooling effect by being on the water.
Water splashes welcome! At least on hot summer days…
The Ladenburg team was a runner-up to the German championship title in 2024; in August this year, some team members will travel to the world championships in Brazil. Tanja Hanni was one of those who were on the “prosecco-steamer”, the less seriously oriented team of the Römer Dragons back then. But ever since she steered an outrigger for the first time, she never wanted to get out. And she finally convinced her husband to be in this together with her. “What I really love is that in the dragon boat as well as in the outriggers we are all literally in the same boat,” Klaus explains. “No matter what size, what gender, how well trained you are or how long you have been part of the team—in the end, we all come home together.”
The couple is also the driving force behind the highlight of the year for the Römer Dragons—the big dragon boat event in Ladenburg that has been taking place in July since 2006. About 1,000 paddlers and several thousand spectators romp about on the banks of the river Neckar, the Neckarwiese area, or on the water during the races. There are championships in the various leagues with participants on varying athletic levels. Not only are the Baden-Württemberg sprint champions selected here, but the team with the best costume is also celebrated. In spite of all the ambitions, the fun factor should not come up short. And in spite of all the fun, athletic ambitions should, of course, also not be neglected, either. The club has been showing for years that these two factors are not contradictory. It won several medals at the German championships in 2025.
Swan Lake in a dragon boat: At the dragon boat event in July, thousands of people enjoy themselves—and the sport. Photo: Packwerk Photography
Christian Gebler has been part of the team from the beginning. Since 2008, the carpenter has been training the Römer Dragons’ sports boat. In 2023, however, he was on the brink of giving up. “Many active participants quit the sport due to the pandemic. There were only eight to ten people left who came on a regular basis. It ended up getting more difficult to actually fill a boat.” It was by chance then that Natalia, Tati and a few other Ukrainians found their way to the Römer Dragons. In 2022, they had fled their country after the Russian invasion and had ended up in Ladenburg. They had seen the dragon boat event by coincidence and had met some of the Römer Dragons there. “We actually wanted to try out stand-up paddling—but Christian persuaded us to enter a dragon boat,” Natalia remembers. “That was such good fun and the people were so nice!” It was exactly what they needed in their situation. And they were what Christian needed. “Seeing how much fun they had, how motivated they were and how they got better and better each week—that gave me the joy back in coaching.”
In synch—communication is of utmost importance in an outrigger as well as in a dragon boat.
By now, the boat is full again during training. Right now, however, it is floating on the same spot in the middle of the Neckar. Instead of drawing their paddles through the water, the 16 athletes just rock their upper bodies back and forth rhythmically. “Leg training,” as Christian later explains. Because even if it looks as if the entire strength for this sport would come from the arms, the legs play a crucial role, too. “And the right technique.” Thus, even less-trained paddlers can compensate for a lot. 100 members belong to the club right now. “Everyone is welcome here—no matter how well-trained, how old you are or how great your sporting ambitions are,” Klaus says. The club needs people who lend a hand during events. “Especially an event like our dragon boat event cannot be carried out without the help of volunteers.”
The sun is setting slowly over the Neckar. The teams are pulling their boats out of the water one by one while the river is shimmering in the sun behind them. They push their boats back to the boat house on trollies. They are getting cleaned there, and then—the fridge is opened. “Sometimes, the last team members go home after training past midnight,” Christian says. Because the time spent together on land is at least as important for the Römer Dragons as the time on the river.
Whoever wants to try out dragon-boating can come to the boathouse at the Römerstadion arena for training at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday in the summer. However, they recommend letting the team know in advance that you are coming. Just call them at 0170-1288900.
The outrigger team meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.15 p.m. and Sundays at 9.45 a.m. The contact number here is 0152-36859363.
Do you want to try out stand-up paddleboarding? In that case, you should come to the boathouse on Monday at 6.15 p.m. Please contact the team at 0157-89077401.
Tips for excursions and interesting stories about the Rhine-Neckar region can be found regularly in our newsletter.
And this is how it works: Enter your e-mail address in the field and click subscribe. You will then receive an automatically generated message to the e-mail address you entered, which you only need to confirm. Done!
