Alkame Dragon Boat Services
1050 Brock Road L1W 3X4 Pickering, ON, Canada

Family Day, 2021 Frenchman's Bay, Pickering, On Home of Alkame's OC Club, the Pickering Dragon Boat Club, and the annual Pickering Dragon Boat Festival. ... #alkamedragonboatservices #pdbc #paddlelife #paddlefamily #dragonboat #dragonboatlife #skating #familyday #joinusin2021

Interested in different ways that you can keep motivated during lockdown? Alkame offers a wide range of virtual services, geared to both individuals and teams. Contact us today! www.alkame.ca

Last week to register! Open to all residents, both nationally and internationally!

As the holidays are upon us, I know that we, like many of you, are spending a few moments to reflect on all that 2020 was (and wasn't). The beginning of 2020 was merry and bright for us, as we had spent months in the fall and winter preparing. All of the pre-planning for our 2020 Festivals was well under our way; our staff contracts all delivered in January; meetings with vendors set-up for February. Porta potties were ordered, security was lined up and thousands (upon thous...ands) of medals had been stocked. And then March hit. At the beginning of COVID, we saw the closure of our gym (Alkame Paddle Zone). And then we saw postponements of events (many of them ours). And then the cancellations started to pile up. One, after another, after another. We saw teams disappearing, and athletes retiring, and many, many people getting sick. But...we also saw so much more. We saw resilience. We saw athletes doing whatever it took to get on the water. We saw individuals investing in themselves. We saw athletes doing Zoom workouts; buying their own boats to paddle every day; joining a virtual run to keep them moving through the spring and summer. We saw support; for teammates, for small businesses, for the all-around true heros, the healthcare workers. We saw determination. And grit. And strength that we hadn't seen before. We saw athletes improve and we saw athletes excel and we saw athletes reach their true potential. We saw, through all of the fog, the continuous love for our sport, for the water, and for the paddling family. So thank you. All of you. For doing your part to stop the spread, for keeping our sport going despite the obstacles, and for supporting and caring for those around you. From our family to yours, we wish you a safe and healthy holiday. Paddles Up Katy & Scott

Drum roll please ... The winner of the second giveaway is... @copperdog_gal ... Congratulations!!!! Send us a DM and we can start planning your sessions!

Alkame's Three Days of Giveaways! ____ On December 17th we will be giving away 2 private coaching sessions with Sr. A National Team Coach, Scott Murray! You choose indoor, outdoor or virtual sessions! ____... To enter: 1. Follow us! 2. Like this post! 3. Tag a friend in the comments = one entry! 4. Share this post and tag us in it = two entries! ____ #dragonboatlife #paddlelife #paddlefamily #alkamefestivalseries #alkamedragonboatservices #contest #christmas #supportlocal #smallbusiness #giveaways #swag #christmas

Drum roll please.... The winner of our first giveaway is... @sennadaymond - Congratulations!!! ... ___ Stay tuned for our second giveaway as part of our 3 Days of Giveaways!!

Water First Education & Training Inc., is a non-governmental group that helps address the water challenges in Indigenous communities all over Canada. ____ They provide both education and training to the local communities regarding drinking water, environmental water and even water science for youth. Everyone deserves to have access to clean water. ____... As a small Canadian business that relies on the health of our waterways and the health of our communities, we are dedicated to doing our part. A portion of every registration fee paid for our Canadian U24 Indoor Champs or the Canadian Open Champs, will be donated to Water First. ____ Register today. www.alkame.ca/virtualracing

The tree is up and the food drive has begun! Help us support St. Paul's On The Hill Community Food Bank. Donations can be dropped off at Alkame Paddle Zone, Monday to Friday from 10am-2pm. #supportsmallbusiness #supportlocal #paddlezone #foodbank #pickering #paddlelife #paddlefamily

We're giving away a Prime-Time Unlimited Membership for the 2021 OC Club season! ___ To enter: 1. Follow us on Instagram... 2. Share a photo or video of you or your friends outrigger paddling 3. Tag us in your photo 4. Tell your friends to do the same! ___ Contest closes October 31st. Winner will be drawn randomly and announced on November 1st, 2020. No purchase necessary. One submission per person/account. Winning Membership will not be refundable or transferable.

Things might be a bit different this year, but it makes us even more thankful for all of the athletes and teams that continue to support us! Happy Thankgiving all!

Fall paddling days on Lake Ontario #outrigger #alkamedragonboatservices #occlub #paddlelife #dragonboat #getoutside #waterislife

Alkame Staff Profiles: Megan Ballantyne! ____... As one of the most genuine people I have ever met, Megan is a great asset to every team she is a part of. Happy go lucky, caring and sincere, and always there to save a drowning , Megan is a very appreciated member of Alkame and truly represents the kind of teammates we always want to have. (She also happens to be an absolutely killer singer!) _____ Megan has been a paddler for 11 years, primarily with the Pickering Dragon Boat Club. She has been a steersperson and coach for 5 seasons, and is a large part of the PDBC coaching staff now, primarily working with the Junior and Recreational programs. _____ Megan has been a part of the Alkame team since 2016, when she began coaching a number of client teams, such as the Pink Sensations and the Cobourg Survivor Thrivers. Beyond coaching, she is also a regular steersperson for events and can often be seen installing race courses, setting up tents and equipment, and acting in whatever role gets thrown her way! _____ As a phenomenal paddler, Megan has had the opportunity to represent her country on the National Team three times: as a Junior in Tampa, FL., as a U24 in Szeged, Hungary, and as a Premier in Kunming, China. _____ When Megan isn't on the water, she is currently a student teacher at Nipissing University. _____ When asked: "What is the first thing you want to do when isolation is over?", she said: "Paddle with my team in a dragon boat!"

We've set-up another session of online learning via Zoom! Join us the first weekend of October and expand your dragon boat knowledge. Register online at www.alkame.ca