KUCHING: Amid laughter and teamwork, Rick Astley’s 80s hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ has become the Kuching Dragon Boat Club’s unofficial anthem ahead of the Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta (SIDBR) 2025 held from Oct 24 to Nov 2 at the Kuching Waterfront.
Club captain, Bryan Wee, enthused that their warm-up song could well be ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ , a fitting anthem for their commitment to the sport.
“Well, it would be nice to play music to lift up the beat, though we haven’t had the chance to bring a speaker yet.
“I think to best summarise training and warm-ups, the song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ – that would be the song,” he told Sarawak Tribune during a recent training session.
When asked where they would love to race next, another member of the club, Elvina Chu, didn’t hesitate, she picked Taiwan or the Philippines.
She said Taiwan and the Philippines are her choices because she admires the strong dragon boat culture and spirit in those countries.
“Based on the previous SIDBR that I competed in, these two countries have very strong teams and show a very strong dragon boat spirit, especially among the women’s paddlers, including the men’s.
“They show the spirit that I really love – both the team spirit and the fighting spirit,” she said.
She added that the experience of competing there would be inspiring.
“It would be a great chance to learn from them and see how both countries bring men’s and women’s paddlers together to a higher level,” she said.
