FIRE BREATHING BLOWFISH

The Fire Breathing Blowfish are a Portland, Oregon dragon boat team and registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Dragon boating is a 2,000-year-old paddling sport raced in 20-person crews, and it is also an expensive one — boats, equipment, and race entry fees put it out of reach for most people who would love it. We exist to close that gap. Our coaching staff is entirely volunteer, nobody on this team draws a salary or a stipend, and every coaching hour is donated by paddlers who want to grow the sport. That means every dollar you give goes directly into the boat: equipment so nobody has to buy their way onto the team, safety gear, boat maintenance, and race entry fees so cost is never the reason someone sits out a season. We hold no experience requirement and no tryout barrier. Paddlers of every body type, age, athletic background, and skill level are welcome on day one, and we train them into a competitive crew. That combination is the point. We are simultaneously one of the most welcoming teams on the water and one of the most competitive, and we do not think those two things are in tension. Newer paddlers learn alongside experienced ones. Veterans coach instead of gatekeeping. The result is a crew that races hard at regattas throughout the Pacific Northwest and shows up for each other well beyond the dock. Your support funds equipment, safety gear, boat maintenance, and race entries for paddlers who could not otherwise participate — and builds a community that keeps them coming back.