When you really think about it, synchronized swimming (now artistic swimming) and dragon boating are not all that terribly different.

That might be a bit of a reach, but consider that beyond the obvious connection to the water comes the fact that in both sports, the need for absolute uniformity of movement is critical.

Having even one singular teammate whose timing is off can dictate the success or failure of the team. Perhaps this is at the root of the athletic interests of 21 year-old Laurel Duguay, a resident of Sudbury who has just graduated from International Business studies at Carleton University and remains, at this time, living in the nation’s capital.

“Synchro was such a team sport and I really liked team sports,” noted Duguay, explaining her eventual transition from one discipline to the next.

The truth is that neither of these sporting pursuits is likely to ever top the list of the most popular athletic undertakings in the country. Simply becoming aware of the offerings on a local basis is not front and center for most teenage kids.

Thankfully, when it came to dragon boating, it was “All in the Family” for the Duguay clan, with the parents (Lawrence and Angela) introducing Laurel and her siblings (Seth and Mya) to the joys of being part of a 22-person squad that, at its best, will cause a vessel to absolutely speed across the surface of the water.

That is certainly what Laurel and her teammates with the Carleton U24 entry that has qualified for the Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna (Italy) in early September are hoping for.

Given that she first had paddle in hand at the age of 12 or 13, small wonder that Duguay boasts a wealth of knowledge, for her age, on the finer details that distinguish experienced boatmen from the hundreds who partook recreationally in the numerous editions of the Sudbury Dragon Boat Festival.

“A lot of beginner paddlers will just use their arms, a lot of the time,” explained the youngest of the three children in the household. “You’re really not supposed to do that. It’s mainly your shoulders and pushing with your leg – but you need a good amount of rotation to properly use those muscles.”

Duguay reminisced, at the start of the interview, of her earliest competitive forays in the sport, times when she would find her seat near the rear of the boat – not at all a prime position, though she acknowledged that strategies might differ from team to team.

“There’s a couple of schools of thought,” said Duguay of the concept of talent distribution across the boat. “There is a balancing of the boat with weight distribution, with the boat needing to be balanced left and right as well as front and back.”

“And the middle is often the taller, muscular guys. There’s just more room for your feet and legs and you need to have a good leg drive to paddle well. If you had a 6’6” guy in seat one, he would be eating his knees,” she said with a laugh.

“Theoretically, if all paddlers are experienced and have good technique, you likely would have a good distribution of talented paddlers at front and back. The two front seats are people who usually keep good rhythm because everyone is looking at you.”

For as much as Laurel Duguay was not new to dragon boating, the truth is that the pandemic combined with a year of overseas studies had kept her away from the passion until this most recent school year.

“I knew that Carleton had a dragon boat team so I reached out to them,” she explained. “After three or four practices, my mental checklist was coming back; I was remembering all of these drills that we used to do.”

“I would definitely say that it’s a little like riding a bike.”

Besides, it wasn’t as though she returned after spending three full years on a sofa. This past May, Duguay completed her very first half-marathon. Heck, she’s even been known to hoist the odd barbell or two.

“I’ve been doing some gym sessions – but I’ve never really been a gym person,” she smiled. “I like doing sports, but I don’t like lifting weights.”

Truth is there is not much of a minor sport feeder system when it comes to dragon boating.

“Our team is made up of very athletic people,” noted Duguay. “One fellow is training for an Ironman; we have a girl who was on the varsity basketball team and has done a half-marathon in 90 minutes.”

“Everyone is quite fit,” she added. “They usually come from fitness backgrounds.”

And if everyone is synched properly in Italy, good things will happen for Laurel Duguay and her team of young adults.