Coaching Staff

With over 10 years of paddling experience and multiple stints on the Canadian National Premier Mixed and Open team, Ben’s experienced paddling makes him an invaluable asset to NDRC. As one of the founding members of the club, as well as a New College New Dragons alumni, Ben’s impact on the dragon boat racing community in Toronto is matched by few and his passion for the sport helps lead new generations of paddlers to strive for excellence.

Omar’s paddling career started in 2018 at the University of Waterloo, where he quickly developed a love for the sport. He joined NDRC as a paddler in 2020. He has paddled on the Canadian national team at the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in 2019 at the U24 level and in 2023 at the premier level, as well as for the 2024 IDBF World Cup team. He started coaching in 2019 with the Waterloo Paddling Club community team and became the assistant coach of the NDUC 24U program in 2023. He joined the NDRC coaching team in 2024 and will also be an assistant coach for the 2025 Canadian 24U National team.

Ulana started paddling in 2016 with the Toronto Metropolitan University team and became a coach for their team in 2019. She joined NDRC in 2020 to paddle at the premier level. She has paddled for the Canadian national team in both 24U (2019) and premier (2023). She joined the NDRC coaching team in 2024.

Ulana believes that your performance as a paddler is a culmination of hours spent on perfecting your craft. She personally like the quote “we are what we repeatedly do therefore excellence is not an accident but a habit”.