Shaking Off the Winter Chill: Dust Off The Rust 2026!

There’s nothing quite like the first major session of the year to remind you why we love this sport.

Saturday April 25th saw Sync Or Swim heading out to Comox Lake for the Dust Off The Rust training event hosted by Vancouver Island Paddling (VIP).

This wasn't just a standard practice; it was a gathering of the island’s paddling community grouped into six teams with paddlers from all over the island.
It was the perfect opportunity to finally put names to faces we usually only see across the water on race days.

A Busy Morning on Comox Lake

The morning was a whirlwind of activity. We took turns heading out on the 20-person boats for training and filming, while the other teams raced the smaller boats and tackled land activities before we all swapped over.
On the beach we tested our focus by balancing paddles vertically on our palms - blade up - to see who could keep them upright the longest (And yep, it was harder than it looked!).
Next, we put our rhythm to the test, clapping out famous songs for the judges to identify. They nailed it first time with a few, but other tunes were definitely "lost in translation."
Finally, we flexed our mental muscles with a deep-dive trivia quiz on all things dragon boat to make sure we exercised our brains as well as our bodies!

Time Trials and Technical Gains

By late morning, the intensity shifted as all six teams took turns in the 20-person boats for the time trial sprints.
All that activity throughout the morning had racked up points for each team, and although the competition was stiff, the atmosphere was incredibly supportive, and fun! New teams were formed and friendships were forged.
And in the end, the winners walked away with the ultimate prizes….donuts and bragging rights!

All the participants of Dust Off The Rust 2026.

It’s Feedback Time!

With the spray settled, the winners crowned and the donuts distributed, we all headed over to the Native Sons Hall to dry off, grab a bite to eat, and sit down together for an afternoon of video analysis.
Watching the footage on the big screen while the VIP coaches broke down our timing and technique was eye-opening and incredibly insightful, and we learned just as much from watching everyone else's feedback as we did from our own.

…..It’s one thing to feel the boat moving; it’s another thing entirely to see exactly where those extra fractions of a second are hiding!

A huge thank you goes out to Vancouver Island Paddling for such an organized and high-energy day.
We’re heading into the race season feeling sharper, more connected to the community, and ready for a great summer!

SOS represent!