Dragon Boat Teams Get Realistic Training At New Indoor Facility

BRYN MAWR, Pa. (CBS) -- It's the off-season for dragonboating teams. But in Montgomery County, they're paddling away today -- indoors.

They call it "the only indoor dragonboat paddle pool in the US."   It opened today at Main Line Health and Fitness, in Bryn Mawr.

Rowers sit single-file and paddle in narrow pools of water. It's a way for dragon boat teams to train year-round -- something pool manager Mary Hackett says is attracting attention from teams across North America.

"We've already had inquiries from teams from Canada, Baltimore, DC, and New York City," she told KYW Newsradio on Monday.  "So we're really hoping that this becomes a destination for all of the teams, not only just in the northeast but across the country, so that everybody has an opportunity to use it."

Hackett says that without river currents, the water circulation is manmade, making indoor rowing a different way to train.

Teams can rent the pool at $100 an hour.

Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060.