Welcome to Paradragons USA
What Is Paradragon?
The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) uses the term “Paradragons” to describe paddlers who have a physical, psychological, neurological, sensory, developmental, or intellectual impairment, as well as the class of dragon boat racing in which these paddlers participate.
Paradragons USA (PDUSA) is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to growing inclusive dragon boat racing across the country. We welcome para-athletes of every skill level—from complete beginners holding a paddle for the first time to experienced paddlers competing internationally—along with support paddlers, drummers, steerspersons, coaches, and volunteers. Through outreach, education, training camps, practical resources, and competitive opportunities, we encourage more people with a wide range of ability levels to discover the sport, develop their skills and confidence, and become part of a supportive paddling community. By recruiting new athletes and supporting teams, PDUSA is working to strengthen and expand the paradragon division nationwide. PDUSA is an independent organization and is not associated with the United States Dragon Boat Federation (USDBF) or Team USA.
The Mission of PDUSA is to promote inclusive dragon boat racing by empowering para-athletes and engaging the wider paddling community through education, training, competition, and community support.
Our History
The 2023 IDBF World Championships in Thailand was the first year that Paradragon was included as a division. There was an incredible amount of interest and participation as the coaching team hit the waters across the country to train and select the first Team USA Paradragons crew. A cadre of 50 paras, support paddlers and staff participated in racing against Para teams from other countries, and proved themselves worthy of international competition after only a short 5 months to prepare and train.
Seeing a need to provide more racing opportunities specific to paradragon crews, GRIT Paradragons Racing Team (formerly, "The Collective") was created as a racing team open to any para and support paddlers. They have raced throughout the US, Puerto Rico and with special permission the CanAm Championship and Club Crew National Championship.
GRIT Paradragons Racing Team continues to grow in paddler numbers and race opportunities, while PDUSA provides camps prior to events.
PDUSA Leadership
Lonnie Homenuk
PDUSA Executive Director
Lonnie has been a driving force in the growth of para-dragon boating in the United States. As a co-founder of PDUSA and 2023 Team USA Paradragon Head Coach, he is dedicated to expanding opportunities for adaptive athletes through coaching, education, racing, and leadership development. He has organized para training camps across North America, helped establish competitive para racing programs, and mentors coaches and teams nationwide. His mission is to ensure every para paddler can train, compete, and thrive in the sport.
Marynka Rojas Gorgen
PDUSA Director | Team Operations
Marynka is a long-time dragon boat coach, competitive paddler, and race official at the local through international level. She is Head Coach for her local team, DieselFish, and a former board member of the Pacific Dragon Boat Association and US Dragon Boat Federation. She was Team Manager for Team USA Paradragons at the 2023 IDBF World Championships in Thailand and in Germany in 2025. As a co-founder of PDUSA and Director of Operations she travels the country leading coaching clinics and training camps and also coaches GRIT Paradragon Racing Team.
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Anne Becker
PDUSA Director | Training & Development
Anne is an international dragon boat coach, and a certified personal trainer based in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. She has coached the Out of Sight Dragons since 2020 and served Team USA Paradragon as an assistant coach and paddler in 2023. In 2025, she supported the team before and during the World Championships in her native Germany. Anne is also Head Coach of Invictus in Tampa. Guided by her belief that "a happy boat is a fast boat" she is passionate about helping paddlers of every skill level to develp confidence and competitive potential.
Mary Tran
PDUSA Director | Coach & Advisor
Mary is Head Coach of the ReBelles and Co-Coach of South Breeze in Long Beach, California, working with athletes across Junior, Premier, Senior, Para, and BCP divisions. She served as an Assistant Coach for Team USA’s Para division during the 2023 Thailand cycle and as Team Manager for the Team USA U24 program during the 2025 Germany cycle. Mary brings extensive experience in athlete development, high-performance coaching, and building inclusive programs that help athletes develop competitive skills and long-term success.
Heidi Stone
PDUSA Director | Comms & Design
Heidi has trained and raced SUP, outrigger canoe, mileage challenges and dragon boat with over 30,000 total miles paddled to date. She volunteers and advocates for adaptive wheelchair paddle boarding, surfing, outrigger canoe and dragon boat for many Para organizations. She was selected for Team USA for Senior B World Championships 2021 and 2023, and was an assistant coach and ASL interpreter for the first National Paradragons team for 2023 Worlds in Thailand. As a retired graphic designer, she creates videos, marketing, website design and team jerseys.
PDUSA Para Ambassadors
Rick Muller
Rick is an amputee athlete and member of Lake Acworth Dragons in Georgia. He races with Paradragons USA’s Collective and GRIT teams, serving as captain at CCNC 2025. Rick represented Team USA’s Paradragon Division in Thailand in 2023 and Germany in 2025, where he served as captain. A certified Level 1 coach, he has also guest-paddled with Jersey Thunder, Warring Redi Dragons, and several other regional teams.
Sara Vogler
With four years on the water, Sara brings dedicated leadership and athletic precision to the dragon boat community, with a strong focus on Paradragon racing and adaptive training. She regularly serves as the warm-up lead for team practices with both Out of Sight Dragons and the DC Dragon Boat Club, preparing crews for high-performance competition. Her leadership on the national and international stage includes serving as warm-up co-lead at the CCNC in Sarasota, Florida, and stepping up as race-day captain at the CanAm Championships in Montreal, Canada.
