But, sometimes, challenging conditions require unconventional solutions.
For the past couple of months, the Ōtepoti Dragons have been in serious training for their September debut at the World Dragon Boat Club Crew Championships, in Italy.
The team trained as much aspossible on Otago Harbour and often in the dark — rain, hail or shine.
But when the wind gets up, it becomes too dangerous to train in the dragon boat.
So coach Ray Cooper has dispatched his "secret weapon" — some innovative training techniques during Dunedin’s coldest months — to prepare for the event.
Mr Cooper used his Kiwi ingenuity to invent a specially designed indoor training tank, where the women sit on benches that match the height of their dragon boat’s gunwale.
It meant they could sit outside the tank and paddle the water as if they were in a dragon boat.
The indoor setup allowed the Ōtepoti Dragons to maintain consistent training sessions, regardless of the weather conditions outside, ensuring they remained competitive and in top form, he said.
The team qualified for the world championships after finishing second at the 2023 New Zealand Dragon Boat Festival.
"Competing in the world championships is a dream come true for us and a chance to pit our skills against over 300 international teams, all vying for top honours.
"Our team of 12 wahine have shown incredible commitment and perseverance, despite the cold and often unforgiving weather.
"With the recent addition of our new secret weapon training technique, we’re hoping to do Dunedin proud on the global stage."
Team member and Paddle Ōtepoti Inc club president Madi Gyde said the indoor tank was "a game-changer" for the team.
"It’s a kind of a case of ‘needs must’.
"We need to be physically paddling in water, but we can’t always get out on Dunedin harbour at this time of year.
"This allows us to continue honing our skills and team work, even when the weather doesn’t co-operate.
"We’re feeling very well prepared. We’re training six days a week, so we’re starting to see the gains of our strength and conditioning work."
She said one of the bonuses of being the southernmost team at the world championship was they would be able to row even faster without their heavy puffer jackets, hats, scarves and gloves.
"We’re excited about that Mediterranean sun and just wearing race T-shirts.
"That will knock a couple of seconds off our times — at least."
