On the smooth training waters of Bedford Channel, 70 (and older) is the new 50.

The Fraser River in Fort 91原创 is where a group of women in the 70-plus age group have found their place on rows of seats on a Dragonboat.

After , Ruth Bedell was inundated with potential participants.

鈥淚 (had) 60 phone calls, and ended up with 40 paddlers鈥� Bedell said.

As a result the paddlers were split into competitive and recreational teams.

D-fyance (competitive) paddles Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., and the Dragon Dolz (recreational) paddle Fridays at 5:30 p.m.

Bedell鈥檚 long-term goal was to fill as many Dragonboat seats as possible with female paddlers aged 70 and older.

The challenge, said Bedell, is that 鈥渋t鈥檚 hard to find 70-year-old women who want to Dragonboat.鈥�

Suffice to say, she has more than achieved this goal.

Bedell said 鈥楧-Fyance鈥� is the only competitive Dragonboat crew made up of paddlers in the 70-plus age group in Canada 鈥� and possibly the world.

The oldest member is 81-year-old Thelma Bell who describes Dragonboating as 鈥渇antastic.鈥�

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could do it but it was so exhilarating being out on the water I had to go again,鈥� Bell said.

Since April, the team representing the Fort 91原创 Canoe Club has been training twice a week on Bedford Channel.

The hours on the boat have paid off for the D-Fyance team, which won a bronze medal in their division at the Steveston Dragonboat Festival on Aug. 26.

In a razor-close race against younger teams, D-Fyance edged out the fourth-place squad by a fraction of a second, and at the same time were a hair鈥檚 breadth away from taking silver.

Of the 22 D-Fyance team members, only eight had previous paddling experience.

D-Fyance member Barbara Maestri said the race before was 鈥渁 gong show鈥� but in the medal contest, her team got off to a great start.

鈥淲e settled down for the last race and we all got into the rhythm and we were all in time from beginning to the end,鈥� she said.

Novice paddler Linda Harrison said, competitive races aside, being out on the water with her friends is a rewarding experience.

鈥淚鈥檝e never done anything like this before in my life and I will never give it up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is fantastic, it really is. It鈥檚 a great, great sport for any age and any ability level.鈥�

D-Fyance鈥檚 goal is to compete in the Club Crew Pan American games in March of 2019 in Trinidad.

鈥淲e are still looking for women 68 and older,鈥� Bedell said.

Anyone interested can call Bedell at 604 888-4591.