A Celebration of Spirit, Strength, and Solidarity
Submitted by IBCPC Representative for Germany, Svenja Franke-Bruhn.
Vogalonga: a long-standing favourite among European paddling events! For the 49th time, it drew teams, rowers, and paddlers from across Europe—and even from distant corners of the world, such as Australia.
As the IBCPC Representative for Germany, I was thrilled to support my second home team, the TVK Pink Dragons from Essen, during their preparations, but due to personal reasons, I had to withdraw shortly before the event. I’m incredibly proud of the team and delighted they had such a fulfilling experience. Their first Vogalonga turned out to be a triumph in many ways.
Below, you’ll find a heartfelt report from the team’s coach, Anja Holzapfel:
Vogalonga 2025 – Reflections from Venice
After 1.5 years of planning, the TVK Pink Dragons—39 women and one male supporter—embarked on their adventure to Venice.
At first, we were unsure whether we’d even fill one boat. In the end, 27 paddlers from our own team signed up, which meant we needed to crew a second boat. Thankfully, strong connections with fellow paddlers in Hamburg, Lünen, and Bochum quickly helped us build a full crew.
Additional participants from our sister club team, TVK Essen Kupferdreh, rounded out the group to 40 enthusiastic paddlers. Two determined members personally transported both dragon boats across half of Europe from Essen to Venice—a logistical feat that exemplified our collective spirit.
Even those unable to paddle due to health reasons found a way to participate: two pink paddlers cheered us on from the shore, making it a truly inclusive and uplifting experience.
Our time in Venice was unforgettable. We completed the Vogalonga in 5 hours and 50 minutes, paddling as one cohesive force and returning home with even deeper bonds. It was a deeply emotional event—one that will continue to inspire and fuel our team spirit for many seasons to come.
