Quirky clubs: Henderson home to unique meetups for boaters, boot campers and Jedi Scouts

With many meetup groups gathering across the valley, View Neighborhood Newspapers explores some of the unique ones in Henderson. For more groups valleywide, visit viewnews.com.

DRAGONS IN THE DESERT

The valley may be a desert, but it doesn’t stop dragons from flocking to the water.

The Las Vegas Dragon Boat Club hosts team and open-paddle meetups monthly at Lake Las Vegas, according to organizer Terry Maurer.

“Dragon boating is really good exercise and really fun,” Maurer said. “It’s one of those sports that is open to anyone who is willing to try.”

Created by St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, the group started in 2009 after the first Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Race & Festival.

The event serves as an annual fundraiser for the hospitals’ breast cancer services, such as mammograms, ultrasounds and treatment, according to Stacey Gross, hospital health educator.

“The group really allows us to expose community members to dragon boating,” Gross said. “Our goal is to recruit them to be part of or start their own team for the Rose Regatta.”

The group has about 600 members and accepts newcomers. There is a $10 fee per person each boat ride, and children 12 or younger must be accompanied by an adult.

“Each time we take a boat out, we provide a coach and steerer,” Maurer said. “We can accommodate 20 paddlers on each boat, so if you can get to the dock, you can get on a boat.”

For more information, visit roseregatta.org.

NO BURN, NO EARN

Five children roll tires across the grassy field of Mission Hills Park as Henderson resident Nicole Sharp delivers a pep talk.

“We want these exercises to burn, not hurt,” Sharp said to the group. “We’re not looking for pain, we’re looking for gain.”

Sharp organizes the Mission Hills Free Boot Camp that meets from 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the 551 Mission Hills Drive park.

“It’s for all ages, and it’s family-friendly, so parents can bring their children,” Sharp said. “Our group of kids is growing just as fast as our adults these days.”

The exercises vary from yoga to mixed martial arts and can be taught by anyone confident to lead the group.

To stay true to its name, Sharp tries to make fitness affordable by keeping the meetups free and using common household items as equipment.

“For example, more formal boot camps might use sandbags whereas we will use bags of rice,” Sharp said. “We don’t want anyone to feel they can’t get up and get moving just because of the cost.”

Sharp said she joined the group during her fitness transformation and eventually took it over last summer.

“When I joined the boot camp, I realized it was a totally fun grass-roots program, and everyone was there to support each other,” she said. “My goal is to continue to expose people to different types and levels of fitness. I want to help the community become more fit, socially and physically.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/ximofitchix.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

As the Star Wars trilogies go, the Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

Enter Jedi Scouts.

The group hosts biweekly meetings and monthly outings for children of all ages, according to organizer Glen Toussaint.

“We sometimes meet in the park where we make crafts, do Jedi workouts and have light-saber duels,” Toussaint said. “For our bigger outings, we’ve gone to the planetarium in town, watched rockets launch in Jean and built our own rockets to launch.”

Created in December, the Star Wars-themed group attempts to weave the selfless morals of a Jedi with hands-on science activities.

“We can’t get too specific with the philosophy because we have a lot of younger kids,” Toussaint said, “but we tie it in with our activities and open each meeting by reciting the Jedi code.”

Similar to Boy Scouts of America, Toussaint plans to create a patch system for the children to earn. He also hopes to have a Jedi robe made for each scout by fall.

“We have children from about 4 to 12 years old,” Toussaint said. “We have about 25 members, including the kids and their parents, and the adults seem to be into it as much as the kids.”

For more information, visit jediscouts.com.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.