Julian King Lai
Social & Recruitment Director
Tell us about yourself!
I was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan and spent a couple of years in Hong Kong when I was 4-5 years old. We moved back to Canada and settled in Mississauga for the next 12 years until I moved downtown to see all of your lovely faces every day!
I started at U of T as an EngSci 1T7 but switched to Mechanical after a year for a more ‘hands on’ learning experience (also because EngSci is a living hell, heh). Mech has been a blast so far, and now I’m pursuing a career in the aerospace or automotive industry after graduation.
What do you like to do outside of ID?
Outside of dragon boat, I’m pretty serious about rollerblading, and love to bike, snowboard, sprint, and curl (that fun icy game with granite stones). I do as much as I can to stay active!
What made you want to be an Iron Dragons manager?
During my first year on Iron Dragons in 2014-2015, I absolutely fell in love with the team and always found myself making plans to spend time together. I figured that being on management would provide me with the resources I needed to improve the ID experience for everybody, and after half a year, I really hope everyone’s having a blast! Paddling is some serious business, so it’s important to make some friends to have fun while you work hard!
What is your biggest drive to paddle?
I simply love the technical aspect of the sport and the constant opportunity for improvement. I think that the Iron Dragons are especially focused on technique, and the result is beautiful, controlled power. There’s no better feeling than being in sync with 21 other people in a dragon boat.
What are you looking forward to most this season?
“Winning Nationals” is a little cliché, so I think I’m the most excited to go to participate in the Montreal Challenge with Jeffstart!!!
What’s your favourite ID memory?
My favourite memory is one of our super chill practices at Sunnyside where we jumped out of the boat and swam around for a bit!