We’ve trained all season, we’ve worked hard, we’ve won (and sometimes lost) medals. Everyone sees the work that happens on the water or in the gym. We get rewarded for that work with the medals we earn at races. But what about all the other things that help make a good team the smooth, well-oiled machine that it is? It’s important to recognize those who make a positive difference in our sport! Tweet it! For many of us in the northern hemisphere our season has come to a close or is
Whether you are a “mouth breather,” a “heavy breather,” or a “silent breather,” the truth of the matter is: EVERYONE HAS TO BREATHE! But the question often is, “When do I breathe while I’m paddling?” Newer paddlers are often so focused on all the other complicated components of paddling that they completely neglect the importance of breathing. Yes, timing is crucial on a dragon boat, but so is oxygen intake! Breathing is the body’s way of bringing oxygen to the cells. You aren’t much use to anyone on the boat if you
We’ve all got teammates who aren’t even close to being on our list of “cool people we want to hang out with.” Some drive us crazy, some we can’t stand, and some we just wish would quit the team. What do you do about these teammates? I’m sure you are wishing that I would say to kick them out of the club, right? Sorry. You aren’t going to hear that. A team, like a family, involves all kinds of members with various personalities. And as much as these people might drive
If your team has recently become competitive, you are likely still working to grow and expand. On a relatively small team the pool of paddlers is not very deep and therefore can make it difficult to properly fill a race boat. Smaller teams are often faced with a dilemma. Should they use the top 20-22 paddlers available from the team, no matter what their ability? Or should they set the bar to ensure that paddlers on the race boat will have a certain amount of paddling proficiency? Which is best for your team?
Now that your team has made the decision to become more competitive, it is important to begin some type of testing in order to track the progress of paddlers and to determine the stronger paddlers who are able to compete at this new level. The former method of allowing all paddlers to participate on the race boat regardless of experience or ability will no longer work. You cannot place inexperienced or lower-level paddlers on a competitive race boat and expect to compete with the big dogs. So, how do you determine who is ready?
The decision to transition a team from a recreational, social one to a more competitive team is often a difficult one which might be met with some resistance. Paddlers who are accustomed to showing up to an occasional practice and yet still racing with the team will perhaps struggle with the idea of being asked participate in fitness testing and to commit to a more rigorous training schedule. However, paddlers who are eager to take it up a notch will be happily challenged by the new rigors. So, how does a team go about
Have you ever wondered what role attitude plays on a dragon boat? How a paddler’s attitude can contribute to or impede the success of a team? When the team is in a stressful situation, such as heading into the final heat of a race, paddlers need to have their wits about them. One bad attitude can seriously disrupt that focus. A paddler could be the most amazing athlete in the entire world, yet with a bad attitude, he or she becomes one of the most toxic parts of the team. Tweet it! Attitude is
The World Championships are off to a great start with two days of racing already behind us. The Canadians are wonderfully gracious hosts for this event in Welland, Ontario, and other than a little rain and high winds on Thursday, everything has been fabulous! For updates on the races, take a look at the livestream available on the International Dragon Boat Federation’s website. You can watch the excitement of the races, see results, and watch medal ceremonies. Wednesday = 2k Thursday = 1000 meter Friday = 500 meter mixed division Saturday =
I’ve been asked many times, “What is the best stroke?” This is an excellent question with a simple, easy answer. The best stroke is your team’s stroke. What? Each team hopefully has its own variation of a strong dragon boat stroke: it has a solid catch up front, a strong press, a quick exit, and a relaxed recovery. The variations exist in the details of the technique: things like the entry (side entry, top entry, or a hybrid), the length of the stroke, the pace of the stroke, and the method
Paddlechica apparel is now for sale online. Check out the great designs available: To order, go to: http://teespring.com/paddlechica The default shirt is the tank, to order a different item, find “Available Styles” on the right side. You can choose from tees, tanks, or a hoodie with a front logo. To order the hoodie with the small logo on front and large logo on back (pictured below), go to: http://teespring.com/paddlechica-hoodies Enjoy!
