Watching the high level of competition at the Olympics last month started me thinking about how the athletes prepare for their respective events. Not physically, but mentally. The competitors have an amazing ability to focus amidst all the chaos of the crowd and other distractions. What do their coaches tell them right before they go out to the starting block, the ring, the court, on the water, or wherever they will compete? What do they hold in their minds as they go into battle? At our races, Chris L., one of the more experienced
I’m sure you’ve heard it before. It is actually discussed quite often: one team claims that another team “stole” their paddlers. A teammate of mine recently pointed out how laughable this is. Did the other team sneak in at night wearing all black, toss your paddler in a giant sack and run off with him or her? Of course when talking about such “stealing,” people are referring to the active recruitment of paddlers from other teams. Sure, it’s an ethical issue, but the truth of the matter is that each paddler is capable of making his
All too often teams are formed based on a love of paddling, aspirations to improve overall fitness, and a desire to be out on the water. There is a lot of heart, but not necessarily a lot of thought put into the global structure of the team. Having twenty people willing to come to practice is not enough in the long run. As your team begins to grow, it is important to define the type of team you would like your club to be and to set out ground rules for the members.
Ringers. A delicate topic full of opinions and emotion. There are at least as many points of view on this issue as there are dragon boat teams. A “ringer” is defined as a highly proficient person brought in to supplement a team or group. Some teams use them, other teams are staunchly opposed. Whether your team uses so-called “ringers” or not, it is important to understand the rationale for using them. In a talk given by Canadian National Team coach Albert McDonald at Jim Farintosh’s Bow Wave camp in April, Albert explained how teams
We all want to be better at paddling. We spend hours training both on and off the water. We push to become better and develop our individual selves. However, dragon boating is a team sport that requires the collective efforts of the club. So, what habits can you incorporate into your discipline that will not only help you, but also help your team? Here are 10 principles to adhere to in order to be a better teammate. 1) Listen to your coach. Listen to the coach’s feedback. Not just when it’s directed
Being part of a dragon boat team is so much more than simply showing up to practices and races, yet far too many paddlers don’t recognize the various facets involved in improving the team and being a good teammate. Chris Edwards, a Canadian National Team coach, gave a talk about the three pillars of a successful teammate which he credits to an NCAA hockey coach. Here are the three pillars that each teammate needs to exemplify: Builder Each member of the team must be willing to help build the team. Your club might be well-established, but if you do not work
Face it, being an active part of a dragon boat team requires a certain amount of commitment. Practices, gym time, races, committees, recruiting, fund raising. All of these things take time out of our regular lives. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love the sport so much. But at what point did you take vows to love, honor and cherish your team? We might not remember exactly when we got married to our team, but for the love of the sport most of us have said “I do” at one point or
As many of us know, dragon boat paddling is an amazing sport. If you have been lucky enough to see a Breast Cancer Survivors’ team, you know how impressive the paddlers are. In 2014, I had the opportunity to volunteer for four days at the IBCPC International Breast Cancer Festival in Sarasota, Florida. I met teams from all over the world as I worked on the docks helping load and unload the boats. I even got to steer a practice for an Italian team. The next IBCPC international event will be
As it is Thanksgiving in the United States, I can’t help but think about all the reasons I’m thankful for dragon boating. Like most people, when I first picked up a paddle years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never paddled anything more than a kayak, bodyboard or surfboard. I had never even heard of dragon boating before! I thought to myself, “People do this for FUN?!?” I still tell newbies the story of how on my first day of practice we paddled
A new dragon boat paddler doesn’t get many weeks in a boat until they’re asked, “But, have you ever tried outrigger?” An astute new paddler will note that dragon boating is but one fast, sprinty, splashy, corner of a very large and comprehensive paddling universe. Becoming a part of the broader universe of single-bladed paddling should be a goal of any dedicated dragon boat paddler. For many people, dragon boating is like a “gateway drug” to the paddling universe. Tweet it! A new paddler is likely to wonder, “What do I gain
