Paddles Up!. Arlene Chan

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СКАЧАТЬ first world championships were held at Yueyang in 1995. Canada also lays claim to having won the Nations Cup for the best Premier Division crew, three times in a row — a feat as yet unmatched by any other nation.

      Some 30 years after the first HKIR in 1976, dragon boating has truly become a modern sport for all. The sport has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has set inclusion in the Olympic Games as its ultimate aim.

      A step in the right direction was the inclusion of dragon boat racing in the 2008 Asian Beach Games, and another will be its inaugural participation in the 2010 Asian Games. Meanwhile, by way of a little knock on the IOC’s door, 2008 saw the Olympic Flame being carried by dragon boat during both the Hong Kong and Macau legs of the Beijing Olympic Torch relay.

      In ending this introduction to the whys and wherefores of dragon boating, may I summarize the whole activity by saying that dragon boat racing is a sport for every level. You can compete with your crew at the highest level of competition, the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships. You can also compete with your club crew, your colleagues and friends from work, or your local community, and, at each level, enjoy a challenging day of racing.

      Dragon boating is technically simple to do and inexpensive to take part in as a healthy activity that can be practised by all ages and ability groups. It is a character-building team sport and, above all, it is GREAT FUN.

      See you on the water!

      Mike Haslam

       Executive President

       International Dragon Boat Federation

Introduction

      Arlene Chan

       and

       Susan Humphries

      We have been fortunate to have paddled and worked with exceptionally dedicated and talented people, not only paddlers and coaches, but also medical and nutritional supporters who all share the same desire to see paddlers realize their full potential and achieve outstanding performances locally, nationally, and on the world stage. They have challenged us.

      Whether you are a coach, club member, elite crew hopeful, or simply enjoy a recreational paddle, we hope to challenge you too. Our objectives in assembling this book are to move you closer to the level of paddling to which you aspire and to increase your enjoyment of the sport. You will find many important topics that will expand your knowledge of dragon boating and propel you and your team more efficiently to the finish line.

      We have gathered top experts from across the country to explain the world of dragon boating and provide paddling concepts and principles. Mike Haslam was the first to give his enthusiastic support for this book and we give him our deepest thanks. Albert McDonald, national level coach, and elite sprint canoer and paddler, signed on with Suzanne McKenzie, a member of Dragon Beasts and the Canadian Premier Women’s Crew, to present the technical elements of the dragon boat stroke. Albert is also the “Voice of the Beast” in chapter 7 that features three postings from Beast Blog. Jim Farintosh’s stellar reputation as coach of the Canadian National Crew and Mayfair Predators made him a top choice for penning the chapter on “The Making of an A-Team.” Bringing her extensive experience as an Olympian kayaker and dragon boat coach for national teams and the False Creek Racing Canoe Club, Kamini Jain graciously accepted the chapter on coaching. Dr. David Levy, founder of the sports medicine program at McMaster University in Hamilton, contributed the piece on preventing injuries most commonly seen in the sport. As the Strength and Conditioning Director, Athletic Training Professionals, Jamie Hollins — kinesiologist, flatwater paddler, dragon boater, and coach — was a natural choice to cover the topic of dry land training. Eleanor Nielsen brings to life the pioneering work of Dr. Don McKenzie who introduced dragon boating to breast cancer survivors as a therapy that has been embraced by hundreds of teams around the world. Kathy Levy shows how one survivor team has developed into a competitive crew of dedicated paddlers. Pam Collett, with years of experience as a professional coach and national judging official, tackles the topic of nutrition with relish. Mike Kerkmann, who was instrumental in the development of Dragon Boat Canada, is a pioneering service provider, his company, GWN, being the largest in North America. Matt Robert, a former national crew paddler and coach of numerous winning crews, shares his expertise in steering and drumming. Andrew Fox, who is a coach and paddler who has won medals internationally with national crews and the Mayfair Predators, tackles the topic of teams and teamwork. Gerry Kavanagh, as founder of Apex Paddles, represents the new generation of dragon boaters whose entrepreneurial and innovative endeavours have contributed to the sport. And who better than Matt Smith, president of Dragon Boat Canada, could have provided the closing chapter, which tells the story of Canada and its development and prominence on the international scene.

      Many thanks are extended to the photographers who graciously granted permission to include their works. Their stunning photographs capture the excitement of our sport and bring words to life with their close-ups of the paddling action from across the country. Thank you to William Ng, Gabe Toth, Laurie Wierzbicki, Fay Wu, Edward Lumb, Albert McDonald, Barry Wojciechowski, VFK, Heather Maclaren, John Valentini, Terry Hewitson, Brent Lessard, Chris Edwards, Normand Beaulieu, Ben Lee, Derek Griffiths, Steven Ercolani, and, particularly, Jan Oakley and Jens Ronneberger. Our gratitude to Kim Ercolani and Suzanne McKenzie for being the fitness and paddling models.

      The testimonials that we received were over–whelmingly heartfelt and merit a book of their own.

      We could only include a few and thank everyone who took the time to send us their thoughts on what the sport means to them.

      The pinyin Romanization system, the standard to spell the sounds of Mandarin Chinese, is used throughout this book.

      Finally, as paddlers, we remember our first time in a dragon boat, our first coach, our first team, our first race. We all started as beginners. The dragon boat community has given so much to us. We thank all the paddlers, coaches, sponsors, friends, and family to whom we owe so much for the love of dragon boating.

      This book is dedicated to our friends and family who have supported our maniacal passion for dragon boating. Richard and Leo, our spouses, deserve our special thanks for their encouragement and understanding … being awakened before sunrise as we fumbled for our paddling gear in the dark to take to the 6:00 a.m. morning practices; putting up with stinky paddling clothes and shoes; spending weeks and weekends alone while we crossed town, province, country, continent, and oceans for race regattas and training camps. We have tested the limits of their tolerance and patience without fail.

      Paddles Up!

       1

The Beginnings

      Arlene Chan

      Daredevil manoeuvres. Capsized boats. Fierce rivalry. Fighting spectators. So frequent were these incidents that dragon boat races were outlawed in China at the beginning of the twentieth century.¹ The ban was lifted and dragon boating is flourishing as one of the СКАЧАТЬ