Dragons Paddling in the Willamette River
The 2010 Portland Dragon Boat Race started today at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. The last day is tomorrow Sunday, September 12, so you still have time to watch the finals and enjoy the festivities. There are food, clothing and other vendors available, including the VooDoo Doughnut truck. The day started out a little cool, and thanks to the fantastic girl (didn’t get her name) operating the VooDoo Doughnut truck, we had plenty of coffee to keep us warm. By noon, the sun was out, and it was a perfect day for watching the races.
The standard crew of a contemporary dragon boat is around 22, including 20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers, and 1 sweep or helmsman at the rear of the boat. Dragon boats vary in length and crew size will vary accordingly, from small dragon boats with 10 paddlers, up to the larger traditional boats which have upwards of 50 paddlers, plus drummer and sweep.
The pulsation of the drum beats produced by the drummer may be considered the “heartbeat” of the dragon boat. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout a race using the rhythmic drum beat to indicate the frequency and synchronicity of all the paddlers’ strokes (that is, the cadence, picking up or accelerating the pace, slowing the rate, etc.) The drummer may issue commands to the crew through a combination of hand signals and voice calls, to encourage the crew to perform at their peak. Good drummers should be able to synchronize the drumming cadence with the strokes of the leading pair of paddlers.
The leading pair of paddlers, called “pacers,” “strokes” or “timers,” set the pace for the team. It is critical that all paddlers are synchronized. Each paddler should synchronize with the stroke or pacer on the opposite side of the boat, that is, if you paddle starboard side (right) you would take your timing from the port side (left) stroke.
A dragon boat, similar to a canoe, is a paddle-craft rather than a rowing-craft, and crew members paddle rather than “row”. Dragon boat paddlers sit, crouch or stand facing forward in the direction of travel, i.e. facing the prow (front) of the boat. The paddles are not connected or attached mechanically to the hull of the boat.
Modern dragon boat racing is organized at an international level by the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). The IDBF, a Member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) recognizes two types of Dragon Boat Racing activities, Sport Racing, as practiced by IDBF member organizations; and Festival Racing, which are the more traditional and informal types of races, organized around the world, where racing rules vary from event to event.
Sport racing distances are normally over 200 m or 250 m, 500 m, 1000 m and 2000 m, with formal Rules of Racing. A festival race is typically a sprint event of several hundred meters, with 500 meters being a standard distance in many international festival races.
Dragon boat racing is among the fastest growing team water sport, with thousands of participants in various organizations and clubs in over 60 countries – 62 of which are IDBF members (as of 8 Jan 2009). The sport is recognized for the camaraderie, strength and endurance fostered amongst participants, and it has also become a very popular corporate and charitable sport.
This race was presented by DragonSports USA, a Portland non-profit organization with over 3000 members that paddle throughout the year and who race locally, nationally and, represent the USA, internationally. This is the fifth year the race is at the downtown waterfront location. The event is free and open to all spectators.
If you are interested in joining, learning more, or connecting with a team, email DragonSports USA at dsusainfo@gmail.com, call the DragonSports Information Line at (971) 222-6604, or visit the website. You can also connect with DragonSportsUSA on Facebook.
Additional Info:
Dragon Sports USA Boat Safety Rules
Laura Canida 971.678.3972
I went to this last year, it was alot of fun. Thanks for sharing.