Dragon Boat
 

hey peeps,

I'm new to the sport and i'm very interested in trying it, so does anyone know of any dragon boat teams that are recruiting at this time or have an empty spot?

thanks.

junior or adult?

junior...if you're form Vantech/Hamber/Churchill + Gladstone/Kits...i think they all have teams this year?

here's my past club. synergy. 13-18 yo's (highschool kids) can join.

http://www.synergydb.com/

adult... www.dragonboatwest.net check their forums out, people usually recruit there.

recruit subforum - http://www.dragonboatwest.net/index.php?board=13.0

:)

definitely an adult here lol
thanks for the info, appreciate it.

anyone else that knows of teams looking for a recruit, please lemme know, thx :D

check with www.urbanrec.ca.

i tried the website but couldnt find any dragon boat related stuff..
thanks though :)

post up on dragonboatwest, and be descriptive about you, your goals, and what you're looking for in a team. also, check out photos to see if there are any teams that look like they might catch your eye in terms of the fun they have, the accomplishments they have, etc, and then contact someone on that team. its a lot of fun, and no matter how committed you want to be, there is a team that'll suit you. i went from being completely Rec level with a bunch of friends from highschool, to paddling on team canada, and found myself a group of paddlers from each level that i enjoyed paddling with.

(shameless plug time)
my preferred club would be fcrcc, due to hot showers and a sauna for after those cold, wet, and ugly winter practices. you can post notices up on the fcrcc website and their tack board. they also have one of, if not the largest selection of training boats available of any club in N. America, as well as a wide variety of awesome coaches for different disciplines.

very helpful info..lol on the shameless plug...

i might/might not act on your advice as i just got an email for an info session to join a dragon boat team called UBC Dragon Hearts..and since this is my 1st ever plunge into the world of db'ing..i might check that out and see how it goes first hehe.

thanks dude. :D

they're a good, fun crew, from what i've seen of them. if you're in your 1st through 4th/5th year, you'll probably fit in/have lots of fun with them.

my first piece of advice to you is to NOT wear cotton. especially if you're going to be practicing wearing a PFD. if you've never had raw/chaffed nipples, you will after your first ever practice wearing cotton. ouch! dri-fit type sports shirts all the way. :thumbsup:
2nd piece of advice would be to only wear clothes/shoes you're not too fond of. they're going to get wet, and they're going to get wet with false creek water. they're going to stink. rinse, wash, and rinse again. i'm pretty sure the dragon hearts practice out of fcrcc, so rinse your stuff in the shower with you afterwards. do NOT wear your brand new, fancy-ass shoes. i wear crocs, and they seem to hold off the smell of FC water pretty well.

that all said, have fun! lots of great people involved in dragonboat at all levels, and don't be intimidated by anyone or any team. everyone starts from scratch at one point in time. the good paddlers won't have any problems helping out/giving tips and pointers if you ask, whether or not they're on your team.

wow..good stuff to know lol

hmm..say in the winter/cold rainy days, would chaffing occur if i'm wearing a cotton shirt and a windbreaker type jacket under the PFD?

sounds to me like db'ing can get the paddler wet his whole body kinda thing...am i correct to presume that?
if so, wont ur feet get cold/ get near frostbitten if ur wearing crocs?

and what about the pants/shorts situation? or gloves?

gloves are a personal preference. at the lower levels, lots of people do wear gloves, at the higher levels, most people don't wear gloves. i personally wear one glove, on my "bottom hand", and thats just because of joint problems. the glove gives the shaft that much more girth, and the neoprene of the glove adds that extra little bit of cushioning for my joints. I think i was the only premier paddler in Australia who was wearing a glove, fwiw.

cotton, in general, is a no-no/something to avoid. that includes underwear. ESPECIALLY on wet days. underwear (be it boxers or briefs) will ride up and chaff the living hell out of your crotch area. I dunno, maybe i'm just a bit more enthusiastic in practices (from day one as a rec paddler), but i have no clue how people paddle with cotton. chaffed armpits from cotton t-shirts, chaffed groin from underwear... plus, when cotton gets wet, it gets heavy. cotton is NOT your friend when it comes to paddle sports.

yes, your body is likely to get wet. at any level you paddle at. it can also depend on the people sitting behind/in front of you, and how much they splash. :flamemad: for my feet, i'm generally OK with just the crocs while in a dragonboat due to the technique we use (swinging of legs/rotation of hips in the seat). when i paddle in a sit-on-top outrigger canoe, i'll wear neoprene socks from MEC ($12 for a pair, replaced every season). for an enclosed cockpit outrigger or for sprint kayaks, the enclosed cockpit tends to keep your legs/feet a bit warmer, so i'll go bare feet (unless its sub-zero weather).
this is a closed cockpit outrigger and this is a sit-on-top outrigger (it was -10*C that day i was all bundled up :( )

oh yah. be warned... you're going to have a SORE ass... the benches in dragonboats are EVIL. some people wear padded shorts (i wear cycling shorts under my boardshorts), some people put pads on the seat. i prefer the minimal padding of my cycling shorts because anything thick or foamy, i'll get an indent where all my weight is on the outside hip, and that indent throws the balance of my hips off, and i'll get cramps in my glutes and support muscles. eventually, you'll build up calouses on your ass cheek and your nerves in that area will be dead and it won't bother you any more. :D

hahaha, yeah i'm definitely looking forward to the db'ing n hopefully i wont have any chaffing or calluses stories to tell lol

my first practice with dragon hearts is next sunday or the sunday after i think..so excited :)

have fun!

actually, i won't be able to paddle this season with my team
we're a rising team from zero to...well not hero but... damn near, haha
that means there'll be a hole in our team since i'm not paddling

we're team Red Fusion

pm me with ur info and which side u prefer to paddle, and i'll talk to the team cap and see if it'll work out
:)

edit: damn, didn't see that u paddling with dragon hearts in the last post
have fun! dragon hearts is a good team, cutie on that team too forgot her name but she's dragon hearts magnum, comp team

u'll love db'ing, it's the craziest adrenaline rush you'll feel

haha ...is she asian? : )

LOL, that was hilarious..
Thanks for the offer though, but i joined DH already...i decided to join the DH Magnum team coz i preferred comp rather than the main DH rec team...

as for the cuties, there's a couple in the magnum team ahahaha
but in the DH rec team, i was told tat there were more girls, which equate to more cuties..theoretically..since i havent seen them yet.

with all tat said, if my primary motivation was to find cute/hot chicks, i'd totally be in the rec team lol

yup, adrenaline is wat i signed up for..that and the competitiveness..
i'm so pumped now already! practice starts this sunday :D

all the girls are asian save for one i think...and the only white chick is pretty good looking..but taken..hah!

for the cute single ladies, ask if they want some free one-on-one coaching sessions with a member of Team Canada, and send me their info. :angel2: :D

RGL anyone? haha ridiculously good looking.. together they look good.

but single some people out and not so much.

I'm friends with most of RGL.... while they may not be super-model material, they're an awesome bunch. Great attitudes, like to have fun, party hard, and race hard. They're kind of like the FODB of a few years ago. If I wasn't so competitive, I'd probably join their team.

hahah, maybe if they are not my type i will LOL

bumping an old thread....

What kind of investment is involved in dragonboating in terms of time and money? I might want to try it for the summer.

Time
- Usually two practices a week, sunday and a weekday. Practice for two hours~
- Dry land practices/ Team bonding during other days?

Money
- Not much really. Team registration fee, usage of the facilities [Dragonzone or FCRCC, or wherever else]. Will depend on which team you join and what festivals/competitions they want to do, how much people, and etc.

- You could spend money and buy a lifejacket, paddle, etc. But you don't have to as the facilities have these. If you are committed and want to use your own and not some stinky old lifejacket, don't feel comfortable with a paddle because it's beat up, scratched up etc, then you could buy your own.

For example, when I was with Synergy.

- $200 or so for summer season [Taiwanese/Kelowna Dragonboat Festival]
- I didn't buy a paddle, but you can get a nice high performance paddle for $55.
- I didn't buy a lifejacket but one can be bought @ Canadian Tire, etc.
- Two practices a week, Sunday & Thurs

Typically just for the membership for a team/club, It costs around $125-$300+ for the season (Season ranges between Feb/Mar/Apr to Jun/Jul/Aug/Sept)

It really depends on the team, whether its a recreational team or competitive team.

some of those membership costs normally include the practices (between 1-3 practices/week) and 1-2 small regattas (less than 40-50 teams) and the Rio Tinto Alcan Festival (100+ teams). If the membership fee is on the high end of the scale, it might include the costs for some of out of town races.

It adds up if you decide to go on the out of town races, cost is dependent on how cheap you go (motel vs 5 star hotel or cook your own noodles vs fine dining)

For me races within BC per race costs around $60+ (Harrison) - $150+ (Victoria)

New paddlers usually dont but it also adds up if you decide to buy your own personal gear..ie: PFD ($95-200+), Paddle ($100-280+), etc.

Cost aside (in this stupid recession), IMHO Dragonboating is the best team sport that will improve your life by a lot. Its a sport that i tried for the sake of just trying something new and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

At first the reason why i went to the practices was to just make myself stronger and fitter. Then somehow along the way i realize that every time i went, it felt like a social event too coz there were tons of new cool friends there. (and cute/hot girls too on top of that lol)
It also ends up feeding my need for adrenaline and it suits my competitive personality.

Shameless plug i know but Im not endorsing out of the love i have for any one team, just for the love of the sport! hahaha

Enjoy it!

http://www.dragonzone.ca/

try that. i don't think my team's recruiting though, but i can ask our captain/coach if you want.
but yeah try that! just off the plaza of nations. across from science world

+1

I also feel that dragonboating is the best team sport there is. Other sports may come close, but db is the one that instills the feeling the most.

I mean think bout it this way. You're in a boat with 20~ or so other people. You're all doing the same thing. No one stands out, there really is no I in this team, it's we.

Hell, it feels like you're going to war with the other boats when you're in a race. That's how intense it is. Once you've sat in the boat for your first race ever, you'll understand how exhilarating it is. The surges, the pure primal energy of the grunts that come with every stroke.

You'll be stronger, fitter, since going full out for 2 min is not an easy feat to do. You'll develop strong bonds with your teammates/friends that wouldn't happen otherwise.
You'll see each other cry, laugh, and smile after a race, throw up together at the end of a race, but you'll have all gone through SO MUCH together.
Seeing a teammate paddle their hardest for you and the team is what makes this so amazing.
Before long, you'll be in the sport for years, hooked. It's a great sport, and it comes from an even greater community.

oh and ya. there's cuties too.