Dragon Boat
Dragon boat races are traditionally held
to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, making dragon boating the only
sport to be celebrated as a national holiday. The Chinese calendar date
is 5/5 which usually corresponds to a date in June.
A Dragon boat is a very long and narrow
human powered boat used in the team paddling sport or Dragon boat racing
which originated in China.
For racing events, dragon
boats are always rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails
and are required to carry a large drum aboard. At other times the decorative
regalia is usually removed, although the drum often remains aboard for
training purposes.
The standard Dragon boat crew complement of a contemporary dragon boat
is around 22, comprising 20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow
of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers,
and 1 steerer or tiller( helm) at the rear of the boat, although for
races it is common to have just 18 paddlers.
Dragon boats vary in length
and crew size will vary accordingly, from small dragon boats with 10
paddlers, up to the massive traditional boats which have upwards of
50 paddlers, plus drummer and steerer.
The drummer or callers may
be considered the "heartbeat" of the dragon boat, and leads the crew
throughout a race with the rhythmic beating of a drum to indicate the
timing and frequency of paddling strokes.
The caller may issue commands
to the Dragon boat crew through a combination of hand signals and voice
calls, and also generally exhorts the crew to perform at their peak.
A caller/drummer is mandatory during racing events, but if he or she
is not present during training.
Good Dragon boat callers
should be able to synchronize the drumming cadence with the strokes
of the leading pair of paddlers, rather than the other way around. As
a tail wind, head wind or cross wind, may affect the amount of power
needed to move the boat at hull speed throughout a race, a caller should
also be aware of the relative position of the dragon boat to other boats,
and to the finish line, in order to correctly issue commands to the
crew as to when to best surge ahead, when to hold steady and when to
peak for the finish.
Traditional dragon boats
with 40 to 50 paddlers are so long that the drum is positioned amidships
(in the middle of the boat) so that all paddlers can hear it amidst
the noise of heated competition. However, for the smaller dragon boats
of 20 paddlers which are most often used in competitive sporting events,
the drum is located just aft of the dragon headed prow.
Some Dragon boat crews may
also feature a gong striker who strikes a ceremonial gong mounted aboard
the dragon boat. A gong striker may sometimes be used as an alternative
to a drummer.
Although a dragon boat is
not a type of canoe, they are both paddle-craft rather than rowing-craft,
and crew members paddle rather than "row". Dragon boat paddlers sit,
crouch or stand facing forward in the direction of travel, ie. facing
the prow (front) of the boat, similar to crews in other paddling craft,
whereas rowers sit facing backwards.
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