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Race of the Dragons

NEWSILLUSTRATED Visit our new blog to see how a racecourse is designed www.sun-sentinel.com/newsillustrated RACE DRAGONS STEERSMAN The dragon boat festival is coming back to Broward County after a three-year hiatus. A look at the sport: Uses the tiller to steer the boat. Can override the call of the drummer and must be aware of the boat's surroundings at all times. THE BOATS Lightweight, low-slung boats are used for racing. with a typical crew of 20 to 22. THE CREW TRADITIONAL CHINESE DRAGON BOAT Typically made of wood, this boat can seat up to 30 paddlers. Sizes may vary. It is crucial for the paddlers to synchronize their movements with the crew member diagonally in front of them to keep the thythm and balance. Width: a feet 6 feet, hul only POWER 6 The back paddlers focus more on power strokes to maintain speed in the faster water. INTERNATIONAL RACING DRAGON BOAT (STANDARD) This fiberglass boat seats 20 paddlers and is commonly used in races. Widh 38 feet 40.7 feet, hull only HONG KONG STANDARD WOODEN DRAGON BOAT Slightly smaller than an international boat and made from teak wood. SYNCHRONIZE Paddlers in the front are good at keeping time. Out-of-sync blades hit the water Wieth: 1.6 feet wien: 3. MA fert, hull only - a fraction of a second behind each other, creating a lag. INTERNATIONAL RACING DRAGON BOAT (SMALL) Similar to the standard model but seats only 10 paddlers. wen: 23 teet 295 feet, hull only - ABOUT THE COURSE LEAD STROKES The first pair set the pace for the team. The object is to paddle as fast as possible to the finish line.f there is a tie, both teams are declared the winner. There are two types of races Festivals: The course is straight, with buoys or landmarks marking the start and finish lines. Can typically stretch for 2.000 meters. Races: The course has one lap and flags set every 50 meters. Buoys mark where boats are required to turn. Races are held at 250, 500 and 1,500 meters. DRUMMER The drum beat indicates the pace of the paddlers. Some call out or use hand signals to dictate the strokes instead. THE PERFECT STROKE Inside hand The stroke's length is about 18 inches. By reching the body in sync with padding extra inches can be added to the stroke. Paddle should should be as high as forehead and move at about a 60-degree - -outside the boat. angle. 2. Catch and drive: A blade should be 1. The reach: Position of blade determines the length of the stroke. 3. Pull: Paddler uses back muscles to pull blade parallel with the boat. 4. Release: Paddle exits water at the hip, rotating back to the reach position. perpendicular to the boat as it slices into the water. RECREATIONAL -Width: 8 inches CANOE PADDLE 25 inch long lup te in. long FLAG CATCHER In Taiwanese-style races, a person sits atop the dragon head to grab the flag at the finish line. f he or she misses, the team is penalized. Racing rules require dragon boat paddles to be between 3,4 and 43 feet in length DRAGON BOAT Width must be no more than 7 inches RACING PADDLE 41 in long lep to St in) 4 UPCOMING RACES DRAGON BOAT HISTORY Tampa and Miami hold internationally recognized festivals each year. Where you can see a race: month, which equates to June 5. Because of the time of the year, dragon heads eventually were Dragon boat racing traces its origins back almost 2.000 years to a Chinese poet and royal advisor, Qu Yuan, left. After being banished from the palace to the Hunan Province. Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Mi Lo (Yangtze) River. Local fishermen raced to recover his body and beat drums and threw rice to distract fish. The body was never found. To commemorate Yuan's death, boat races were held on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar put on the boats to help ward off evil spirits during the race. April 19: Synergy Dragon Boat Racing Series, Quiet Waters Park, Deerfield Beach tion, call 813-471-1548. May 31: Fifth annual Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Brickell Key, Miami Open to the public from 10 am-5 pm. For information, call 305-636-0902. May 3: Tampa Bay Interna- tional Dragon Boat Race. downtown Tampa. Hours are 8:30 am.6 p.m. For informa- SOURCES: USA Dragon Boating LLC nternational Dragon Boat Federation. Tampa Bay Dragon Boat institute. miamidragonboat.com Staff graphicBelinda Long-vey bplongsun-sentinel.com

Race of the Dragons

shared by karbel on Nov 26
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An infographic explaining the sport of Dragon boat racing, by diagramming the boats, the crew and the perfect stroke.

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