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Dragon Boat Canada


IDBF


Canoe Kayak Canada

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[DiggerPig]

Question:  Does it really make a "big" difference if you have a female steering or a male steering?  I ask as it was brought to my attention that a small/light female steersperson might have difficulty steering a dragon boat especially in rough water.  I want to make it clear that male or female steersperson will have trouble based on weather conditions, experience, and other factors.

BUT - do light female or male steers people have a disadvantage or someone with more weight?  Is there an advantage to going with a male steersperson over a female if both have the same skills?  Does a large person not add to the overall load your team has to "drag" along? 

I seriously want to know!  Advice? 

[BlueStreak]

If by light you mean someone 55 to 65 kg range, then IMO, it is possible for a light steersperson to control a boat in rough water. Sure, it would be easier for a larger/stronger person to crank the oar around but it would think that its still possible for them to lose control if they're un-accostomed to challenging conditions. So basically, I think that experience counts more than physical strength.

Speaking of which, did anyone notice the tiny girl that steering for one of Laoyam teams during Alcan? I saw a picture of her holding a steering oar and it was at the same level as her head. Now that's a small steersperson...

[Colossus]

depends on the level of the team, strength of the steers, experience, water-savy etc etc.  i know a couple female steers that are better than male steers.  obviously if you have a super strong crew and a tiny, not-so-strong or experienced steers (male or female), you run more risk of bad steering.  really, it comes down to experience and fit with the crew.  

[gunghaggis]

Hah!

Male or female... depends whether they are good or not!
Becky Wong steered for the FC Men's team in Nottingham... and she was tiny!  But Becky also grew up around boats and was boat smart (unlike somebody steering a comp crew on Tuesday night who after finishing a race piece, turned left and cut in front of us and bumped into our stationary dragon boat - They even had the nerve to ask us to "hold" our boat!" Duh!  I hope that team isn't going to WCC with that steersperson).

If all skills and weight are equal, a male will still have more upper body strength (according to physiology textbooks).  However Wasabi had a female steers person on their 2004 inaugural Guts and Glory race.  Her deltoids, lats, biceps and pecs are bigger than mine... and she is just 15 pounds lighter than me!

In the 2003 Sellwood Park race in Portland, LARD put a woman steers on the boat, but she couldn't handle the strength of the crew.  She came from the local breast cancer team.  The result is the infamous T-Bone collision that Photog shot, and can be seen here on the Dragonboatwest rotating photo banner.

I have steered on comp Women's team, as a light male (140 pounds), comp teams, rec teams... and I have also trained women's steers and men's steers.  The bottom line is this:  Are they good?

If the male and female in question are equally skilled (including steering in rough water), then why would you want to put an extra 50 pound sandbag in your boat?

[DiggerPig]

Thanks for the replies ... I guess experience wins over strength.  Gung Haggis you interested in a road trip out to Harrison to give our girl some tips?   8)

[gunghaggis]

Strength vs Experience... 

Just like paddlers.... If the paddlers can't paddle in time... there is only so much you can do with them.

For training steerspeople, give them as many simulated race situations as possible:
1)  Run boats side by side as close as possible without colliding - alternate teams taking the lead.
2)  Simulate a potential crash and evasive action
3)  Do a series of "S" turns at full speed
4)  Practice accounting for boat drift, if the paddlers stop paddling
5)  Practice dealing with boat wake - from other boats + wave action
6)  Practice extreme turning with a dragon boat eg.  turn left using front left draw + back right draw + everybody else paddle forward, while steering!

MOST IMPORTANT!!!  Send your steerspeople out to paddle and steer a canoe - learning how a boat moves and how a boat moves, is very important.   

I am lucky that I grew up around summer vacations with rowboats and powerboats.  Learning to steer a dragon boat was easy for me, but approaching middle age, the biggest challenge is now keeping an eye on a straight course to the finish line.

Digger Pig... Harrison... Is that on my way to Vernon?
Sorry but my free time is very booked up right now... but we can talk.

[bc_paddler]

Harrison is 20 minutes north of Hwy 1 at Agassiz.
Sudden Impact, Thunder Strokers and Pirates all proctice out of Harrison.
Gunghaggis, I would be interested to know if there are going to be any more steering clinics out at False Creek this summer as I myself am interested in developing my steering skills.

[gunghaggis]

Steering Clinics....

Ask Water's Edge, or contact Jackie Webber - the Dragon Zone Coordinator.

If you really want to practice steering skills.... practice extreme situations, lots of turning and evasive action.  Also practice being assertive with the team.  During a race piece, try simulating a near collision by turning sharply - call "Hold the Boat!", then immediately call a start.  Hopefully this will never happen during a race for you... but you never know when it will come in handy.

Too bad you couldn't hook up an outboard motor to a dragon boat, and just take it out to practice steering.
Oh - waitaminute!  Tie a dragon boat to a chase boat with a motor... or a motor boat.... turn on the engine and practice steering...
Not as much fun as steering during race simulations.... and it won't have the weight of a fully loaded d-boat... but it will be a lot less tiring for your paddlers, and then you can concentrate only on steering and turning.

BC Paddler - I was kidding about not knowing where Harrision is.  I am planning on being at the Vernon D-Boat races this summer.
2 days of racing in the sunny Okanagan... surrounded by wineries...  Last year at Harrison, was a wee bit chilly for me, and there was rain in the morning too!

[bc_paddler]

Thanks for the name & number Gunghaggis -
What's the matter - are you afraid your kilt will get a wee bit soggy?

[DiggerPig]

BC_Paddler - PM me and we may be able to work something out with Water's Edge