Festival
Information 2007
Dragon
Boat Festivals
The theme of
a Dragon Boat Race Festival is a simple and solemn one: Teamwork
and unity. Come and be part of this 2400-year-old tradition, which
has become one of Canada’s fastest growing sports. Let us
as a community meet the challenge of working in perfect harmony.
For the past several years during the summer months, communities
such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, Regina, Winnipeg,
London, Stratford, Waterloo, Guelph and Woodstock have hosted Dragon
Boat Festivals as highly successful community events. We are proud
to be hosting the 2nd Annual Dragon Boat Festival in the
City of Orillia.
While dragon
boat racing has its roots in Chinese tradition, these festivals
have come to be celebrations reflecting Canada’s multi-cultural
heritage. They create a friendly yet competitive atmosphere for
participants to match their abilities and test their skills in dragon
boat racing. The fundamental objective of a Dragon Boat Race Festival
is to strengthen community spirit. It also galvanizes its citizens
to demonstrate their organisational talent and resources in hosting
a major recreational and cultural event.
The Community
Foundation of Orillia & Area will be hosting the 2nd Annual
Orillia Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, September 29th, 2007
with Opening Ceremonies the same day. The event will present an opportunity for citizens to actively
participate in a major recreational and cultural event that will
make us all proud. The coming together and support of our civic
leaders, governments, businesses, sponsors, donors, volunteers and
various organisations is imperative to make the Dragon Boat Race
Festival a successful community event.
What
is a Dragon Boat Festival?
Various communities
have organised and hosted dragon boat races as a summer recreational
event and a celebration of Canada’s rich multi-cultural mosaic.
The primary focus of the event is the parade of colourful dragon
boats, the competitive atmosphere of the races, and the cheers of
the spectators. The teams, trainers, spectators and supporters will
bring many individuals to the race site.
During the event
spectators will be able to enjoy dragon boat racing, cultural and
commercial exhibits, participate in children’s activities
and enjoy the picturesque surroundings of beautiful Couchiching
Park.
What
is Dragon Boat Racing?
Dragon Boats
are the largest flat water racing canoes in the world. For competition
each boat is fitted with a dragon’s head at the prow and a
tail at the stern, decorated in traditional Chinese colours. The
boat seats a crew of 20 paddlers, plus a steersperson and a drummer
who sits or stands at the dragon head to beat the paddling rhythm
for the crew. The paddles are much shorter than canoe paddles, allowing
a very swift stroke rate compared to other types of rowing or paddling.
Top speed only comes with a well-timed stroke of the blade hitting
the water.
The goal is
to generate enough speed to cause the boat to rise high and smooth
above the water by a cresting wave from beneath the bow. A perfectly
synchronized team is not only visually spectacular but almost always
defeats a stronger, less coordinated competitor. It is a spectacular
and colourful sight to see the dragon boats splashing through the
water with the drums booming amid loud encouragement from the spectators.
The
Race
The dragon boats
race over a course that is 300 meters in length. Three to four boats
generally race against each other in the qualifying heats and in
the final races. Typically, a seasoned Dragon Boat team will have
a stoke rate of 70-80 strokes per minute and can travel over the
water at three to four meters (10-13 feet) per second. From start
to finish, each race takes about 1 to 2.5 minutes to complete, depending
on the proficiently of the team. The winner of each qualifying heat
will advance to the next race.
Dragon
Boats
The boats for
the festival will be leased from an event marketing company in Toronto.
The boats are complete with paddles, life jackets and drums. While
four boats compete in each race, another four boats will load up
for the next “heat”, thereby eliminating the down times
between races.
Note:
This year the Festival will provide a steersperson for the event,
at no cost to your team, if you do not have your own steersperson.
*Festival Forms
and information shared and approved to be used by Ann Andrusyszyn
from the Barrie
Dragon Boat Festival.*
