River current offers training edge for dragon boaters
The Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival featured some of the strongest dragon boat paddlers in the country this past weekend. The secret to their success was easily visible as the boats raced in the occasionally choppy waters of the North Saskatchewan River.
“We’re practising on a river and competing on a river,” said the festival’s treasurer, Laura Tocher.
“It actually makes our paddlers really strong, because they’re paddling up current. We’re going up against a lot of teams that (practice) on lakes.”
In the 21st edition of the festival, which ran Friday through Sunday, 32 teams competed from Louise McKinney Riverfront Park. Included among Edmonton’s paddlers were individuals who represent the sport on the world stage.
Larry Leitch plans to compete in October on the Canadian Senior C team at the world championship in Kunming, China. He said there’s some truth to the benefits of practising in Edmonton.
“It does give us a slight advantage on flat water,” he said.
Leitch will have familiar faces on his team. Teammates Daryl Zimmerman and Derrick Bradburn are also from Edmonton.
Heidi Knupp, who is on the female Senior C team competing at the world championship, said there is one downside to training in Edmonton.
“We don’t get on the water until May,” she said. “In Vancouver, they’re on the water from February to December.”
Knupp said Edmonton dragon boat paddlers are lucky to get four or five months on the water. For the rest of the year they train in the gym, including using a paddling erg that simulates being on the water. Lindsay Brown was on one of the few out-of-town teams competing at the festival.
“It is a bit different because we’re paddling against the current,” the paddler from Crew Yahoo at the Calgary Dragonboat Club said. “In Calgary, we paddle on flat water.”
But Brown added that they practise longer race pieces than the Edmonton course when training.
“We still feel like we’re competitive enough,” she said.
We’re practising on a river and competing on a river. It actually makes our paddlers really strong.