The Rural Voice, 2001-09, Page 51Dragonboating is a wet sport,
water splashes on to the back of the
person in front. Gear includes older
tee-shirts and nylon. In their boat
there is always a bit of horse -play,
teasing and joking between the men
and women.
"There's a lot of barn talk on this
boat," Janice Taylor says.
From time to time the teasing and
joking elevates to a splash battle,
leaving the team wet but still with
smiles on their faces.
At a practice, the group paddles
up and down the Avon about
,ix or seven times. During
the practice the paddlers will start
with a light pass of the river. The
caller, who also doubles as the steerer
at this practice, instructs the team in a
number of different exercises. The
team does 12 and 15 power stroke
countdowns, which really gets the
boat rocking across the Avon.
They practise for local competi-
tion in places like Woodstock, St.
Marys, Mitchell and the big competi-
tion on home -turf in Stratford,
September 8-9.
It was at the Mitchell
Dragonboating event this summer,
that after the Dragons of Squeal pad-
dled down the Thames River, they
invited beef farmer Lisa DeJong to
join the pork producers' team. On
this peaceful Monday evening, she
sits in the front of the boat, setting
the pace for the rest of the team.
"They're lots of fun. We work
hard on something but still have a
sense of humour about it," DeJong
said.
Practices take place in the
evening, after the daily farm chores
are done. Due to hectic lifestyles
and farming demands not everyone
can always make it to every practice,
but as a whole the team is a dedicated
group.
"If you want something to work,
you make time for it," Neil Taylor
says.
An ancient Chinese sport, drag-
onboating has been rapidly growing
in Canada in past years. Every
evening in the summer a team of
dragonboaters will practise along the
Avon, usually four to six different
teams a night. Anyone can do it,
from the old to the young, Taylor
says. One team that practises fre-
quently on the Avon is made of
breast cancer survivors.
In Stratford the Rotary Club sup-
plies the dragonboats, life -jackets and
paddles for teams to practise with.
They are heavy boats, each well over
1,000 pounds.
Balancing farming and drag-
onboating can be challenging. While
some teams start practicing in April,
the farm team waits until June to
start, when most of the crops have
been planted. At competitions the
group usually asks to race at the end
of the day. when the farmers can find
some time to get away from the farm.
At a race four to six teams will
race at once. At the upcoming com-
petition in Stratford the distance is
set at 500 meters on the river beside
the two theatres of the Stratford
Festival.
Since the Taylors have started
dragonboating they have joined
another team in Stratford while
Janice steers a third.
"I don't know how I have the time
with four kids," Janice Taylor says.
There are more members of the
team like the Taylors. Since Jerri-
Ann Brander. who works with the
police in Mitchell, arrived an hour
early for practise she decide to go out
with the Breast Cancer Survivors
team. Though worn out from practic-
ing with that team. she hopped into
the Dragons of Squeal boat in the
back seat.
"I will never do two in a row
again," Brander said.
From time to time Brander pulled
her oar out of the water while the
team paddles. but when the speed
events get going her oar is moi ing
with as much power and strength as
anyone else's.
Fur the north Perth team. Jr,=
onboating has become a great
way for neighbours and teliu%
pork producers to gather. socialize
and work towards a common goal.
With a team of hard-working farmers
the Dragons of Squeal know how to
put the power into the strokes. The
more they work together the closer
and more unified they become.
Anyone interested in seeing the
Dragons of Squeal race or any other
dragonboating team, can watch the
races from along the banks of the
Avon River in Stratford. September
8-9.0
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SEPTEMBER 2001 47