The Rural Voice, 2001-09, Page 50Perth farmer find dragon -boat racing=tea
neighbours together
Story and photos by Mark Nonkes -rte
5 the sun sets over the Avon
River in Stratford, a group of
North Perth pork producers
and friends gather with paddles and
passions to dragonboat.
They call it an addiction — once
started, thinking of stopping is unre-
alistic. The team, called the Dragons
of Squeal. have been competing
together in the long narrow 20 -seater
boats for about three years.
Bringing a bunch of pork produc-
ers together has been a real team -
building experience. It is with fes-
tive spirits the farmers come to the
boat. On the island along the Avon
before a practice the team chats
jovially while stretching and putting
on life jackets.
With paddles in hand, the team
members step onto the long boat and
sit side by side in pairs. The steerer
at the back, controls the direction of
the boat with a long wooden oar. A
caller who shouts commands to the
paddlers in the middle of the boat is
perched at the front of the boat.
The sport grew easily enough on
Monkton-area pork producers Neil
and Janice Taylor. The couple won
an evening of dragonboating on a
radio auction. They invited about 20
of their pork -producing friends and
headed for the Avon. A testament to
the addiction the sport causes, after
46 THE RURAL VOICE
It takes teamwork to get all the paddles in the boat synchronized (above).
Top, the parkland along the Avon River provides a lovely backdrop for all the
hard work during practice.
just one time, the Taylors decided to
start a team, practising every Monday
night.
The key to dragonboating is syn-
chronization. The pair in the front set
the pace for the entire team.
Everyone digs his or her paddle into
the water together and then pulls it
out together, becoming one large
working unit. The form for paddling
is different from canoeing. Arms stay
straight as the waist moves back and
forth in the letter -A form. The pad-
dling uses upper and lower back
muscles, and after the first time of
paddling people might feel a little
sore. Once you get used to paddling
you won't feel any tension for days
following, Janice Taylor said.
Every time the team dips their
paddles into the water, the boat pow-
erfully surges forward.
"The key is to be in sync," Janice
Taylor says.