Race Starting Sequence

RACE SET-UP

After loading your boat at the dock, you will paddle up river to the start line. It takes a little time to line up every boat perfectly on the start line.

Once you arrive at the start line, your steersmen will give instructions to align the boat and hold it in place. BE READY TO GO. The moment all five dragon boats are aligned, the starting official will make two announcements:

1. "PADDLERS ARE YOU READY!" or "WE HAVE ALIGNMENT!"  - all paddlers move to the ready position. Just a second later the official will announce,
2. "ATTENTION PLEASE" - paddlers burry their paddle blades in the water and almost immediately the official will start the race with an air horn or starting pistol. 

START SEQUENCE

At practice, you will learn a start sequence to get the boat moving from a dead stop to race speed. The most common sequence is the "6-12-3,2,1".

To mimic race day, your coach will announce the race set-up commands. From a dead stop you will go to "Paddles Up". Then your coach will say "Attention Please" and you will bury your blade in the water. When he say "GO!" you will pull:

1. 6 - Pull six full strokes with maximum force. The purpose is to break the inertial of the boat. Your paddle should enter the water just in front of the hip of the paddler in front of you. Keep your paddle as vertical as possible to maximize power. Your paddle should exit the water at your hip, not behind you (once the paddle passes your hip you are "scooping", which slows the boat and make it rock). The coach or dummer will call out the cadence for you, "...one.....two....three....four.....five.....six"
2. 12 - Pull 12 sprint strokes. Reach HALF far as you did for the six full strokes. These are faster strokes. You are bringing the boat to is maximum speed and the cadence is very fast, "one..two..three..four.." up to twelve strokes.
3. 3, 2, 1 - After your 12 sprint strokes, you transition over three strokes back to full reach. On the cadence of "3" reach 3 inches farther than you did on the last sprint stroke. On "2" reach 3 inches farther than on "3". On "1" you are back at a full stroke. The purpose of the this transition is to slow down the cadence while keeping the boat at full speed. 

NOTE that on all cadences (numbers, drum beat, etc.) your paddle's blade will ENTER the water on the count/beat.