I'm a little dismayed. I paddle on one of the bank teams and we practiced a TON this year. Why am I dismayed....well since you asked we practiced THREE TIMES per week, and got beaten by teams that paddle and practice FAR less than us. One of the teams who I will NOT mention, only practiced ONCE a week. I hear half their team did not even show up every time. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE I ASK? Coaching? FITNESS? Tehcnique?
Someone please advise....

I mean I don't think we even finished top 10.

maybe it has to do with quality over quality. or maybe bankers are just wimps?

I have my doubts that a bank team member wrote this. Someone trashing perhaps?

How many times per week do the good teams practice?

at least the question does. Maybe a little trashing. but it does beg an answer, doesn't it old dweller?

Petty banker digs aside......

I think the answer is partially in your question. Then, it comes down to natural ability and team cohesion. You can't always force your way into top 10? Who practices less than 3 times/wk in the top 10 corp anyway - I would guess mercedes and HK? HK is on the water all the time, but not necessarily in a dboat and has about a thousand years experience. I don't know how Mercedes managed to squeak in there with the 1/wk practice that I hear about.

Maybe you're crew doesn't have the technique that Mercedes has. They have been practicing together for years, so even if they don't practice that much, they all know how to paddle together.

I don't think you should be asking others what the magic secret is...look at your team itself. Did you have a lot of brand-new paddlers? Did everyone on the team get along? What is the attitude like for the team?

looks like someone just trying to stir crap up.

I would be very disappointed to hear this kind of thing from a member of any of the bank teams. They are neither wimps nor whiners, and they are taught better than to bleat like this on the forum. This sounds more like baiting from someone who isn't on a bank team, trying to rub their noses in it. Niiiice.

But just for the moment I'll assume you are legitimate, albiet a bit of a disgrace.

Quality is certainly better than quantity in terms of practice. Certainly you want both, but as long as you train hard when you're training, you can get away with fewer workouts.

As for being beaten by Mercedes, hey, they beat a lot of teams. They still have enough talent and experience to get into the top brackets at most festivals. B Division at the least. I never take them lightly.

Remember also that in the race you are talking about (B final corporate, not hard to figure out) you had a runaway team in Lane 1, Big Fish, with Mercedes right next to them, and a clump of bank teams in the middle along with the Hammerheads. Mercedes caught a ride with Fish, whether or not they were trying to, and broke free while the bank teams all held each other back. Credit Mercedes with a well deserved victory, but believe me when I say they had help (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Lastly, maybe your team just had a bad race?

Suck it up and do better next time.

(gawd I hope you're not on BMO)

Maybe this original poster is bullshit. You can't really be to concerned if you don't even know where you finished.

Jerkass.

This same B.S. message was just posted in the thread about pictures. I smell a troll.

Quality over quantity is the key here. Crews with experienced paddlers do not even need to paddle once a week in a DB. I.e. Huron who paddle in other boats all season. How well you do as well is a factor of the makeup of your crew-fitness/skill and how well you are coached which is why experience rules. Crews in the top 10 have many years of experience and many of their members paddle other forms of boats. Practicing numerous times per week is definitely going to benefit up and coming crews however as that increases their "time with the water".

I can partially answer your question, coming from 10 years experience of paddling & coaching, but never seeing your team out on the water,



Coachs need to do their part, for starters can they deliver a technique & style matched to the composition of the team? Can they identify & address problems as they arise? Can they actually teach???

Did the paddler's do their part?
Committed? are they giving honest efforts all the time, and no 'acting'? are they actively working on their technique everytime they are out on the water? (The coach can't hold the hands of 20 people all at once.)

How was the general team attitude? Did they go to the festival to race hard, learn, and race harder? or did they waltz in thinking they were the best and got their butts handed to them? (that sounds harsh, but it happened to a 'top-flight' team this year.. cough worlds...)


Does the team have a 'fatal error' in their technique? I know that sounds funny, but ever see a team with beautiful technique & timing, but only bury the blade half way? I have.

Did you just have a bad qualifying/final race when it counted? During race day, staying out in the sun all afternoon saps energy. Did the team sky the rate and 'spin their wheels'?


I hope that's helpful, I know those are a lot of questions, but they are something that only you & your team can answer, but the bottom line is it's usually a combination of things.

wow, it sure generated discussion. Some were rather attacking, i didn't mean to sound like a whiner, just surprised the work hadn't paid off quite like I had expected. and others who hadn't busted a hump did so well.

ps. i do know where we placed. Thanks ya'll.

Good Coaching
-learning the best technique
-getting teams fitness level up
-getting individual fitness level up
-whole team should have same technique
-instill good team spirit, inspiration to want to be better
-give team positive feeling that winning is possible

Individual fitness level prior to db
-a boat full of fit people will be better than those that are still working on getting fit.
-having the right size and shape naturally, helps.
-strong with good weight to power ratio.

Training together
-learning to work together as a team (there is no "I" in team)

You guys just suck.

There may be no "I" in team ... but there is definitely "me"!

... and Mat.

Too bad your once a week practices wasn't enough to beat Honda...

ouch!

just goes to show you, every team is capable of having a great race, and every team is capable of having a crappy race. put the two together and upsets will happen.

doesn't hurt if you have a fast team beside you either!

Nice! That was so sweet! lol

USDBF Decision Mystifies Aspiring 2010 Host Cities
American cities and festival operators who aspire to host a future National Championship event
are very confused by the behaviour of the USDBF these past weeks. Particularly those who
placed their bet on Tampa’s now successful bid to host the 2011 IDBF World Championships. At
least a couple of cities of which I am aware made a conscious decision to by-pass the 2008
edition of the National Championships in order to focus their efforts on a 2010 bid. Their
reasoning made perfect sense. If the 2011 world’s were being held in the USA then participation
levels at the 2010 nationals, which traditionally double as a qualifying event for the following
year’s worlds, would likely be much higher. The word on the street is that the USDBF executive
could not make the hard decision between short-listed Long Beach and Knoxville to host the
2008 national event. Rather than choose between the two an announcement is expected shortly
which will see the 2008 National Championships in Long Beach and… the 2010 National
Championships in Knoxville? Excuse me?! When did that RFP come out?
Now, I have nothing against Knoxville. Dynamic Events is the resident dragon boat production
firm in Tennessee and has produced quality events for a number of years. In fact, I have it on
good authority that the site selection committee actually recommended Knoxville for 2008.
The USDBF’s curious course of action begs the question; why did the executive not follow the
recommendations of their independent site selection committee? My past experience with US
National bid process is that the selection committee’s decision was basically rubber stamped with
minor, if any, adjustments. Regardless, it was certainly the case that due process was routinely
followed. For 2010, the USDBF seems resigned not to develop a process at all. Mystifying at the
very least; frustrating for others who may now consider 2012… or not.
Mike Kerkmann is president of Great White North and the IDBF Council Representative for North America.

just do drugs.

the answer is easy.

1 word : "experience"

Once you've paddle a few years already, ur techniques are pretty much like mastered so basicly only fitness will make a major impact. that's why good teams train all year for their fitness, cuz they wanna focus on their techniques. Dboat is 50% techniques, 50% power. Once you just started, you can't expect 50/50 for the techniques.

my bad

" that's why good teams train all year for their fitness, cuz they wanna focus on their techniques."

i meant cardio instead of techniques

if you got beat by inexperienced bank crews paddling only once a week, fire your coach, he doesn't know beans.
any team that practices 3 times a week should never ever get beat by an inexperienced crew who rarely practices.

You people do realize you are debating on events that happened more than 4 years ago. Half the teams in question no longer exists. This thread was was dredged up by the ASSHAT who has a beef with the USDBF and thought it a good idea to post on multiple unrelated (and in this case really old) topics.

So did your team improve yet, or do you still suck? :P

lol damn didnt see the date posted.

nah dont think they suck anymore, cuz they prolly gave up
rofl