What's up there in Canada? Looked at the Pickering photos and don't see any evidence of drumming on the boats. Don't you Canadians use the drum in your races? It's part of the tradition and spectacle of the sport, not to forget that "active drumming" is part of the requirement in international races!

Nobody drums up here. The "active drumming" requirement isn't for the whole race duration either and only says that drummer has to raise his/her hand and bring it down, nothing about actually making noise.
Quite frankly, drumming is annoying. If it was to be used in a race we'd have to practice with it and there's no way I'm spending five+ hours a week in a boat with a drummer pounding away.
As for tradition, we're very removed from the actual Chinese traditions surrounding dragonboat. If we stuck to the tradition we'd only race once a year.

It may be a part of the tradition of the sport, but speaking for the rest of the country....I mean, speaking strictly for myself and 7 or 8 others who have given me their consent (7 for certain, one "sure, whatever dude") I can tell you that....

DRUMMING IS FRICKIN' ANNOYING!

<BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!>

Gah! Make it stop already.

We have to put up with silly IDBF rules that mandate drumming, but allow electronic speaker systems? Excuse me? Did the Chinese fishermen who went out to save Chu Yuan stop to rig their Cox Box (TM) system before they charged out onto the water? (drumming after the first 50m, of course).

Maybe we should have cumpulsory dumpling tossing at the 250m mark. "Aim for the steersman!"

And hey, how about the drowning of an out-of-towner to sanctify the race course? ("Welcome to dragonboat race!" <WHACK>) Don't see that anywhere in the IDBF manual.

Not only is drumming annoying and unecessary but I say get rid of the heads and tails. Put on a little knob on the front of the boat so it's easy to tell who wins and be done with it. Those bloody things are always falling off, getting broken, makiing noise, they're different lengths, and add no value to the actual sport except for the tradition of it.

You fool.... it wouldn't really be dragon boating without all that jazz.
Its cool to watch the dragon heads surge ahead of each other during a race!

No drumming, not head or tail.. sorry but I'm not in it for the tradition

You asslicking fucktard.
How's that for an insult? No need to insult people for stating their opinions.
When was the last time you participated in eye dotting ceremony? Do you even know what that is?

Okay so what are you in it for?.... the spandex?

have all the tradition you want. I'll enter the sport regatta thank you. No drumming, no head, no tails, no pfds.

have all the tradition you want. I'll enter the sport regatta thank you. No drumming, no head, no tails, no pfds.


Ha ha! I love it.... these are the kind of people that make me laugh!
You probably think you're an Olympic athlete too?!

Don't forget what dragon boating is....
a bunch of people paddling around in a boat with a dragon head on it!
Its still a bunch of 9 to fivers enjoying a fun physical hobby after work..it doesn't matter how "elite" you are.

Stop taking yourself too seriously!

Respect tradition!

Dragon boating will always be a RECREATIONAL sport. And it will always be until it becomes an Olympic sport. If ever!

Sooo...unless it is part of the racing rules, teams should drum at their own discretion. Some teams use the drum to keep the beat, some don't use it and rely only on the drummer/cox's commands.

Go with whatever method is most effective for the team.

I think the dragon heads, tails and drums are O.K. and add some colour to the sport. Drumming I simply hate, unless you hear someone who does it REALLY well. Travel to a festival in asia, and you will see some excellent drummers.

The comment about dragon boat racing remaining recreational until it goes Olympic, don't be silly. C4 is not Olympic, C15 is not Olympic, both are certainly "sports", or disciplines within their sport. Baseball will no longer be an Olympic sport, it got bounced. Does this mean it's only "recreation" now? Oops, someone better tell MLB that they are no longer involved in a sport by a beer-bellied recreational league.

Dragon boat racing is NEVER going Olympic, for reasons that are both political and logistical, but in my mind it is already a sport.

As for the traditions around this sport, there are some I like, some I tolerate, and some I just can't stand. But so what? That's just my opinion.

That's right, I forgot. The people on this forum love to pick on words.

"Okay so what are you in it for?.... the spandex?"

No my team is in it for the sport, the competition, and the fun. We know dragon boat isnt an 'Olympic sport', but we still take it seriously. Why? because we enjoy taking it seriously as a sport.

Dragon boat is such a wonderful sport, its available to everyone, from high school kids, to seniors, to breast cancer survivors, and yes even to real athletes.

I can tollerate the head and the tail, but MAKING us drum? Sorry that kind of kills it for me. I'm not dragon boating for that traditional culture, so I dont want to throw dumplings or dot eyes or whatever.

If my team were made to drum, I'd make my whole team wear ear plugs and get the drummer to drum as hard as he/she could, off beat - screwing up the strokes of the competition.

being traditional meant that we had to drum in a race, but did not have to wear a lifejacket (don't remember those on the Mi Lo river) then I'm in.

boom boom

The ornamental heads and tails aren't needed for every type of racing. They're great for the cultural festivals but I don't think we need them all the time. The olympic talk about dragon boat is a giant pipe dream because:

1. The Olympic movement is trying to control the number of athletes at the games and a sport with 20+ per team is a non-starter.

2. The only way dragon boat would have even the slightest chance of getting in would be through the ICF as a canoe discipline. Like it or not dragon boats are basically big canoes. IDBF resists affiliation with the ICF because it says dragon boats' cutural traditions etc make it unique from canoe... and all that is fine, except that they're still big canoes in eveybody else's minds. Assuming all other obstacles were removed, the IOC still couldn't accept a politically fractured sport.

When sued, countersue. When accused, accuse right back. So when ICF tries to absorb dragon boat racing as a discipline of canoeing the IDBF should fire right back and claim all canoe sports are simply smaller versions of a dragon boat.

It's brilliantly stupid!

(for those who are in fact stupid, I'm kidding)

Hey! Let's stick to the topic at hand.
There's a seperate thread for this Olympic talk.

Now as for the drum sticks, which do you think is more effective?

Drum sticks with tennis balls or golf balls stuck on them?

"....... being traditional meant that we had to drum in a race, but did not have to wear a lifejacket (don't remember those on the Mi Lo river) then I'm in."




Hey, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Mi Lo river, may he should have had a life jacket!!!!!!!!!

This Asian aristocrat didn't have the sense to put on a PFD.

Just like those Asians on Rice Lake.

I scoff at all of you Asians.

I doubt the organizers are putting oversized heads, tails, making you drum etc. to 'respect' the tradition. Instead they are trying to make it more interesting for spectators.

Hope you like paying to be in their little play. I bet they put just as much attention into the racing (sarcastic). I’ll stick to races, challenges and regattas. “Festivals” are all yours.

Hey June 15 2006, 4:15 PM, please don't use my name again. If you have head case problems, spell them out under your own name. I can opinionate for myself without having some wimp like you playing games.

Besides, your momma might not like it and might cut you off in the bedroom.

Perhaps your head is stuck too far up your ass to notice, but the races, challenges and regattas that you race for all have dragon heads, tails, and drums.

no dragon heads or tails in stouffville

You happy?

Mr. Harrass.

That wasn't me, Mike. I would never post something in such bad taste.

p.s. congrats.

Saint James Haslam of Toronto...

Do you know who Mike James is?

Clearly not.

I who Rick James is...

Bitch