Kootenay Robusters

Each group should try and get to practise a half-hour ahead so everything is set to go for a 6 pm or 9am paddle. Until each group feels at ease with this responsibility someone from the boat committee will be in attendance.

Kathy Hanson took responsibility for maintenance and scheduling for the coach boat from June to the end of the season. This is a big responsibility in itself and she would appreciate help whenever you can.

If there are any husbands, sons, daughters or friends who would help us out in this regard it would much appreciated. It's really is a lovely excuse to be on the lake. Contact Kathy Hanson if you know of someone who can help out.

Provides a safe and supportive environment in which to paddle
Designs training programs (dryland and paddling)
Leads practices
Teaches paddling technique, provides feedback
Prepares paddlers for competition
Assesses team members (fitness, skills, technique)
Develops selection criteria with medical officer/captain/manager (related to team goals and paddler commitment)
Assigns seat positions (in conjunction with medical officer, captain, manager)
Develops race plans
Puts health and well-being of paddlers first when assessing paddlers for race readiness
Honours the sport of dragon boat racing and respects all participants

Liaises between executive and team
Liaises with committees as necessary
Sets up calendar of events
Schedules and arranges team meetings, fitness assessments, etc.
Provides information to team re: festivals, dates, etc.
Meets deadlines for registration
Oversees booking of accommodation
Handles all management needs at race venues
Ensures all paddlers sign waivers

Acts as spokeswoman for the team
Liaises between coach, manager and team members
Handles interpersonal communication issues, mediates
Listens to team concerns and represents paddler's positions
Provides leardership on and off the water
Helps motivate team
Assists coach and manager as necessary
Attends every practise possible

Is responsible for boat and crew safety
Ensures all safety equipment is present and functioning
Controls the boat (over coach and drummer) in emergency situations
Is responsible for getting boat ready for practice (with help of paddlers)
Is responsible for securing boat after practise (with help of paddlers)
Is responsible for securing boat after practise (with help of paddlers)
Assists drummer with calls and commands in the boat

Rotation
- think about your back facing out of the boat and toward the shore
Reach
- think about reaching as far up the boat as you can (2 seats ahead of you)
Catch
- think about burying the blade completely before pulling it through the water
- think about falling on the blade
Pull
- think about anchoring the blade in the water, then pulling the boat up to the paddle
- pull the paddle straight through the water, perpendicular to the boat.
Exit
- think about pulling the blade out of the water as it reaches your knee (that way it will be out at your hip)
Recovery
- think about snapping your paddle forward after it exits the water
- any pause should be at the front of the stroke, not at the back
Other Strokes
- draw
- back paddle

Commands are always issued by the drummer. (In practices, the coach will tell drummer to give command, drummer relays command to boat, steersperson, or steersperson relays it to back of boat if necessary.)

"Listen up"
"Load the boat" or "in from the front"
"Brace the boat"
"Paddles up"
"Paddles in the water"
"Take it away light"
"60% (or 70%, 80%, 90%, race) effort"
"Paddle light"
"Paddle easy" or "Easy" - the approprate time to take a drink of water, add or remove clothing, etc. Do this as quickly as possible, then return to bracing the boat.
"Let her run"
"Hold the boat"
"Back it down" or "Back Paddle"
"Front 3 draw left" or "Front 3 draw right"
"Timing" or "time it up" (for correct timing, look as far up the boat and across as you can. E.g. if you paddle on teh left side, look up and across to the right. Listen to the drum; drive paddle in on each drumbeat. Drummer drums off the stroke works with stroke to keep consistent rate.)
"Focus in the boat" or "Eyes in the boat"
"Unload the boat" or "Out from the front"
"Bail the boat"
"Front three (or whatever necessary) seats in the water and bail!"

Throughout our lives, despite the fact that most of us are fortunate enough to have loving families and friends around us, we often fight our battles alone, feeling isolated, feeling that no one understands our situation. The amazing thing about being a part of a team is recognizing that some of your struggles, your pain, as well as your triumphs and joys are shared by other people, from all walks of life.

Although the Kootenay Robusters was started as a breast cancer survivor team, it quickly moved beyond that to incorporate paddlers who, while not having been diagnosed with breast cancer themselves, have felt its impact on their lives. Since I became a part of this group, I have watched how survivors and associates alike have taken their places in the boat, and brought this team from a dream to a reality.

Without the dream of the breast cancer survivors, there would be no Kootenay Robusters. And without the participation of the associates, as well as the spares from the other breast cancer survivor teams, we would not have had enough paddlers to fill the required roster for even one race in Vancouver or Kelowna. Without this support, the dream of the survivors would not have been realized.

I've looked at my list of team members, and noticed the "associate" or "survivor" beside each name. And I've thought how as a group we've transcended that. I have heard people say they don't even differentiate survivor from associate. And some have said they didn't even know who was and who wasn't at first. We have become one team, transcending the boundary between us.

As we were about to paddle out for the Challenge race for breast cancer survivors, our associate paddlers were gathered round, standing on shore because they weren't allowed in the boat, even though their hearts were there with us. When the announcer said "This race is for breast cancer survivors and people who have been touched by breast cancer" I saw several associates instinctively lay their hands on their chests, as if to say "I too have been touched by breast cancer." They may not have even realized they did it. It is an image I will carry with me for a long time. At the time I thought "then all our paddlers should be in this boat; we shouldn't be leaving them on the shore!" It struck me that they were being kept from the boat by a technicality.

Maybe those of you who are survivors will be shocked by me saying that. You may say that there is a profound difference in having been diagnosed with breast cancer and having not. And of course you are right. But the greater truth is we have all been drawn together because of breast cancer. Whether we've faced the diagnosis ourselves, whether we've watched our loved ones succumb to the disease while we stood helplessly by, or whether we've shared in the triumph of loved ones in beating back the beast, we share this . This includes the men who have donated their time and energies in providing coach boat service during practice, in providing goodies after practice, and in jumping in the boat to paddle when we needed it.

For those of us who have been fortunate to not yet hear the terrible words from our doctors, for some of us, the operative word may well be "yet". We all know the statistics, and we know that it is entirely possible that there will come a day when as an associate we step from the side of the other associates and join the survivors. We have already seen this happen with Kay. And we know that the sad truth is that increasing our ranks as a survivor team means more diagnoses, more opportunities for breast cancer to win. And so we all stand united against the beast, as one, as the Kootenay Robusters.

As a former paddler, and as a coach, I understand how important it is to be "in the boat" during a race. I have seen how hard it is sometimes for a paddler to be a spare. Not being able to pick up a paddle for the next race is hard. But it is critical to understand that, no matter whether you are in the boat or not, you are a part of the team, and the team needs your energy. That is why the spares accompany the paddlers to the martialling area, to give their energy. That is why the spares are there to greet the paddlers when they come off the water, to share in the joys and in the disappointments. We are all one team, and every team needs its spares. In hockey not everyone gets to be on the ice when the final buzzer goes. But they are still one team. In football there are more players standing on the sidelines than there are on the field when the final touchdown is made, but they are no less members of the team than the player who ran the ball in. They are still one team. In dragon boating not everyone gets to be in the boat every time it crosses the finish line. Yet the spares stand on the shore, smiling their support, cheering their teammates on, because they are one team.

Being a true team player takes courage and commitment. It means rising above one's own individual desires and concerns, and doing what is best for the team. I saw many instances of good team player-ship in Kelowna and in Vancouver, and I'm sure there were many instances that I did not witness.

Being a team player is going to the races anyway, even when you know you won't be in the boat. (And sometimes you end up in the boat anyway!) Being a team player is giving up your seat in the boat for a race, so that some other paddler might get an extra race in. Being a team player is taping your glasses to your face, so that they won't slide off during a race. Being a team player is getting back in the boat after your worst nightmare happens, when you would rather do anything else but that. Being a team player is going back to your hotel room and counting out strokes in your head so you can nail down the stroke rate for the next race. Being a team player is knowing that, even though you were not in the boat for a particular race, you are still a part of the team, that your energy and commitment helped take the team to its place on the finish line. Being a team player is recognizing that however hard it is for an individual to not be in the boat, that coaches makes decisions that they feel are best not only for the team, but for the individual paddler. Being a team player is taking the time to wish your teammates the best when you can't be there, even when you are in the midst of your own deep personal struggle. Being a team player means breathing in energy from the team when you need it, and breathing out energy to the team when your teammates need it.

There were so many special moments this weekend, and throughout the summer. Moments that served to cement this group of individuals that came together to paddle, whether they wear the "S" or the "A". Moments that strengthened our commitment to each other as teammates. Reflect on them for awhile. I know I will. There are few things in life that can equal that special, shining moment when a disparate group of individuals, with their own goals and dreams and aspirations, come together as one and create magic.