You have the questions, we have the answers. Below you can find our extensive Q&A for all enthusiasts, people on the fence, or people who is not entirely interested in trying out but want to engage with our social atmosphere. If there is a question you have that is not listed here, you can always give us a shout here and we will reply with haste!
The Sport of Dragon Boat, born out of its 2000 year old traditional origins, is a water sport where you have a steers-person steering, a drummer drumming, and 20 paddles (10 per side) paddling inside a long boat. From there, the crew attends regattas (competitions) where we perform three or more races with distances of 200m, 500m, and/or 2000m against other like-minded crews. It is a team sport that can be easy to learn, but hard to master as you are tested on your power, mobility and ability to synchronize with the rest of the crew in very quick pace environments.
Q: Why is it called dragon boat?
A: There is a dragon head placed on the front of the boat, hence dragon boat racing. without the head it'll be just... boat racing?
Q: Why should I join?
A: Well that is a loaded question. Here are a few reasons why we believe people join and stay with UCDBC:
- Build you from the ground up in fitness. Regardless of where your starting point is, we want to push that potential.
- Fostering growth. We push you to grow in all aspects of your university life.
- Resources. With our in-house nutritionist, you can find the information you need for your dietary needs. Many of our paddle coaches are also professionally engaged with fitness and provides training that reflects that knowledge.
- Adaptability. We know you are all busy people, and our gym approach reflects that, with providing the option to train outside of coach-present gym sessions after you learn the movements.
- Transparency. When possible, many of our decisions are communicated with the team, rather than simply authorized.
- Diverse. You provide an inclusive environment with our intellectually and culturally diverse student base.
- Family. The idea of being close with 50 or more people is possible if you allow it to be, since you will most likely be seeing the same core group of people in the gym and in social settings (maybe in class as well).
Q: “What kind of experience do I need?”
- A: No experience is needed whatsoever! We strive to push you from any starting point whether you’re completely new to fitness or a veteran. Throughout the season, we will be providing extensive paddling sessions so that we are all relatively skilled come our first regatta.
Q: “Who is eligible?”
- A: If you are currently related to the University of Toronto in any manner – student, faculty member, affiliate (e.g. Michener Institute) – then you are eligible.
Q: “I am not affiliated with University College. Am I still able to try out?”
- A: Our team composition in every year has been naturally diverse – our teammates comes from a variety of colleges and faculties. Not being affiliated with University College will not place you are a disadvantage.
Q: "How committed do I have to be?"
- A: The minimum attendance is two short (1 to 1.5 hour) gym sessions and the weekly Saturday practices to be considered for for the competitive roster. Aside from that, attending our socials and gatherings are also a bonus (they are more beneficial to you than the coaches to be honest).
Q: “The gym times don’t work with my schedule. How can I still work out?”
- A: We do know that you are all busy people. If that level of commitment is too difficult due to conflict, do speak with a coach as we’ve allowed many accommodations in the past. We want to help you so that you are not put in a disadvantage come the.selection period.
Q: “What if I can’t swim?”
- A: a number of previous UC captains could not swim properly. (Since regattas require you to wear a personal floating device anyways) you do not need to know how to swim and you will not drown because of that.
Q: “What is the training program like?”
A: we won’t reveal our entire masterplan here, but we will spill the basic schematic to you:
- Hypertrophy, strength and enduranced-based periodization over 8 months (September – April)
- mixture of aerobic and anaerobic exercises, with a focus on more explosive and anaerobic activity
- Foundational exercises will be taught first (e.g. bench press, deadlift variants, pull ups)
- full body workouts with certain splits for workout
- HIIT (high intensity interval training) / circuit training courses during Saturday practices.
- Specificity in exercises in relation to dragon boat will be taught as we progress closer to the on-water season
Q: “How much does it cost?”
- A1: The recruitment season and training from the coaches are absolutely free.
- A2: Because we’re essentially a student club and act as a non-profit organization, we cannot provide a set amount when being selected for the crew. But we do expect it to keep it as low as possible (low to high $400’s), which is a steal compared to the $1000+ price tag to join community and premier dragon boat teams.
Q: “How can I start trying out?”
- A1: Be contact with any of the student coaches and if we have your email (and you’re receiving our weekly emails), then you are officially trying out.
- A2: You can email us right now with the tagline “trying out” to ucdragonboat@gmail.com
Q: “It’s already October/November! Am I still able to try out?”
- a: Definitely! Our selection period happens early in the second semester (January / February). as long as you have been meeting our eligibility requirements, then you are still able to try out.
Q: “Do I have to be in Toronto during the summer to paddle with the team?”
- A: We are able to accommodate short breaks from our practices if you need to be out of the country, but we do expect that each athlete is able to paddle in all the regattas when we announce it during the selection period. (regattas usually happen in late May to July).”
Q: “I am no longer interested in trying out. How can I unsubscribe from weekly emails?”
- A: Please email us at ucdragonboat@gmail.com with the subject line “unsubscribe” and we will remove you from our listserv.
Q: What is the difference between Water Dragons and Hydras?
- A1: Ultimately, there is no barrier that prevents people in the Hydra boat to paddle with the Water Dragons. but while we still wish for two boats of equal caliber, we do recognize that the Hydras are still a younger boat addition to the team. For this reason we respect the fact that the Hydras have their own identity and own story to tell and the WD have a legacy to uphold.
- A2: However, as a team, all athletes will be mixed up through both boats whenever possible to ensure everybody’s