12 Tips for Newbie Teams
12. The time commitment from each team is as follows:
Teams may opt to organize additional practices. See our "On the Water" and "Off the Water" sections for details.
11. The Team Captain is the “go to” person for the group. All race communications are sent to the team captain who is responsible for communicating with his or her team before race day. The captain may or may not be a paddler. The captain is responsible for collecting forms and payments, getting the team to the marshalling area 30 minutes prior to a race, setting seat assignments, lining up team for loading, serving as the “voice” of the team and keeping the team connected on race day. Teams may also select a co-captain to share the captain’s responsibilities.
10. A team is comprised of up to 25 members.
If your team only numbers 16 people (the minimum allowed), it still must have 8 women in the boat. The drummer does not count as one of
your 8 women. A team may be comprised of all women.
The festival will provide a trained coach/steersperson for the practice and the race. He or she will make sure the boat is balanced and give your
team strategical advice.
Teams will be asked to provide their Team Roster at their practice session
9. Choose a 21st person on the boat to serve as your drummer. This person should be lightweight and not afraid to sit high up on a drum seat. This person needs some rhythm, because they will be following the strokes’ lead. The drummer beats the drum in time with the strokes. The drummer always takes the cadence from the lead paddlers (strokes) to maintain a smooth stroke in the middle part of the race.
8. The Team Captain needs to plan for the weight distribution in the boat. The lightest people should be seated in the front and the very back of the boat. The heaviest people should be placed in the middle. <More on how to assign boat positions here>
7. Your team gets one free practice session (held two weeks before the event). Be sure your team is signed up for your practice session. If you have a few paddlers who cannot attend with your team, encourage them to attend another team’s practice session (there are typically seats open every hour).
6. The boats are about 42 feet long, 3.5 feet wide, and weigh about 550 pounds. Four boats are racing while four are loading paddlers at the docks. The race is fast and furious and typically lasts less than a minute. <Read more about the race format here>
5. The festival provides a 10’x10’ team tent to provide shelter from the sun. Be sure let your teammates know to meet at your team tent on race day. Tents will be numbered and a map will be provided to you via email a few days before the event.
4. Each team will race a minimum of three heats on race day (we’ll send the first heat schedule to you three days prior to the races.) Be sure to check the results board after your third race, as many teams will race in a fourth heat for the divisional champion title. Use the time between heats to do warm-ups before paddling and some cool down exercises after paddling. We’ll also have volleyball and other yard games available to play with your team between heats.
3. Bring your team spirit. Our Spirit Committee will be listening for your spirited song, looking for your team’s sign and decked out space in the athlete’s village and watching for your team’s unique fashion statement. The team who shows the most spirit will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony.
2. We recommend bringing camping chairs, sunglasses, sunscreen, reusable water bottle, hat and extra set of clothes on both practice and race day. Plan to drink lots of water throughout the day to keep hydrated.
1. We provide the boats, paddles, and life jackets. We race rain or shine. Remember the real goal is participating in a fun community event while raising money for our community at the same time.
- Attending a one hour captains meeting - (TBA) 20th Ave YMCA Captain and/or his/her delegate only.
- Attending one 1.5 hour practice session (Sept. 5-7, 2014)
- Attending the races from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014
Teams may opt to organize additional practices. See our "On the Water" and "Off the Water" sections for details.
11. The Team Captain is the “go to” person for the group. All race communications are sent to the team captain who is responsible for communicating with his or her team before race day. The captain may or may not be a paddler. The captain is responsible for collecting forms and payments, getting the team to the marshalling area 30 minutes prior to a race, setting seat assignments, lining up team for loading, serving as the “voice” of the team and keeping the team connected on race day. Teams may also select a co-captain to share the captain’s responsibilities.
10. A team is comprised of up to 25 members.
- 20 paddlers (8 must be female, all must be at least 12 years of age)
- 1 drummer
- Up to three alternates
- 1 steersperson (provided)
If your team only numbers 16 people (the minimum allowed), it still must have 8 women in the boat. The drummer does not count as one of
your 8 women. A team may be comprised of all women.
The festival will provide a trained coach/steersperson for the practice and the race. He or she will make sure the boat is balanced and give your
team strategical advice.
Teams will be asked to provide their Team Roster at their practice session
9. Choose a 21st person on the boat to serve as your drummer. This person should be lightweight and not afraid to sit high up on a drum seat. This person needs some rhythm, because they will be following the strokes’ lead. The drummer beats the drum in time with the strokes. The drummer always takes the cadence from the lead paddlers (strokes) to maintain a smooth stroke in the middle part of the race.
8. The Team Captain needs to plan for the weight distribution in the boat. The lightest people should be seated in the front and the very back of the boat. The heaviest people should be placed in the middle. <More on how to assign boat positions here>
7. Your team gets one free practice session (held two weeks before the event). Be sure your team is signed up for your practice session. If you have a few paddlers who cannot attend with your team, encourage them to attend another team’s practice session (there are typically seats open every hour).
6. The boats are about 42 feet long, 3.5 feet wide, and weigh about 550 pounds. Four boats are racing while four are loading paddlers at the docks. The race is fast and furious and typically lasts less than a minute. <Read more about the race format here>
5. The festival provides a 10’x10’ team tent to provide shelter from the sun. Be sure let your teammates know to meet at your team tent on race day. Tents will be numbered and a map will be provided to you via email a few days before the event.
4. Each team will race a minimum of three heats on race day (we’ll send the first heat schedule to you three days prior to the races.) Be sure to check the results board after your third race, as many teams will race in a fourth heat for the divisional champion title. Use the time between heats to do warm-ups before paddling and some cool down exercises after paddling. We’ll also have volleyball and other yard games available to play with your team between heats.
3. Bring your team spirit. Our Spirit Committee will be listening for your spirited song, looking for your team’s sign and decked out space in the athlete’s village and watching for your team’s unique fashion statement. The team who shows the most spirit will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony.
2. We recommend bringing camping chairs, sunglasses, sunscreen, reusable water bottle, hat and extra set of clothes on both practice and race day. Plan to drink lots of water throughout the day to keep hydrated.
1. We provide the boats, paddles, and life jackets. We race rain or shine. Remember the real goal is participating in a fun community event while raising money for our community at the same time.