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My dragon boat team had an awesome festival this weekend. Our placement was good, but more than that we performed some amazing starts and showed really good focus through most of the races. But I got to thinking about focus and what improves or reduces our ability to focus on the specific task we are … Continue reading
Watching the Olympics it is interesting to see the pre- and post-performance rituals that many athletes perform and think about all the ones we don’t know of. Canadian diver Jennifer Abel talked about her ritual with her chamois before she dives, and the fact that she keeps the same chamois for an entire Olympic cycle. Other athletes … Continue reading
We have two systems that provide energy when we exercise: anaerobic (without oxygen) and aerobic (with oxygen). In really simple terms, we use the anaerobic system during short bouts of exercise. The aerobic system takes over after about 90 seconds. The major difference is what waste product gets produced. They both break down glucose but … Continue reading
As a person who trains and competes in multiple sports I have consistently been told that I need to taper my training before a major competition. But what does this really mean? If I’m getting ready for a running race should I be taking it easy and jogging through my last week? Should I do … Continue reading
With October being breast cancer awareness month it seemed fitting to write about the connections between breast cancer and dragon boating. At every festival I have attended there are teams of breast cancer survivors. There are breast cancer survivor challenge races, flower ceremonies, and generally not a lot of dry eyes. But how did the … Continue reading
During my first couple years of dragon boating I messed up. I would do the dry land warm up with the team and then hang around in marshalling until it was our time to go down to the boats. Then when we finally got on the water I would hold back the entire way to … Continue reading
Several years ago, when I was paddling with a different dragon boat team my coach forgot to put me in the line up for festival. Instead she had a guest paddler. The moment someone pointed out the oversight she put me into the line up, in the bench the guest paddler had been sitting in. … Continue reading
This weekend was the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival. I paddle and co-coach Dragon Blades, which used to be made up of skaters and family members from the Edmonton Speed Skating Club, but in all honesty is now more friends than skaters. We had an amazing festival, finishing 5th overall. There were a lot of things … Continue reading
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