Montreal DragonFly

Ciao guys!

For those who came to practice last Friday, it was very productive and very intense!  We did about a 1km warm-up for starters.  Then, we did some sectional paddling where Jason (replacing Melissa)  gave-us individual pointers…  then, we did about 24 x 1min sets at 80% intensity where we worked on techniques & synchronization…  and we finished-off with a 1km race with 250m turns.  Amazingly enough, we still had enough energy to pull-off the power pick-ups for all the turns and the finish!

Here are some pointers that Jason gave-us…  or reminders of what Melissa kept telling us to focus on:

• To sit-up!
• To not pull our paddle all the way back…  pass our hip…  you’re just putting the brakes!  You want to pull-it at the hip vertically.
• Quck exits!  Jason gave the exemple of playing basketball…  it’s like the motion of about to shoot the ball…  the push of your toes when you’re about to shoot the ball…  You want that exact “push” when you’re exiting from the water.  Also, for every paddler not exiting at the same time = x times on the brakes
• Upper arm straight.  If it’s bent = you’re not reaching and your stroke is inefficient.
• Reach-out = Rotate…  it doesn’t mean to move up and down your back…  it means to rotate your core & shoulder…. then pull like if you’re in a “tug of war”…  while keeping your blade vertically… pull till you’ve sit-up…  then, quick exit…  etc.
• Look-up!  You need to follow the pace of the pacers.  We had a lot caterpillar effect during practice.  Looking down at the paddle is no good…  it means that you’re not sitting-up for starters…  it doesn’t help with your breathing… and you’re not following the pacers.  With every paddler off pace = putting  x times on the brakes!

I know…  it’s a work in progress!  Every practices COUNTS!!!  And at every practice, we should all focus on these important points and work on them!  REMEMBER!!!

Anyways, here’s the link to Francis’ flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/freakystyley/.  Look for the Montreal DB Festival pics taken from Nicolas Paquet & Yu-Chih albums.  In Yu-Chi’s album, there’s a video of one of our races from the leftside view.

For the girls who participated in the all-women’s team with Maki Catta, there’s an article in the “Courrier Du Sud” about the team and women’s group photo is shown in the paper (Page 24): http://virtuel.lecourrierdusud.canoe.ca/doc/hebdo_le-courrier-du-sud/68-cds2010-5_aout_opt/2010080401/

See-you at next practice!

Nancy

Ciao DragonFly!

It has been a while since the last time that I posted anything on our site…  and lots of catching-up to do…  So, let me just get straight to all the points:

For starters, yesterday’s practice was our last one indoors!  As always, Melissa was focussing on timing, technique, exits, reach & power…  Hopefully, after a season of indoor practices, we can show Melissa how we’ve improved out in the water at next’s practice.  Just a reminder that practice is from 7pm to 8:30pm (yes, on the water).  Be ready for 6:45 at the docks with all of your gear and ready to load onto the boat.  If you’re late, you litterately “MISS THE BOAT”.  And do-you really want to be the ONE that’s going to slow down the momentum of practice for everybody so that we can pick-you up on the shore?  Please dress warm!!!  It’s still early in the season and the evenings are still chilly… plus, you’ll be wet!

 Also, news on the access cards to the bassin olympic facilities….  I just found-out today when I tried to get into the building with my card that it has been disactivated.  It seems that now, the city is charging 15$/season for the access card!  It’s up to you if you want to renew it for the summer season and planning to use their changing rooms, etc.

 FYI, there’s a warehouse sale for O’Neil clothing.  Check below for details.  I went a few years ago and the deals were amazing!  If you have a chance, you should definitely go!

Also, next weekend, there’s the steering clinic for those that are interested.  The cost is 60$ for the whole weekend plus lunch is included.  You’ll be getting some theory on it but, you’ll mostly be on the water.  Vicky has already sent out the e-mail on it…  you can contact Vicky to register.  A few members on the team has already taken the course and we all had a good time and learnt lots!

Guys, just a little reminder to start trainning for our 10KM run with is coming up real soon!  We’ll be running on Les Iles De Boucherville just like last year at the Summer Race on the Islands 05JUN2010.  Remember to register for it!  Some of us have started running before practices. 

Also, summer season has officially started!  So, please, everybody give your 120$/season membership fee to Vicky ASAP.

OK ok ok…  that’s about it from me!  See you on the water next Friday!  Have a good weekend!

Nancy

Hello Dragonflyers!

 Guys, great job!!!  Again, another great practice!  We had a full boat with spares on the sides…  we all worked hard focusing on techniques…  starts…  pick-ups…  but, we still have lots to work on our stoke…  to have a MORE efficient one.  We might put our paddles at the same time…  and possibly taken them out at the same time…  but, we’re not quite efficient with our stroke in the water…  we’re just not pulling the full potential in the water.

 Here’s a video that Melissa wants to check-out on paddling techniques.  Maybe we’ll have a better understanding of it.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnmFbRH-qCg

 Enjoy the video and I’ll see you guys in a few weeks when I get back from Vancouver!

Nancy

Happy New Year Dragonfly!!!

I hope that you guys all had a great holidays…  I know that I did!  Now, yesterday was the first practice of the year and Melissa didn’t give us any break! LOL  We basically worked on our techniques while in different pace rate…  also, she enphasized that at every stroke, we have to put pressure on the blade when going in…  al the way in before pulling it back….  pull it back quickly for quick recovery time…  and also, give an extra “kick/push” in the back before pulling your blade out and doing the pause in the front…  that way, you maintain the power of the boat moving and never letting it sick.

We also worked on our starts which are 5-15-5.  We worked on the first 5 which are 5 real DEEP stroke with slightly less of a reach then at race pace…  to “lift” the boat.  The following 15 strokes, we basically increase the pace to get the boat moving…  at this point, you should be using a lot of your back & shoulder muscles for this…  a lot of twisting!  The last 5 strokes is our transition to race pace…  a pace that we can maintain during a 500m race, for example.  The first few starts, we were all over the place…  but, we slowly got together at the end.  Just remember that you have to keep your heads-up…  look at the person in front of you, the mirrors to look at the team & the pacer to be in synch with the whole team.  This is very important!  Because for every paddler that is off synch…  it slows down the boat by a little…  and if we don’t all put on paddles in the water at the same…   or we don’t pause at the same…   our speed slows down by every paddler that’s not in synch…  and we all know how it feels to lose a race by just a milliseconde… it TOTALLY SUCKS!

Anyways, just food for thought!  Till next practice!

Nancy

Ciao guys!

 That was our last practice of the YEAR 2009!!!  And we finished with a great practice…  we obviously worked on our technics with Melissa’s personal feedback on each of us…  and we also worked on maintainning power, pace & technic while increasing the pace…  just like if we’re calling for start…  a pick-up or a finish.  Most excellent!

 And Melissa finished with a little treat for all of us who showed-up to practice last Friday…  homemade cookies made by her truly!  Thanks Melissa for the cookies!!!  They were real good!

 Hanting had sent out an e-mail about our next 10KM run for next year.  As you all know, every member on the team must do a 10KM run.  Reminder to register for it!  Here’s her message:

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Hello DragonFly,

Just a friendly confirmation that our 3rd Annual 10K Run will be on May 16th, 2010 (Sunday) @10:15am. Online registration is now available at http://www.circuitendurance.ca/en/racepierrefonds.htm. Yeah, as long as you remember this crucial date and consider doing something about it some day some time soon, please continue to help yourselves to the third, fourth or even fifth helping of that ever-so-yummy dish! =)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Cheers,

Hanting

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Also, the team is selling ski tickets for Jay Peak as our next fundraiser…  all the profits will go into paying for next summer’s festivals/races that the team will be participating.  We’re selling the adult tickets at 47$ and student (<18 years old) tickets at 37$.  If you want tickets to sell, ask Vicky & Brian for tickets!  There’s a prize for the best seller!

So, guys, next practice is 08JAN2010!!!  Enjoy the little time-off during the holidays!  Merry X-Mas & Happy New Year!

 Nancy

Ciao guys!

 Sorry that I couldn’t make it to practice last Friday!  Mom organized a supper with friends/family which doesn’t happen very often…  and if I didn’t attend, I’ll be nagged to death…  So, I had to say yes!  Believe-me when I say this…  I wish that I was there just to burn-off the excess calories that I had at that supper!  Ate way too much for my own good!

 Anyways, I heard that it was a great practice!  I gotten a few feedbacks from some of you that I got to see over the weekend.  It seems that you guys worked on your stroke while slowly increasing your pace and also keeping control.  Most excellent!

Here’s a couple of videos that Melissa wants us to check-out.  It’s to help-us work on the proper muscles that we want to use when we paddle.  Maybe the next time that you’re at a gym or when you’re paddling, you might want to think about it.  Anyways, here are the two videos:

See-you guys on Friday!  Have a good week!

 Nancy

Welcome back!

 The 2009-2010 season has started…  indoor practice has begun!  I’m glad that we had a great turn-out for last Friday’s practice.  For those that couldn’t make it, we went back to basics and focus a lot on using our shoulders/back for an efficient stroke.  The pace was very slow…  so that we can emphasize more on our errors which Melissa gave us feedback on it and it also gave us time to focus on which muscles that we were working on.  I know that for myself, I’m still feeling the effect of practices!

 Here’s a video that Melissa wants us to check-out: 2008 Olympics Canoe.  Have a look before next practice…  I have a feeling that Melissa is going to ask us about it!

Here’s another video that Melissa posted on her FB of 2009 DB World Championships - 200m Open Finals.  Look at the pace that these teams are doing…  but, also look at their strokes and their synchronization.  Like WOW!

Take care!

 Nancy 

Ciao guys!

Have a look at the pic.  Notice anything?

Melissa made me send you this pic for tonight’s practice…  and yes, this was our main focus of practice…  QUICKER EXITS!  I know I know I know…  this was just us during our warm-up on our way to starting line…  but, still, it doesn’t look good.  Like Melissa said during practice…  as everybody exits at different rate…  it slows down the boat till the very last paddle is out.  Keep that in mind!  At tonight’s practice, we did sectional paddling where every second row, the paddler behind would put their paddle vertical behind your bench to block you whenever you pull to far back…  we all did it and realize that we all pulled too far back…  which makes no point since we’re not pulling anymore water at that point…  Remember what Melissa said…  we want the good stuff…  and that’s what’s in front of you!  Towards the end of practice, it made a huge difference when we exit all at the same time and paddled in synch…  the boat was moving so smoothly and also, it avoids the boat from sinking.   By reaching too far back, you’re not reaching fast enough the front to pull more water and gives a chance for the boat to sink…  and we all know that it sucks to paddle a sinking boat!  We feel heavy and sluggish!  Anyways, we gotta work on that.

 Also, at the end of practice, Melissa started making us work on our turns for the Quebec Cup 2km races.  During the turns, for now, we’ll be paddling the exact way as we do now…  unless she calls “PULL”.  When she says that during a turn, this command is only for the first 3 paddlers on the left and the back 3 paddlers on the right.  You guys will start paddling in a 45 degree angle while still keeping pace with the rest of the boat.  For the whole boat, during the turns, the right side has to focus on long reaches while the left side had to focus on very DEEP strokes to get the boat moving.  For those that were at practice tonight knows how heavy the boat feels during a turn…  we need to focus on this to get the boat moving as fast as possible out of the turn…  and once that we’re out of the turn…  I know that this is crazy talk but it must be done…  Melissa will call for a pick-up of 10 strokes right away to get to race pace again.

 For all those that haven’t experienced a 2km race during the Quebec Cup with 3 turns to do during this race with 10 teams at the same time, I’ll strongly suggest that you check-out the Canadian DragonBoat Championship which will be held from 22-23 of August at the Bassin Olympic.  All the top teams in Canada will be there…   and for them to qualify to make it to the Wold DB Championship in Macau in 2010…  they all have to do the 2km race with turns.  This should be quite a show to see!  And also give you a better idea what to expect for Quebec Cup in September!

 Anyways, enjoy the weekend…  get rested…  we have practice on MONDAY!

 Nancy

Another great practice!  Though, we lost Winnie due to nausea, Ramy to fever and Mikael who needed to catch a bus for NYC towards the end of practice.  Marc-Daniel gave us a great practice…  Thanks Melissa for finding us a great sub coach! 

• We’ve determined that our starts will be 5-15-5.  Since 7-15-5 wasn’t good for us…  the start was too slow to reach race pace.  We’re better off with 5-15-5.
• Note that the first 5 strokes have to be long (reach-it out) and DEEP to be able to LIFT the boat.
• Note that the following 15 strokes, you don’t need to bend your back…  it’s more rotation and increasing pace to reach race pace.
• I don’t know about the rest of you…  but, I really enjoyed the pressure of being pushed or feeling the rush from the 8 pack in the back…  which helped us in the front to focus and increase pace without losing control.  I hope that we’ll get to keep this!
• The last two 250m pieces were eye openners for the most of us where the pacers (first 3 rows) went to the back while the back 3 rows went to the front.  I hope that with this experience, we now have a better understanding of the different water resistence flowing through out the boat and the different roles in the boat.
• Like MD mentionned during practice, if you’re starting to feel aching pain/muscle, it’s time to focus on proper technique then strenght/power.  Do the SUPERMAN posture!  Keep that in mind!
• When the coach calls for a pick-up, it doesn’t mean to bundle-up and lose your reach.  It’s the total opposite!  Reach-it out and do the Superman!

Well, I have to say that it’s starting to look a lot better!  We might actually kick some ass at the upcoming festival!  Remember that we have practice on Monday, 22JUN2009 and Friday, 26JUN2009.  Every practice counts!  Don’t be late!

 Have a good weekend!

 Nancy

Dragonflyers,

Yes, it was another intense practice with Melissa…  and lets also welcome Linda & Leslie onto the boat!  Cheers!  Tonight, we definitely had a great turn-out!  Most excellent!  We must keep the number of attendance high for the summer… every practice counts NOW!!!   We need to be ready for our races this summer….  and for those that attended practice tonight…  though, we did manage to beat the same team twice at a 250m race…  we still NEED TONS of improvement!

 Things to work-out:

• Our start is still weak.  I don’t know if any of you on the boat even felt the boat “LIFT” but, I didn’t.  That’s not a good sign.  The boat initial state is still and heavy in the water.  The goal of the first 5 strong power strokes in the beginning is to LIFT the boat.  That’s why the deeper that you paddle…  the more water that you’re pulling with all of your strength.  Also, Melissa enphasized on the REACH.  Obviously, if you reach-out more, you’re pulling more water…  and get the boat the move a LOT more.
• We’re getting better with the 15 strokes & 5 transition strokes.  We must keep in mind that the 5 transition strokes is for us to get from really fast pace to actual race pace…  during the transition phase, we slowly start reaching-out, focus on pushing into the water…  pulling more water…  but, we can’t let the boat slow down too much…  This is still a race for obvious reasons!
• Now for the race pace…  after speaking to Melissa…  we’re still far from reaching our race pace.  Hard to believe but, we’ll have to paddle faster…  with control & power if we want to make the cut.  So, this is a warning…  next practices, we’ll be expecting to be paddling even at a much higher pace!
• The boat is technically separated in three parts: the pacers (the first three rolls), the engine room and the rockets (the last three rolls).  The job of the pacers is to set the pace for the rest of the boat.  The engine room is where the most of the POWER is coming from and they work even harder to lift the boat.  The rockets…  why that name???  Well, if you haven’t noticed, for the pacers, the water that they’re paddling is dead…  more resistence to paddle…  then, that same water goes through the engine room….  slightly easier to paddle since their water was already moving…  by the time that it gets to the back of the boat…  the water is even FASTER…  less resistence then it went through the engine room…  they have to paddle even more faster just to keep-up to pace with the rest of the boat because of it…  ROCKETS!  In other words, if you have less resistence, you should be able to pull even more water…  meaning “reaching out more” but, you’ll have to make quick exits to keep-up with the pace of the rest of the boat.  You know what I mean?
• The caterpillar effect…  As Steven and maybe some of you might have felt it on the boat during practice….  Obviously, this is not good since we want the boat to go on the water as smoothly as possible…  or like Melissa said…  she only wants to hear ONE UNIFORM sound of paddles hitting the water all at the same time.  This caterpillar effect has more of a negative effect…  slowing us down mostly and also wasting our efforts in getting the boat moving.  To lose this effect, we must focus…  meaning, we must LOOK-UP…  look at the person in front of us…  look at the pacers…  we must imitate the person in front of us!!!  At the end, we must be ONE.  This means that if their paddle is in the water, your paddle is in the water…  if their paddle is coming out of the water, yours too….  if they do a pause, you too…  See where I’m getting at with this?  You become the person in front’s shadow!

To finish-off, I know that the 10km run for the most of us is done….  but, this doesn’t mean that we should slack off now.  You guys know that one practice is just not enough to cut it…  Most competative teams have 2-3 practice a week plus gym trainning….  It might not be another dragonboat practice, but you must do some other exercises to stay in shape…  As for me, I go to the gym 3 times/week….  plus, I went for 2.5km jog before practice as well.  Stay in shape!!!

That’s it for now…  looking forward to the next practice!  Have a good weekend!

 Nancy