Story
I'm prepared to dress up in fancy dress as either a Smurf, 70's Disco or a Ninja whilst rowing & racing against other teams from around the UK down the shores of Loch Lomond come rain or shine for a worthwhile cause so im asking for you to dig deep & help us raise as much as we can for Bobath & make it a fun & eventful day for all.
Your all more than welcome to come watch the event as it happens & cheer us on & laugh at the costumes & days events.
What is Dragon Boating You Ask?
Dragon boating is a fun filled, adrenaline pumping, water sports activity where teams race their dragons in a series of timed races over distances of around 250 meters. Dragon boating is said to have originated in China some 2,000 years ago but was brought to the UK in 1992 by Roger Irwin, the Managing Director of Dragon Boat Events Ltd. who recognised it as an ideal community sport. Now very popular with charities as a fund raising exercise, these events offer a unique, high profile alternative to other fund raising methods and is ideal for experienced crews and complete beginners alike as no previous experience is necessary.
About our day:
A typical Dragon Boat Events day starts with a full H&S briefing and shoreside training for each team by their instructor before being allowed access to the boats. The emphasis on the day is very much about team building and competition, with each team getting a guaranteed (weather permitting or unless otherwise specified) three timed races in the qualifying rounds. Each dragon boat will be helmed by one of our professional staff and there will also be music and running commentary throughout the day provided by our Event Director. After each race has finished, the results and times are entered on our leader board so each team can compare their times throughout the day. Not surprisingly, every time the leader board is updated, team members gather round and as the day progresses, the excitement and atmosphere steadily grows.
When all the qualifying rounds have been completed, we take each team’s single fastest time and use those times to rank all the teams in fastest time order. The number of teams qualifying for the Grand Final will depend on the number of dragon boat we have at the event and also the available water if the event is being held on a canal, a small river, or in a location where the safety of other water users might be compromised. The Grand Final is a race to the finish using all the available dragon boats in one last and very dramatic race to the line! At our larger events, this has involved as many as twelve dragon boats all sweeping towards the finish line together as each team strives to be first across the line and so be recognised as Dragon Boat Champions of that event.
The day finishes with an award ceremony where a winner’s trophy is presented to the Captain of the top team and specially cast First, Second and Third place 'Olympic style' Dragon Boat Medals are awarded to each member of the top three teams.
Fancy dress is traditionally worn by all competing teams & weather permitting there will be fun activities for spectators & kids on the day.