Please help me congratulate @Christina Potter on her successful completion of the Level 2 Race Steering program. She sailed through the coursework, nailed her final exam, and completed her competency assessment. Congrats Christina!

What is the scariest weather-related experience you've ever encountered on the water? How would you make sure that you and your crew stay safe in an unexpected, weather-related situation? #level1

If you practice where other boaters (especially motor boaters) are present, make sure you know what the relevant rules of the waterways are. How do you think others with whom you share your waterway(s) perceive dragon boats (i.e. as welcome, an annoyance, etc.)? How could the relationship between dragon boaters and other types of recreational boaters be improved? #level1

1. Video review 2. One-on-one coaching 3. Improve fitness 4. Watch other paddlers 5. Practice VIDEO REVIEW is one of the best tools to help you become a better paddler. Video doesn't lie 🤣... seeing yourself on screen is like nothing else: it shows you exactly what's happening: are you sitting upright through the stroke, are you rotating enough, are you getting a negative or positive catch, are you pulling too soon, etc. etc. If you haven't had an opportunity to do video review, ask your coach if they could set up a session for the team. If this isn't something your coach has experience with, you can grab a video review session in the classroom. ONE-ON-ONE COACHING will help you improve fast. An experienced dragon boat coach can guide and correct you in the moment, demonstrate and model for you, and break down complex concepts. 1:1 coaching sessions really allow a coach to give you individual attention, which isn't usually possible in full team practice. If you don't have proximal access to a qualified coach, ask us about virtual coaching. IMPROVING YOUR FITNESS will give you huge gains. The stronger and fitter you are, the better your dragon boat stroke will be. Your training program should include a balance of resistance training and cardio. Many paddlers think they should focus on specific body areas but you really need to focus on the full body: legs, arms, chest, back, and core. Pushing, pulling, and rotational movements. Intervals, sprints, and longer pieces. Find a trainer who understands the sport and get a good program. Please note: this probably will NOT be your team coach unless they are also a certified personal trainer. WATCH OTHER PADDLERS. YouTube is full of race videos... watch them. Watch front, back, and side views. When you're at races, watch the other dragon boats. Watch how the paddlers move, how they are maximizing their energy and power—or wasting it. Is the back of their stroke soft? Are they chopping at the water? Or do they load their paddle at the catch and maintain a strong connection throughout? The more you watch the more you'll start to see patterns and insights that you can then apply to your own paddling.