Dragon Boat Challenge
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A Photo Album
of Past Dragon Boat Races
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The City of Niles will again participate in the
Dragon Boat Races in Riverfront Park during Riverfest.
The City of Niles has sponsored a team for the Dragon Boat
Challenge since the inception of the race many years prior. The
Niles Norsemen are comprised of city employees, their family
members and friends. Coordination of the City’s team is done through
the office of the City Administrator.
The Niles Norsemen will have a training session prior
to the Dragon Boat Challenge. At that time boat positions are
assigned by the team captains or the
team coordinators Trisha Knapp and Pam VanLue. Minor children of employees are
allowed on the team if they are at least 14 years of age and have
the permission of their parents. All team members will sign a
Waiver of Liability for each year that they participate. Team
T-Shirts will be distributed at the boat dock prior to the start of
the first race. The team is made up of 18 paddlers, a drummer, a
flag catcher and 5 alternate paddlers.
For more information or to sign up for this winning team, please
contact Pam VanLue at 683-4700 x 215 or Trisha Knapp at x 224. When you sign up, be
sure to remember to give your shirt size. Come out and enjoy
the dragon boat races with us!
Schedule
Race Schedule TBA.
This Year's "Niles Norsemen"
| You |
Your Spouse |
| Your Friend |
Your Other Friend |
| Your Son |
Your Daughter |
| Your Neighbor |
Your Co Worker |
Rules of Competition
Race Committee
The top management of the competition shall be in the hands of a
Race committee, which shall consist of
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Chairman
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Race Director
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Assistant Director(s)
The Race Committee shall:
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Hear any protest that may be made and settle any
disputes that may arise.
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Decide matters concerning disqualification in
cases where the regulations have been broken during the
competition. The decision of the Committee shall be based on
the ADBA Dragon boat rules.
The Race Committee may disqualify any competitor who
behaves improperly or who by his/her conduct or speech shows
contempt toward the officials, other competitors or onlookers.
A member of the Race Committee may not participate
in a judgment connected with his/her team.
Official Timing Procedure
The starter shall be equipped with a radio, which
shall be audible to the timers at the finish. At the starter's
horn, the clocks will be started. Each lane's clock will be
stopped after its boat crosses its finish line and pulls the flag
from its buoy. There shall be one backup manual timer for each
lane. In the event of a missed flag, that team's time will be
the time of the successful team plus 3 seconds. In the event
both teams miss their flags, their times will be the time at which
they crossed the finish line plus 3 seconds, according to the manual
timers. If a time is not calculated during a double missed
flag, the two teams will exit the boats and re-run the heat(s)
within one hour.
General
1.1 The team captain or representative from
each team must address all questions and concerns about the event
prior to the race day. A grievance may be filed by the team
captain only within 15 minutes of the occurrence. The race
director will decide what action to take within the rules set forth
for that particular event.
1.2 Each team will receive a copy of these and
all race rules.
1.3 The MDBA will provide all boats, paddles,
life vest, and sternsmen. The allocation of boats and paddles
shall be at the discretion of Race Officials. No team may
choose its boat or equipment. The officials will not be
responsible for any failure of equipment during a race and each team
is advised to carefully check the boat and paddles allocated to it
before racing. Race officials will replace damaged equipment
at the request of a team before the team leaves the dock or between
heats.
1.4 Once in the marshaling area or on the race
course, teams must obey any reasonable instructions given them by
the race officials and/or the sternsmen.
1.5 Any team that fails to observe these rules
may be disqualified.
1.6 The race officials reserve the right to
refuse any team entry into a race if the team does not comply with
the race rules and conduct.
1.7 All competitors must be at least 14 years
of age before race date to compete. All competitors under the
age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian sign their waiver.
Safety
2.1 Each competitor will be required to wear a
life jacket while in a Dragon Boat.
2.2 All team members must wear rubber soled
shoes, sandals, or water shoes. (Bare feet are not allowed.)
2.3 Each team will have the opportunity to
train in a Dragon Boat before racing.
2.4 The MDBA will provide all Sterns persons.
2.5 It is assumed that all team members and
race crew members will at all times conduct themselves in a prudent
and safe manner so as to avoid endangering themselves and others
either on shore or in a Dragon Boat.
The Team
3.1 Teams are composed of eighteen (18) paddlers, a
drummer, and a flag catcher, (Sternsperson provided by Race
Committee).
3.2 A team may have up to 25 members on its
roster. Each team must have a minimum of six (6) males or six
(6) females in the boat while racing, unless otherwise stated on the
registration form. Only persons listed on the team roster may
participate. The team roster must be turned in prior to the
first race.
3.3 A team may not substitute or add crew
members between heats. A crew member from a lower division may
paddle for a team in an upper division. A crew member from an
upper division may not paddle for a team in a lower division.
Race officials reserve the right to limit and reject paddler
substitutions.
3.4 Any team member observed by an official to
be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be removed from
racing and cannot be replaced.
Marshaling
4.1 A team must be assembled in the Team
Assembly Area and be ready to board 30 minutes before the time of
its race.
4.2 Each team's captain must be present in the
Assembly Area during the time his/her team is under the control of
race officials, as a team liaison to officials.
4.3 A team is under the control of race
officials from the time it is called to the Team Assembly Area, or
30 minutes before its next race, whichever is first, and will remain
under the control of officials until it has left the Team Assembly
Area after its race.
The Race
5.1 Each race will consist of two (2)
approximately 300-meter heats. At completion of the first
heat, boats will return to the starting line, switch lanes and race
the second heat. The winner of each race will be determined on
the basis of the lowest combined time for the two heats. Ties
will be settled by best overall times.
5.2 Teams will paddle the boat assigned to
them by race officials and in the lane assigned.
5.3 If a paddle is dropped during a race, or
is broken, the boat continues and the heat counts. If the
stern paddle breaks or is dropped, the team may rerun that heat due
to an equipment failure. Paddles of team members may be
replaced between heats. Paddlers will be given a paddle
selected by race officials.
The Start
6.1 Once in the starting area, all racing
comes under the control of the starter. Each them must obey
commands given by the starter and by race officials under the
direction of the starter, including the sterns person. Failure
to do so may result in disqualification.
6.2 Approximately one minute before the start,
a warning will be given, followed by a second warning, then a start
signal or command.
6.3 In the event of a false start, a second
signal will be given to stop the race or a chase boat will signal to
stop. Boats will line up again in the same lanes and the heat
will be restarted. If the race is not stopped by the time the
boats reach the half way marker, then the race will be re-run within
one hour.
6.4 If a team causes a false start, then a
warning will be given. If a second false start occurs, the
race will continue but the team at fault will receive a 5-second
penalty.
Race Conduct
7.1 Each boat must remain in its correct lane
and must not interfere with the other boat. Any boat
interfering with the progress of the other boat will be warned.
If such interference warrants, then the offending boat my be
disqualified.
7.2 In the event of a "spin out", an equipment
failure will be declared and that team must rerun that heat, alone.
7.3 If in the opinion of the race officials, a
team appears to have swamped or capsized a boat intentionally or
interfered with the other boat, to the same effect, then the
offending team will be disqualified from all further event racing,
and may be prevented from entering future racing.
The Finish
8.1 The finishing order of a race and the time
taken by each boat will be determined by the official timekeeper and
by the race officials whose determinations will be in all cases,
final.
8.2 In the event of a tie for any place
determining advancement to the next elimination round, the two teams
involved will re-paddle a run off heat.
8.3 Any protest relating to race results must
be brought to the attention of the Race Director by the Team Captain
within ten (10) minutes after disembarking from the boat at the end
of that race.
8.4 No protests will be allowed concerning
equipment or any matter other than the conduct of teams during a
race.
8.5 Only the flag catcher may pull the flag.
The flag catcher must remain on the boat after catching the flag.
Failure to do so will result in a penalty of 5 seconds added to the
opposing teams time.
Footnotes/Amendments
9.1 Michigan Dragon Boat Association (MDBA)
sanctioning body.
9.2 These rules are adapted from the Official
American Dragon Boat Association (ADBA) Racing Rules. In
instances of ambiguity over the meaning or application of these
rules, or where a situation is not covered by a rule herein, the
ADBA rules will govern.
9.4 Read in all instances, Race Committee as
being interchangeable with Race Officials.
9.5 All communication between race officials
and teams will be conducted through the Team Captains. Team
Captains will be responsible for communicating all necessary
information to their respective teams.
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