Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge
The link below is for the full information pack.
Team - Each team will consist of a maximum of 16 paddlers and 1 drummer. Additional members should be enrolled, to allow substitutes to be used in later races.
Declaration - Team Managers, when registering, will produce a list of team members, recorded on the Crew Declaration Form enclosed. The Team Manager will sign the declaration on behalf of the whole team, accepting all the risks involved in participating, and that all team members are fit and able to swim, as per the medical instructions below. He/she agrees not to hold Race The Dragon, the Rotary Clubs of Wakefield Chantry, Normanton and Horbury & Ossett Phoenix, Wakefield MDC, and any designated Charities benefiting from this event, liable for any claims arising from any accident resulting in any loss or damage, including bodily injury or death, and agree to be bound by the Rules. Any team member considered by the Race The Dragon event Director to be unfit, or unsuitable for any reason including physical condition, alcohol or drugs, will not be permitted to race, and the Event Director’s decision in that respect will be final.
Age Limit - All team members must be 12 years of age and a minimum height of 1.30M to paddle and 12 years of age or over to be the team drummer. Where a team is comprised primarily of members between 12 and 16 years old, then a responsible adult/officer of the organisation/club/society that entered the team must be in the boat as well and take responsibility for them.
Racing - Racing will commence around 10.00am and continue throughout the day to finish between 4.00 and 5.00pm Each team will race three times against the clock. The finalists will be determined by using each teams fastest time. Depending on the final number of teams competing, the heats will be between 2 or 3, boats, and the Grand Final will consist of 6 boats.
The Course - The 250 metre (approx) course will start near the South bank of the lake, and will finish in front of the Clubhouse. Teams will board their boat from the pontoon in front of the Clubhouse. They will paddle up the West side of the lake to the start line. After each race, the team will disembark at the pontoon.
Control of Racing - Race the Dragon Ltd (RtD) will organise the racing in accordance with the rules of the International Dragon Boat Federation. An Event Director will be in overall control of racing, and his directions, relayed over the public address system or by radio to marshals on the lake, are to be obeyed by team members at all times.
The Director’s decisions will be final on all aspects of racing. RtD will provide the helmsman in each boat. His/her duties are to navigate and to oversee the safety of the team members at all times.
All instructions to the team members must be responded to immediately.
Medical restrictions - Team members must be reasonably fit, able to swim 50 metres wearing a life jacket, and not vastly overweight in relation to their height. If you are unsure whether you are fit to take part, please seek advice from your GP. If any team member has a disability, they will be asked to sign a Disabled waiver on the enclosed form. The Event Director reserves the right to refuse any team member from entering the event, if he has grounds for believing the person is physically or medically unfit to race.
Insurance - RtD fully comply with industry standards and are members of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (BDA). They have Public Liability Insurance of £5m and Employers Liability Insurance of £10m. the Rotary Clubs also have coverage for events of this nature.
Health and Safety - Each team member will be required to be in possession of
Safety boats will be on the lake at all times during racing.
Facilities – Showers are available in the Club House BUT only for teams to use in the event of a capsize.
Toilet facilities. Portaloos will be provided.
Food. The Club House has a Cafeteria, which will be open to teams and the public. There will also be a number of food seller concessions on site during the day.
Teams may also bring their own food for their team members and families.
Challenge Trophy and Cups - The Stuart Wardell Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the winning team to hold for one year. It remains the property of the organisers and must be returned in good time before the following years event.
The winning team will also be awarded a Trophy that may be retained. All team members in the first second and third overall teams will receive a commemorative medal. There will also be a prize for the Best Dressed Team.
Best dressed team - All teams are encouraged to wear matching team outfits and fancy dress, thus adding to the atmosphere on the day. During the day, an independent adjudicator will identify the winner, and the trophy will be presented to the chosen team.
Team identification - As each team will race in different boats throughout the day, it will not be possible to decorate a boat with the team’s colours etc. However, so that a team can be identified on the water, teams can purchase a name board that can be installed on the boat they are racing in for a specific race.
Teams can also arrange to have a boat branded with their logo/name although there is no guarantee that they will always race in a boat so decorated.
Please use the contact form on this site to ask for details and costs of these options.
Commentary - Throughout the day, there will be a commentary about the event over the PA system. Each team is asked to provide in advance on the enclosed form,background information about their organisation, their team and its characters, humorous or otherwise, which can be used to ‘entertain’ the crowd. This form can be handed in at Registration time.
Brochures - A comprehensive brochure in full colour will be available a few weeks before the event, and each team will receive 5 complimentary copies. In addition, they will be asked to obtain donations for extra copies in aid of the Rotary Charities. On the day, brochures will be available to the public, for a donation, with a loose sheet with details of all participating teams. These sheets will be distributed to Team Bases before commencement of racing.
