2011 Table of Contents A. Introduction • cdba history • Purpose of Manual

• After arriving at the starting line staging area, as soon as possible try to assess - Wind direction in relation to the race course path.

- The wind strength and the approximate time it takes for the wind to push the boat left-to-right or right-to-left within your lane.

- Determine whether the boat is being moved away from or toward to start line by the wind and any currents.

• Point the boat into the wind and let the wind push the boat back, then paddle into the wind to bring the boat forward. - If you let the boat turn too much away from the wind, you will either have to do a ride and reposition or do a lot of backing up, side draws and turning.

- This will ultimately wear you and your crew out physically and mentally. Waiting on your crew will possibly annoy the starter and other boats that are in position waiting for you.
• This is one of the major causes of heats running behind schedule.

• With a strong cross wind, compensate for side-to-side drift.

• DO NOT get obsessed with positioning your boat in the middle of your lane and lined up on the race course!

• Try to stay to the farthest edge of your lane on the wind side. All boats should line up in a similar manner to compensate for the wind.

• The wind will push you from one side to the other between your lane markers as you wait for the start signal.

• PAY ATTENTION to the starter, not your drummer or crew.

• Keep the boat within a reasonable distance from the start area at all times.

• Disconnect from any conversations with the crew because you are not part of the crew that is paddling. You must constantly be aware of your surroundings, because you are the steersperson and have total control of the boat!

• Stay near the ready area at the starting line. - Stay back far enough so as not to interfere with an active race heat if applicable.

• As the race heat start time approaches, under the instructions of the starter, move your boat near the others in a group at the ready area.

H. PRACTICE SITE INFORMATION

• Make sure to lock your car and store valuables/bags out of sight. There have been break-ins in the past.

• Park all 4 wheels on concrete. You may risk a parking ticket if 2 wheels are on the grassy and/or fire lane dirt path. Lake Merced is patrol by Park Rangers. Parking is available across Skyline Boulevard at the Janet Pomeroy Center and San Francisco Zoo. Parking is also at Sunset Circle. Walk across the bridge between the North and East Lake and through Harding Golf Course will lead one into the North Lake dock.
Use of Equipment Stored at Lake Merced:

• Use of PFDs are for CDBA members only

• Store equipment after use in their appropriate areas.

• Use of boats must be cleaned by the CDBA Practice Scheduler and posted on the Master Practice Schedule.

• There is a storage shed located near the water's edge/dock at Lake Merced. Captain and coach are given the combination for the lock. The locked storage shed holds the paddles, oars, cleaning supplies, basic first aid, and paddleboat for Lake Merced.

• Reminder, if your team happens upon the shed open during a practice or visit, please secure and lock the shed with the lock.

• Do not put valuables in the shed.

• Ask/offer to lock your team member’s valuables in a vehicle trunk.

• CDBA is not responsible for lost or stolen items in and around the shed and dock.

• Help clean up and pick up garbage especially water bottles off the boat, dock and area.

• Take initiative to have your crew wash down the dock of bird mess and debris for safety and hygiene before taking the boats out.

• Do NOT leave the paddle boat tied against the dock unsupervised.

• Moor the paddleboat with a moored dragon boat and/or anchored buoy during practice.

• Carry and lift the paddle boat into the shed after the last practiced of the day and place on its side on top of the 3 tires for padding and storage. If necessary, drain the paddle boat if water has seep in.

• PFDs are located in unlocked plastic bins by the ramp.

• Buckle up the PFDs and lay them flat, three across in the bins after practice.
Paddles:

• Put the paddles back in the paddle rack.

• Do not allow paddlers to lean on the paddles while the blade is in contact with the ground.

• Use good paddling technique to avoid scrapping shaft of paddle against boat gunnels.

• Step onto boat floor not bench seats.

• Have at least 2 bailers in the boat during practice.

• Return all boats to the anchored buoys at the last practice for the day..

• Secure one Hong Kong boat to the anchored buoy on each end. This Hong Kong boat secures all other boats from drifting.

• Protect boats from scrapping one another by putting 2 bumpers outside in between tied boats.

• Secure boats by tying the front and back end to next boat.

• Secure flag streamers to each end of the boat upon returning the boat to be moored. The flag streamers do deter the birds from landing and creating a mess. If streamers and the brace ends are missing or broken, please go to the website and submit a repair request.

• Have your crew wash down the boats of the bird mess before taking the boat out. Cleaning supplies are in the shed.
Behavior and Conduct on water at Lake Merced:

• No alcohol is permitted on or near the boats during practice or competition.

• Paddlers must exercise good judgment when negotiating traffic on the water: all boats must obey the "right hand" traffic pattern, and human-powered craft must yield to wind-powered craft.

• Dragon boats yield to small non motorized crafts such as kayak, sail boat, canoe, and raft.

• Paddlers must behave in a courteous and reasonable manner.

• Dragon boats stay at least 100 feet of the fishing docks. Dragon boaters should not dock on the fishing docks.

• Disputes with other organizations on the water should be referred to the CDBA Board.

• Always travel counter- clockwise around the lake.

• Do not pass under the bridge to the East Lake.


SITE SPECIFIC SAFETY;

• When there are more than 6 boats on the water, racing corner to corner is not permitted. Practice course is counter-clocked wise.

• Do not race to the dock. All boats are to stop a good distance from the dock allowing a few rows of paddlers bring in the boat.

• When docking/parking on the right (north) side of the dock be aware that the tie off cleats are the same height as the oar lock. The oar lock will break if it hits the cleat.

• Do not use tires or buckets to do pulls. The stress of the pulls where the rope is secured compromises the integrity of the bench seat and/or wherever it is tied to.

• No teams are allowed in a Hong Kong boat with less than 10 paddlers under windy conditions. In a BUK boat 8 experienced paddlers is the minimum under such conditions.

Casey Cheng caseycheng@aol.com

Mabel Jung bmjungwong@aol.com

Francis Yeung fygolfer@aol.com

Claro Arzadon hatchetenergize@yahoo.com

Colin Morneu residentguitarmn@aol.com

Aditya Kadam stridemaster@gmail.com

• No alcohol is permitted on or near the boats during practice and competition.

• Paddlers must behave in a courteous and reasonable manner.

• Disputes with other organizations on the water must be reported to CDBA Board.
Facilities and Equipment Storage:

-The equipment storage locker containing the paddles and life jackets is at the left end of the gangplank. CDBA owns the boat, paddles, and life jackets. All usages of the dragon boat must be scheduled thru CDBA at their website http://www.cdba.org/. The CDBA wash down hose for the life jackets is just past the storage locker on the left. Do not use any hoses lying elsewhere. -Personal belongings should not clutter up the dock during practice - they can be left in the dock box or in your car. -After the practice, secure the boat to the dock cleats with forward and aft dock lines. Use proper cleat hitches, and don't leave any slack in the dock lines so that the boat cannot shift position and contact the dock where there are no bumpers. It is necessary to use the bumpers that are carried in the boat; put them out when bringing the boat back to the dock. Lock the boat when practice is completed. -Hose down the paddles and life jackets, and give them a few minutes to drain before returning them to the storage locker. Bail out the accumulated water. Leave the boat dry and clean. -Leave the bailing buckets in the boat, and the whistles looped around the end of the steering oar. Safety Reminders For Alameda:

-There is always a very small possibility that you will be dumped into cold water, and not be able to climb out for several minutes or more. If you have a physical condition that

would make cold water immersion dangerous (such as a heart condition or pregnancy) then dragon boat paddling on the estuary may not be an appropriate activity for you. Do not participate without first discussing this with the person in charge. -If you are a non-swimmer or a weak swimmer, or have any other condition that might require special attention during a spill on the estuary, be sure to bring this to the attention of the person in charge. It doesn't mean you can't go out, but it is very important that the person responsible for the safety of the crew know exactly what your limitations might be. -Wear a life jacket at all times. Inflatable life jackets, even if Coast Guard approved, are not considered acceptable for general use on a dragon boat. -Swim to the rocks around the edge of the Marina or along the edge of the estuary. Site Managers

Duck Rudloff 1015rudy@gmail.com

Ken Granberg kgranberg@smithandgranber.com

Carol Beaver carol1015@comcast.com

H. PRACTICE SITE INFORMATION (Cont’d) 4. Sacramento

There is one dragon boat located at River City Rowing Club and is kept to the right of the railroad container in the main lower gravel lot outside the locked gate. All vests and paddles are housed in the container. Davis Racing Dragons has a key for the container as well as a gate key. DRD also has a key for the boathouse and walk-in gate if necessary. Always check the calendar (www.rivercityrowing.org) for exclusive rights dates for other clubs at the facility. We will try to keep CDBA calendar apprised of the exclusive use dates as well. You may periodically wish to check the other clubs’ websites/calendars for confirmation: www.lwsailing.org; www.washingtonoutboardclub.org; and www.ucdcrew.org Boat ramp to use is the cement ramp belonging to the outboard motor club. Once launched, the trailer/dolly must be pulled off to the side away from the no parking areas so that fishing boats are still able to turn around. Do not leave the boat unmanned next to the dock since outboard motor boats come and go all the time. If absolutely necessary to leave the boat in the water (i.e., between practices), park it on the opposite side of the dock from the ramp. You will notice there are lines on each side of the ramp with buttons, this signifies the width of the ramp as it goes under water. Also the upstanding pole you see, on the left, attached to the dock signifies the end of the ramp. Parking (This is constantly changing and we will keep you updated as things progress): Park along the strip next to the road above the dirt lot on our side of the Laborer's Training Center, and along the fence to the reclamation pond on the other side of the Laborer's Training Center. DO NOT PARK ON THE LABORER'S TRAINING CENTER PAVED LOT. The lower lot is for RCRC members as well as the outboard motor club and sailboat club. The dirt lot we used to have access to now has new tenants. There may be a time that no one can be at the site when the new tenant (green waste facility) starts moving equipment in. [The Laborer’s Training Center may soon have new tenants as well.] There are several clubs using the facility: UCD Rowing Club, River City Rowing Club, The Lake Washington Sailing Club, and The Washington Outboard Club. When you enter the closed compound, you will have to use a key to enter. This lock is located inside a metal barrel to the right of the gate. Don't forget to take your key with you. If you have problems with the lock, notify a club officer as soon as possible. Do not attempt to lubricate the lock with anything. Once you have passed through the gate, lock the gate behind you. Do not leave the gate open.

Be aware of the rowers and other boaters. Also keep an eye out for large ships coming up the channel. They ships will use the turning basin as they arrive. You will be out of their way and safe if you stay toward the lagoon.

For map to RCRC Boathouse can be found on the RCRC website: www.rivercityrowing.org

For other information, contact lsbosch@gmail.com or go to RCRC's website: www.rivercityrowing.org Site Managers

Lori Bosch Isbosch@gmail.com Note: Any pattern and/or serious poor sportsmanship behaviors/conducts and/ or safety infractions may result in sanctions including a teams’ practice privileges suspended for a length of period to incurred cost of damages as determined by the CDBA Board.

I. YOUTH COACHING MANUAL

The Youth Coaching Manual was prepared by Bob Leung, CDBA Youth Program Coordinator, dated 2010. The manual provides a sound framework to fit any new crew and/or interested persons in becoming a Captain and/or Coach of a crew. Important contact information is found on the cdba website, www.cdba.org. 1. Preparing for start of the season NOTE: The following may seem like a long list of responsibilities! However, you don’t have to do it all yourself. Create a leadership team. At the very least, this leadership team should include an adult from the school (usually a teacher-sponsor), an assistant coach (if you have one) and a student captain. You may pick more than one (either co-captains, or a captain and an assistant). If you are coming onto an established team, they may already have one; if not, get to know the team a bit, and after a few practices, pick a captain. This leadership team can then discuss the list of tasks ahead for the season and divide up some of those tasks so that the coach is not overwhelmed. Most established teams have an active and capable teacher-sponsor at the school who will assist you with tasks such as distributing and collecting waiver forms and creating a budget and finding the money needed. Some teacher-sponsors take care of those tasks entirely. This leadership team should also meet before the season to talk about team goals and expectations before having a larger discussion of the same things with the rest of the team.

1. Find yourself a reliable steersperson. Once you find that person, have him/her begin to train a couple of your more reliable/mature paddlers to steer. This is important for the long haul. Once your team has students who can steer, it can become much more self-reliant. (Students can steer in the boat as long as a CDBA-certified steersperson is also in the boat. Often times, this is the coach.)

2. Find an assistant coach. This person can assist you during practice, or at the very least, fill in for you on those days when you are not able to make practice.

3. Reserve practice time for the season through the CDBA website. Contact the CDBA Practice Scheduler at practiceschedule@cdba.org to schedule a practice time. Please include the following in your request: a. Your name, name of team, and number of boats.

b. Requested Time Slot(s) (Must be in 90 minute time slots listed in schedule. To see available times, go to the CDBA website and click onto “Practice info” and you’re your preferred practice site.)

c. Name(s) of certified coach/steersperson per boat.

Once you pick a time, you should reserve that for the remainder of the season. This will change for July through September as we prepare for TI.

4. Type up a schedule of all the practices leading up to the race day and communicate this to your paddlers by making copies or posting it online. It’s important to take into account dates like holidays and spring break and decide ahead of time whether you will be practicing or not. … Related to this: give your contact information to all paddlers and parents in case they need to call you about practice, etc.

5. Distribute CDBA waiver forms and have them signed by parents and returned to you before the first practice. No student is allowed onto a boat without one. No exceptions. All paddlers must also fill out an electronic waiver on the CDBA website.

6. Create a budget. Decide what things will cost money this season and then plan for a way to pay for them. Uniforms are nice but not mandatory. Race fees are mandatory, and range from $375 (April Youth Race) to $600 (Sept. Treasure Island Race). Some teams charge the students for each item as they come up during the season; other teams charge a general fee (like $25 or $50) to cover all the items. Some teams do fundraising and do it very successfully.

1. CPR Training. Although it is not required of CDBA coaches at this time, it is highly encouraged that all youth coaches get CPR training. Most CPR training takes no more than two to three hours over the course of a single day. There are many places that offer classes. One convenient place that I’ve used in the past is Safety Training Seminars in San Francisco. For more info., visit: www.safetytrainingseminars.com. 2. Always have your own first-aid kit at practice. 3. Remember that all paddlers are required to wear life jackets when on the boat. Absolutely no exceptions. If by chance all the life jackets in the bins are in use, your paddlers will simply have to wait their turn. The life jackets must be buckled up. 4. Make sure paddlers stay hydrated, whether you ask them to bring their own water or whether you provide it for them. I do both. I ask them to bring water, but I also bring a large cooler of water for them as well for later in practice. Proper hydration is especially important in warm/hot weather, as lack of it could lead to heat stroke or worse. On warm days, I always have a water break in the middle of practice.

5. Know the medical history of every one of your students. By this, I mean you need to know who has asthma, a special heart condition, special allergies, etc. so you are familiar with health issues that might affect student participation. You can gather this information by checking the CDBA waiver form or by asking each

student and parent to fill out a separate form that includes their medical history. From that, I create a reference list of students with special needs due to their medical condition and I bring it to each practice. Also know where to find the emergency contact list for students (again, available from their CDBA waiver). 6. Make sure you teach and review all safety commands (“Brace the boat,” “Hold the boat” etc.) in the boat before the first practice. 7. Teach students the proper way to enter and exit a dragon boat, one row at a time 8. Do not go out on the lake when rain and or wind is so strong that it begins to affect the stability of the boat. This also applies to the process of putting dragon boat away as well as returning in the paddle boat at the end of practice. Since there is no wind gauge at Lake Merced, you will have to be the final judge of what constitutes safe or unsafe weather conditions. You can always call a CDBA board member or a more experienced coach for a second opinion. When in doubt, however, cancel practice. Practice can resume the following week. 3. CDBA Procedures: (See CDBA Policy & Procedure for full procedures and protocols) 4. Preparing for race day 1. The logistics: Make sure to communicate to paddlers when/where the race is (starting time of first race, last race), and when you expect them to arrive and help set up. Make sure everyone has a way of getting to the race site. 2. Logistics part 2: Food and drinks. Most races take up a full day. Kids will need to eat. Plan ahead how you plan to feed them. The same goes for water and liquids, especially on a warm day. Always have a few extra gallons of water for back up. If you don’t use it, you can always save it for the next race. Get your teacher-sponsor, captains, and parents involved in organizing this. You shouldn’t have to do it all yourself… At the youth race in the spring, you may also want to get a tent for your team. It comes in handy to either keep paddlers out of the sun, or out of the rain. 3. Be sure to have a first-aid kit on hand. 4. At the final practice before the race, the coach should lead the team in a discussion of expectations (sportsmanship, etc) as well as team goals. In setting team goals, I strongly encourage you to focus on setting multiple team goals which are attainable. Where you place in the race can be one goal, but it certainly shouldn’t be the only one.

5. A week (at least) before the race, be sure to have your rosters set and copies of that roster printed and bring them to the race. You should also have a copy of the race schedule. Also make multiple copies of this. Be sure to have your drummers

ready as well as steers person and have a backup for both. Your steersperson has to be CDBA-certified. 6. Make sure you assign someone to be “second in command.” This can be an assistant coach, captain, or parent. There may be times when you are occupied with something and a decision has to be made.