 | Welcome to the home of the Destiny Dragons in Tacoma and Seattle |
|
|
|
Welcome
|
Ask the Paddlers…
Q: Why
do you like to paddle? What magic does it hold for you? Joe: I
have been in some form of sports all of my life. This is just a far cry from the
standard sports that Americans are used to. It does feed my competitiveness,
however. Q:
How do you mentally prepare for competition? Joe:
I think what we need to do in competition has been ingrained in us all through
our practices, thus I just try to focus on the job I need to do in the boat. Q:
Do you have any superstitions or lucky charms? Joe:
I can’t think of any for dragon boat racing, but it seems like I had some
rituals in other sports. Q: What
do you eat before a workout or to refuel afterward? Joe: I
try to eat a good lunch in the late afternoon. After a good workout, the
toughest part is not to eat everything I see when I get home. Q:
What do you eat before and after competition? Joe: I
eat a good dinner the night before. Breakfast can vary depending on the time of
the races. During the day I will eat a PowerBar, some fruits and nuts. You can
never forget to drink the fluids. Q:
How do you control your weight without compromising your nutrition? Joe:
With the practicing and training we do I don’t have a great problem with
weight. Q:
What kind of training do you do during the season in addition to paddling? Joe:
I do a lot of walking for my
job. I also lift a little bit of weights and ride a bicycle. Q:
How do you keep your lats and shoulders from getting tired while paddling? Joe: During
the off-season I notice them being a little tired at the start of practice but
then it goes away. Shoulder tiredness during the season must be a bad memory
that I block out as soon as the racing season ends. Q:
What kind of training do you do in the off-season that helps your paddling? Joe: I
try to get away some and do some snowmobiling and some weight work. I can’t
forget about those wonderful long distance paddles on the weekends. Q:
What do you do to combat the saltwater organisms that cause your clothes to have
that distracting fragrance? Joe: This
may be the toughest question of all. I am not sure that there is anything that
truly works. I get home after practice and go straight to the shower paddle gear
and all. I then hang it up outside and hope some fresh air can get in it. Q:
How to you balance an over-demanding schedule? Joe:
It was not bad when I was single and had only myself to consider. That has now
changed with a wife and family. I think all of us have to do a form of juggling
schedules to accommodate our life styles, no matter what it is. Q:
Do you think that good paddlers are born or made? Joe:
I would have to say that they are made. Some people could be natural athletes
but it still will take work to get the timing, technique and focus required to
work as one within a group. Q:
Do you have any advice for new paddlers? Joe: I
just tell them that we were all there at one time or another. I try to tell them
how bad we all looked and felt when we first started. I also tell them not to
overdo it and when they are sore for the next day or so it will get better.
Enjoy. |
|
This page was last updated on 02/20/08. Contact Us Comments to Webmaster
|
Joe
is our interviewee for February 2003. He
usually paddles in the engine room and sometimes strokes.