Well the off season has finally ended and water training has started. :) I don't know about you, but for me training is mixed with excitement and fear. Excitement that each training will bring a group of individuals closer together, but the fear of the pain that is associated with that training. I am guessing that all you want to know is when we are training, what is happening this year and the like. Well here goes.

TRAINING

Training this year (2002 only) will be on Tuesday at 1830 - 2000 hrs (26/11, 03/12, 10/12). As there is no Tangaroa regatta, for the remainder of the year we will be concentrating on technique. Please remember that it is your responsibility to go to the gym in your own time. Please ensure that you bring the appropriate gear to training. We will be doing a land based warm up before training, so it is important that you arrive on time. Due to changes in the training structure, Thursday trainings from 28 November 2002 will be twilight races against other teams. As nationals are in Wellington this year, it is important that we compete in as many races as possible. Training times for next year will be on continue on Tuesday and Thursdays. Please consult the Training Calender for more information

It is important that you attend as many trainings as possible. A team can only train if 16 paddlers (plus sweep and coach) are ready. Bad weather is often not an issue for dragon boaters as experienced paddlers can tell you. While rain can often halt training, for us it is not an issue. After all we do play a water sport.

To be a member of the Oarsome Intellect team doesn't mean that you have to paddle. We do have non-paddling positions available to be filled. If you need more information on the selecting process please check out the Team Composition Page.

FEES

Unfortunately a dragon boat team does not run on charity, and we are forced to charge a fee. This is currently set at $150. This covers the cost of trainings, uniforms, entry into the regattas and tent hirage for the Wellington Regatta as well as space hirage at the Masterton Regatta. This alone will not cover the cost of the season. So it is in the teams best intrest to do as many fundraising jobs as possible. The more we do, the more money we'll have to spend on away regattas. If you know of any innovative (or ole skool) ways of fundraising please tell us. In addition please make an effort to attend fundraising events. After all, many hands make lite work.

If you know of any companies that are willing to sponsor the team, please let us know.

UNIFORMS

This year will see a re-design of the team uniform. The T-Shirt, as always will remain the same, however the racing strip will be changed. If you have any ideas on what you want please tell Derek, Julian, Shaun or Sean. For your comfort, please make sure that you have a Poly for training, as it can get very cold out on the water. Also, an old pair of shoes, this is important, as there is always broken glass lying around. For comfort most people bring a kneepad, beanie and water bottle. I can personally recommend the Nike kneepads as this curve around the knee. If you have your own paddle, please bring it, otherwise we can arrange for some to be purchased for $28. We do have a number of training paddles, to use until we can organise paddles for the team.