What are some good strategies when racing in 250m races?

Do a start

Go

Don't stop paddling in the middle of the race?

Stay in synch?

Keep your boat in your lane?

Beer after the race?

Gimmy a big SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!

go straight and don't crash into other boats.

Line up in your lane and wear gloves,
Listen to starter horn carefully....

we start with our paddles out of the water.

We also start with paddles out of the water!

We have row 10 hit first, then 9, etc.. this creates a whip-like effect that creates a huge surge that pushes the boat forward and makes our boat untouchable.

p.s. we used this tactic to win the 2008 CCWCs.

bull Sh*t

STEP 1: Recruit as many flatties as you can.

STEP 2: Race.

STEP 3 - Lose to Predators

STEP 4 - ???

STEP 5 - Profit!

We delay our start by an instant so that we can wash ride to the last 50m. We use awesome finish with the energy saved to win the race.

We start about 5 seconds before the gun sounds. We finish not as tuckered out as the other teams.

OP - you have already lost

We paddle as fast as we can without burning out or getting out of sync.

we row really hard.

One time we rowed really really hard and almost got a medal in "P" division. Coach said we would have won if we had a different lane.

Finish first. First one across the finish line means first one to the beer tent.

what we do is...oh shoot...i have gum caught in my hair...does anyone know how to get gum out of hair?

When you're happy and you know it, fap fap fap.

i whisper this into every girl's ear:

"I paddle faster horny than you can run scared"

This should get a good boost in speed in the boat.

How about, skip everything you learned about dragon boating, uses the old pipes and get that rate up to 90+. Seriously, the race is less than a minute, how hard could that be?

start fast, end faster. go crazy.

We go at 50%, and then cry foul to the race official at the end of the race against the strongest team in our team, thereby DQ'ing them.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

You guys are so stupid.

Really, what strategies to teams use? The start? How many power series? The finish? I really need to know. Any constructive comments will be appreciated.

ok seriously,

The 250 is all about power. There isn't time for anything but a start and an all out race. The rate will be faster than a 500 but the stroke not shorter. Every stroke is important. Even having one stroke that is not the best you can do can cost you the race. These races are won by thousands of a second sometimes. Just because strokes are faster doesn't mean they should be less effective.

The start may be the most important part of the race. Getting out in front in a short race is the best strategy. If you're even thinking about wash riding, you've lost.

Don't try anything new in a 250. Do what you've done in practice, but practice it over and over again. When I say practice I mean practice with all out intensity. If you don't go there in practice you won't in a race.

Unless something unusual happens, the best and most prepared crew will always win. The race is won before you get to the line based on winter training, practice and preperation.

My team intends to use a higher stroke rate for the shorter races. I expect us to poop out around the 150m mark. :P

That'll kind of suck, considering you'll be 100 m short.

Hey 2:05 "the start MAY be the most important"

The start is the most important part of every race.

5 , 15 , power series , finish

5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, lengthen, series, lengthen, series, lengthen, series, lengthen, finish, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Anon - August 14 2007, 4:50 PM

5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, lengthen, series, lengthen, series, lengthen, series, lengthen, finish, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

wow, like i said before, less slow rotation, all arms and legs. in the example above, they are doing 93 stroke race . . . assuming they finish in the 0:58 to 1:03 range, that is an average of 88 to 96 strokes a minute.

the slower reaching and glide recovery seems to work well for races greater than 250m.

this may sound dumb, but 250m and shorter, i equate to a sprint, where you go all out with your body. 1km and more, i equate to distance, where efficiency is key. in both cases, as someone has mentioned already, practice and healthy bodies make a difference. in the 250m, if your team can pull long enough to do a 90 rate, then consider shortening the pull.

i believe some teams on the west coast strictly do "ups" for the race... they would do a 6 slow start long pull, 6 first up in low gear, 6 second up in med gear, 6 third up in high gear, continue the ups (approx 40-50) until the finish, where they lengthen for about 20 strokes. "up" being full reach, catch, pull to knee, quick recover as opposed to finish were they full reach, catch, pull to upper thigh, quick recovery.

sorry, no video to show it.

go as fast as you can. that's it. you start, pick up the boat up, and finish. Strongest paddler wins.

That is, the strongest and most efficient team wins.

There are so many teams with the bulkiest guys on them. I'm on one of the top teams in Canada according to Dragon Boat Canada and our team has maybe 2 or 3 bulky guys on it but for the most part, we're all very slender. However, our coach has taught us how to be so efficient with our stroke that it doesn't matter that we're not 200 pounds of muscle mass.

Just for your information.

But yes, for a 250 piece: Start, power up, power up, finish.

"I'm on one of the top teams in Canada according to Dragon Boat Canada"

Dont believe the hype