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A Dragon Boat is a giant Chinese war canoe (see pictures). The Springfield Dragon Boat Festival is a series of friendly, fun dragon boat races between groups, companies, organizations, etc. assembled to compete for one day. The Festival goes from 8am to 4pm on a summer Saturday (date shown above) at North Riverfront Park on the Connecticut River, 121 West Street, Springfield, MA (See parking directions below). Your team needs at least 17 people: 8 men, 8 women, a Drummer (wears a costume, beats a drum, rides in the bow of the dragon boat), plus a few spares.
Each race is 200 meters (about 2 football fields), lasts about one minute, each team races at least 3 times, no experience is required, all equipment is provided, a practice session is included, and medals are awarded! Festival proceeds benefit the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, a Springfield non-profit connecting people with healthy riverfront activity.
Admission is free for spectators to enjoy the dragon boat racing, food trucks, cultural performances, and more!
PARKING FOR SPECTATORS AND TEAMS: 101 WEST STREET REAR, SPRINGFIELD MA 01104.
This is a park-at-your-own risk location.
Please carpool as parking may be limited.
An optional donation of $10 to support PVRC programming may be requested.
Volunteers please park at 55 Avocado Street.
I'm Interested! What do I do next?
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Get ready to have a Great Time and save the date (see date at top of page)
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Register your team (have your Team Name ready!) by clicking Register Your Team, above.
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Invite people age 16+ to join your team by forwarding them the sign-up email you receive after registering.
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If you need help or ideas to build your team please contact festival@pvriverfront.org
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For Community Teams: (who are coming to the festival for a day of fun, and don't compete at other dragon boat festivals or hold regular practices) When you have 8 women, 8 men, a Drummer, plus a few spares, you are ready! We will be in touch with you to schedule your practice session the week before the festival. Extra practice sessions may be available: contact festival@pvriverfront.org. A certified Steersperson is provided. (Skip to #8 if this is your category)
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For Club Teams: (whose paddlers practice dragon boating regularly and compete against other Club Teams at dragon boat festivals), you'll need at least 8 women, a total of 20 paddlers, and an Active Drummer. You may register 26 persons on your roster, including drummer and your own Steersperson, if desired. A certified Steersperson will be provided if needed.
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Our policy on Cancer Survivor Teams: Teams with any cancer survivors may compete in the Breast Cancer Survivor division, but only 100% BCS teams (including drummer, but Steersperson does not need to be BCS) will earn medals. All teams in the BCS division are invited to be on the water for the Flower Ceremony. Teams that are not 100% BCS must choose whether to compete against other Club teams for medals, or in the BCS division, as explained above.
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Make a team short-sleeve t-shirt to wear the day of the Springfield Dragon Boat Festival. Hint: put your logo on the sleeve so it can be seen while you wear a life jacket.
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You will be provided a team tent site, but must provide your own tent (this is a rain or shine event). Please decorate your tent and site to show your team spirit!
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*Is there an earlybird registration discount?Often there is! Click Sign Up to jump to the registration page. Each program will list any incentives for early registration.
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What should rowers bring and wear?Wear athletic clothes, and bring a hat, and water bottle. Clothes should be snug fitting, non-cotton. Shoes are required, and they might get wet.
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What happens if it rains?Your session will happen if the forecast calls for rain, please dress appropriately, in layers if needed, but not cotton as it just gets heavy and soggy. In the event of lightning or high wind, your session may occur indoor on training machines, or be cancelled, or rescheduled. We monitor the weather closely and will communicate with you if there are any changes.
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How is information about the team, regattas, and other PVRC events communicated?"Your first source of information is PVRC’s website, pvriverfront.org. We use GroupMe to communicate with participants and their parents. If you know you'll be enrolling, please install the GroupMe app on both parent's and participant's phone. This will make it easier and faster to add you to your specific program's group. We use email for non-urgent, lengthy, and other important communication. The Boathouse Phone number is 413-736-1322, where you may also leave a message. Messages are checked daily.
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What does the registration fee cover?The registration fee covers coaching; equipment use, maintenance, and repair; and use of PVRC’s Rockrimmon Boathouse and facilities.
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What are other costs associated with being on the PVRC Rowing team?1. Regatta fees: These fees cover the team’s costs associated with rowing in a regatta. These fees are assessed to each rower on each squad rowing in a given regatta. 2. Uniforms and other PVRC logo wear (for rowers and their families/supporters) are not included in the registration fee. 3. Occasionally, PVRC offers extra trainings, such as school vacation week training, and team field trips. These are not included in regular season registration fees. 4. USRowing membership - see below.
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How do I register for PVRC programs?Welcome to PVRC! There are several spots on pvriverfront.org for registering. When you click on one, you will be brought to the registration management page. Please note that PVRC’s registration functions are hosted by Regatta Central. Any charges to your credit/debit card will show Regatta Central. This can be confusing because Regatta Central also lists many regattas that PVRC participants attend and rowers and their families are often directed to Regatta Central for regatta information (see the Regatta Information button above for more on this).
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Can you please explain those regatta fees better?There are many costs associated with a team racing at a regatta. Each boat entered has an entry fee. Some regattas charge an administrative fee on top of the entry fees. PVRC must rent a truck big enough (Ford F250 or similar) to pull the boat trailer so there are vehicle rental fees. Traveling by truck includes gasoline and tolls. Coaches are paid for their time. Sometimes, coaches must stay overnight for a regatta and they need hotel rooms. The Executive Director works with the coaching staff to determine the entire cost of attending the regatta and then divides that cost amount among all the rowers, including coxswains, in each squad racing in that regatta. (Some regattas are only attended by varsity rowers, some are attended by all rowers, some are middle school only scrimmages, etc.) Regatta fees are payable by check, made out to PVRC with "regatta fees" as the memo. For other payment arrangements (credit card, venmo, cash) please see the Executive Director. For more information about regattas, please see the Regatta Information page.
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Should my rower join USRowing?Yes! USRowing is the national governing organization of the sport of rowing in the United States. Joining not only offers educational and training opportunities, but helps support this amazing sport and the US National and Olympic rowing teams. Some regattas attended by PVRC require USRowing liability waivers and membership for all participants. When joining USRowing, use the rower's name and information (including date of birth and email address), not the parent’s/guardian’s. (Although, parents/guardians can join, too and show support!) Initially choose the Individual Basic Membership ($9.75 per year). Make sure to fill out the waiver! Without this waiver, athletes will not be allowed to compete at certain regattas PVRC attends. These are USRowing rules for these specific regattas and there is no flexibility. Other regattas require a different level of USRowing membership. (Again, this is a USRowing rule and all athletes who participate must comply.) Once your rower has an Individual Membership, this can be accomplished by logging into your rower’s USRowing account and adding a “Regatta Package” for $25.26 or upgrading to a Championship Membership ($45). If a rower needs an upgraded membership to row at a particular regatta, s/he will be notified prior to that regatta. Please note - USRowing membership is separate from PVRC program registration fees and regatta fees, which are administered by Regatta Central. USRowing is paid directly for a rower’s USRowing membership. Here is the link to the membership section of USRowing.
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What is the difference between USRowing and Regatta Central?USRowing is the national governing organization of the sport of rowing in the United States. Regatta Central is a website used for club management and regatta management. PVRC uses Regatta Central for its club management functions. This is why rowers need Regatta Central accounts. Their program registration fees, regatta and travel fees, and even fundraising are paid through Regatta Central. Many regattas PVRC attends also use Regatta Central for regatta management, which is why we look at Regatta Central for details about certain regattas.
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Where can I find basic information about rowing?USRowing is a great place to start. This is a super glossary of terms . Here is a nice, brief history of rowing. As you may have guessed by now, you and your family will be learning a whole new language.
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During what seasons does PVRC offer programming for youth rowers?Fall. Winter. Spring. Summer. PVRC is here all year for you.
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What are my responsibilities as the parent/guardian of a rower?Parents/guardians provide support for rowing teams more than most other sports. Regattas are all day events, sometimes multiple day events. Rowers need to be fed. All day. Boats, oars, and coaching launches are much bigger and more expensive than a bag of soccer balls and a goal net. Without the parents’ help, teams could not make it to regattas and have successful seasons. As a parent/guardian, you are expected to provide food and/or help in the food tent for every regatta your rower attends. Please see the Regatta Information page for more detailed information about regattas, the food, and the food tent. We understand that families are busy with many commitments and demands on their time and that you will not necessarily attend every regatta. Please make every effort to attend as many regattas as possible. The rowers need you. Parents are also expected to fully support their rowers in fundraising activities. PVRC has fundraising efforts every season. Registration fees cover only about one-third of PVRC’s operating costs. The remaining is covered by fundraising. There are several events on PVRC’s annual calendar that require help from volunteers. Pease help when these opportunities arise. The events are fun and critical to the success of PVRC. Coaches hold mandatory meetings for parents and athletes before each youth rowing season. Multiple dates and times are offered for your convenience. Please read the Parent Code of Conduct.
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What if I have questions during the season. Who can I ask?Rowers often have most of the information you need. They aren’t great sharers of said information, so ask them. If they don’t know, ask in your squad GroupMe, any experienced rowing parent, any coach, or the Executive Director.
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Does PVRC do fundraising campaigns?You bet! PVRC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and has targeted fundraising campaigns during the fall and spring rowing seasons, as well as ongoing development efforts. Registration fees cover only about one-third of PVRC’s operating costs. The remaining is covered by fundraising. Please support your rower’s efforts in fundraising activities.
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What do my rower and I need to know about rowing in college?Rowing is an increasingly popular sport. Both men and women have many opportunities to row in college. Some high school rowers even get scholarships for rowing. PVRC is quite proud to have had many youth rowers go on to row in college. Several were recruited by college coaches and given scholarships.
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Gosh, PVRC is so awesome! How can I get more involved?"PVRC has many opportunities to volunteer and several committees. From development to equipment, marketing to finance, facilities to events, your talent and time is needed. Contact the Executive Director or any board member to hear more about any of the volunteer opportunities.