Česky
This year, one crew from Hořovice and one from Beroun, as well as one crew of the employees of the Multiscan Oncology Centre in Pardubice, entered the race. The competition started informally on Friday, September 1, a day that was originally supposed to be dedicated to crew training and strategizing. However, this did not take place this year due to a heavy downpour. The next day the weather calmed down, but the lack of training and especially coordination between crew members was evident during the competition itself. Despite this negative factor, the crew from Hořovice and Beroun did really well. Hořovice kites for the first time placed 14th out of 38 crews (last year they were 19th and 22nd), while the Beroun crew took 22nd place. The employees of Multiscan Pardubice "traditionally" took the penultimate place. All the crews had better times in the first round of the competition in the two-meter course, as the fatigue of several individual members was noticeable in the second round.
The role of drivers was again taken over this year by the water sports experts. In the case of the Hořovice crew they were anaesthesiologist Miloš Koudelka and orthopaedic surgeon Zdeněk Poledník, in the case of the Beroun crew anaesthesiologist Martin Král. "All other crew members should look at the back of the one in front of them and copy his pace", explains Kateřina Vicková, marketing specialist at the Hořovice hospital. "We are not going for medals anyway. We have it as teambuilding. It's a break from the demanding work in the healthcare sector," says Ms Vicková.
"We are glad that we have gathered here again after a year," commented Oldřich Jindřich, the head chef of the Hořovice hospital. "What is more important than the results is that we could meet together outside work, relax and try an activity that is not so traditional. We are already looking forward to next year, I believe we will be a little better again," concluded Mr. Jindřich.
The boats, derived from the god of the waters - the dragon, are 12.5 metres long and can accommodate 20 paddlers, 10 on the left and 10 on the right. The final twenty-two crew members are then supplemented by a coxswain standing at the stern and a drummer sitting on a high stool at the front, who beats a leather drum to set the rhythm of the paddling. The bows and sterns are decorated with a carved dragon's head and tail.
In the gallery below you can see photos from the whole event.
