World’s First Oar Guitar Competition Comes to the Inlet Spring Regatta
Two paddlers strutting their stuff while waiting to marshal at the 2019 Inlet Spring Regatta
Win registration for your team in 2021!
The third annual Inlet Spring Regatta will take place on Saturday, April 18 and will feature something new and exciting to spark camaraderie, fun and just plain silliness as the world’s first ‘Oar Guitar’ contest will be presented on the shores of Burrard Inlet at Rocky Point Park.
The third annual dragon boat regatta attracts more than 1200 paddlers and spectators each April in Port Moody, also known as the City of the Arts.
The winning team of the ‘Oar Guitar Contest’ will be granted free registration for the 2021 event.
While we know dragon boaters hate it when people refer to their paddles as oars, we love this play on words! The Inlet Spring Regatta oar guitar competition was inspired at the April 2019 event when some of the dragon boat racers so enjoyed the music provided by the event DJ and MC Rod MacBeth, that while waiting to marshal for their race they started air-guitaring with their dragon boat paddles!
Oar guitar is a play on the ‘air guitar,’ a form of dance and movement where the performer pretends to play an imaginary electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. and usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching.
The Inlet Spring Regatta oar guitar competition will follow the standard rules and criteria of most air guitar competitions:
Rules
Each performance is played to 1 minute (60 sec.) of a song
The 60 seconds can start anywhere in the song
The instrument must be a dragon boat paddle, and only a paddle
A performance need only be one member of your registered team, but any or all of the same team may also perform
Judging Criteria
The jury is a panel of judges. The results of the jury cannot be protested. All performances are scored on a scale from 1 to 10. A score is given to each oar guitarist/s based on their overall performance.
The score reflects the quality of the performance based on three key criteria:
Technical merit
You don’t have to know what notes you’re playing, but the more your oar fretwork corresponds to the music that’s playing, the better the performance.
2. Stage presence
Anyone can do it in the privacy of their bedroom. Few have what it takes to rock a crowd of hundreds – with just a paddle. Costumes and stationary props are allowed but not necessary.
3. “Oarness”
The last criteria is the most difficult to define yet often the most decisive of all. Oarness is defined as the extent to which a performance transcends the imitation of a real guitar and becomes an art form in and of itself.
How to Apply
If you think you’ve got what it takes, simply go to inletspringregatta.com and click on the Oar Guitar button on the home page.
Registration will take place up until April 11, 2020.
The Inlet Spring Regatta is now a prominent fixture opening the 2020 Dragon Boat Season. Hosted by the Dogwood Nothin’ Dragon Masters, a 50-plus team based in Coquitlam.
Register for the ISR Oar Guitar Contest HERE.
Sponsorships Available
If you or your company is looking to support our diverse event that encourages water sports, camaraderie, health and fitness to paddlers ranging in age from teenagers to 50+, sponsorship opportunities are available! Over 1200 paddlers and spectators attend the event featuring 200 m dragon boat races on Burrard Inlet. Email inletspringregatta@gmail.com.
About the venue: Known as the City of the Arts, Port Moody is located in Metro Vancouver at the east end of Burrard Inlet and is bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south, and Burnaby on the west. The regatta venue, Rocky Point Park is known for its beautiful amenities, with The Boathouse Restaurant, Pajos Fish and Chips, Rocky Point Ice Cream and the well-known brewer’s row (which includes event sponsor Yellow Dog Brewing) all within a short walking distance from the venue.
About the Nothin' Dragon Masters: The Nothin' Dragon Masters are a 50 + team based in Coquitlam, B.C., and operate under the Dogwood Seniors Society. The team has approximately 70 members and mentor challenged youth through their Kateslem Kids Program as well as supports the Riverside Secondary dragon boat team. The team organizes and hosts the annual Inlet Spring Regatta. More information at nothindragonmasters.org