Steering a dragon
Since I visited Fermilab almost seven years ago on a cross-country trip, I’ve enjoyed keeping in virtual touch with the world of high-energy physics, first through FermiNews and now through symmetry. I’m a physician rather than a physicist, but I love the subject and have fond memories of being a college physics tutor while studying for my med school prerequisites.
I’ve been an avid dragonboat paddler for three years, so imagine my delight when I discovered the article about your dragonboat team in the June/July issue! I just wanted to call your attention to an important team member who appears in the photo but not in the text. Along with the paddlers, caller (drummer), and flag catcher, the humble but essential individual either standing or seated in the back is the tiller, sometimes called the steersperson (as in your photo). If it weren’t for the tiller, the boat would probably go in circles rather than across the finish line! As an apprentice tiller myself for the past four months, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the skills tillers bring to the boat.
Good luck in the races next year, and don’t forget to thank your tiller when you capture that flag!
Margaret Hammitt-McDonald, Portland, Oregon
Click here to download the pdf version of this article.