Front-Loading: Winning Before the Start Line
How a lesson from 2006 Macau Asian Dragon Boat Campaign continues to shape my paddling — and life — today
There are lessons in sport that stay with you long after the race is done. One of the most enduring for me is the principle of front-loading — being prepared.
I first came across the term during the 2006 Asian Dragon Boat Championships in Macau. That campaign, led by Head Coaches Zeus (Chris Alexandrou) and Sylvia, was my second with the Australian Team. What I learned — explicitly initially and later implicitly on reflection — then continues to shape how I try — emphasis on try, it’s hard sometimes — to train, race, and approach challenges well beyond the water.
The Story: Learning to Front-Load
“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” — Juma Ikangaa, Marathon Runner
Zeus called it front-loading. At its simplest, it meant laying out everything you needed the night before race day — no stress, no surprises when you woke up (and, as it would happen once in Busan 2012, even if the alarm failed to go off). But it also ran deeper.
That campaign introduced us to stand-up racing, common in Asia but new to the Australian team. In these races, paddlers can stand and sit multiple times during the race, on the call of the drummer. The top Asian teams — like China and Macau — could stand and sit three or four times from the start and down the course with precision.
For us, that was unfamiliar territory. So we focused on what we could master. We trained to stand once — at the 300m mark of a 500m race — and hold it through the finish. Returning to the seated position mid-race was another skill altogether, one we didn’t have time to front-load. Zeus and Sylvia made a strategic choice: master one stand, execute it well, and leave the rest for later.
Preparation started months earlier. First, we just sat on the gunwale. Then we tried brief moments of standing. Skateboard knee pads protected our knees as we learned how to lean out of the boat with control. It was awkward at first — but deliberate, repeated practice made it work, after a few failed efforts, our first capsize.
But, we stuck with it.
And in Macau, it paid off. We podiumed in all categories. We stood beside China — who could stand and sit on a whistle of the drummer — and Macau, where stand-up racing is second nature. They were surprised and impressed we could do it. Maybe we were too.
The Broader Lesson: Front-Loading Beyond Sport
“You don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your training.” — Archilochus, Greek Poet
What I came to realise is that front-loading is more than laying out your gear the night before, or even a training strategy — it’s a mindset.
It means doing the work now to be ready later — anticipating challenges, planning ahead, and steadily building capacity before it’s urgently needed.
It applies far beyond the boat. In life, front-loading means preparing for a new role, a personal goal, or an uncertain transition. It’s learning before the test, not cramming the night before. It’s building resilience and confidence — not just for the race ahead, but for what comes after.
It’s also about prioritising. Like we did in Macau, you choose what matters most and prepare deeply for that. You focus on doing one thing well instead of trying to do everything at once.
That’s how preparation becomes power.
Brandenburg and Beyond
“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” — Abraham Lincoln, US President
Right now, I know it’s tough. We’re just starting Week 10 of our training block — heading all the way to Week 24 just before we depart. The load is real. The time, the commitment, the sacrifices — not just from us as paddlers, but from our families, friends, and everyone supporting us.
We see it. We feel it. And I want to acknowledge it — not just for us as paddlers, but also for our Coaches and Managers who are laying the groundwork and setting the direction so we can train at our best all the way to Brandenburg. Behind the scenes, they are navigating a labyrinth of administrative detail — coordinating travel, accommodation, meals, and logistics for over 400 athletes both here and in Germany. It’s an extraordinary effort that enables everything we’re building on the water.
This is the hard part — for the whole squad. And it’s in this shared effort that we’re drawn together and connected as a team — One Heart, One Soul, One Team, One Goal — you are living it, dreaming it and breathing it.
We are building capacity now — what we’ll draw on in Germany. It may not feel like progress every day, but the results — and the resilience — will be waiting for us.
You’ll see the benefits in your race performance — and more than that, you'll carry the mindset forward. Into your next campaign. Into your paddling future. Into life
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” — Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor, Scientist, and Engineer