So if the drummer and sweep are the brains of the boat, then the 20 paddlers are the muscles. They take directions from both the drummer and sweep, but also must make sure that they themselves are synchronized.

Cui Songyun, paddler of Jiujiang School team, said, "They will use hand gestures as signals to tell each other what they should do."

Cui Zhiming, another paddler of the school team said, "The drummer will use a whistle to order us. In the whistle we know when we should speed up."

And that's exactly what these guys try to get better at every time they hit the water...

The Jiujiang School team took fifth place when they represented China at the World Championships in Poland. They still have a lot to learn, but with practice, patience and diligence, they're building a future with the National time....Already, a world of expectations awaits them.

Tomorrow we'll introduce you to one of the "Female Paddlers" trying to make it on China's first-ever National Dragon Boat team, so make sure to check that out.

(CCTV March 3, 2009)