Dragon Boat West

Well Kelowna pretty much wraps up the 2004 season for most of the teams in BC. Just wondering what everyone thought of this year.

What are your highlights? Disappointments? Plans for next year? Did your team succeed in their goals? Did you develop any rivalries? Get into a bar room brawl at the Sticky Wicket in Victoria?  :wink:

I want to rate the festival beer garden parties!

Great party this season at Nanaimo
Kelowna was good but bar closed too early
Victoria had potential but they ran out of beer, then cider, then dignity
Best party though is always and ever, Vancouver Island Dragon Boat Championships.

Taiwanese Festival beer garden was disappointing... they said they were gonna distribute samples of Taiwan Beer but then said they didn't have licensing for it until Monday  :BS: At least the Kokanee was fresh and ice-cold... enjoyed about 10 too many  :oops:

As for the festivals, Kelowna's never strong on vendors, and this year they seemed even more sparse. The food they did have was pretty good though. Weather was crap, but the skies opened up just around the Platinum Finals, so it was a nice way to cap off the weekend. My usual motivation to race Kelowna is hitting up the wineries, so i was really disappointed when our consolation final didn't take place until 4:30pm. Same thing happened the day before, racing at 11:50 and 4:20... there's no time to do the tours in between, and by the time the races are done for the day they're closing up too. ****tles... :(

Paddle for Kids: when the team opted to participate we actually thought there would be races going on... turned out to be a stupid sports day for adults... what a  ****ing waste of ****ing time and money... $400 of our hard-earned fundraised money going to a good cause... I left early cuz I actually wanted to get some yard work done... it was THAT bad. Oh well, now that we know better we'll probably go for Richmond Rip up the River?

Taiwanese Festival was great... a little chilly but at least it was sunny. Those Taiwanese barges seemed to glide pretty well for us this year, and there was a better than average ratio of hotties to oogle at... someone say Naluwan? I liked how we could set up tent anywhere, and the intimacy of having a smaller number of teams. My favorite festival this year, despite the ****ty-ass food... i think some jerk complained about the taste of Taiwanese food last year (cuz it was pretty authentic last year.. strong flavours) so the vendors were forced to mild out the dishes.. sucks. Good thing T&T was within walking distance... I was laughing at all those ppl lining up 40mins for **** food

Long Beach was cool... beautiful weather, lots of talent roaming the festtival, and the organisers were generous with hardware... at least to us anyway. Great selection of vendors and interesting race format... each lane was drawn out with a chain of buoys, and it was similar to a tethered start, though that kinda messed things up a little. Oh yeah, the Buk boats still kinda sucked, but it was okay since we were used to the Geminis by then.

Alcan felt much cozier in the new location, but i'm not sure if i liked it better than last year. They seemed to have more paddling-related booths instead of those pamphlet-distributing corporate kiosks you'd normally find, which was cool. Don't remember much about the racing there though... it might have been so traumatic that I subconsciously blocked it out? All I remember was that we didn't do too well, relative to our historic performance. We blamed it on those Gemini's, and the lack of practice time we got on them. Funny thing is we started to love them 3 weeks later... go figure  :roll:

edited for content - BigTallTree

Hmmm ,what do you mean end of the season  :shock:  it;s just the beginning of the new  :wink:

Willpower wrote:Paddle for Kids: when the team opted to participate we actually thought there would be races going on... turned out to be a stupid sports day for adults

Well...FYI Willpower, this is not a racing festival but a fundraiser made up of corporate teams (mostly non-paddlers) to raise money for Childrens Hospital.  Other true dragon boat teams entered only to volunteer their time in steering, drumming and coaching, not paddling or racing to win.  This festival is a great way to introduce people to the sport of dragon boating and to raise money for a great cause, kids.  

Speaking of kids, please do refrain from using vulgar language in this forum as young kids do read it.  Also I don't think other viewers care to read such ranting either.

willpower......I wouldn't walk around the creek alone at night or let yourself be known to the paddling community your true identity.  You're a disgrace and an imbecile.  At this point I really don't care if I get banned from this forum....because the greatest feeling I have right now is slamming you.  As you can see I am doing it with eloquence and some form of intellectuality.

There are several of us who have paddled substantially more competitively than yourself locally and internationally.  We have been involved with this event since its inception and devoted numerous hours to this GREAT CAUSE. We've been involved not only because we LOVE to teach the sport to beginners but because we know the funds raised are going to the greatest cause they could ever go for.....that being VERY SICK CHILDREN.  To read something like I just did makes the whole paddling community feel disgraceful to even know there is an idiot, a disrespectful,  unintelligent human involved in the sport at all.

YOU ARE AN IDIOT.  And I use the term lightly because I have to stoop to your level of intelligence.  

I think I speak on behalf of everyone who not only participates on this forum but even those that visit this site that they would be more than elated if you absolve from using a paddle for the rest of your life.

willpower: you disgust me.   You really do... and if you want, you can come up to me next season and I'll give you a piece of my mind.   If I were a member of Team United, I'd actively seek to vote you off the boat.

to stay on topic: I voted for Alcan.   Big event, lots of people, lots of venues, lots of scenery and close to home.

Alcan: great place to meet paddlers, had a helluva time working with the race staff. i'm pretty petite- still h8 the geminies. race format was spiffy. my team could have been a tweak better if we stuck to the orginal roster...or not...

Taiwanese: i climbed over an apartment balcony TRYING to catch glimps of the festival - heard the drum beats, heard the yelling from drummers but i just couldn't see! the dumb bridge was in the WAY. it looked very colorfull and had a "perky perky" atmosphere...i had a helluva time getting lectured about climbing ...

Kelowna: had an awesome time with water's edge staff. - got p*** annoyed with the accouncers - voice still fuzzy from w00ting. love the water! it's so C-L-E-A-N. - oh and how could i 4get saw the drummers/coaches[jaw drops]


willpower:


you are one inconsiderate selfish...old fart who only cares about his dumb booze- how could it be effing waste of effing time and money when THE MONEY goes to SICK childern who are UNABLE to live a NORMAL life due to their sickness? i doubt you had to live one day of your life praying that 2morrow you won't wake up dead. FOUR HUNDRED EFFING BUCKS is really nothing considering that it wasn't all from you - how much did you cough up?  

bad karma buddy it's going to come smack'n back at ya.

i voted for alcan but i want to change it to kelowna ... i miss roli already

GOOD LUCK ROLI in SAN FRAN

alcan: new location.... it was a good festival except for the placements of the tents (we got shafted with the location of ours)
 
victoria: wouldn't know cause our team didn't go.... :D

kelowna: was the best festival by far for me this yr. the first day sucked due to the weather but the second day made up for it. the races were pretty close that we were in and i give props those teams that we raced against...... :clap:   msn(u)

good season overall !!!!

Hmmmm, I was a drummer/coach for 1  team in Paddle for Kids and I had a blast . It is so funny to see new paddlers so intense on winning . We had 1 guy on the boat who paddled last yr and he so wanted to be on stroke but we sat him in 6 and during the race he kept yelling " Timing ,Timing" LOL  I was laughin so hard I couldn't do the calls at 1 point .I think the most fun was teaming up w/ the newbie volunteer paddlers and pushing the boat to some good numbers and seeing the reaction on their faces when they compared their times to the fastest ...............they went from mild to very competitive fast ,lol

 Will  power you should have stuck around then you would have gotten to race  :wink:

Ok, I really don't know what to say in regards to mr. willpower's comments.  Obviously the damage has been done.

For the record, those comments that willpower made were his, and only his alone.  It is not a proper representation of the team and what we stand for.

I don't know if what I am about to say will change anyone's opinions, or conclusions they have already made in regards to the team.  Myself, and most of Team United knew what we were getting into entering Paddle For Kid's, it was for a good cause, and it was going to be a fun day.  Heck we won a prize for Best Cheer at Paddle For Kids! Most of us (maybe except willpower) enjoyed our time there.

We are always for getting involved in helping out the community for good causes.  If we were not, we would not have participated in the Stair Climb For Clean Air (BC Lung Association, Wall Centre), Vancouver Sun Run, CIBC Run For the Cure, and volunteer at Kid Sake at the Richmond Auto Mall in the last couple of years.  

I feel we have built a very good reputation in and around the community, and it is a shame to have someone post their own comments and tarnish what the team has work hard, and built up in the last few years.

I hope people don't conclude that all Team United members are guilty by association.

nakano/Team United - it's all good -

we all[forum] must understand that not all human beings are born "perfect" - mr willpower is just one of those unlucky vctims - we shall pity him

it's always great to hear about teams volunteering/doing fantastic deeds for the community.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...Many frown upon your comment Willpower, leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouths. There's a reason why it was called a fundraiser and not a race...primarily to give generously to charity for Children's hospital. Don't tell us you didn't know it was for charity when you signed up cuz the name "Paddle for Kids" does imply that. Is there no compassion in you? Does possibly winning a medal feel like a better use of your money than donating it to children who need it more? You should be ashamed of yourself for being so selfish and conducting yourself unprofessionally. The cursing can be left in the pub.

Alcan, this year was sweet.. Though I'd would have hated seeing racers village if it down poured like it did in kelowna.  This is the 2nd time that Alcan teamed up with Science world.. The 1st time was back in 97.. But we were still using one of the docks near plaza of nations to load and unload.. But I do recall sitting on the somewhat grass area near the globe for the awards cermony (it was raining earlier that day) and my medal. though the rest of both festivals were a blur..

Kelowna, has always been a great festival. A nice way to end the season and a last chance to get a sun tan before the winter season hits. I had no problem about how the festivals ran or went. We need the rain but to bad it wasn't gonna down pour this weekend instead of last.
 
This year I brought up 3 of my mountian climber hula hoops
(a 5ft long pdp pipeing(sp?) made into a hoop) A bunch of my team mates and I were using them to work on our abs and its was something to do while waiting to race again and to keep warm.


I didn't really do a lot of festivals this year cause of lack of $$, time and or I was working. But I did attend Alcan, NYC, Kelowna. Though I'd love do a lot more festivals but we'll see in the future.

- Went to Victoria in 2002 and 2003 with Diesel Fish(from san fran) but they didn't attend this year.. And I was too lazy to find another crew to paddle with for that festival.

- Didn't hear about the paddles for kids until the day of!  :(

- I got to see some of the Taiwanese festival races.. when i was at practice then had to go to work :( .. I'm soo glad we don't have to race in teaks anymore at alcan  :D

- Though I live in Ditchmond, I've never raced in richmond's festival Its always on the weekend I'm out of the country or stuck on bowen at my dads.

Now for the rest of 2004, i can put my paddle and life jacket in my closet and not pull them out until mid Jan.. when roli starts paddling again..

Wow!  Not much you can say about that but, Wow!

When your buddies kick you off the team, you can start your own... Team Un-pc.


btw, Vancouver was wicked.

willpower. you deserve every single comment on this thread.  'nuff said.

I really enjoyed all the festivals this year, with Kelowna being the best (felt the same last year too).

Alcan had a better layout, vendors and beer garden than last year, but the view of racing was a little lacking.  Race marshalling seemed a little disorganised, and no PA system sucked.  Overall B-

Richmond, being what it is, was well run, and a lot of fun.  Just wish they had a second set of porta-potties at the other end of the site.  Still, it was well worth the bump on the head  :P  A-

Taiwanese Fest, although I didn't race (I just cheered on my half team), appeared to be quite a bit of fun with the flag catching and barrel racing.  Too bad no one appeared interested in the racing except for those paddling.  Everyone else there seemed more interested in entering airline ticket draws. C+

Kelowna was a superb festival.  Somehow there is a more laid back atmosphere, yet racing seems as, if not more intense than Alcan.  Water's Edge and all of the last minute volunteers deserve a lot of credit for keeping the racing close to schedule.  I like the fact that there is plenty of room to set up team tents anywhere.  Don't care much for the beer garden as everyone's in a hurry to skip town after the races anyway.  Best thing about it is the clean, fresh water that's perfect for throwing your steersman and drummer into. :D A

Overall, I though the 2004 Season was another excellent season of paddling (or steering in my case).  Most of my team liked the new Alcan layout although some improvements could be made in the paddlers village, mostly related to marshalling news.  Watching the boats come head on into the finish line was different, but I think you lose a bit when you can't see the side profile and watch the boats gain and lose the lead with each stoke.

Richmond was another well done event although I really didn't like being in lane 5 on the outside.  Made it really difficult to line the boat up at the start line when you couldn't see the other boats or hear the starter clearly.

We almost didn't make Victoria this year, but ended up putting in a joint team with TD Lightning and had a blast doing so.

The Tawainese festival was fun, especially with the flag catching boats.  My only gripe would be the change this year that had the flag catchers continuing on to the finish after grabbing the flag instead of the flag being the line.  Minor gripe.

Kelowna - who forgot to pay the SUN bill?!?! Come on, it's suppose to be 28+ degree weather up there at this time of year!  Not 8 degrees and everyone looking for the nearest propane heater or cup of coffee.  Even the lemonade stand had a sign out for hot drinks.  If those D2 boats are back next year, I'll be showing up with my cordless drill and a hole saw.

And last, but not least.... I was going to leave this alone, everyone else has roasted willpower over a hot flame over his rather short sighted comments regarding Paddle for Kids, but decided there were a few things I wanted to say.  Not everything we participate in as a community has to be about racing.  Once in a while it can be about helping the larger community out in some fashion.  In this case, it's about helping the kids who have been dealt a lousy hand by life and having some fun while doing so.  

The past couple of years my team has helped out with putting the event on; this year I was on the docks helping load and unload the boats, and I also steered for Team United.  I think I can safely say that willpower's views are not those of the rest of his team, nor that of anyone else at the event.

And willpower, if you don't like how the event was put on, feel free to volunteer to help organize it next year.  Maybe you'll be able to get some changes made.

I think Alcan is always the best...it has the most competition out of all the races.  I didn't really like the change of main venue, although I was surprised they pulled it off as well as they did.  

Taiwanese was a small and intimate race...great for the spectators!

Richmond...is alright...but I find not much to do...as well, I don't like the start of the races.  Teams weren't starting at the same area so some had a slight advantage.  

Kelowna...main complaint is the weather of course!  Disappointed!  But then it rained on the Sunday last year too :)  There was also a lot of waiting around...but I guess with good teammates the waiting isn't all that bad.

I know ppl are tired of hearing about it...but as a paddler on Team U...I personally was aware of the nature of Paddle for Kids...and we were told that it would be just for fun...to even invite family and friends to paddle...I believe some did.  I think it's the best thing about being involved with sports at any level...and with any sport.  You have the opportunity to do what you love for the benefit of others and make a difference.  While I did unfortunately miss it due to work...Others I had talked to said they had lots of fun.  I look forward to taking part in PK next year!

It was a good year for DB Festivals
Recap as follows:
 
Alcan - Great weather, Excellent venue. Not the biggest fan of the Gemini's but having them and the 6-16's in separate heats made the playing field even (except for teams who did not adapt to the Gemini's)
Lotsa great teams, great racing and some suprises.

Nanaimo - Excellent race (for a second year race) with great comraderie and good racing (this race will grow!) A superb beer tent which did not run out of beer (BOOO Victoria)

Island Chamionships - heard Vancouver teams can come next year. Excellently organized event with great racing and another rock solid beer tent (Ok Ok I like beer tents!)

Victoria - Poorly set up race grid and terrible beer tent (No beer tent runs out of beer!) I heard it was was not run by the usual crew but hopefully they will get their act together next year.

Kelowna - Crummy weather, Good close racing, A BIG suprise in the finals and a well run event overall. Onlhy suggestion is give out the awards earlier and keep the beer tent open so the last races can have a drink.

San Fran - Gets better every year. Good racing, super close finsihes and their first ever beer tent! Venue is OK but the paddlers are great!

Looking forward to next yrear already and I don't even like dragon boat!

Bring it on!

wow... thanks for the feedback, everyone! Anyone who knows me knows I have a habit of not thinking before I speak, but that's definitely NO excuse here.

I should clear a couple of things up, and just to let you know, I'm NOT trying to redeem myself:

-It should be corrected that it was probably only ME, MYSELF, and I (not my team) who believed that Paddle For Kids would be an opportunity for regular race pieces, with the registration proceeds going towards BC Children's Hospital... yes, I did vote to participate in it, without fully knowing what it would be like... yes, that was stupid of me.

-I awoke Sept.12 with the vivid memory of something traumatic that had happened exactly one year prior. If it wasn't for this and everything else currently going on in my life, I probably would have been able to relax and enjoy the event for what it was... yes, that was selfish of me. That day I should have been thinking of the kids fighting for a chance to experience life... I should have put the past and my own worries behind me.



I know the following apologies will never undo the damage I've done, and their recipients are not obligated to accept them. But they're about all I can do now.

I apologize to all the patients at BC Children's Hospital for my selfishness. I should have reminded myself that all my problems are really blessings, for they are life experiences that many in the hospital would gladly trade for. I'm having trouble putting this guilt I'm feeling into words... I feel right now that if I had the power to trade places with any one of you, I'd do it in a heartbeat. My apologies also to all the parents, relatives and friends of the patients, as well as the staff at BC Children's Hospital, for trivializing the children's problems, as well as yours, so carelessly.

I apologize to all the organizers and volunteers of the Paddle For Kids event. It was not my intention to attack this event... what I said was a foolish rant fueled by the frustration that I wasn't able to relax and truly enjoy the event that day. The activities were the things I'd normally like to participate in (when I'm not in such a depressed state of mind) and the race format (yes, I raced the first one) was entertaining. I truly appreciate all the hard work you all put into organizing this event, and I regret not staying around and allowing myself to enjoy it. What I regret even more is lashing out at Paddle For Kids when my frustrations really came from anywhere but the event.

I apologize to the moderators, members and visitors to this forum that I have offended, and those I didn't. My remarks were immature and short-sighted, to say the least, and undeserving to be displayed on a message board meant for the healthy and intelligent discussion of our sport. My language and attitude were inappropriate, and I assure you it will not happen again. Guido, zephyrantes, meowzers, paddleboy, nakano, Rae, pbs, cole, StraightLine, estrella and BigTallTree: I sincerely thank you for ALL of your comments, whether hurtful or dismissive... without your comments I probably would have remained ignorant of the carelessness of my words. Thank you for removing my blinders.

I apologize to the entire Dragonboating community for my disgraceful attitude, not just in my comment, but also on the day of the event. My desire to vent frustration through competition might have potentially scared off some beginners that could have ended up contributing so much to our sport. I agree with Guido, that it would probably make everyone happy if I absolved from using a paddle for the rest of my life. But the problem is... I love this sport too much. I became infatuated as a child watching Vancouver's first races in 1986, and I fell in love 10 years later when I financed my own junior team and picked up a paddle for the first time. Unfortunately politics and competition have taken over and jaded me in recent years, but each year I somehow manage to capture a hint of what attracted me to this sport in the first place, and with that happy watering of my eyes, I vow to come back and enjoy it all over again.

I apologize to all of my teammates on Team United. It was evident to most of you that something wasn't right in me this year. My behaviour, comments and actions weren't always constructive. And now, I've let that demon out beyond the boat. I'm embarrassed to have brought my own shame to our team. I know this team stands for so much, and strives to give back to the sport and the larger community... and I apologize for tarnishing that reputation. I'll do my best to polish it out.

Finally, I apologize to anyone else that I have neglected to mention who has been affected by my comments.

Bravo.  I think most of us can understand as we've all put our foot in our mouths at one time or another.  Welcome back to the community.

good deal, willpower!

Its easy to get torn between the Kelowna Dragon boat festival and the Taiwanese festival in Vancouver. Both festivals were equally fun but on different levels however. Kelowna will always be fun because partying outside of your own stomping grounds just adds a little bit more excitement. The beer garden there is excellent for unique activities like mudwrestling and lubed-up twister thanks to Shaggin' Dragon and some Hex paddlers. A little beer does well for these stunts... Plus, Gotcha and Splashes are two wicked clubs to let loose and release the racing frustrations of the day. The taiwanese festival is fun for all the different specialty races. The regular races we took seriously. But on the specialty races, we just had a blast as a team. The flag races add a little bit of twist to racing. I saw some pretty unique ways to catch the flag, like how Mercedes Silver Arrows did. The ride on the teak boats is an adventure in itself. You never know when you'll tip over. I'd definitely recommend the Taiwanese festival to those who haven't tried it. :lol: