Dragon Boat West

Hey Angus, so is it any different to those finish line officials who are down on the beach in Kelowna asking to borrow paddlers' Timex Ironman watches so that they can time races, which I was witness to this past weekend?  Give me a freakin' break already with the bashing of GO finish line officials!  At least they can sort their results by placing rather than by lane!

I don't quite understanding this, or maybe my coffee hasn't kicked in yet...  You mean to say that you can't read placing if the results were posted by lanes?   :shock:

Ask the Kelowna officials for a photo finish.  Bet they can produce one faster than Richmond or VI can.  In fact I asked to see a finish where my team was racing and the finish was close.  We were sure that we were second, the finish line people showed me the finish and unfortunately we finished where they had us (fourth)  :(

The whole system is computerized it was pretty interesting.  I asked them what would happen if the computer system failed and they gave me a tour of what they do, they capture the video onto a computer, they capture video on to tape and they time with stop watches.  They told me that the computer system is primary, the video tape is secondary and stop watches are the third system.  I guess they needed some stop watches just in case but I know when I was there they only used the video system for the times and finishes.  I was quite impressed by what they do there and how they have planned out for problems.

I was by the finish line on Sunday afternoon and they had 2 video cameras on the race course.  In fact for the last few races they had video cameras from a few different areas.  I asked them why they had those and I was told that was to ensure the glare from the water did not interfere with the results.  I wonder if Richmond or VI can do that.

So before anybody spouts off on what goes on, ask the race officials.

no problems here with an itchy thumb + stopwatch running the finishline.  

For smaller races like Richmond, TW and various Regattas Who cares?
Gonna get your shorts up in a knots over a 30 boat event?  The job they do has always been pretty reliable and more than good enough.

Is someone saying Kel didn't?  It's the same people who used to run the ADBF.  Odds are they did.

Its great that they have all that video and computer equiptment to capture what occurs at the finish line but what about the rest of the race. It seems to me that on Saturday anyhow, some teams weekend fate was were left to empty memories of chase boat officials and some Waters Edge people with bad attitudes. I understand the conditions sucked at times on the water, mainly due to the glare, but in those instances they need to deal a heck of alot better then they did and not just shrug their shoulders and say "Oh Well".

Well put adbf.

Yes it is the same people who ran the Alcan races and the Kelowna races. I suspect the reason Water's Edge was asked to run the Kelowna races was because of the way things were handled in Vancouver. They obviously spared no expense in getting the right equipment and the right people doing the right job. I am talking about both the finish line and the start line too! At the finish line there is so much equipment there so that the right results get posted. Leave nothing to uncertainty. And the start line official had to be stern/agressive and hold everyone at the line due to the winds playing havoc. Yes the team I paddle with did not have their best weekend perhaps but we felt good in the end as we did the best we could. I have no complaints about how the weekend went. And even the team I coach I am extremely proud of because they improved compared to where they ended up in June. All in all I can not complain with the racing and with the end results in all divisions! Good job by all officials and organizers!