Dragon Boat West

 Well I arrived here in Prague today for the 2009 Worlds and haven't slept in over 24 hrs trying to beat the jetlag and follow the hours over here . Just getting my paddle here has set me back an add't $100 1 way for exccess baggage charges so far ......on the way back when they charge me again I think I'll ask for its own seat for that price ....I could have left my paddle behind and bought 1 here ,lol

  Taxi drivers here in Prague are on the crazy side ..............my experience was my driver deciding to take some shorts cuts down 1 way streets heading the wrong direction and just waving at the people who look annoyed....it was actually kinda of a blast,lol .

 I got into my room to find no a/c of air movement of any type from the fan unit so I headed down to the lobby and asked for some assistance and up came this biker looking guy about 300 lbs who spoke no english . He look annoyed even before I said something about the room being very warm and glared at me and looked at the thermostat and hit it a few times and then glared again and saw I had opened 1 of the windows to let cooler air in and he walked over slammed in shut and said "NO !! " or at least  I thought it was no and looked at me like I caused the problem ......I only opened it because the thermostat room temp said 29 degrees .He said something that I think mean't  " wait " and disappeared and about an hour later reappeared leaving me in the room w/ all the windows closed and temp moving upward .This time he reappeared w/ another guy and he looked at the thermostat and said " ok " ,not sure what that mean't because he did not do anything and then the biker maintence guy noticed I opened the windows again and he said something and I have no idea what he said but it wasnt good and he went back over and slammed the windows shut and I smiled and said " ENGLISH ? " ,he glared and left,lol but hey the a/c kinda worked ...I think he scared the crap out of it

 So after all this I decide its time for a protien shake .....I mix it with water ,shake ,shake ,drink and then grab some things about Prague and it says " DON"T DRINK the TAP WATER " ......my luck

 Practices on the site start Friday  both mixed and men's, the men's team will finally all get to train together mixing up with guys all across Canada .I'll try to do updates for all as time allow and as long as I can find wi-fi .

 Thats it for today ...I need sleep  :shock:

Your sooooo high maintenance my dear brother. It's generally a good idea to not drink tap water when travelling abroad as one's system may not be used to other countries water. You may want to visit the local pharmacy and get yourself some Pepto-Bismal  :lol:.

Please keep us posted on the results. Glad you got there safely.

Your sister

PS: don't forget to bring me a souvenir  :D

  I'll bring you the maintence guy ! I'm so nice  :mrgreen:

don't forget to post pictures!

 I have my iphone with me and will try but its kinda hard to film while you're paddlin your ass off   :shock:

 2000 meter race start next weds :


2000m races
 
16:00 hrs ( 4:00 pm) premier open - Canada starts 12 of 18
 
18:10 ( 6:10 pm ) premier mixed - Canada starts 14 of 15 ( Canada -fcrcc went gold last time IN AUSTRALIA)
 
 Senior women 2000m - Canada starts 6 of 7 (senior,junior and GD women are all in same heat) at 13:00  ( 1PM )

 website to watch for race grids and possibly results - 2000 meter race grid is up

 http://www.dragonboat2009.com/

 http://www.dragonboat2009.com/programme-of-races-wednesday-26th-august

Some helpful tips (I've also emailed these to you):

 Dos & don'ts in Prague and the Czech Republic


Avoid the taxi drivers waiting at ranks in obvious tourist locations. Hail a moving cab or call one of the services listed below. Make sure you are getting into an authorised taxi and the driver turns on the meter. It is safer to agree a fee before you get in the cab.

The main crime problems are petty pilfering from cars and pockets. Prague`s worst problem are the pickpockets. They concentrate in tourist areas like Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge and the Castle, also when getting on or off a tram or train in the metro. A favourite time for them are the crowded summer months. Always remember to keep your bag closed and avoid carrying your passport, wallet and valuables in your back pocket. Never leave valuables in your car. Park your car in an underground car park. When in Prague Main Station, never leave your bag unattended, even on the train. Thieves are now boarding the train while it waits in the station and stealing luggage.

Always make sure that your hotel room/apartment is locked whenever you leave! Always keep your hotel/apartment address and important phone numbers with you.

Prostitution is not legal in the Czech Republic, though police generally turn a blind eye. If you walk down Wenceslas Square any time past 10pm, you will see prostitutes at every corner on the streets leading into the Old Town. Please don't pick up any girls from the street and take them back to the apartment or hotel, especially if they are not native Czechs! It's very dangerous !

Don't park in the blue zone, if you do you will be clamped. Also, the town police now tow, they will take your car away if you do not pay the clamp fine quickly.

Don't change any money with people in the street !

 funny about the cars .......the hotel brochure says if you want guarded car protection its aval but for extra charge .................so does that mean if I park down below in the parkade and I don't pay but say another guy does a few stalls over and a thief comes in and breaks into my car the guard for the other car will just watch ??  Hmmmmm

i was waiting for the part where they took out the handcuffs, lube and chainsaw.

Good luck in your races!

Keep updating us Paddleboy, it's an interesting read.

Yea, the norm for tap water is always NOT to drink it if you are not in North America.

+1

So this advice is for Paddleboy specifically?? :rofl:

Good luck over there!

all of the FCRCC boys really  :D

Paddleboy where are you??? It's been awhile since your last post, did the water get to you???

  I'm busy touring the city ,geez ...... 1 of our team members got pick pocketed today !! Damn they are super fast ,he turned around and the guy was like gone ...............I tried to run him down to see if he wan't to paddle ,has a great start !!

  In the hotel we have the ozzie's ,Hong Kong and Iran ............yes Iran ..... this should be interesting

 Weather has been smokin hot ( awesome for the black uni's ),the city is amazing .It's too bad it was decided not to hold the 2000 on the river under the tourist bridges because they are packed w/ people

 The team is pretty much all here now and practice starts tomorrow ,twice a day .The men's team looks great ,the eastern guys add alot of braun & size to the team .....we all  can't wait to paddle & get a feel of the power ...it should be awesome !!!!

 anyway thats it for today ,its 9:15 pm and have to be up early
 

What if you caught the guy you were chasing and he ended up have a knife or something??? Not worth the risk. Hide your money in your socks or other dark scary areas.

Thanks for the colourful update, keep 'em coming.

PS: Tell Kamini George says 'hi'  :lol:

 As I sit here right now typing ,it's 8 pm on the 22cd and Australia and Iran have just arrived in the lobby from their flights .We spent the day on the race course with mixed practice first followed by the mens a couple hours later.It takes abut 45 minutes to travel to the site from the hotel but it sounlds like our place is a 5 * compared to where the New Zealand & India teams ended up........Its apparanty like a bunker leftover from the war ,lol

 The boats are just larger versions of the new 10 mans ,bracing is similiar in the middle and they tend to bounce up and down so we need to stay way forward . These boats really show left /right imbalances and its something we have been having to work on . They make huge bow wakes ,much bigger than BUKs

 Some of the Euro teams were on the water and definately using a much different stroke but the seemed to move the boat very well .

 I have pictures of the race course but no way of attaching them so I will send them to sis and maybe she can do it for me

 It's sunday nite now ,todays training is going awesome w/ the men's team getting better and better each time we hit the water .I see more teams have entered into mixed totalling 18 inc the Ukraine & Maccau and there are 20 countries in the open .

 The course is shallow and the boats actually noseing into the water on the catch which is something we were not expecting so we are working to try to limit this  which is a real challenge in itself. More teams on the water ,the ozzies are useing a much higher stroke rate than prior ,more like the asian teams but not really sure its working for them ......time will tell .The european teams seems to move the boats well ,the iran men's team was on the water this morning and looked pretty good but they just paddled around the course and did a couple of very short bursts so can't really tell much.The guys are mostly in their 20's ,very fit and wearing olympic symbols on their shirts so not sure exacly what that means .

 Anyway ,we head to the race site really early tomorrow so I need to head ,we'll see what surprises show tomorrow the the course .....it's interesting seeing all the different styles

 Today alot more teams were on the course such as the iranian women who actually looked very good and they were wearing the traditional berka headgear ,the chinese men and women were there and even at one point took a smoke break.......i'm not joking ,anf then came back on the course .

 We first ran into them this morning at 6 am breakfast where we all lined up to enter but the rest. was closed .There was us ,followed by the chinese women ,then men,iran,australia and whoever else was in the hotel. The doors opened and we lined up to get food but the chinese bolted and rushedthe line and grabed most whatever they could ,it was a feeding frenzy.......unreal to watch .Poor ozzies were left with little,lol.Chinese are very dominate in there actions here .....tomorrow moring is the second heat for the breakfast line at 6 am and this time Team Canada will be ready ,trust me !

 We finally saw the India men's team and they appear to be a rec level team with not a lot of experience and some serious timing issues but hey at least they entered and will learn alot.The powerhouse Phillipines finally showed looking stonger and taller this time and it was strange because they were mostly wearing touce's pulled down low and heavy jackets and looking very very GHETTO !!....the temp was mid 20's .

 I see our famous dbw photographer Lethal has shown up here in Prague so expect some great pictures of the action

 1 more day of practice then we take it to the line ......2000 meter first up

Usually ppl from China are lacking in mannerisms (I'm serious).  I would make sure hotel staff are aware of it and make sure they line up properly.

Mannerisms they have.... Manners ?????

Lol...good reading.

Remember the Chinese population is 1+ Billion in a country smaller than Canada, they have to be aggressive throughout their daily lives. Unfortunate to have to live this way but I don't believe they know any better. When I was in Greece I experienced a similar situation at the airport. Little old Greek ladies pushing there way to the front of the line up, I quickly learned to put out my elbows to block. That and my suitcase.

A word of advice, just make sure you're not in their (Chinese) way when they go to spit, which is often  :sick:.

Can't wait for Lethal's pics. Man that guy gets around.

Your sis

Just got some info and pictures from our correspondent in Prague

Race course is 1 hour by bus from hotel. 14 premier mixed teams, 17 premier open teams  
and so on, including teams from Iran and India here. Some very good teams here.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3856628196_638205299a_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/3855838421_cd4133f46f_m.jpg)
Race course and docks

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/3855838267_80bb068ecf_m.jpg)
Big timing tower (I think...).

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3855838163_58a539177c_m.jpg)
2000m races on Wed. Notice the large turning radius for 2000m turns.

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3855994889_39a4c5d460_m.jpg)
20 Swift dragon boats, made in China. 2nd generation, pretty good boat from what FCRCC paddlers told our guy. Selling for 4200 Euros after the event.

No update from Paddleboy today.......

I hope he survived the battle for breakfast .

 Day 2 at breakfast was different ,the chinese were much better ( obviously someone spoke to them ) .All the teams are here now ,the USA entered the race site doing a marching chant .....whatever ! The Phillipines showed with both their men's crew ,a womens crew and a mixed crew this time and are very impressive .The USA dropped out of the mixed 2000 because they are going to save it for the other distances and the 2000 meter really means nothing in the overall standings .  

 As we sat on the 250 meter loading dock the chinese pulled up ,exited the boat and took their smoke break . I wanted to get a picture but my camera was back in the team area . After the break they headed out and did a full 500 rating well over a hundred .During their pieces all chinese chant back and forth and we suspect its to help with breathing and getting the lungs more volume which would help in being able to perform at the high rates .The australians are useing a similiar rate but don't appear to be as efficient as the chinese or Phillipines .

 We have our 2000 meter open in a few hours at 4 pm and then our mixed at around 6.Its going to be tough in the mens as we are starting middle of the pack w/ china and the phillipines in front of us .The course is shallow w/ wide turns and the wash will be huge  .We are going to try to keep the boat flat through the turns as they tend to lean over on their own to the point where water almost comes over the gunnel and with the added wash the last thing we need is water coming over and adding weight to the boat .


The US men's team has the usual big names and Danny Ching of outrigger fame is seat 2 on the right .The US pays for for these ringers to come and even pays their flights and their lost wages apparantly .....The US is not the only one to do this ,the chinese are all paid as well as a number of other teams which makes it hard to compete  . For countries like Canada sometimes its only those that can afford to go that get to race and alot of great paddlers stay home . We have alot of very hard work ahead of us and hopefully we have brought enough to get the job done .....

Paddleboy, already making excuses and the races didn't even start yet! The big bad subsidized Americans, eh? What a crock. Remember, you guys are the socialists! Good Luck, bro! Quit worrying about everyone else and just paddle.

Good luck today Paddleboy
love your posts, funny as!
I dont wanna be rude but what the hell lifes short I dont surpose you noticed how the New Zealand team done today thats if they made it out of that  old war bunker lol
any info would  be much appreciated
Cheers Robyn

Premier women got 1st in the 2000m!  8th in the Premier Open though :(
Get some revenge in the Premier Mixed boys

Received several messages over the night from our correspondent to update everyone. All times are Prague local times unless stated otherwise.

8:34am (11:34pm Pacific) - FCRCC premier mixed races 2nd last at 6:10pm. Premier Open around 1pm. Opening ceremonies and 250m relay demo races around 12 noon.

4:28pm (7:28am Pacific) - Canada's winning most of the 2000m races. The Swift boats can't take heavy crews, there have been 4-6 boats that have swamped and more just about ready to sink with so much water in the boats.

4:58pm (7:58am Pacific) - Shades of Harrison, thunder & lightning, pouring rain now. Last 2 races delayed, everyone off the water. Have the Canadian anthem memorized. Thunder right on top of us.

5:12pm (8:12am Pacific) - It's raining harder than Harrison!!!! Everyone under cover. It's crazy...

Photos received just before Noon Pacific time.

Opening Ceremonies - Parade of teams. Teams in the stands. Team from Iran, coached by a Brit.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3859158283_4c174a78c5_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2583/3859158395_cc82eb368f_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/3859945198_efd35669c8_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2670/3859158641_f4ac21c329_m.jpg)


Another one sinks - Heavy crew plus 2000m = swamping.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3859945430_936ec3c0bc_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/3859945506_0544b18cce_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3859945588_e143763e9a_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/3859159041_a3818dc965_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3859945824_d96228efee_m.jpg)

Harrison all over again - Storm moved over the course. Last 2 races delayed, everyone off the water and the metal docks.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/3859173857_37469853b3_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3859173957_9974a2a9c6_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2652/3859960380_4636b6bc67_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3859174187_d8b303b281_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3859960618_572f544b87_m.jpg)

Canada Premier Mixed 2000m - They started 2nd last and came 4th, .57 sec behind 3rd. Canada won the 
majority of the 2000m races today.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3859183855_0ae90da767_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/3859970252_455e70570c_m.jpg)

More photos here:

http://www.dragonboat2009.com/wednesday-26-race-day

 No ones making any excuses ,it is what it is and I'm telling like it is .......tell me again why you are still sitting in the US and not on the team ..........thats what I thought .

 Anyway , today the Premier Open 2000 was won by the US ,second was China , not sure who was third . A decision was made by the coach to race the team w/ 18 rather than 20 and split the boat at seat 5( to try to make the boat run better with these course conditions ) ,it was also decided not to do a start but rather do a gradual build to the start line and transition to 2000 meter pace we ended up 8th.The mixed raced with 20 and used the same start and was 4th ,1 second out of third  .Strategy played a big part in the 2000's and for some teams it paid off big .

 Iran open men ended up in the water on the final 500 ,and I believe Poland also did in the mixed 500.India was dead last and back a lap in premier open but it appeared they had a good time just being here .China is a powerhouse and they have brought a lot stronger team than they did the last time

 Tomorrow is the 1000 meter races so most of us are taking it easy getting rested for tomorrow ...stay tuned

lol, its Kaohao vs. Paddleboy all over again

Paddleboy, if I read what you wrote correctly, it was a running start? (for all teams?)

Yeah, Kamini's blog said it was a running start
http://rightangleperformance.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-1-2000m.html

The US kept seat 4 open
http://readyandreach.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/more-from-nick-in-prague/

 No ,each team made their own decision as to the start but you did have to paddle up to the line and the timer did not start until you crossed the line  .Each team was to start 12 seconds apart ,Russia played it smart and waited longer (they started last ) as they knew if they did they would have better water .They knew the timer would not start until they crossed the line so waiting longer gave them a little better water

Came across more Prague Pics on this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/jason.au/Day22009IDBFWorldsPrague#5374406113976557810

Go Canada!

Only got this one this morning. Guess our guy's busy today.

2:33pm (5:33am Pacific) - 1000m races: Canada Senior Women 1st Gold, Senior Open 1st Gold, Premier Open (FCRCC), 3rd in Heat, to repechage delayed by 25 min this morning due to heavy fog. It's sunny now and hot.

7:45pm (10:45am Pacific) - Back from races. Lane 1, closest to timing tower is an express lane. FCRCC Open (lane 2) made Grand Final, 4th. Slovaks 1st in lane 1, USA (heavy favorites) 2nd in lane 3, Philippine 5th in lane 4, Germany 3rd in lane 5 and Russia 6th in lane 6.

Minor Final: Iran 1st in lane 1 (shocker), China 2nd in L3, Australia 3rd in L2, Singapore 4th in L4, Cezch 6th in L5, Hungary 5th in L6.

Watch for teams race to get Lane 1 tomorrow, 200m races.

Clever strategy for the Russians.

The way the start is set up, depending on how far to the starting line, its possible then that teams can have their start and/or ups and/or transition to reach max speed, to start the race?

The decision to do a gradual build instead of a start, was it partly because to prevent getting water in the boat unnecessarily? (noob question lol)

Thanks for the link.. lots of great shots in the albums..inlcluding this one (I can't tell if she's wearing brown pants or not)

[(http://i28.tinypic.com/16joal0.jpg)

 Well the day is done and we (open team) battle our asses off to end up in the final . Ever heat we had was a very hard battle from the opening heat where we had the USA and Russia and ended up third losing by under 1 second the the USA and .10 to Russia which knocked us into the rep where we had another brutal race and battled with Great Britian but we decided to make a strategic move and try to place second as that would put us in lane one for the semi which is definately the express lane and every team here knows it .

 It ended up bein a dogfight w/ Great Britian who wanted the same but we were able to hold them off w/ a huge finish which moved us to he semi .In the semi we knew we have to go hard as this was a tough field where we would face the Phillipines and we beat them and Slovakia which took us to the final where Slovakia was in the express lane 1 and they knew they had the advantage  . On the start they put everything they had to get out in front as they knew the lane had a huge advantage for the first 500 and they played it right moving out on the USA and the Phillipines .The USA moved over thinking they would be able to ride the wash of the Phillipines next to them ,which did not work as the Phillipines moved as well and we tried the same strategy w/the USA next to us
 but the usa was way too far over so we just stayed on it hard doing push after push but germany is a powerhouse and they would sit just a little back and ride the wash of others and in the last 500 would make a huge move and try to shoot past everyone and they did in one of their earlier heats which they won and in this final they just caught us right at the end & serged ahead ....a pretty amazing feat considering how strong all the teams were in the final .The slovacks only won because they had the express lane ..... we had already beaten them earlier .

 A good example of lane one was the B final when Iran beat China by a boat almost in  that final.There is a not a chance in the world Iran would ever beat this China team in a fair race,China  is super tough, and a very experienced team

 Tomorrow brings a new day and the 200's both in open and in mixed .The Phillipines and China will be very tough in these distances ...stay tuned ...Lethal has some great pictures to share when he gets back

Fog - This morning, races delayed 30 minutes. What if this had been 2000m races that took place yesterday.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/3862544945_bda32fc8ee_m.jpg)

Iran Womens team - They must be so hot.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/3862545049_d3ae29dd12_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3863327280_abae514020_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3482/3863327432_eb016ba204_m.jpg)

Team China
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3862545363_da5fd05862_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3510/3863327686_d85a2cdb61_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3547/3862545575_7914c61b34_m.jpg)

lane 1 - Slovakia - 4:04.33
lane 3 - USA  - 4:08.82
lane 5 - Germany - 4:08.83
lane 2 - Canada - 4:09.28
lane 4 - Phillipines - 4:09.42
lane 6 - Russia - 4:13.27


B final

lane 1 - Iran - 4:09.33
lane 3 - China - 4:10.87
lane 2 - Australia - 4:12.92
lane 4 - Singapore - 4:15.47
lane 6 - Hungary -4:15.51
lane 5 - Czech Republic - 4:15.53


 Just to give you an idea as to how much faster lane 1 is .....the senior open went nearly 8 seconds faster in lane one then any other lane today and said they felt they did not have to work nearly as hard in that lane

Paddleboy....you're slowing down on posting your results.....

http://www.dragonboat2009.com/results

What are they feeding the China and Philippine teams? They are 5-6 seconds ahead on the 200m, that's insane! Remember all those who raced against FCRCC and how far ahead they would be, these teams are 6+ seconds faster than them. Can't wait to see footage on these races.

 Premier Mixed 200m

Grand Final Team Times

Lane 1  Germany 48.625
Lane 2  Macau China 49.562
Lane 3  China 45.951
Lane 4  Philippines 43.507
Lane 5  Russia 49.734


 Premier Mixed 200m
 
Minor Final Team Times

Lane 1  Hungary 49.177
Lane 2  Austalia 50.863
Lane 3  Canada 50.730
Lane 4  Sweden 51.425
Lane 5  Czech Republic 50.618
Lane 6  United States of America 49.165

Lane 6  Poland 50.868

The Premier Open times for China and Philippines are at about 40 seconds flat.  I'd love to see them go 100+ strokes per minute

They're not already doing that?

Ya, they are, just saying I'd like to see it in person

The Indonesian team typically does 110 strokes/min and they spank the Philippines and China teams lol

Ok you guys ................I hardly think Indonesia would spank this Phillipine team .This team has trained hard since the last worlds and got even better ...........have you ever even seen a 40 second 200 ......its stinking fast .The Phillipines is over a hundred on the start and hold it the entire way and then near the finish they ramp it up even more .We all have been talking about it here and all feel unless we all change and start training with the rates they use we won't beat them in a 200 .

 The day today was another battle in Premier  Open,every round we had the big hitters in our race .We beat the USA ,we beat Russia ,and alot of other very very good and very fast crews .This course has been a pain in the ass with its shallow parts which bog the boat down.You will just be motoring along and the boat almost stalls and you have to do a huge push to get over it .The lighter crews w/ the high stroke rates work best on this course .We made it to the final and were determined not to be last ,we ended up a very repectable 5th ......The usa ended up in the tailrace just to give you an idea as to the calibre of men's crews here

 In our Premier Mixed we battled some very strong crews but had an equipment failure 1/2 way through 1 of the races and the bungy on the drum snapped sending the drum into seat 1 and costing us some time .We tried to protest and have the race rerun but apparantly after the first 50 meter your SOL !


 Tomorrow is another day and the mixed will try to bring it for the 500 ,the men get a day off and on sunday we have the Open 500

so when will we be able to see some videos of the races?

I think you should too, but you said the Ozzies have been trying it right, and doesn't look like they're doing a lot better.  You'd probably have to make that style permanent like the Asian teams.  Maybe you should ask the Ozzies about how they've been transitioning to it.

 The ozzies are trying it but to honest its not working for them as we just bury them .It takes alot of practice and lots of time spent together to make it happen trust me .I keep telling everyone here how I would just love 1 day to have the chance to practice with them useing this rate .....even their mixed team pulled a 43 second 200 which is faster than the majority of mens crews here

 You think the A final in Alcan is hard ..........these races make it look like a rec race

 as for video ,don't worry there are lots of people and tv crews here so i'm sure it will happen soon

U23 team - Our very own Amanda on Team Canada U23 team. They are doing well in Prague.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3866125430_031b8c7af5_m.jpg)

 Yes Amanda already has lots of hardware she is bringing back with her ,they are doing well but then again there are only 3 or 4 teams in her division,lol ,but they still rock .

 excuse my spelling everyone....these have been long hard days and its late here

Hey PaddleBoy,
You seem to be at every major event. Good on ya!

Are you one of the guys racing the fully sponsored 10 man dragonboat races in Shanghai, China this coming September.

6:41am (9:41pm Pacific) - Junior teams this morning, mixed teams after 12. Open teams on Sun. The Senior and Grand Dragon Canadian teams are cleaning up but they don't count in Nations Cup points.

12:08pm (3:08am Pacific) - Gold Medals to the Chinese Junior Womens team at the medal podium, exciting. Singapore Silver, Canada Bronze.

5:26pm (8:26am Pacific) - Australia (Gold) in Lane 1 beat Canada (Silver) Lane 3, Senior A with Don Irvine for first time. FCRCC in Lane 1 for Grand Final 500. Premier Mixed: THEY WON!!!! EASILY

Czech womens team
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3468/3867159785_1a8edbe9eb_m.jpg)

 Well...........................WE WON !!!!!!!! Canada's Premier mixed  :dance:(FCRCC) won the 500 useing our favorite lane #1 !!!!!   WooHoo !!!!  We took out the field by 3 seconds roughly w/ a 2.02 and the next closest if I can remember was a 2.05 .

 Onto tomorrow and the Premier Open 500  

 Sorry I won't be making the trip to China but a number of the FCRCC paddlers are

 The IDBF has now changed the seeding rule for tomorrow . They have realized lane 1 has some advantage ,how much they aren't sure ,but as of tomorrow the fastest time in the semi final in any division will automatically go to lane 1 in the final

It is unfortunate that it has taken 4 days of racing for this to be realized and rectified.   However, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  Team Canada on your Gold in the Premier Mixed 500m.

Chinese Jr Womens team, 500m World Champions at the medal podium. Singapore Silver, Canada Bronze. Looked fun.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/3869378586_17e7b18c11_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3868596815_caf666ba1d_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/3868596857_3025d5c154_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3868596903_28119f5ca4_m.jpg)

Medals for Canada
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/3868596979_964b4b0b56_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3868597031_b2dfd29087_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/3868597081_2dbbca91d0_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3868597143_cec2673c1c_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3869379038_2fd6323fda_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3495/3869378474_3222fc4a14_m.jpg)

She held the tray of medals. I think this is what we need at Alcan for our medal presentations.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3869378540_6ca3a2b047_m.jpg)

8:13am (11:13pm Pacific) - Lane order for today has been changed. It's going middle out, 1/6 fastest teams, 2/5 next fastest, 3/4 slowest. Should have done this days ago. It had to be done as all the teams know lane 1/6 faster.

5:58pm (8:58am Pacific) - It's over!!! Waiting for Nations Cup result. Canada won Premier Womens, Senior Womens. Premier Open won Minor Final. China won Premier Open!! Closing Ceremonies then PARTY, free beer!!!

6:18pm (9:18am Pacific) - China won the Nations Cup. Presentation to IDBF officials with gifts and medals!!! Flags being lowered now.

Photos

Starter's Tent - They use a Starters pistol, it's so loud, their ears were ringing. You would have to wear hearing protection. The gun is wired to start the timer.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3871656013_ac14fd8126_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/3871656187_161b185d4e_m.jpg) (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3872438640_654cb78bb6_m.jpg) (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3442/3871656445_e48b23e7d5_m.jpg)

More Medals for Canada - We really need medal presenters for RTADBF.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2648/3871656787_8111914613_m.jpg)

The Cups - From left to right: Seniors Cup: Canada, Nations Cup: China, Womens Cup: China
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2500/3872439408_e0eceffaa6_m.jpg)

Racing Over - Next Worlds at Tampa Bay 2011.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2520/3871656909_25212ac515_m.jpg)

Soooo who had the best jersey's Paddle Boy? Damn, I should have given you one of my FCRCC one's to trade, what was I thinking???? Who's did you get?

Are there larger versions of these photos?  They're tiny!

Yawn...
Just got off the plane after an enjoyable 16 hour flight
Before I succumb to this headache I have, here are a few teaser Photos of the Worlds
There were lots of Papparazzi around but I think I got the most Team Canada shots  :lol:
Will be posting some more up as the week goes by. Enjoy!

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8535Large.jpg)
The Iranian Womens team looked good and gave it all every race
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8703Large.jpg)
Iranian Men were not too shabby either
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P7644Large.jpg)
Anyone got a bailer.....US team imitating a sub
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P7698Large.jpg)
Traffic was heavy in the 2000 meters
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8195Large.jpg)
They grow them big in the Old Country
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8218Large.jpg)
Pick a winner...
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8320Large.jpg)
These Old guys did this a lot during the week..GO CANADA!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8741Large.jpg)
OK...who won?

Here is a special montage to the winning Crew in the Premier Mixed 500
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9168Large.jpg)
35 meters to the line and blowing a lung on the finish
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9169Large.jpg)
How Did We Do???
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9170Large.jpg)
Yup....
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9182Large.jpg)
Too tired to yell in the back...
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9184Large.jpg)
Your lap is so soft...

Congratulations Team Canada and all teams!
Great Racing and more pics to come
Will Also post the national race off shots as well...later this week.

Some videos starting to appear on http://www.dragonboatworld.tv

Ok spank might not be the most accurate word lol, but they did beat the Phillipine in the open 200m last year at Penang.
I'm sure that gave the Phillipine team motivation to train harder to get where they are this year.




CONGRATULATIONS!! Rock that bling all the way back to Vancouver haha



+1, who wants to start a petition? :rofl:




Great shots with hilarious captions Lethal, keep it up!

Nice pics!  Looking forward to the rest of them :)

here's a few more that are not Cana-centric!

(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8268Large.jpg)
Local Representation in the Masters division
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8368Large.jpg)
Chinese teams were strong despite having Smoke breaks between races
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8374Large.jpg)
While the Indian team needs to work on some Timing and Technical Issues...
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8526Large.jpg)
Iranian Women made the Grand Final
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8600Large.jpg)
I think I know how this team can shave a few seconds off their time....
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8675Large.jpg)
USA team, not as strong as expected but still no Slouches
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P8694Large.jpg)
The Slovak Team had the ladies lining up to watch their races....What do they feed these guys!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9120Large.jpg)
Swedish Team....IKEA paddles?
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9121Large.jpg)
Next years host of the Club Crews..Macau
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9408Large.jpg)
Team Phillipines..I could not get a shot of them , always too much spray...CRAZY!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9430Large.jpg)
Chinese women owned the womens divisions but Canada gave them a fight!
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/Lethal_Weapon/Prague2009/GM7P9717Large.jpg)
Nothing like a $1 beer at the end of a great day of Racing.....aaaaaahhhh

Canadian Premier women 500m final
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHrPHVJ2abQ

here's what it takes to win the 200 meter world championships ...... 40 second 200 by both the phillipines ( who won ) and china
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaoqkLUhS8g

All the Prague World Championships pictures are now online (with the exception of Team Canada, they get their own gallery)
Check out the action and world's team styles and enjoy!

http://lethalweaponphoto.smugmug.com

What's all the fiasco about the Premier Mixed 500 metre race and with the Fcrcc Team Canada replacing team members with East Coast paddlers?  I would think that it shouldn't matter eventhough you are from FCRCC as this is a Team Canada team.  So whether we have a mixture of paddlers from the East COast and the West Coast, a win is a win.  I believe Team Canada should be the best paddlers from the entire Canada not just FCRCC (eventhough fcrcc did win the race off in Toronto in 2008).

lol.......oh oh .......this should stir the pot !  The eastern guys that were added really did not make any difference over those that were regular crew . In time trials some of them were actually slower than the FCRCC guys and some were never even time trialed against the the FCRCC team members so we will never know .

 I would say it was more of a mental thing than paddling ability . The coach obviously felt the change would wake up the crew so she asked the entire crew ,the day before, how they felt and we agreed to give it a try as this was for Canada not just FCRCC and the entire crew agreed to give it a go for the next day's mixed 500's. The down side of this was it created some tension within the FCRCC crew later which may have a negative effect next season ........this we will have to watch and see

 Team Canada ( w/ the eastern 3 guys ) was down around 1.3 seconds to the fastest crew the Phillipines ( If I can remember correctly,I could be wrong ) but we were lucky enough to get lane 1 for the final and as we all know now, lane 1 was by far the express lane and most crews that were seeded in lane 1 won their final .This is not taking away from the team as they are a very very good team but lane choice did play a key factor in the outcome and we all know this but this is racing and thats life and Team Canada was lucky enough to have been seeded in that lane for the final

 This will probably get me in trouble but its the truth and I'm not going to lie . Like I said ,the mixed team (FCRCC) was and is an awesome crew .The coaches choice was probably more desperation in trying to get the crew to feel (mentally) they were stronger than anything else and this is not taking away from the eastern paddlers as they all are very very good paddlers but changing 3 paddlers is not going to make a huge difference on this team to allow the margin they won by . The key performance was solely FCRCC ,without a doubt ,but again it was the lane that won that race .......

The pot is STIRRED! haha

In abt 5-10 years time, most ppl will only remember that Team Canada won the Premier 500m Mixed.
The lane issues will be an afterthought. You take the bad with the good in this sport.

That doesnt change the fact that you're probably gonna get in sh!t now though lol

On the positive side, there is MUCH less pot stirring in here than on East Dragonboat forum. Again, good job with taking the first place, and lane choice is certainly a bitch but that's racing for you.

Well, some of them actually don't paddle in OC's out east right? When you think about that, we are VERY VERY lucky to have a facility like FCRCC where we can just take out OC's and train whenever we want.  Plus there's the technique/blend issue difference of east and west crews, they would've probably needed more time to adapt to your style.

Oh yeah, and I'm sure your coach had fatigue management in mind.  You guys were racing several times a day for 5 days, if there were fresh guys not being used just because it's not an Open race, then why not

Paddleboy getting in trouble and ruffling some feathers for something he says on an internet forum...  :shock:   That would be a first.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrlDjRaw6b0

 1000 meter premier men - shows how big of an advantage lane 1 had ,Slovakia lane 1 , Canada lane 2 ,USA lane 3,Phillipines Lane 4 ,Germany Lane 5 ,Russia lane 6

Someone brought it up in the eastern forum, but it's interesting how the Philippines gets a full boat length lead but it goes away as the race goes on.

 The 1000 is a game of stratagy and you need to pace yourself and as you can see the phillipines went out hard and paid the price as fatigue set in earlier and they fell back .The 1000 meter is not their game,its the 200 & 500 that works for them .