Dragon Boat West

Water's Edge has Whistler's Rainbow Park booked thru the July 1st Long Weekend - Happy Canada Day!  - and the event is going to be better than ever ...but we would like your input first.

1. Should we keep the event as a 2-day program with 2 races per day plus challenge events?

or

2. Should we try to squeeze 4 races into a 1-day event (we may have to limit participation in order to get 4 races in)?

or

3. Should we try a 1-day program  with 2-3 races( 200-500m) combined with a dry-land challenge such as an ERG race (200m) or even a SUP (Stand-up Paddleboard) race?

Please lets us know by responding on this forum or contact us at [email protected].

Thanks for your input!

First off, it is great to hear that Whistler is coming back after a one year hiatus. That being said, I find it somewhat concerning that a little over 3 months away from the event date and we are not sure as to the race format and whether the event is one or two days.

I know a lot of teams have been planning or have planned their race calendar already. Money has been set aside for certain regattas and early bird deadlines are coming up for many regattas. With that in mind, you'll need to get this figured out sooner rather than later.

In terms of format, in my opinion I think you could make a strong case for a 1 day event.
1. Given that you are coming late to the regatta schedule and many teams have already planned out their season, as a result you would probably attract a smaller number of teams
2. Whistler is a destination regatta. People want to spend time in Whistler doing other activities as well. I love the venue at Rainbow park, but we would be far from the village. If paddlers race one day, they still have the rest of the weekend to do other stuff.
3. I think there is a trend to having one day regattas. People have busy lives and DB takes up a lot of time & $. A one day regatta still leaves a day off on our weekends to do other things. The success of one day regattas like Harrison, Steveston, lends credence to that. Don't get me wrong, 2 day events have their place as well. But they tend to be bigger events like RTA, Portland, San Fran. 
4. Also, a one day event has very little downtime. We don't end up sitting around if you are doing 2 races one day and 2 races the next. If you are stuck in a park away from the village or if it was freezing cold as it was back in 2010, that's not good.

Other thoughts:
If doing one day event, stay away from the gimmicks. Dry land challenge, while fun, it takes time to set up and explain and does have limited appeal. At they end of the day, we are all there to race.
I like the 200m / 500m racing. But one of the things I always enjoyed at Whistler was the opportunity to race 1000m. It is an official race distance that is rarely contested at other regattas and I thought this was always a great differentiator of this event. So instead of gimmicks, do the 4 races in one day. 200m, 200m, 500m semi, 1000m final with one turn.

Just my two cents. Take it for what it is worth...All the best!

I have to whole heartedly agree with Dr. Evil. I can't add any more at all. Well put my friend!

Dr. Evil's comment make sense to me.
Plus - with a 1 day festival - the organizers can keep costs low(er) by not having to pay for a 2nd day for renting the park, shuttle buses, toilets, etc.  If these costs are low(er) the registration fees could be lower, thus making the event more appealing for some teams.  This also gives some people the option of not having to stay overnight. 

I think that Harrison has been popular b/c it is a 1-day festival. 

Just sayin'