I just got the following email from Kelowna. Thought I'd share it with the rest of the teams trolling around here.
Hello, my name is Don Mulhall, and I'm the Race Director for the Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival (KDBF). Our festival is less than 5 days away and we're ready to welcome 154 teams! Thanks again to all those who e-mailed with concern about the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire. At present the fire still appears to be heading east and away from the downtown area. We do not anticipate the fire will effect the festival's operation.
The following e-mail contains important information for all the teams, as well as directions where to go for more info.
RACE PACKAGE PICK UP
Race registration and race package pick-up for all teams will be from 3:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, Sept. 12; and 7:00 to 11:00 am on Saturday, Sept. 13. Just your team manager (or designate) needs to be there. Our registration tent will be in the same place as last year, on the outside of the gates, near the dolphins statue on friday night. The registration tent will be moved back to it's original place, same as last year, right near the beer gardens for Saturday morning.
DOWNLOADABLE DOCUMENTS
The following files will be available in a downloadable format from our
website:
1) Preliminary race schedule (for all teams' first race)
2) Schedule of Events
3) KDBF Rules and Regulations
4) An updated Frequently asked questions sheet.
Just go to
http://www.kelownadragonboatfestival.com and download the .pdf files.
MANAGER'S MEETING
Again, there will NOT be a manager's meeting. We've given you all the information you'll ever want about racing, and those question-askers amongst you have already asked your questions. If you have questions, enquire by e-mail, or phone, or at the registration tent. Managers are expected to have read, understood and communicated all Official Rules and Frequently Asked Questions to their teams.
RACER'S VILLAGE
We'll have a large secure area cordoned off near the marshalling area for all the racers. We recommend your team bring a tent and set up camp, and spots are first come first serve. Tents can be set up at 8:00 am on Friday morning for all teams. No earlier, please, or your tent will be removed. Tent sizes allowed are up to 10 X 10 ft. There will be security overnight starting Friday evening - enough to leave maybe a lawn-chair or two. Having all the teams in one area makes for easy and quick marshalling, and with 154 teams marshalling will need to be efficient. If you'd like information about renting a tent, contact Brad at Avalon Party Rentals at (250) 861-1575. Note that the festival races are free to the public.
KICK-OFF CONCERT
Again this year, we will be staring the weekend off with a concert at the race site. 54-40 is coming back again and tickets are still only $5 each. Tickets must be purchased at the gate. There is no advance sales to be fair to out of town teams. Gates open at 6:00 pm and 54-40 is on at 8:00pm!
PARKING PASS
In your race package will be one (1) parking pass for a designated parking lot close to the site. It can be used as a team vehicle to bring your gear (and lock it up) when visiting the race site.
PADDLER'S HAWAIIAN BEACH PARTY SATURDAY!
You've already got your money's worth out of your Salvation Army Hawaiian shirt - now we're trying to get you a healthy return on your $1.50 investment. For registered paddlers, your wrist-band is your entry. It runs from 5 pm till 10 pm Saturday Night on the beach. If you require more tickets, just ask at the registration tent. Extra tickets will be $5 for rostered team members and paddling groupies. All the food vendors will stay open and be available for you to buy dinner.
WE'VE GOT LOTS AND LOTS OF TEAMS!!!
Kelowna still has 8 mixed divisions and 3 women's divisions, but we'll be racing with 7 boats in each race!. Our tried and true format of seeding and qualifying races will make sure everybody gets some very exciting racing - especially Sunday's semi-finals and finals. There will be Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for the A finals in ALL divisions! B division finals will compete for ribbons.
Once again the Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival has grown considerably - which is a great thing! It's just that we're going to need everybody's help to keep things running smoothly. From suggestions last year, we're improving the sound on the starter boat, as well as on the race official boats. As I've stated in previous years, if there's an opportunity to run ahead of schedule we will to make sure we get all the races run. Please check in with our Crew Marshall early and often throughout the day to see how the race schedule is progressing. And we'll do our best to keep you informed.
Thanks for your attention. We'll see you on the weekend.
Don Mulhall
Race Director
Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival
Foundation 2000 Plus
I should note that as of 4:48pm, Tuesday, September 9th... the preliminary schedule is still not up on their website yet...
