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Dragon Boat Canada


IDBF


Canoe Kayak Canada

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[puppy]

Bernie, I appreciate your concerns and feedback but here's the bottom line. I was there to coach & steer at this festival. That's it...I wasn't there to do anything else. I only stepped in to help get them going and avoid the rain....

During the festival, I was trying to figure out why we were waiting so long. I asked Manfred if he needed help and he said yes. There were a few issues that need a quick resolution and we figured them out.

One of the last issue was at the end of the festival, when they had seated all 50 teams from the semi's based on times and not sedding brackets. I had 10 mintues, manually,to solve how to reseat all 50 teams from the semi's to the finals or else there were going to leave all the teams in the incorrect divisions and race. For anyone who was around the official tent, they can confirm the frantic feeling going on.

The course of action was to get all the teams into the correct divisions and let them race. I did not care which team was faster from the semi's (lane/boat placement was not even consider at this stage) because of the time constraints...so at the end of the day....please feel free to yell at me, curse me, critize me or even call me names...I can accept it. I'm part of a community that will help each other..that's what we do.. Ideally, if things were handled properly from the get go, we wouldn't be having this discussion...correct.  I will not lay blame on anyone nor will I feel bad about the situation. The issues that you point out presented itself early on...but it didn't come to light until the semi's.

This is Dragon Boating. We race and we have fun. Things will and do happen at races...provide feedback to improve, thank people for the hard effort, congratulate other teams, have a drink and move on...

Bernie, thank you for your feedback but if you want to continue this discussion, let's take it off line.


NOTE: on a personal note, all this unfair racing takes a back seat to a serious incident that happened prior to the start of the Festival. The CC riders was at this festival but one of their cars got into a serious accident. Three people were injured and one was sent to the hospital. Through some second hand information, that person had a cut in his head. He had a CAT scan that day. I'm not sure about his status but I pray and hope he's ok....CC Riders, if there is anything we can do...let us know....  Thank you to those teams that helped CC riders fill their roster.

[vangroove]

The event started at 8 AM and ended at 8 PM.  If not for Puppy helping out, the event would have ended at midnight.  And if not for Puppy stepping in (volunteering his free time, I'm assuming), the FVDBC people would have succeeded in...
- making up rules as the day went on
- randomly placing teams in the Finals they saw fit because the consolation finalists all left due to delays

So thank you Puppy for your help and fixing the screw ups and not allowing the on-the-spot rule changes. 

Unfortunately Puppy then decided to help the officials handling the race grids for the semis and finals near the end of a very long day. I am not sure if he is the contributor in having some of the comp teams bumped down into rec and having some of the rec teams up to comp. But when it came to placing the proper teams into their proper lanes, that is where he just blew it. I would like to think that Puppy and I are friends going back quite a few years. But Puppy I think you really f***** up on that! In every race that I have been involved in either as a paddler or an official over the years the way it works is the top team is seated in one of the middle lanes followed by the 2nd top team in the other middle lane and then the 3rd top team next to the top team to its right and the 4th top team would be next to the 2nd top team to its left. Basically the top team is in lane 3, the 2nd team in lane 2, the 3rd team in lane 4 and the 4th team in lane 1. That was the way things went and then suddenly it was changed. My crew was the 3rd top team of the day based on times and yet they were placed in lane 1. That lane has already been mentioned in this tread as having the FVDBC slow pig boat. How can a team who is expected to do well do anything with a boat like that no matter how well they paddled? The odds were already stacked up against my crew but they were getting better and better throughout the day and they should have been in lane 4. I know lane 4 came in 2nd in the end and perhaps my crew could have done that too. I am sure Diggerpig may say otherwise but when its time to put out I think you will find my crew did just that. For those who know of my crew they totally impressed me this weekend. They totally exceeded my expectations as a coach and I realized that they deserved to be where they were. In the end Puppy steered for the team in lane 2 which was where they should have been so no problems there. But that team in the past has been quite comparable to my crew and there would have definitely been a much closer race. And chances are my crew could have pulled it off.  Unfortunately though Puppy could have had a bit of a conflict in getting involved with placing teams where they were placed since he was involved in that heat. Could that have been his motivation? I would like to think not.

Anyway I am posting this here because I want those who know me how proud I was of my crew and how real it was for them to be there where they were.

A big congratulations goes out to Eye of the Dragon as I had you pegged as the favourites! Way to goooo!

And Bernman, your team Superslim Phat Phish was racing in the Comp Final with Eye of the Dragon, Sudden Impact and Just Dragon Along.  Judging by your comment, it sounds like you are trying to say your crew would have beaten the other 3 crews (or at least one of them) if not for the boat and lane your team was racing in.  This IS absolutely possible of course, because ANYTHING can happen in a race.  But keep in mind that "slow" boat or not, all 4 teams in that final raced hard, not just yours.   Your comment...

"And chances are my crew could have pulled it off"

... well... simply put, you're devaluating the efforts of the other 3 teams in that Final with a comment like that.  If you want to complain about the crappy boats, then let the race organizers know and avoid the "would have" and "could have"s.  It's just not sportsmanlike.  It's like the Canucks publicly saying "Yeah, we would have beaten Anaheim if Luongo's groin wasn't injured during the season."... when in reality, they lost because IMHO Luongo wasn't "focusing in his boat" (or net in this situation) and because the other team just proved to be better.  Publicly making excuses just doesn't make a team look very respectable.   

A better example is... At the Alcan 2007 festival, the Comp A team, Masters of DZ didn't complain on the forum about being screwed over by a team of wash-riders.  They went straight to the race officials to deal with the situation properly.

Having said that, congrats to ALL teams for qualifying in the Comp Final at Harrison.

[dogpaddle]

This festival was going out of control and fast. If it wasn't for Puppy stepping in, teams still would have been racing at 10:00 pm! The race grids were all screwed up for the final heats and then there was another delay. We could have waited there for hours to have them sort it out. After all, Puppy was there to race that day and it was nice to help them try and get out of the mess. And honestly, do you think he really knew which boats were slower than the others? Personally, I thought boat 5 was slower than boat 1. Nice seeing both of you at the festival!

Lots of technical difficulties and inefficiencies throughout the festivals. Thank you for all the volunteers for their help. We were one of the ladies teams that would have had to re-race if it wasn't for Puppy. You're our hero!

I would love for my mixed team to come here next year but will only consider it if Water's Edge runs the festival. We have ferries that we have to catch and can't afford the 3 hour time delay.

Finally, thank you to the Mana Wahines for inviting myself and Tracey to come and paddle with you this weekend! We enjoyed your spirit and camaraderie. You are truly a group of special ladies! Thank you for the nice card and necklace. We hope to race with you again!

See you all in Victoria!

[enoki]

Re: Puppy's assistance

Before we complain about others, ask yourself... what did I do to make a difference yesterday? If you just bitch about the problems and do nothing, then you accept the situation.

How many experienced paddlers/coaches/team managers stepped forward yesterday to help with the scheduling nightmare? NONE

No-one asked Puppy to do what he did. He saw a huge problem and showed real leadership to try to fix it. If he didn't help out, we could well have ended up doing moonlight dragon boat racing. The local DB community is fortunate to have someone with his passion and years of experience.   

He acted failry and ethically to position teams. In fact his team TDL (my team) got bumped up to Rec A consolation. Puppy put us back into Rec B final, where we deserved to be based on our times.

I want to recognize all of the VOLUNTEERS who had to deal with the mess. They did not have the luxury of being under tents or the option of leaving early. They gamely stuck to it right to the end. 

 

[GOON]

Thanks to Manfred, the FVDBC, and the countless volunteers for the effort and heart they put into this event.  Things didn't go off as planned but this was still a nice event - you got the weather to cooperate for most of the day and my crew was extremely grateful for that!

You guys also showed a lot of CLASS in dealing with issues as they came up.  We should all learn from the way this group of people conducted themselves.  Swordfish, Lethal, Siggy, and Shaggin certainly did as it shows in their summaries of this event - very classy posts.

One improvement I'd like to see is more room in the Racer's Village.  The 10'x10' area was a bit tight for 26 people, our gear, and the buffet table.  This was my first year at Harrison and it will not be my last.

[zeus]

Bernman, your post shows a real lack of sportsmanship and is embarrasing to Phat Phish. I am friends with several paddlers from your team and feel bad for them. Eye, Sudden Impact and JDA are all great teams period. Everyone was frustrated by the events unfolding  but to publicly criticize someone who just helped out, not even an organizer, is completely uncalled for.

Puppy, thanks for stepping in...your efforts are appreciated by all.

Manfred and Ian, our team who ahs been there from the start is very supportive of this festival. You know what went wrong so now just take a deep breath and look at how to make next year into a premiere event. Professionals are needed and think about 3 races in one day or 4 races over 2 days....You've put countless hours into festival and we will come back if there are changes. The venue, enthusiasm, and volunteers are all bonuses.

[puppy]

To CC Riders...I hope your paddler is doing better today. If there is anything we can do, to help, please ask.

For those who did not hear, one of the paddlers on CC Riders got into a serious car accident before arriving at the festival. He was admitted into hospital and had a CAT Scan..but I'm not sure how he is doing.....

[manawahinesteersperson]

To all the Harrison festival racers we all had a very long tiring day..... despite what everyone has to say ... you were awesome puppy in everything you did for everyone ,so with that ,imagine if you weren't there to help!!!!! Harrison dragonboating festival would have been a flop ...( in my eyes) Great job to everyone 

[gvinluan]

I know I'm repeating what everyone else is saying but if it wasn't for puppy stepping in, this festival would have gotten a lot uglier!!  Maybe we all can learn from this and help out when something doesn't go according to plan instead of complaining about the situation and not do anything.  I'm sure all teams raced hard and competed to the best of their ability but race conditions, boat conditions, etc, are all out of our control during race day.  You deal with the cards you are dealt and hope for the best...Above all, it's never about the medals!!!  It's all about showcasing our sport to the community and having a good time while doing so!!!

[~@ngel~]

This was my first time attending the Harrison Festival.

I'm not going to get into details, but this was the WORST dragonboat festival I have been to in 9 years of paddling. BUT it could have been a lot worse if it weren't for Puppy stepping in to offer some help.  Thanks Puppy! If it weren't for you, I think this would have been a two day festival!  I left before we got to race our semi-finals as I needed to get back to do some work, then our crew ended up getting a gold medal in their division and I'm dissapointed I couldn't be there.

Congratulations to all the teams that participated!

I will not be attending the Harrison festival again.

[cherry wahine]

Well I had fun and that's really what it's all about.  Great Job in the fun department Ian!  Ok... one little complaint... how about posting the results from the women's final?  what are we, chopped liver?  Great racing.... see you Dragon ladies again... and Women on Water..............please just try to get along!!

[chuieXX]

So glad I didn't go to this festival this year!!! Went last year and already said to myself "hell no harrison '07." You'd think they'd learn by now? Hmm I wonder which one was worse? last year or this year? At least this year you had puppy to un-f**k up the f**k-ups. I think a vast majority of the dragon boat community out there knows that puppy does what he does best out on festival day all the time. As for the bitchers and whiners, welcome to dragon boat, so just shut up and paddle. The only slow boat is the boat you were in cause you lost, that's why its the slow boat.

[DiggerPig]

Sonofa ....

I just finished this long reply only to lose it ... sigh

Bernman - don't put down the efforts of the other team's so your team can read how proud you're of them.  SI BLUE knew after each race ...

SI Blue went to Harrison with 15 paddlers that have just came back to Dragon Boating (1) or new to the sport (14).  Yes a few Black came to fill the roster but it was BLUE team that came in second in the mixed division Comp A finals!  

Hats off to Eye of the Dragon ... you had a great race day and finished on top.  We tried to push the finish on you but not only did you keep up but beat us by a dragon's head in the end ... great work.

Yes the delays and race grid was a problem but it wasn't for a lack of effort to try and correct them.  Puppy - great job helping out.  I should have done the same as a former member of FVDBC.   It's always frantic when you're dealing with computer's going down, dozen of people coming up to you (within their rights) asking questions, when your trying to get things sorted out.  Stress to the max!

Harrison - GOOD

1. Live singing of the Canadian National Anthem - Class Act.  It was great to see all the paddlers standing with hats off.

2.  Great village set up and security ... a little small but the name placard with each team was nice touch

3. Always go out of their way to accommodate the paddlers - free water + apples

4. Great venue ... clean drinkable water to paddle in ... no sludge or other things floating in the water.

5.  Huge T.V Screen was back

6. Volunteer's going beyond duty to help out

7. The MS Team paddling at Harrison

Harrison - BAD ... I'm sure the angry horde will post enought about that

I feel for the members of the FVDBC and Manfred (Pres).  They've made huge sacrafices to run a fun event only to have the computers crash or some other little things go wrong.  No luck ... none at all.

Angel ... too bad you won't be back next year ... I'm sure SI Black and SI Blue will be.

Finally - Congrats to Mana Wahine for winning the Women's division.  As a mixed team you should be scared of this strong team ... they'll make you work for it.  

I also want to thank Mana Wahine who stuck around at the end of the day to watch our team race and cheers us on from the awards tent.  That was extremely classy after a long day.    

 

[Monk]

I came to Harrsion to cheer on our ladies, who had picked up with Mana Wahine. (Mana Wahine & Mana Wannabes you kick ass!)

My second agenda was to check it out for possible participation next year....

Good!

- Great location.
- Dogg'ed effort by the volunteers.

Opportunity for improvement.

- Race Management Inexperience.

I don't know that it helped that we (the teams & the MC) turned the difficulties into a joke. These people, despite their inexperience were busting their butts to do what they felt was right, and if they made any mistake, it was to underestimate what could go wrong in a festival.

Would I send our team there next year...If changes (as suggested earlier in this thread) were made...Lets encourage the race organizers to get the help they need. I am sure that a seasoned organization like Waters edge is sporting a few 'bumps of knowledge' from their early days as well.

Remember "Good Judgement come from experience..Experience comes from bad judgement"

[ConfusedAsian]

I think 10minutes between races is too little time to schedule. with the bottleneck dock the race official should consider scheduling 15-20minutes between races. I think it didn't help when each race took 5min longer than it should. So maybe a 2 day event with more time between races or 1 day event with either less team or more lanes

Long day :S