There is a lot about the 2010 Olympics that is going to be a hassle for us Vancouverites and scandal always abounds at the administrative level of the Olympics but, as an Olympian, I can’t help but think having the Olympics here is a great thing. Most of the choices I made in my life from 15 to 34 were dictated by my adulation of the Olympic ideal and now kids here will have the chance to have this event lend a positive influence to their lives.
I led some workshops yesterday at Eric Hamber Secondary School. They have a dragon boat team and the paddlers there helped me out. We talked about goals and my Olympic and dragon boat experiences. One of their paddlers, Anthony, talked about his experiences at the dragon boat Worlds this summer. It was much more fun than I thought it was going to be! The kids were great. Speaking to them reminded me of some games that I played at my Olympics plus some others:
1. Name that flag. Flags are everywhere. Every balcony in the Olympic village will have the occupants’ flag hanging outside. Learn your flags and geography by identifying all the flags. Plotting to steal Olympic flags is always fun but carrying through is not often fruitful.
2. Guess the sport. Olympians are seen as physique ideals but the reality is that, in true form, we are a bit odd looking. Looking around the Olympic Village in Athens and guessing the athlete’s sport was fun and usually not that hard. Volleyball players are tall and skinny, rowers are tall but not as skinny, swimmers have broad bony shoulders, track sprinters have insanely large calves and thighs with skinny looking knees in comparison, distance runners are so light they look like they should blow away, sailors look like normal people. Kayakers have pencil thin legs and massive upper bodies – but of course I knew them.
3. Pretend you’re Dutch and visit Heineken House. This is the Dutch party-central location which I believe will be located near the speed skating oval in Richmond. If anything like in Athens, it is definitely worth trying to sneak in. In Athens I could get in with my athlete accreditation but my sisters dressed in orange (one an orange cooking apron I’d somehow ended up with my previous night there). It worked! If anyone wants to borrow my apron, let me know!
4. Pin trading/giving: I’m not a big trader but lots of people are. Having some Canadian pins in your pocket is an awesome way to start a conversation.
5. Meet people. Olympians love to meet the locals. Olympians' parents, even more so! Be friendly and you will make a lasting impression on their Olympic experience as well as your own.
6. Challenge yourself to put aside your normal activities and stressors and soak in the experience – after all, you may not really have much of a choice so you may as well enjoy it!!
That’s my plan for the 2010 Olympics! The Games made me what I am and now it’s the turn of other athletes and youngsters. Thanks to the kids at Eric Hamber for making me excited again!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
World Outrigger Sprint Trials and Nationals
Last weekend was a big one for Canadian outrigger sprinting with trials for 2010 Worlds on Saturday and our inaugural National Championships on Sunday. As the National Coach, my job is to select the teams. One main challenge was to set up trials in a way that gave the most head-to-head racing and clear information to establish a ranking. This is complicated by all the age-classes, winds and tides. I feel that I obtained good information to fairly select the teams, which I have now done. This isn't the kind of coaching role where I actually have lots of hands-on time with the paddlers - it is more of a facilitator position in which my long-time paddling and team selection background is utilized to select teams and then I will coach some pre-event clinics and provide event assistance as requested. Some paddlers will use me more than others depending on their wishes. Now I wait to see who accepts their positions and shuffle the crews to fill declined spots. I am hoping lots of people will go as our depth of talent is great. A trip to New Caledonia is far and expensive but racing in Polynesia in a sport dominated by that region is a chance of a lifetime - a chance to step it up against the best.
On an Kamini-as-a-paddler note, I am really excited for the quality of my V-6 crews (open and masters). The crews were selected on OC-1 racing and our depth is really strong - I wish we could have teams of 8!! I also have V-1 entries in Open and Masters so will now have to put in a serious winter of learning to paddle without a rudder.....perhaps I will have to learn to paddle with my head up :)
Results for both events can be found at: http://www.canadianoutrigger.com/results.cfm
Pictures are at: http://lethalweaponphoto.com/Dragonboat
On an Kamini-as-a-paddler note, I am really excited for the quality of my V-6 crews (open and masters). The crews were selected on OC-1 racing and our depth is really strong - I wish we could have teams of 8!! I also have V-1 entries in Open and Masters so will now have to put in a serious winter of learning to paddle without a rudder.....perhaps I will have to learn to paddle with my head up :)
Results for both events can be found at: http://www.canadianoutrigger.com/results.cfm
Pictures are at: http://lethalweaponphoto.com/Dragonboat
Monday, September 28, 2009
On-line Video Site
I just learned of the site vimeo.com. High quality video gets posted on there, not like the fuzzy stuff on YouTube. It takes a while to load but there is some great outrigger footage on there.
Molokai Crossing
The race is done and I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. This may be as much from getting on a plane and flying all night as from the race, but I’m sure some is from the race. The bruises anyway! It was a fun time! My team mates were great. It was a real thrill to paddle with them, especially Mindy. Before the race, we had one real practice and one back and forth in a little bay paddle trying different combinations and seat orders. So, as expected, we got better and better throughout the race. We didn’t have a great start but then we got a really good groove and reeled in NAC Lanikila and Outrigger Canoe Club. That was fun. Then, we chose and different line then those two crews and we never saw them again. It’s a funny race in that for hours two to five it’s not uncommon to see no one. It’s like racing ghosts. Then, at the end of the race when you’re running along Waikiki, boats emerge from nowhere. The route we chose is usually the more common route, but not yesterday. It depends on the tide and wind condition which way is the fastest to go. The route we took goes in close to Oahu and then runs down the shore. Typical is that you have to paddle through so really messy, yucky, water but then you get to surf all the way down once you get alongside Oahu. Well, the yucky water was there, but we didn’t exactly fly down the next section – it was a little messier than we expected it to be. Unfortunately, the two teams that we had got up to earlier in the race and then diverted from both beat us handily by the finish line – whether that’s route choice or crew strength is hard to know. We ended up 9th. Our team name was Team Facebook as that's how Mindy touched base with most of the team. Full results can be found at:
http://www.ocpaddler.com/forum/2009/na_wahine_updates_results.
Just scroll down through all the chat and one entry is results.
Gotta go join facebook...maybe
http://www.ocpaddler.com/forum/2009/na_wahine_updates_results.
Just scroll down through all the chat and one entry is results.
Gotta go join facebook...maybe
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Back for a week and I'm off again! DBing in the UK and Na Wahine O Ke Kai
I think I'm doing something right! I was home from Europe for a week when I got on a plane and went to Hawaii, which is where I am now!!
After racing in Prague I went to Italy for a while and then the UK to see family and my good friends Cam and Siobhan. Misplaced Calgarians, these two have been instrumental in developing outrigger paddling in the UK. Cam is coach, steers, paddler, manager, and everyone’s go to guy in his club on the Thames in London. His outrigger paddlers decided they would enter a dragon boat regatta a couple hours outside of London in Kent. Some had paddled dragon boat, some not, but all approached it with a healthy dose of respect, especially after Cam made the gang do an OC-6 workout of 4 min pieces all on one side to prepare for the races! Ha!
The regatta was a corporate fundraising regatta. There was 60 teams of 16-20 who had never, or barely, paddled before and where pitted against each other throughout the day for 250 m races. The reason the outrigger paddlers decided to do the race was that the organizer put out a plea for “elite teams”, as they call teams who know what they are doing, as the Chinese were going to bring some teams and they needed some competition. Unfortunately, the Chinese organizer got sick and they didn’t come, but seven elite teams came to duke it out. Well, coming from Prague and the Canadian way of doing regattas to here was an adjustment!! First, crews had to bring their own dragon boat!! The corporate races had a fleet from the organizers but they were not available for the elite teams. As outrigger paddlers, we did not have a boat, so a club called the BA Dragons generously let us use theirs. Second, the crew could be 16-20 paddlers of any sex. Teams raced each other regardless of crew make-up. The only part for me that could have gotten really frustrating, but no one seemed to care, was that there was no race schedule or draw. The organizer would, come over and tell us to go out after the next race and race so-and-so and off we’d go. So, if you got hungry or needed to momentarily leave for another pressing reason, you felt you may risk missing your race! So we raced some races and then got a berth in the final, which was basically everyone jammed into a course that only really fit 3 boats. As we didn’t have a boat, The BA Dragons let us use theirs instead of racing themselves because they figured we’d do better. Who does that!! So amazing! Not surprisingly, there was a collision in the final which added to the uniqueness oif the event as the race organizers ended up using some Einsteinian equation to calculate who placed where. We placed 3rd. Not bad for a bunch of OC paddlers! They gave out 16 medals.
Which brings me to Hawaii where I am racing Na Wahine O Ke Kai on Sunday. This is an outrigger canoe race across the Kaiwi Channel from the island of Molokai to Oahu. I met some of my team mates yesterday! The team has been put together by steering legend Mindy Clark from California. The paddlers on the crew are from Australia, Hawaii, California and Canada. A very accomplished group of individuals and an honour to be part of. We’ll see how it comes together!
After racing in Prague I went to Italy for a while and then the UK to see family and my good friends Cam and Siobhan. Misplaced Calgarians, these two have been instrumental in developing outrigger paddling in the UK. Cam is coach, steers, paddler, manager, and everyone’s go to guy in his club on the Thames in London. His outrigger paddlers decided they would enter a dragon boat regatta a couple hours outside of London in Kent. Some had paddled dragon boat, some not, but all approached it with a healthy dose of respect, especially after Cam made the gang do an OC-6 workout of 4 min pieces all on one side to prepare for the races! Ha!
The regatta was a corporate fundraising regatta. There was 60 teams of 16-20 who had never, or barely, paddled before and where pitted against each other throughout the day for 250 m races. The reason the outrigger paddlers decided to do the race was that the organizer put out a plea for “elite teams”, as they call teams who know what they are doing, as the Chinese were going to bring some teams and they needed some competition. Unfortunately, the Chinese organizer got sick and they didn’t come, but seven elite teams came to duke it out. Well, coming from Prague and the Canadian way of doing regattas to here was an adjustment!! First, crews had to bring their own dragon boat!! The corporate races had a fleet from the organizers but they were not available for the elite teams. As outrigger paddlers, we did not have a boat, so a club called the BA Dragons generously let us use theirs. Second, the crew could be 16-20 paddlers of any sex. Teams raced each other regardless of crew make-up. The only part for me that could have gotten really frustrating, but no one seemed to care, was that there was no race schedule or draw. The organizer would, come over and tell us to go out after the next race and race so-and-so and off we’d go. So, if you got hungry or needed to momentarily leave for another pressing reason, you felt you may risk missing your race! So we raced some races and then got a berth in the final, which was basically everyone jammed into a course that only really fit 3 boats. As we didn’t have a boat, The BA Dragons let us use theirs instead of racing themselves because they figured we’d do better. Who does that!! So amazing! Not surprisingly, there was a collision in the final which added to the uniqueness oif the event as the race organizers ended up using some Einsteinian equation to calculate who placed where. We placed 3rd. Not bad for a bunch of OC paddlers! They gave out 16 medals.
Which brings me to Hawaii where I am racing Na Wahine O Ke Kai on Sunday. This is an outrigger canoe race across the Kaiwi Channel from the island of Molokai to Oahu. I met some of my team mates yesterday! The team has been put together by steering legend Mindy Clark from California. The paddlers on the crew are from Australia, Hawaii, California and Canada. A very accomplished group of individuals and an honour to be part of. We’ll see how it comes together!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Day 4 and 5: Mixed and Open 500m
Well, it's all over, except the hangover. I'll have to update this at another time as it is 3:00 am and I am waiting to go to the airport. The mixed 500m was amazing! We won! The men won the b-final today which put them in 7th...a great day with lots of fight.
I learned a lot during the week and watched my paddlers do the same. I am, however, now looking forward to a holiday!!
I learned a lot during the week and watched my paddlers do the same. I am, however, now looking forward to a holiday!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Day 2 and 3: Open 1000m and Mixed and Open 200m
As a coach and paddler, this is certainly a full-on few days! I have cried 5 times already, 2 for happiness, 2 for distress and one for a touching paddler attitude.
The progression for the races to get to the final is: top two from heats to Semi, all others to one of 2 Reps. Top 2 from each Rep plus next 2 fastest to Semi = 2 Semi's of 6. Top 2 from each Semi plus next 2 fastest to Final. Other crews are put into a minor final.
Day 2:
On Thursday the open (men's) crew raced the 1000m. We had to go through the rep which meant 4 races for the guys which is a lot of 1000's. On the rep (2nd round) we didn't need as strong a crew so I stroked so Eugene could rest. The plan all worked great and the guys got lane 1 for the semi, a lane that has shown to be significantly faster than the other lanes, in all distances. From there, they made the final which is a great feat for a new team with the level of competition here! Every race got better and better and they raced to a 5th place in the final showing that, lane 1 in the semi or not, they deserved to be there! Finals are 6 crews.
Day 3:
Yesterday was the 200m day. Mixed in the morning, Open in the afternoon. Mixed was going well. Our heat was flat paddling but we came back with a great race in the rep. We were in a good position to expect a final position if we could execute our race in the semi where we had to be top 2 or the next 2 fastest times from the 2 semis. We were second 60 m into the race when our drum starting moving forward and back. As the stroke, the drum looked like it was going to fall on us. Our, now proven agile, drummer was grabbing at it with one hand and drumming with the other and somehow staying in the boat. There is a time penalty for not drumming. But the drum rolled so now it's sideways and I'm looking into the bottom of the drum and it's rolling around. Vivian is deperately trying to hold on to it and stay in the boat, and we're still going full speed. At one point, she's out over the left side of the boat and I think she going to fall off. I tried to paddle my best and the crew certainly kept the rhythm but Jeff and I were compromised due to worrying for Vivian and our own safety and having to be prepared for having a drum or drummer under our paddle or into our shoulders at any time. Our result was 1/2 sec out of the final, which from my perpective can be entirely accounted for with what will now been known as the incident with the drum. It was devastating. We raced the minor final with an extra woman and as much heart as we could muster and came 4th.
Then the Open team dried my tears by racing 3 fabulous rounds, with no rep needed, to earn a 5th place spot in the final. They're all heart those guys!! Along with a good dose of fitness and a beautifully blended technique.
Today: Mixed 500m where we are going to get this monkey off our backs!!
The progression for the races to get to the final is: top two from heats to Semi, all others to one of 2 Reps. Top 2 from each Rep plus next 2 fastest to Semi = 2 Semi's of 6. Top 2 from each Semi plus next 2 fastest to Final. Other crews are put into a minor final.
Day 2:
On Thursday the open (men's) crew raced the 1000m. We had to go through the rep which meant 4 races for the guys which is a lot of 1000's. On the rep (2nd round) we didn't need as strong a crew so I stroked so Eugene could rest. The plan all worked great and the guys got lane 1 for the semi, a lane that has shown to be significantly faster than the other lanes, in all distances. From there, they made the final which is a great feat for a new team with the level of competition here! Every race got better and better and they raced to a 5th place in the final showing that, lane 1 in the semi or not, they deserved to be there! Finals are 6 crews.
Day 3:
Yesterday was the 200m day. Mixed in the morning, Open in the afternoon. Mixed was going well. Our heat was flat paddling but we came back with a great race in the rep. We were in a good position to expect a final position if we could execute our race in the semi where we had to be top 2 or the next 2 fastest times from the 2 semis. We were second 60 m into the race when our drum starting moving forward and back. As the stroke, the drum looked like it was going to fall on us. Our, now proven agile, drummer was grabbing at it with one hand and drumming with the other and somehow staying in the boat. There is a time penalty for not drumming. But the drum rolled so now it's sideways and I'm looking into the bottom of the drum and it's rolling around. Vivian is deperately trying to hold on to it and stay in the boat, and we're still going full speed. At one point, she's out over the left side of the boat and I think she going to fall off. I tried to paddle my best and the crew certainly kept the rhythm but Jeff and I were compromised due to worrying for Vivian and our own safety and having to be prepared for having a drum or drummer under our paddle or into our shoulders at any time. Our result was 1/2 sec out of the final, which from my perpective can be entirely accounted for with what will now been known as the incident with the drum. It was devastating. We raced the minor final with an extra woman and as much heart as we could muster and came 4th.
Then the Open team dried my tears by racing 3 fabulous rounds, with no rep needed, to earn a 5th place spot in the final. They're all heart those guys!! Along with a good dose of fitness and a beautifully blended technique.
Today: Mixed 500m where we are going to get this monkey off our backs!!
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