[TracerFX]

hey peeps,

I'm new to the sport and i'm very interested in trying it, so does anyone know of any dragon boat teams that are recruiting at this time or have an empty spot?

thanks.

[K-Dub]

junior or adult?

junior...if you're form Vantech/Hamber/Churchill + Gladstone/Kits...i think they all have teams this year?

here's my past club. synergy. 13-18 yo's (highschool kids) can join.

http://www.synergydb.com/

adult... www.dragonboatwest.net check their forums out, people usually recruit there.

recruit subforum - http://www.dragonboatwest.net/index.php?board=13.0

:)

[TracerFX]

Originally posted by kwazy
junior or adult?

junior...if you're form Vantech/Hamber/Churchill + Gladstone/Kits...i think they all have teams this year?

here's my past club. synergy. 13-18 yo's (highschool kids) can join.

http://www.synergydb.com/

adult... www.dragonboatwest.net check their forums out, people usually recruit there.

recruit subforum - http://www.dragonboatwest.net/index.php?board=13.0

:)

definitely an adult here lol
thanks for the info, appreciate it.

anyone else that knows of teams looking for a recruit, please lemme know, thx :D

[racerman88]

check with www.urbanrec.ca.

[TracerFX]

Originally posted by racerman88
check with www.urbanrec.ca.

i tried the website but couldnt find any dragon boat related stuff..
thanks though :)

[sho_bc]

post up on dragonboatwest, and be descriptive about you, your goals, and what you're looking for in a team. also, check out photos to see if there are any teams that look like they might catch your eye in terms of the fun they have, the accomplishments they have, etc, and then contact someone on that team. its a lot of fun, and no matter how committed you want to be, there is a team that'll suit you. i went from being completely Rec level with a bunch of friends from highschool, to paddling on team canada, and found myself a group of paddlers from each level that i enjoyed paddling with.

(shameless plug time)
my preferred club would be fcrcc, due to hot showers and a sauna for after those cold, wet, and ugly winter practices. you can post notices up on the fcrcc website and their tack board. they also have one of, if not the largest selection of training boats available of any club in N. America, as well as a wide variety of awesome coaches for different disciplines.

[TracerFX]

Originally posted by sho_bc
post up on dragonboatwest, and be descriptive about you, your goals, and what you're looking for in a team. also, check out photos to see if there are any teams that look like they might catch your eye in terms of the fun they have, the accomplishments they have, etc, and then contact someone on that team. its a lot of fun, and no matter how committed you want to be, there is a team that'll suit you. i went from being completely Rec level with a bunch of friends from highschool, to paddling on team canada, and found myself a group of paddlers from each level that i enjoyed paddling with.

(shameless plug time)
my preferred club would be fcrcc, due to hot showers and a sauna for after those cold, wet, and ugly winter practices. you can post notices up on the fcrcc website and their tack board. they also have one of, if not the largest selection of training boats available of any club in N. America, as well as a wide variety of awesome coaches for different disciplines.

very helpful info..lol on the shameless plug...

i might/might not act on your advice as i just got an email for an info session to join a dragon boat team called UBC Dragon Hearts..and since this is my 1st ever plunge into the world of db'ing..i might check that out and see how it goes first hehe.

thanks dude. :D

[sho_bc]

they're a good, fun crew, from what i've seen of them. if you're in your 1st through 4th/5th year, you'll probably fit in/have lots of fun with them.

my first piece of advice to you is to NOT wear cotton. especially if you're going to be practicing wearing a PFD. if you've never had raw/chaffed nipples, you will after your first ever practice wearing cotton. ouch! dri-fit type sports shirts all the way. :thumbsup:
2nd piece of advice would be to only wear clothes/shoes you're not too fond of. they're going to get wet, and they're going to get wet with false creek water. they're going to stink. rinse, wash, and rinse again. i'm pretty sure the dragon hearts practice out of fcrcc, so rinse your stuff in the shower with you afterwards. do NOT wear your brand new, fancy-ass shoes. i wear crocs, and they seem to hold off the smell of FC water pretty well.

that all said, have fun! lots of great people involved in dragonboat at all levels, and don't be intimidated by anyone or any team. everyone starts from scratch at one point in time. the good paddlers won't have any problems helping out/giving tips and pointers if you ask, whether or not they're on your team.

[TracerFX]

wow..good stuff to know lol

hmm..say in the winter/cold rainy days, would chaffing occur if i'm wearing a cotton shirt and a windbreaker type jacket under the PFD?

sounds to me like db'ing can get the paddler wet his whole body kinda thing...am i correct to presume that?
if so, wont ur feet get cold/ get near frostbitten if ur wearing crocs?

and what about the pants/shorts situation? or gloves?

[sho_bc]

gloves are a personal preference. at the lower levels, lots of people do wear gloves, at the higher levels, most people don't wear gloves. i personally wear one glove, on my "bottom hand", and thats just because of joint problems. the glove gives the shaft that much more girth, and the neoprene of the glove adds that extra little bit of cushioning for my joints. I think i was the only premier paddler in Australia who was wearing a glove, fwiw.

cotton, in general, is a no-no/something to avoid. that includes underwear. ESPECIALLY on wet days. underwear (be it boxers or briefs) will ride up and chaff the living hell out of your crotch area. I dunno, maybe i'm just a bit more enthusiastic in practices (from day one as a rec paddler), but i have no clue how people paddle with cotton. chaffed armpits from cotton t-shirts, chaffed groin from underwear... plus, when cotton gets wet, it gets heavy. cotton is NOT your friend when it comes to paddle sports.

yes, your body is likely to get wet. at any level you paddle at. it can also depend on the people sitting behind/in front of you, and how much they splash. :flamemad: for my feet, i'm generally OK with just the crocs while in a dragonboat due to the technique we use (swinging of legs/rotation of hips in the seat). when i paddle in a sit-on-top outrigger canoe, i'll wear neoprene socks from MEC ($12 for a pair, replaced every season). for an enclosed cockpit outrigger or for sprint kayaks, the enclosed cockpit tends to keep your legs/feet a bit warmer, so i'll go bare feet (unless its sub-zero weather).
this is a closed cockpit outrigger (http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v142/250/39/508373524/n508373524_208894_9109.jpg) and this is a sit-on-top outrigger (http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v62/250/39/508373524/n508373524_15995_826.jpg) (it was -10*C that day i was all bundled up :( )

[sho_bc]

oh yah. be warned... you're going to have a SORE ass... the benches in dragonboats are EVIL. some people wear padded shorts (i wear cycling shorts under my boardshorts), some people put pads on the seat. i prefer the minimal padding of my cycling shorts because anything thick or foamy, i'll get an indent where all my weight is on the outside hip, and that indent throws the balance of my hips off, and i'll get cramps in my glutes and support muscles. eventually, you'll build up calouses on your ass cheek and your nerves in that area will be dead and it won't bother you any more. :D

[TracerFX]

hahaha, yeah i'm definitely looking forward to the db'ing n hopefully i wont have any chaffing or calluses stories to tell lol

my first practice with dragon hearts is next sunday or the sunday after i think..so excited :)

[sho_bc]

have fun!

[LengJai]

actually, i won't be able to paddle this season with my team
we're a rising team from zero to...well not hero but... damn near, haha
that means there'll be a hole in our team since i'm not paddling

we're team Red Fusion

pm me with ur info and which side u prefer to paddle, and i'll talk to the team cap and see if it'll work out
:)

edit: damn, didn't see that u paddling with dragon hearts in the last post
have fun! dragon hearts is a good team, cutie on that team too forgot her name but she's dragon hearts magnum, comp team

u'll love db'ing, it's the craziest adrenaline rush you'll feel

[K-Dub]

Originally posted by LengJai

edit: damn, didn't see that u paddling with dragon hearts in the last post
have fun! dragon hearts is a good team, cutie on that team too forgot her name but she's dragon hearts magnum, comp team

u'll love db'ing, it's the craziest adrenaline rush you'll feel

haha ...is she asian? : )

[TracerFX]

Originally posted by LengJai
actually, i won't be able to paddle this season with my team
we're a rising team from zero to...well not hero but... damn near, haha
that means there'll be a hole in our team since i'm not paddling

we're team Red Fusion

pm me with ur info and which side u prefer to paddle, and i'll talk to the team cap and see if it'll work out
:)

edit: damn, didn't see that u paddling with dragon hearts in the last post
have fun! dragon hearts is a good team, cutie on that team too forgot her name but she's dragon hearts magnum, comp team

u'll love db'ing, it's the craziest adrenaline rush you'll feel

LOL, that was hilarious..
Thanks for the offer though, but i joined DH already...i decided to join the DH Magnum team coz i preferred comp rather than the main DH rec team...

as for the cuties, there's a couple in the magnum team ahahaha
but in the DH rec team, i was told tat there were more girls, which equate to more cuties..theoretically..since i havent seen them yet.

with all tat said, if my primary motivation was to find cute/hot chicks, i'd totally be in the rec team lol

yup, adrenaline is wat i signed up for..that and the competitiveness..
i'm so pumped now already! practice starts this sunday :D

Originally posted by kwazy
haha ...is she asian? : )

all the girls are asian save for one i think...and the only white chick is pretty good looking..but taken..hah!

[sho_bc]

for the cute single ladies, ask if they want some free one-on-one coaching sessions with a member of Team Canada, and send me their info. :angel2: :D

[K-Dub]

RGL anyone? haha ridiculously good looking.. together they look good.

but single some people out and not so much.

[sho_bc]

I'm friends with most of RGL.... while they may not be super-model material, they're an awesome bunch. Great attitudes, like to have fun, party hard, and race hard. They're kind of like the FODB of a few years ago. If I wasn't so competitive, I'd probably join their team.

[TracerFX]

Originally posted by sho_bc
for the cute single ladies, ask if they want some free one-on-one coaching sessions with a member of Team Canada, and send me their info. :angel2: :D

hahah, maybe if they are not my type i will LOL

[RacePace]

bumping an old thread....

What kind of investment is involved in dragonboating in terms of time and money? I might want to try it for the summer.

[K-Dub]

bumping an old thread....

What kind of investment is involved in dragonboating in terms of time and money? I might want to try it for the summer.
Time
- Usually two practices a week, sunday and a weekday. Practice for two hours~
- Dry land practices/ Team bonding during other days?

Money
- Not much really. Team registration fee, usage of the facilities [Dragonzone or FCRCC, or wherever else]. Will depend on which team you join and what festivals/competitions they want to do, how much people, and etc.

- You could spend money and buy a lifejacket, paddle, etc. But you don't have to as the facilities have these. If you are committed and want to use your own and not some stinky old lifejacket, don't feel comfortable with a paddle because it's beat up, scratched up etc, then you could buy your own.

For example, when I was with Synergy.

- $200 or so for summer season [Taiwanese/Kelowna Dragonboat Festival]
- I didn't buy a paddle, but you can get a nice high performance paddle for $55.
- I didn't buy a lifejacket but one can be bought @ Canadian Tire, etc.
- Two practices a week, Sunday & Thurs

[TracerFX]

bumping an old thread....

What kind of investment is involved in dragonboating in terms of time and money? I might want to try it for the summer.

Typically just for the membership for a team/club, It costs around $125-$300+ for the season (Season ranges between Feb/Mar/Apr to Jun/Jul/Aug/Sept)

It really depends on the team, whether its a recreational team or competitive team.

some of those membership costs normally include the practices (between 1-3 practices/week) and 1-2 small regattas (less than 40-50 teams) and the Rio Tinto Alcan Festival (100+ teams). If the membership fee is on the high end of the scale, it might include the costs for some of out of town races.

It adds up if you decide to go on the out of town races, cost is dependent on how cheap you go (motel vs 5 star hotel or cook your own noodles vs fine dining)

For me races within BC per race costs around $60+ (Harrison) - $150+ (Victoria)

New paddlers usually dont but it also adds up if you decide to buy your own personal gear..ie: PFD ($95-200+), Paddle ($100-280+), etc.

Cost aside (in this stupid recession), IMHO Dragonboating is the best team sport that will improve your life by a lot. Its a sport that i tried for the sake of just trying something new and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

At first the reason why i went to the practices was to just make myself stronger and fitter. Then somehow along the way i realize that every time i went, it felt like a social event too coz there were tons of new cool friends there. (and cute/hot girls too on top of that lol)
It also ends up feeding my need for adrenaline and it suits my competitive personality.

Shameless plug i know but Im not endorsing out of the love i have for any one team, just for the love of the sport! hahaha

Enjoy it!

[gnat.]

http://www.dragonzone.ca/

try that. i don't think my team's recruiting though, but i can ask our captain/coach if you want.
but yeah try that! just off the plaza of nations. across from science world

[K-Dub]

IMHO Dragonboating is the best team sport that will improve your life by a lot. Its a sport that i tried for the sake of just trying something new and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

At first the reason why i went to the practices was to just make myself stronger and fitter. Then somehow along the way i realize that every time i went, it felt like a social event too coz there were tons of new cool friends there. (and cute/hot girls too on top of that lol)
It also ends up feeding my need for adrenaline and it suits my competitive personality.

Shameless plug i know but Im not endorsing out of the love i have for any one team, just for the love of the sport! hahaha

Enjoy it!

+1

I also feel that dragonboating is the best team sport there is. Other sports may come close, but db is the one that instills the feeling the most.

I mean think bout it this way. You're in a boat with 20~ or so other people. You're all doing the same thing. No one stands out, there really is no I in this team, it's we.

Hell, it feels like you're going to war with the other boats when you're in a race. That's how intense it is. Once you've sat in the boat for your first race ever, you'll understand how exhilarating it is. The surges, the pure primal energy of the grunts that come with every stroke.

You'll be stronger, fitter, since going full out for 2 min is not an easy feat to do. You'll develop strong bonds with your teammates/friends that wouldn't happen otherwise.
You'll see each other cry, laugh, and smile after a race, throw up together at the end of a race, but you'll have all gone through SO MUCH together.
Seeing a teammate paddle their hardest for you and the team is what makes this so amazing.
Before long, you'll be in the sport for years, hooked. It's a great sport, and it comes from an even greater community.

oh and ya. there's cuties too.

[RacePace]

..

[Tapioca]

This is my third season and what I've noticed so far is that there are several teams recruiting. I think the recession has had a huge impact since the start-up costs can be somewhat daunting. Either that or other people have taken up other sports like running, MMA, yoga, ultimate frisbee, etc.

But as K-Dub has said, once you race, you get hooked. That 2 minutes makes months of seat pulls, tire drills, endurance drills, ass blisters, and core training worth it.

[RacePace]

..

[Tapioca]

wow, you have to do all of those in practices?

Well, not necessarily all of these drills in the same practice, but at least a couple. Not all teams refer to these drills the same way that I have, but I would imagine that teams do similar types of drills. Here's a breakdown:

Endurance drill - paddling non-stop for an extended period of time, say 12-20 minutes. During one of these drills, you'll paddle at about 80% the majority of the time, with maybe a few bursts at 100% and a couple of minutes of 'active rest' at 50-60%. Most teams can paddle hard for 200-250 meters, but you need these drills for the typical 500m race.

Seat pull - paddling by row (1, 2, 3, etc.) so the coach can assess your individual abilities and so you can learn to paddle in time with your partner.

Tire drill - a tire is dragged by the boat to create resistance. This increases overall strength and endurance. This drill can be used in combination with seat pulls.

Core training - The optimum stroke requires use of your back, shoulders, and hips, so you can understand why strengthening the core is important. This type of training is not required, but coaches often encourage it to put you over the top when it gets closer to race season.

Ass blisters - if you have proper technique, you will develop a blister on your butt cheek. As you rotate your back, your outside leg 'drives' (or pushes) into the centre of the boat and thus creates friction between your butt and the seat.

[RacePace]

Thanks for being so informative, pretty interesting stuff, I think I'll definately give it a try

[Tapioca]

Thanks for being so informative, pretty interesting stuff, I think I'll definately give it a try

It's unfortunate that our male roster is full because I would have definitely invited you out to one of our practices. On the other hand, if you happen to know any women who might be interested, PM me.

Check out the video on Dragonboat West's homepage - particularly around the 2 minute mark. That's an example of why dragonboating is such a great sport - boats and paddlers fighting until the end.

[Alphamale]

I mean think bout it this way. You're in a boat with 20~ or so other people. You're all doing the same thing. No one stands out, there really is no I in this team, it's we.

Hell, it feels like you're going to war with the other boats when you're in a race. That's how intense it is. Once you've sat in the boat for your first race ever, you'll understand how exhilarating it is. The surges, the pure primal energy of the grunts that come with every stroke.


Communist.

Next thing you know, you'll be talking about the rise of the proletariat.

Filthy communist.

[sho_bc]

Cool, thanks for the great info. Yeah, the social aspect is probably the biggest draw for me. The fitness not so much since I go to the gym 4 days a week and do yoga 2 days currently, but I'd really like to see how I do. I'll keep my eyes on dragon boat west for openings.

To speak to how addictive it is, I've been "retired" since the end of 2007, and go to the gym in an effort to stay in shape. However, every day there is an inkling of sunshine, I CRAVE to be out on the water paddling. I miss the guys I paddled with a lot.

I promise you that after your first solid practice, your body will be in a world of hurt if you put effort and energy into it. Paddling uses much different muscle groups, most of them smaller muscle groups that 99% of people don't focus out in the gym. For me, if I were to hit the water today, I'd be sore after an hour or two of being on the water, and thats just from lack of using and working my paddling muscles for so long.

One of my friends is quite a bit stronger than me (thats an understatement) in the gym. However, put us in the water in outrigger canoes, and I'll paddle circles around him whether its sprinting or distance.

[RacePace]

Yeah, I totally understand that, I wouldn't expect to instantly become a top rower because of my gym strength. It'll probably take me a while to perfect the technique as well.

[RacePace]

So I'm in RGL now, excited bout my first race at the FCRCC regatta. Who's in what team this year?

[sho_bc]

So I'm in RGL now, excited bout my first race at the FCRCC regatta. Who's in what team this year?

Ooo, sorry to hear that. j/k They're an awesome bunch. If I wasn't so competitive, I'd be paddling with them. Make sure you go to all their fund-raising events, they're always a blast.

[RacePace]

Ooo, sorry to hear that. j/k They're an awesome bunch. If I wasn't so competitive, I'd be paddling with them. Make sure you go to all their fund-raising events, they're always a blast.

They're probably a bit different than you remember. A lot of the old guard has gone and there's a lot of new people to the team. But the spirit has been maintained

[TracerFX]

Ooo, sorry to hear that. j/k They're an awesome bunch. If I wasn't so competitive, I'd be paddling with them. Make sure you go to all their fund-raising events, they're always a blast.

i think the important thing to understand from this msg is to NOT miss the fundraising events coz of the RGL girls! lol

speaking of which, my friend is in RGL this year too, u should have plenty of fun in that team! enjoy the season to the fullest!

[RacePace]

i think the important thing to understand from this msg is to NOT miss the fundraising events coz of the RGL girls! lol

speaking of which, my friend is in RGL this year too, u should have plenty of fun in that team! enjoy the season to the fullest!

*ahem*May 17th at Crush*ahem* We magically sold out of tickets in the past week

Seriously though, most of the girls are either taken or too old for me (I'm 25) or a combination of both lol. Eye candy is always nice though I guess

[Tapioca]

So I'm in RGL now, excited bout my first race at the FCRCC regatta. Who's in what team this year?

RGL has always been a good team and you guys should be able to give a few of the other comp teams, like Magnum and Scotia Dragons, a good run for their money at the regatta. If you enjoy practice, just wait until you get a race or two under your belt...

My team won't be at the regatta, but we'll of course be there for the Alcan tune-up in early June. Look for us in the RED uniforms...

[TracerFX]

Seriously though, most of the girls are either taken or too old for me (I'm 25) or a combination of both lol. Eye candy is always nice though I guess


lol, true dat. Eye candy is eye candy...cant be beat.

If you enjoy practice, just wait until you get a race or two under your belt...


QFT! The feeling of being neck to neck with boats on both sides of you, while giving it ur all sorta gives you a feeling of being high from db adrenaline, trust me you will be addicted. Its pretty much a hate it or love it sport. You'd never see a guy who's been doing it for a while say 'its ok' when u ask them how they feel abt dragonboating.

btw, what team are you in Tapioca?

[RacePace]

RGL has always been a good team and you guys should be able to give a few of the other comp teams, like Magnum and Scotia Dragons

I dunno how the coach feels, but I think we'll be looking over at Magnum seeing at how they placed 2nd in the Deep Cove 200m sprint a few weeks ago, and we beat them at Kelowna for 3rd. They practice 3 times a week though so they deserve to be there

[Tapioca]

I dunno how the coach feels, but I think we'll be looking over at Magnum seeing at how they placed 2nd in the Deep Cove 200m sprint a few weeks ago, and we beat them at Kelowna for 3rd. They practice 3 times a week though so they deserve to be there

Magnum is pretty hardcore and I think they're trying to give FCRCC a good run this year. However, they are on the smaller side which is why they were able to take 2nd an a 200m race. RGL has always been a heavier team and unless you guys lost a tonne of guys, you should be able to compete with the higher level Competitive teams at Alcan.

btw, what team are you in Tapioca?

I'm managing Red Fusion this year.

[RacePace]

Magnum is pretty hardcore and I think they're trying to give FCRCC a good run this year. However, they are on the smaller side which is why they were able to take 2nd an a 200m race. RGL has always been a heavier team and unless you guys lost a tonne of guys, you should be able to compete with the higher level Competitive teams at Alcan.


It's pretty impossible to match FCRCC with a regular club I think. Our coach is in FCRCC and he paddles 6-8 times a week just in hopes to make the team that's going to Prague. Yeah we did lose quite a few, our team is about 50% new paddlers (including myself). But we've started off better than we did last year (so I've heard), so I think we will probably aim for Comp B again.

[sho_bc]

Who is your guys' coach this year?

[TracerFX]

they are on the smaller side

That's one of the things that drives us actually, to know that its all mental and not sheer power that wins races. I remember so many times last year when we would wait in line between HUGE teams (ie: sandwiched between Sudden Impact Black and Navy) and looking pretty damn small hahaha


It's pretty impossible to match FCRCC with a regular club I think. Our coach is in FCRCC and he paddles 6-8 times a week just in hopes to make the team that's going to Prague.

Yea being able to try running along with FCRCC is cool but they are definitely the hardcore of hardcores...i mean that many times on the water + gym + gf/wife/kids + full time job/school is harsh. That much time spent on the hardwork and maybe u wont even get to the A team? lol. it would be cool to try to qualify for the A team just for sake of the experience..

Who is your guys' coach this year?
no change from last year

[sho_bc]

Sorry, I was out of province last year. The last coach I know of is Darwin. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post it here.

As for being the "hardcore of hardcore", it was a huge trade-off for me for the years I was paddling with FCRCC. Working full-time and it being shift work, I found it difficult to juggle work, paddling, the gym, friends, and family. As a result, I cut back on "friend and family time". In the long run, being able to race in the Club Crews and the Worlds was an awesome experience. They're an awesome group of men and women who are very passionate about what they do and to have been able to be as fast as them on the water was something I didn't think was possible when I first started paddling. It took/takes a lot of sacrifice to get to that level and honestly, I'm enjoying my free time this year. ;) I was asked to come back for some of the larger races, but my work schedule is working against me on each one this year. Maybe next year?

[RacePace]

.

[sho_bc]

Australia was an awesome experience, no doubt about it. To race amongst the world's best with what was essentially a Club Crew and put in a decent showing (despite what some of the paddlers out east seem to think) was a thrill I can't describe.

I didn't have an understanding girlfriend in the lead-up to Australia, and things ended between us in the months prior to leaving. That left me lots more free time for paddling. :D Right now, my job is what's holding me back from committing to a team and more specifically, to FCRCC.

[RacePace]

.

[TracerFX]

Sorry, I was out of province last year. The last coach I know of is Darwin. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post it here.


Magnum's head coach is Brad Howie from Masters, and the assistant coaches are the Mui brothers, Klement and Kevin from Without Warning.

You would need a VERY understanding girlfriend

I think the most understanding gf are prolly one that paddles as well lol

Right now, my job is what's holding me back from committing to a team and more specifically, to FCRCC.

Arent you RCMP now or something?

For someone like you though, sometimes its hard to believe a girlfriend wouldn't want their boyfriend to do something so grand, and trying to be the best you can be. Those kinda girls are selfish though so you're better off haha.

Plenty of fishes in the ocean brother..

[sho_bc]

Yeah, my job is 4 days on, 4 days off. I haven't had a vacation in 5 years due to paddling (travelling to race isn't really a vacation and I used my vacation time to race), so this year along with my break from paddling, I'm heading back to Thailand to visit my school and teachers and friends. Its been just about 10 years since I left.

[RacePace]

..

[TracerFX]

How many people do Magnum have now? I noticed you guys are still recruiting. Alot of new paddlers?


Magnum has abt 23-26 paddlers but that number will be a lil bit less once the summer comes on full swing since some ppl has commitments to work/school.

new paddlers consists of abt 20-40%, as expected most seasons for most teams.


Yeah, my job is 4 days on, 4 days off. I haven't had a vacation in 5 years due to paddling (travelling to race isn't really a vacation and I used my vacation time to race), so this year along with my break from paddling, I'm heading back to Thailand to visit my school and teachers and friends. Its been just about 10 years since I left.

U schooled in Thailand?
I thought I've met you before once or twice but i guess i might have been thinking of someone else.

[sho_bc]

Can I borrow your cf paddle sho (assuming you still have one) lol

Sorry, my collection of paddles are my precious... ;)

U schooled in Thailand?
I thought I've met you before once or twice but i guess i might have been thinking of someone else.

For a year. And if you've been paddling since before October 2007, there is a very good chance you've seen me on the water.

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[TracerFX]

Sorry, my collection of paddles are my precious... ;)

For a year. And if you've been paddling since before October 2007, there is a very good chance you've seen me on the water.

haha, i wouldnt lend anyone my paddle either, unless its an emergency race situation...even then, i'd think really hard abt it lol

Nah, i just started last season and I think the only times I've seen you was actually off the water..with ur gf at the time (which is your ex now i presume), Elaine something but i could be wrong haha


That's a good sized team, RGL has about the same numbers. I hope I can get in for the races, it's going to be tough as a new paddler. I just have to go to every practice and improve as fast as I can


Dont worry man, I'm sure if you put in the hard work and attend the majority of the practices, you will stand out in the eyes of the coaches as someone who gives a damn and wont be sat out.

[sho_bc]

Haha! Do I know you? Are you stalking me? Although, we haven't been together for nearly 2 years now... So I don't think it would have been me and her together that you would have seen in the past year.

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I'm surprised ppl from other teams aren't posting on here.

I would imagine that not a lot of DB'er goes on Revscene...at least they might not even check the sports forum part of it. I assume that you know abt the Dragon Boat West forum right?

Haha! Do I know you? Are you stalking me? Although, we haven't been together for nearly 2 years now... So I don't think it would have been me and her together that you would have seen in the past year.

Yes, i am ur stalker, but dont tell anyone k, keep in on the down low...



LOL, no. I'm just blessed with an awesome memory haha j/k.
I doubt you remember me but the reason i remembered is coz you were sitting near me and you were probably the only white guy there lol
Its prolly 2 yrs or more now, hence i said off water meet. I was there through my friend Michelle (Hennesy lounge??). I talked to you and if memory serves me right, u used to work front desk at a hotel or something.

[sho_bc]

Ah yes, I remember that fiasco of a night. There was $200+ worth of booze/food outstanding on the bill after everyone left that I covered, having not had any myself that night.

[TracerFX]

If i m not wrong, didnt they have the booze on separate bills? in any case, it sucks ur friends shafted you man...I was there purely for dinner haha!

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[sho_bc]

Nope. While you guys are out spending money, I'll be out making it. :D

[TracerFX]

Yeah, that's how I got into RGL. But usually a good majority of DB'ers and new paddlers are in the same demographic as those who visit RS. Maybe I'm wrong.

Two weeks till the FCRCC regatta, wonder how many teams there will be. Any of you two going to the FCRCC fundraiser?

I think a good portion would be those who frequent RS, but how many of that portion check out the sports forum section haha..

I never use to check out this section until i had to ask abt DB stuff..mainly just alot of lurking on vanc auto chat, off topic, buy sell, relationship, etc.

No i wont be either, I'll be out of the country.

Nope. While you guys are out spending money, I'll be out making it. :D

lol, I've always liked the idea of the 4 days on, 4 days off work routine, gives u the "work hard, play hard" feeling i assume. besides, working 10 hour shift aint that much difference from 8 anyways..

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No i wont be either, I'll be out of the country.


Are you still going to the regatta for Magnum?

[sho_bc]

lol, I've always liked the idea of the 4 days on, 4 days off work routine, gives u the "work hard, play hard" feeling i assume. besides, working 10 hour shift aint that much difference from 8 anyways..

10hrs? 12hrs shirts during the day and 11 at night. Minimum. Nothing like a 20+hr shift!

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Are you still going to the regatta for Magnum?

Not me personally, as I'll still be out of the country, which sucks monkey balls.

10hrs? 12hrs shirts during the day and 11 at night. Minimum. Nothing like a 20+hr shift!

lol, I didnt know that..i guess RCMP is a lil diff, coz my friend down at EPS (Edmonton) says his shifts are 10 hours long unless its double shifts or overtime, etc.

[sho_bc]

Even with the RCMP, different cities/detachments work differently. We're lucky ours is a simple 4 on, 4 off system. I have some friends out east that have a pretty wacky schedule.

[xXDragonXx]

I'm excited for the FCRCC regatta this weekend too! Although there is a decrease in numbers compared to last year =[. Nonetheless, there is a handful of really competitive teams paddling this weekend! I think it'll be a real eye opener for a lot of teams cause I think this is kinda the "real first test of the season" that will show teams where they are, and what they need to do accomplish their goals. As for I, ill be there paddling for Magnum this weekend, and Magnum is a different boat than last year, with a lot of new paddlers fresh to the sport, and paddlers from different teams.. but that is the case for a lot of teams this season. Anyways, we're definately happy with our 2nd place finish at the dash, and hopefully our first 200m are just as good as our last 300m! =p

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Magnum is a different boat than last year, with a lot of new paddlers fresh to the sport, and paddlers from different teams..

I'm actually delighted that most of the new paddlers were actually from our sister rec team, Dragon Hearts Beat. You see them look at Magnum be competitive and they want to feel the competitiveness at a higher level too.


I just took a look at the team list, with FCRCC paddling in it now, there's no hope for gold :( Silver and bronze is up for grabs between SI black, Magnum, RGL and Masters of D'Zone though I think. Hopefully RGL is in the mix anyway :D

It'll be a sunny weekend!

Watch out for Masters of D'Zone...they are someone to contend with.
Last year, they practiced as a team only once a week starting from the month of May if i recall correctly and they won Gold in Comp B in RTADBF.

You have been warned. lol

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[Tapioca]

I think we came up against Masters of D'Zone last Saturday during practice, it was a four boat practice race with them, Eye of the Dragon and Red Fusion. Their coach called the start and called a fast one so they jumped us at the start, but we managed to keep up with them, leaving Eye of the Dragon and Red Fusion in the dust though ;)

That boat was Starbucks Waverunners.

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[xXDragonXx]

Was their coach that was wearing the hat some asian guy? If so, it's probably Kerry and he's one of those guys that's really involved in the db community and coaches Waverunners I believe. But don't underestimate waverunners though, they seem to be a hungry team that want to improve upon last year's results where they were in Comp C with RGL and only lost by only .2 seconds to you guys. But this year seems to be much different than last. Like magnum, eye of the dragon only has around 60% of their boat from last year, and the rest are paddlers from different teams.

And don't worry about beat/magnum, they both have a full boat now with a few spares and a spot reserved for an indonesian import :haha: Oh, illuminate, do u know of a guy named Derek on your team? If so, tell him I'll see him this weekend!

[xXDragonXx]

Oh, and BUKs do have a significant speed advantage over Geminis because they are lighter. Teams will, 99% of the time, get better times in BUKS than in Geminis by a matter of seconds (the range dependent on the team and tide conditions when testing their times on the two boats with the same crew, but relatively speaking, BUKS are faster). And as we all know, one second already can mean a lot in dragon boat racing.

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[xXDragonXx]

Hmm... if they look young, you might be talking about RaceFace? He also coaches that team =p and RaceFace is around the same age as Magnum (with a lot of paddlers in their early 20s) but i'm getting confused now haha, we could be talking about a totally different asian guy lmao

If this is your first year paddling, you're definately going to love Alcan Festival. The environment, the beer garden, the food stands, the crowds, the play-by-play announcer, the entertainment, etc... make it a really memorable experience. Hope your coming out to Kelowna and the other festivals this season (Whistler, harrison, seattle, victoria, etc.)

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[Tapioca]

Really? The furthest left boat? Hmm...their coach (on the coach boat) had a Masters of D'Zone hat. My teammate said they were Roli Masters, whom we raced the week before last Saturday, and I would've believed that because we were very similar in speed those two races. It was odd because we were both practicing starts and ours were noticeably better so I thought we'd take them. Oh well. You guys had a good start, equal to us, but we pulled away after the transition from ups. Could be because we were in a Buk and you were in a Gem, you also only had 18 too.

Yeah, regardless of the weight difference, Gems are just bad boats. I'd rather paddle in a 6/16 because at least there's room.

I don't think any team brings their 'A' game to practice. You guys are in a different division though, so it's no surprise that you were able to pull ahead. Our starts give us an advantage against other Rec teams and can keep us up for about 200-250m against Comp teams before you guys pull away with the muscle.

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[Tapioca]

I always take my life vest off and put it against my knee so it doesn't hurt against that metal railing. My first time in a Gem my knee was all bruised afterwards. I'll probably bitch about them more after Alcan, don't get why we have to race in them for that.

I like to think we bring our best to practice, at least I do, or else I don't improve. The coach lets us know if we're not putting in enough effort as well, and he can really spot it.

Not only are the metal railings horrible, but the boats don't seem any lighter than the 6/16s they replaced. But, I guess the 6/16s had to be replaced with something because they've been around since the early 90s. There simply aren't enough BUKs in the Lower Mainland for all of the races at a large festival like Alcan, which means some races are stuck with the Geminis. At least the qualifying for races is done by placement.

I guess I meant to say that when teams line up against other teams in 'practice races', most don't give their 'A' game.

[xXDragonXx]

yeah i freaken hate those geminis! Before the switch over from Geminis + 6-16s --> Geminis + Buks, those geminis didn't have the metal railing, but apparently they were falling apart... so to add stablility to the seats and boat structure, they added those metal railings on the side :mad: now i get a side burn from rotating against those bars. The only thing I dont like about 6-16s is that on the bottom of the boats, towards the sides... the boat curves in so its hard to angle ur outside foot in comparison to gemini/buk, and same thing with the ol' taiwanese boats

consolation finals (Rec A-E Consolation Finals) + comp d and comp b will be gemini boats, whereas final rounds (Rec A-E Final) + comp c and comp a will be in BUKS

[RacePace]

If this is your first year paddling, you're definately going to love Alcan Festival. The environment, the beer garden, the food stands, the crowds, the play-by-play announcer, the entertainment, etc... make it a really memorable experience. Hope your coming out to Kelowna and the other festivals this season (Whistler, harrison, seattle, victoria, etc.)

RGL is doing Victoria and Kelowna this season, we were going to do Harrison but they increased their fees too much or something. I wanted to do Seattle but I guess it's not feasible since it's one week after the Victoria race. I know Dragon Hearts are going everywhere.

yeah i freaken hate those geminis! Before the switch over from Geminis + 6-16s --> Geminis + Buks, those geminis didn't have the metal railing, but apparently they were falling apart... so to add stablility to the seats and boat structure, they added those metal railings on the side :mad: now i get a side burn from rotating against those bars. The only thing I dont like about 6-16s is that on the bottom of the boats, towards the sides... the boat curves in so its hard to angle ur outside foot in comparison to gemini/buk, and same thing with the ol' taiwanese boats

consolation finals (Rec A-E Consolation Finals) + comp d and comp b will be gemini boats, whereas final rounds (Rec A-E Final) + comp c and comp a will be in BUKS

The foot placement thing is really far forward too on the Gem, I'm usually sitting on the edge of my seat to reach it and I'm 6'0. One of the guys on my team brings in a soccer shin guard for Gems lol

[sho_bc]

Geminis are horrible and Kerry loves it when you smack his ass with a paddle.
Get Kerry into the beer garden at Alcan this year.
http://www.youtube.com/v/hsS4D5RekqE&hl

I can't believe they are still using the Geminis after all these years. When they first had us test the first prototype/retrofit, I suggested that they add a $20 surcharge per paddler registered for alcan for a year or two and buy new BUKs with that money. Back when we had 100+ teams in Alcan (not sure the #s now), it would have been easy and I guarantee that if people knew thats what the money was going towards, they would have forked it over gladly. Probably still would.

[RacePace]

I just heard last night Dragonzone got 3 brand new Buks

[TracerFX]

Teams will, 99% of the time, get better times in BUKS than in Geminis by a matter of seconds (the range dependent on the team and tide conditions when testing their times on the two boats with the same crew

That 1% exception will be FCRCC on a really good day with gems against most teams on a bad day on BUK hahaha

Was their coach that was wearing the hat some asian guy? If so, it's probably Kerry

You can always single Kerry out if you just shout "Hey Puppy!" and see who responds hahaha

eye of the dragon only has around 60% of their boat from last year, and the rest are paddlers from different teams.

Im hoping that eye of the dragon will still improve much this year, coz they are an awesome bunch, they combined with our team last year at taiwanese and it was a good time! lots of great characters there and there's a good guy named nestor in the team.

And don't worry about beat/magnum, they both have a full boat now with a few spares and a spot reserved for an indonesian import :haha:
LOL, keep the spot warm for me until i get back hahaha

In comparison to RGL they look young anyway, we are mostly mid to late twenties. If Tapioca says the Waverunners were there, it was probably them though

Easy way to find out if they are masters or not: look to their boat and you'll see that they are old...errr hahaha, age range is like 30-50ish (last year anyways)

I don't think any team brings their 'A' game to practice.

I like to think we bring our best to practice, at least I do, or else I don't improve.

I guess I meant to say that when teams line up against other teams in 'practice races', most don't give their 'A' game.

IMHO I think thats wrong, coz u have to bring ur A game to practice races, otherwise you dont really know how u fare against other teams, diff divisions or not. Plus, when u race other teams all out, it prepares u mentally, to know what it feels like to have teams behind you and inching to take the lead and vice versa. Prepares you so that mental breakdown does not happen, or giving up or not giving it ur all. The more practice races, the better ur teams will fare, especially if your teams has lots of new paddlers.

Bottom line is if u dont practice hard, then u wont race hard. Coz like the coaches always say you cant think that you can just turn it on come race time. It's all in the muscle memory baby!


I know Dragon Hearts are going everywhere.

Thats coz we like to get as much racing as we can from the season! milk it! gives ya more chances to win medals, and all the out of town races makes me feel like i have a mini vacation with my buddies + racing hardcore with my buddies...its that good!

We did 8 events last season and our Captain was crazier (11 events), he went to all of ours plus seattle and whistler (with WW) and montreal! he was quite burned out after the season lol (though our coaches say in order to really be the top team, your number of festivals has to be at 2-3 instead)

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[xXDragonXx]

Im hoping that eye of the dragon will still improve much this year, coz they are an awesome bunch, they combined with our team last year at taiwanese and it was a good time! lots of great characters there and there's a good guy named nestor in the team.


Yeah, some of us did this OC6 race in march and I met Nestor after the race. Nestor was also the first one who came up to us after the Finals at Dash and congratulated us, saying he couldn't tell who was in front. And yea, I remember Eye of the Dragon Hearts Magnum from last year haha. But apparently Eye of the Dragon is a combination of last year's team and some paddlers from Riptide?


Yeah, I totally wish I was doing more festivals. Tell Denis he can ask me if you're short on people for an event haha. You guys must get a lot of sponsorship money or do a lot of fundraisers to do that many events. Or is it out of your own pocket?

Last year Magnum had sponsorship, but due to the economic situation they pulled out. But we've been doing random fundraisers in between to help us pay for all the fees. One of which was working at BC Elections.. One days work=$280 per person for team fees. All you do is just sit there, but it does get boring even with a computer. There's only rushes in the first 2 hours and the last 2 hours, the rest of the day you have around 5-10 votes per hour or so.

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[xXDragonXx]

Eye and Riptide definitely have separate teams, we've practiced raced both.



Did you guys manage to get a new sponsor? RGL doesn't have one this year. The only fundraiser we had so far was a night at Crush

Oh i know theyre two separate teams, what i meant was that the 2009 Eye of the Dragon is a composition of 60% of their 2008 team, and around 30% of Riptide's 2008 team + 10% misc. The 2009 Riptide team took some paddlers from my sister/brother team (Synergy Legacy, I was apart of Synergy Rice Rockets before) and I believe there are some people from Synergy Legacy on RGL this year as well.

[What_the?]

**Riptide member chiming in here**

Riptide is still 100% independent actually. You probably saw us on one particular day when us and eye didn't have enough paddlers for practice, and we joined up to practice together in one full boat... forming "RipEye"... heh

But that was just a one off thing for one day...

We even had a joined practice with Vortex one time... and became "Riptex... or Vortide"

We do have a couple (2-3) Synergy Legacy people because they disbanded... but otherwise we're still riptide

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Oh i know theyre two separate teams, what i meant was that the 2009 Eye of the Dragon is a composition of 60% of their 2008 team, and around 30% of Riptide's 2008 team + 10% misc. The 2009 Riptide team took some paddlers from my sister/brother team (Synergy Legacy, I was apart of Synergy Rice Rockets before) and I believe there are some people from Synergy Legacy on RGL this year as well.

Yeah we have a couple from Legacy. Weren't Legacy doing well just last year?

[flameboy54]

Legacy took 1st in Comp C last year in Alcan. Can't remember how they placed in Kelowna. I know everyone was on Legacy.

[xXDragonXx]

Yeah, Legacy was doing really well but a lot of them had been paddling for a long time, so I guess some needed a break and pursue other endeavours. But i'm happy they ended on the note they did (if i remember correctly, they got well deserved Golds in both their divisions in Alcan & Kelowna) Also, our manager needed a break after her 10th season of managing a gajillion teams :( (in one Alcan, there were 8 Synergy boats that she managed!) and some members of Legacy have been paddling with our manager since she started. Legacy is really tight knit group and they still are, as is Rice Rockets, and for Rice Rockets, a lot of the paddlers wanted to either paddle with the same group of friends or take a break from the sport for a bit. Thats what I love about synergy.. the friendships built within the team and between the two teams. Even though I dont paddle with a lot of them anymore, i'm still really close friends with a lot of them because of our time doing dragon boat together.

[Tapioca]

Mmmmm, BuKs.....

It's nice to finally have a few BuKs at D'Zone now.

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FCRCC can definately beat most teams if they are on a Gem on a bad day and when most teams are on a buk having a good day

lol, yea most teams though..SIB, Masters, etc would prolly beat them with the few seconds difference.


Yeah, I totally wish I was doing more festivals. Tell Denis he can ask me if you're short on people for an event haha.

Will keep that in mind :thumbsup:


Last year Magnum had sponsorship, but due to the economic situation they pulled out.

A lot of team's sponsors backed out this year, which totally sucks. I believe, Without Warning is not sponsored by Edgewater Casino anymore, only companies with deep pockets can still retain sponsorships.

Did you guys manage to get a new sponsor? RGL doesn't have one this year.

Yeah we got a new sponsor. The Chung Family LOL. He's one of our paddler who loves our team so much that his parents donated $1500 to Magnum, talk about for the LOVE of the sport haha

"RipEye"..."Riptex"

Man, u guys combine with anybody, its still gonna be a cool name...well, maybe not "RipFart" lol

I'd still rather paddle out of FCRCC though than D'Zone by far lol

Don't worry, in a few years, you guys wont have the feeling like you guys are paddling out of a shack anymore :haha:

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Don't worry, in a few years, you guys wont have the feeling like you guys are paddling out of a shack anymore :haha:

Somebody should really build a proper facility there, at least with actual changerooms and showers. I dunno how people can just go home after being splashed with dirty false creek water, especially on the rainy days

[xXDragonXx]

Hey, nothing beats paddling at DBA =p (It's not active anymore due to Olympic Site Construction). But i've paddled at all three facilities, and I must say, DBA was pretty ghetto. There was one huge shack, that contained any broken boats, paddles and life jackets and a little "building" with make shift changing rooms lol (and the changing rooms only lasted my 1st year of paddling... after that, iono where we went to change =S, but i always just rushed home/went out to eat after and rushed to the showers when I got home.

[TracerFX]

Somebody should really build a proper facility there, at least with actual changerooms and showers. I dunno how people can just go home after being splashed with dirty false creek water, especially on the rainy days

but i always just rushed home/went out to eat after and rushed to the showers when I got home.

They have a plan to completely replace the Dragonzone location by the end of the Olympics if i recall correctly.

Lol, Im one of those ppl too, I just prefer changing to dry clothes and then going out to eat/home, then taking a nice long shower in the comfort of home...helps if you drive, coz for me, its like 5-10 min to get home. If I bussed, then I'd have to rethink the whole shower-before-i-go-home strategy haha

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[xXDragonXx]

GREAT day of racing everyone, Magnum posting up really good times, watched you guys once and I was impressed that you maintained great form at the finish

I hope it wasn't our first or second race of the day, our coaches said we looked a bit sloppy cause we had an insanely high rate. We had a much slower rate in the semis and the finals, and posted better times too! (Incl. our personal best of 2:01 this season! =]) RGL did great too, you guys had really tough heats through out the day, with SI:B in pretty much all your heats, and Masters / FCRCC thrown into the mix in some heats. Which one were you?

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[xXDragonXx]

Yeah, haha I sat by your tent once and talked to Derek for a while when we were waiting for our semi-final match. But yeah, it is a RGL tradition to race shirtless, but isn't it also a requirement to have a 6 pack and nice arms too?

We got kinda a scare in our semis, we knew we'd have stiff competition from Masters of D'Zone and that it'd be a close race, but the boat in Lane 2 (Burnaby Fire Fighters) kept up with us in the first 100m until we pulled ahead. (We had a practice race with them on thursday practice where they only went 200m, but we were able to pull ahead from the start). It wasn't until after the race that they said they were paddling exhibition with 17-18 guys and 2-5 girls (Mixed heats require 8 girls min.)

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[sho_bc]

What a beautiful day for races.... I'm glad i stopped by to say hi to old friends/teammates. I wish i could have been on the water paddling too though.

I might be hitting the water a few times in July to practice for the WPFG that are coming here in August... I've been recruited for a team of decent paddlers. We'll see if I've still go it. Haha!

[TracerFX]

I got a nasty tan on my arms, maybe I'll go shirtless for the next race? It's RGL tradition after all lol

You guys should really forgo buying a team jersey...just go shirtless and have the team logo tattooed (permanent or otherwise) on your backs...(corporate sponsors on biceps lol).
I believe i speak for the rest of the db community that we certainly wont object to your women member's new jersey design hahahaha!

Speaking of which, I still have yet to see the rumors of nude db'ing

I wish i could have been on the water paddling too though.

I might be hitting the water a few times in July to practice for the WPFG that are coming here in August... I've been recruited for a team of decent paddlers. We'll see if I've still go it. Haha!

Yeah u should if u can make time, I'm sure DiggerPig still need to complete his roster, logistical nightmare i say haha

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[sho_bc]

Yeah u should if u can make time, I'm sure DiggerPig still need to complete his roster, logistical nightmare i say haha

Yah, I talked to him yesterday at the regatta. I don't even need to jump into any crew practices. haha Going to have to work my way up to 200m sprint intensity though. All 200m sprints for the WPFG.

[sho_bc]

And yes, I noticed quite a few attractive ladies in the staging area as well. But shhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell my gf I said that. ;)

[TracerFX]

I wouldn't mind that either lol, our captain has done a pretty good job of recruiting girls this season. It's hard to keep focus sometimes haha. I noticed that girl in the white hoodie and shorts from DH Beat too, who is she?

lol, hard to keep focus eh? so the very essence of your team name is working against the competitiveness of your boat coz of activities such as ogling? hahhaha

xXDragonXx should be able to answer you on that since i wasnt there to see who was wearing the white hoodie and shorts, while ur at it, get him to do intros, and say you are from the Ridiculously Good Looking team and that the team name is a prerequisite to membership, thats bound to break some ice lol!

Yah, I talked to him yesterday at the regatta. I don't even need to jump into any crew practices. haha Going to have to work my way up to 200m sprint intensity though. All 200m sprints for the WPFG.

yeah, its going to be murder on the body if you haven't been practicing 200m sprints in a while. perhaps when you catch a bad guy, tell them that its their lucky day and you are in a swell mood, that you would give them a chance to run...so u can practice on the 200m intensity by pursuing the suspect haha. call it the catch and release program =)

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[sho_bc]

Cause our tent was close to that area ;)

You guys were lining up for the semis when I was there. I was the shaved-head guy that was getting mocked for my pasty white skin by Kamini before you guys were sent down to the docks. :haha::D

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[sho_bc]

Definitely him. by a long shot. haha!

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[sho_bc]

He's been on the water since he was ~14yrs old in sprint kayaks, frequently paddles at the Nationals, and is, stupid fast. I'm not sure when the Men's outrigger practices are anymore, but usually early saturday or sunday mornings. If you manage to find an outrigger left over, grab it and join them for the work out and you'll see how fast he is. :)

I've got to start joining them for practices as well, to prep for the NTTs next year.

[TracerFX]

Even the prettiest girls grunt during the races, it's sexy and motivates me, maybe that counterbalances it.

*Picturing it*....sexy girl grunts are awesome lol

I've got to start joining them for practices as well, to prep for the NTTs next year.

Did all the talks in this thread gave you good wonderful memories of past paddling? and convinces you to not take a break from it? hahaha. Its like riding a bicycle my friend..

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[sho_bc]

Did all the talks in this thread gave you good wonderful memories of past paddling? and convinces you to not take a break from it? hahaha. Its like riding a bicycle my friend..

Actually, it was being back by the water and around everybody again that did it. My hobbies have dwindled while settling into the job, so I need to pick paddling back up. I did a for-fun 5km paddle a few weeks ago and managed to get a 27.xx minute time, which isn't bad. But, if I want a spot on the team for the National Team Trials next year, I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Everyone from this year has all of this year's paddling jump on me. I was only ever middle-of-the-pack in terms of False Creek speed, and people have moved up and gotten faster since I stopped. LOTS of work ahead of me if I want to make the team. Just means my girlfriend will have to see me ~4hrs less per day than she sees me now. :D

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[TracerFX]

Does Magnum have any hot girls? I didn't really check out your camp. They're all short though, I remember that lol

lol, hot is subjective, it all falls on the eye of the beholder but i would say a few. "short" women is also the other reason why they call us the small team haha

To answer your prev question, i saw the FCRCC Regatta pics and can confidently say that the white hoodie-ed and shorts girl is indeed from the beat, her name is Cindy.

Just means my girlfriend will have to see me ~4hrs less per day than she sees me now. :D

lol, be prepared for arguments of you focusing more time on paddling than on her. worse comes to worst, you can act instead of ogling on all those attractive ladies paddler

Practice with RGL! Just to get the feel for it again. You know you wanna

Like i said, worse comes to worst, there's single girls in RGL bwahahahah

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[Tapioca]

Scoring chicks through dragon boating sounds easy, but it rarely happens. Generally, there are at least 1-2 decent looking chicks per boat, but in almost all cases they're taken by guys on the same boat, or by others who paddle for different teams. The athletic and cute chicks are into other sports, such as yoga or running (I've witnessed this of course). But, I digress.

In terms of decent looking chicks, I know of one on Without Warning (can't confirm if she is single). I've also heard through the grapevine that there might be a couple on VO2. Go get 'em, tigers.

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[sho_bc]

Scoring chicks through dragon boating sounds easy, but it rarely happens.

Speak for yourself. 4 times lucky. ;) :thumbsup: (Although my current gf has nothing to do with dragonboat)

**Edit**
And ask around amongst the original RGL guys about the tall white guy from FCRCC who used to party at Crush with them... They've got plenty of stories. And all because of dragonboating. Don't discount the opportunities that dragonboating creates. ;)

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[sho_bc]

Talk to James. He may not seem it now, but he had his hay-day in Crush with us.... ;) Isn't Matt around anymore?

Crush was the place to go because it was quiet/lowkey, good music, and Matt and a few others had connections there to make sure we all got in. I don't know how it is now, but a few years ago, it was getting ridiculous... line-ups that lasted forever, the fundraising tickets not being honoured because we weren't able to get in before the deadline....

[xXDragonXx]

I'm pretty fortunate, I met my girlfriend through my old team so she understands the commitment I have to go through while being on a more competitive team. But I have to admit, there were a lot of good looking girls on my old team, but they may be on the younger side for you Illuminate (Average age on my old team was like 18-20). TracerFX on the other hand has a gf on our current team, although she has this crazy obsession towards mango pudding, is really agressive, and gets made fun of a lot by our coach because of their webcamming activities :rolleyes:

But if you wanna join a team for some looks, RGL's got some competition through Riptide.. u should go check out their team when you have the chance ;), and same with Vortex (although i'm basing this on last years roster, which appears to be pretty similar to this years) and my old team, Rice Rockets, but we're disfunct now.

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[TracerFX]

It's ok, i'll say it for you, they're not hot LOL. I'm 6'0 so short women can't be considered :p

Maybe only about 50% of them are......unfortunately......lol

Only coz u think that walking with a short gf is akward...lol jk

and out of that 50%, only how many are R G L? hahaha

Generally, there are at least 1-2 decent looking chicks per boat, but in almost all cases they're taken by guys on the same boat, or by others who paddle for different teams. The athletic and cute chicks are into other sports, such as yoga or running


Dont forget the beefy ones, the ones with biceps bigger than your thighs LOL (those are hot for some ppl, i think haha)

I've only been among the community for a couple months and dragon boat couples seem to be everywhere to me. It'd be really nice to share a passion with someone

If you get a gf that does db, it definitely helps when talking dirty together, for her to be able to comprehend the double meaning from regular db terms HAHA!

Speak for yourself. 4 times lucky. ;) :thumbsup: (Although my current gf has nothing to do with dragonboat)


Nice man...I heard that one of the guys from WW once dated 3 girls from the same team on 2 consecutive seasons...all while they're still paddling together...now that is what i call game lol

But I have to admit, there were a lot of good looking girls on my old team, but they may be on the younger side for you Illuminate (Average age on my old team was like 18-20).


I have to agree heavily with him on this one, unfortunately for you Illuminate that most of those new paddlers (attractive or otherwise) inducted into the sport mostly are around high school or just entering university ages..so if age diff is an issue, its going to be tough...just dont date jailbaits hahahah


TracerFX on the other hand has a gf on our current team, although she has this crazy obsession towards mango pudding, is really agressive, and gets made fun of a lot by our coach because of their webcamming activities :rolleyes:


lol, for long distance relationships, webcam is your friend :thumbsup:


But if you wanna join a team for some looks, RGL's got some competition through Riptide.. u should go check out their team when you have the chance ;), and same with Vortex (although i'm basing this on last years roster, which appears to be pretty similar to this years) and my old team, Rice Rockets, but we're disfunct now.

You should try checking out FCRCC women :haha:

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[xXDragonXx]

I took a glance to see what kinda girls they had.....lets just say they're not for me lol

There's this one girl who is on the A team that isn't insanely buff.. she was manning the docks during the regatta, she looked kinda mixed? Iono, but a couple people from magnum agreed that she was pretty cute esp for a FCRCC paddler ;)

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[Ch28]

This entire last page is like a giant How to pick up girls in Dragon Boat 101

:mamoru:

I have some friends in Waverunners and Riptide I think.

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[TracerFX]

2 or 3, and one is 31...lol

Gets better as they age they say? oh wait, thats guys..LOL


God that would create so much gossip on the team and shit

Not just on the team, since we're talking abt it...god knows how many years later hahahah


There's this one girl who is on the A team that isn't insanely buff.. she was manning the docks during the regatta, she looked kinda mixed? Iono, but a couple people from magnum agreed that she was pretty cute esp for a FCRCC paddler ;)

I hope thats not like "Girl : 'God, billy is pretty cute esp for math geek'..."
I genuinely hope that she is pretty cute..let there be hope :D


Are you talking about Amanda? Coach of Banana Fusion?

I doubt that.

This entire last page is like a giant How to pick up girls in Dragon Boat 101

:mamoru:

I have some friends in Waverunners and Riptide I think.

sticky? haha jk

So u have some friends in Waverunners and Riptide.......that you could intro to Illuminate? lol

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[TracerFX]

I should REALLY go to a festival in HK some day LOL


I wouldnt mind seeing these type in Vancouver...though i dont think the bikini clad callers would work as they're prolly required to wear PFD here...although when they are off the boat....

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[syee]

This entire last page is like a giant How to pick up girls in Dragon Boat 101

:mamoru:

I have some friends in Waverunners and Riptide I think.

Who do you know on Waverunners? I've been paddling with them since last year. I'll tell them Ch28 says hi. :D

Didn't know we had a big Dragon Boat presence on here. :D

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[Chairman Kaga]

The non asian in that pic looks niiiiiiiiiice

[TracerFX]

Are both the Beat and Magnum doing Whistler and Harrison btw? I really want to go and tempted to email Denis to ask if either need another paddler. I don't think the Beat is doing Whistler from the website

Edit: Well I got a team for Whistler, nm about that

The Beat wont do Whistler, I'm not sure about Harrison, they did go with us last year, but this year is up in the air.

I think Magnum's roster is full for Harrison.

What team are u tagging with for Whistler?


yeah, i made everyone come out and talk lol

lol, I do wonder now, exactly how many db'er is in RS...

The non asian in that pic looks niiiiiiiiiice

+1 :thumbsup:

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[Tapioca]

Who's going to the beer garden after Alcan? It might be nice to put some faces to names here...

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[TracerFX]

Richie Bros., they have a ad on dragon boat west, but that also happens to be the company team of two RGL girls, so I'm going to tag along with them and have some fuuuuuuunnnn, know what I'm sayin? ;)


lol, hopefully for you, those 2 are the single ones.

Who's going to the beer garden after Alcan? It might be nice to put some faces to names here...

I'm not going to be able to

[sho_bc]

I'm missing the regatta this weekend, but will probably be on the water in some type of boat on sunday morning. I used to be known as "the tall white guy thats always paddling", but its been a while since I've spent 7 days/week on the water. ;) I'll probably be in an OC1 or a K1 wearing the previous FCRCC jersey.

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[sho_bc]

OCs are easy and fun and a great learning/practicing tool. and as soon as I eat some breakfast, I'll be on my way down for some paddling in the sun. :cool:

[RacePace]

Do we have to do the capsize drill before we go in them? I don't want to get dunked in dirty false creek water lol

[syee]

Do we have to do the capsize drill before we go in them? I don't want to get dunked in dirty false creek water lol

Don't they have Huli drills at the Vancouver Aquatic center every so often? I remember doing it a few years back. Pogue (or Vancouver Water sports or whatever they are called now) held the drills out there on a Friday evening if I remember correctly.

I don't know if it's required, but I thought it's good to know especially for OC's.

[sho_bc]

So far as I remember, you have to do one of those intro courses with False Creek and a huli drill/practice is included in that. back when I started, nothing like that was organized and learned the hard way, twice, in freezing cold water, at the very beginning of my very first practice with the Men. :D This is perfect weather for it. I'm just about to head down now, if you want a quick intro to OC.

*Edit* the huli-drill is a must-know in my opinion. saves you, and it saves the boat. I should be getting onto the water around noon if you make it down by then.

[RacePace]

I'm working today, but if you're going on Sunday morning too, I'll take up your offer :)

[sho_bc]

Be there bright and early... Ready to be on the water at 7am. :thumbsup:

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[TracerFX]

Don't they have Huli drills at the Vancouver Aquatic center every so often? I remember doing it a few years back. Pogue (or Vancouver Water sports or whatever they are called now) held the drills out there on a Friday evening if I remember correctly.

I don't know if it's required, but I thought it's good to know especially for OC's.

Do we have to do the capsize drill before we go in them? I don't want to get dunked in dirty false creek water lol

Be there bright and early... Ready to be on the water at 7am. :thumbsup:

Huli is a REQUIRED for OC'ing, and its best to get it done over with the moment your butt plops down on one. Do it near the dock in case you get into trouble. (huli is damn easy if you have upper body strength, kinda like getting ur body off the swimming pool)

My coach always says renting a pool does not simulate what you will really be in. A pool is warm and fuzzy, but we are in Canada, you have to huli where you need to recover. That is why huli'ing in False Creek will help prepare you the most when flipping actually happens (paddler error, strong waves, other boats)

I remember one Sunday afternoon my steersman and I huli'ed so many times (8 times!) while we were trying (and succeeding!) in flying the ama for fun after we read some articles on Huki's website lol

Best time for newbies to perform a huli is Sundays after 10am, while noon-1 pm is optimum because the sun has warmed up the water a tad bit to lessen the shock on the body (for those more susceptible to chillier waters)

Some tips:

- Steering is easy but most newcomers find it tricky, just remember, step left, go left and, step right, go right.

- Always keep right, and ALWAYS yield to other motorized boats, annoying Aquabuses especially.

- Be aware of where ur paddle is when u huli, ur doggy paddle ability is < waves

- When u go with Alex and if he lets you try the C-Lion, remember that its a lil bit more tippy (than say outriggers..)

If you like OC and does time trial, u might be interested to try out the ERG, it helps abit in terms of OC and DB in general. (make sure that u do power setting 10 though lol)

I'm tempted to say, "Dont break his cherry too rough Alex" :haha:

Enjoy your first time! :thumbsup:

*EDIT: I forgot to say, speaking of dirty false creek water, a few Magnum flipped during 200m time trial last summer, in COLIFORM contaminated waters...this was the times when they were giving out warning to paddlers of any sport not to go in the water hahaha!

[sho_bc]

Bleh. Rain forecast for tomorrow. Thats no fun. Don't wear cotton.

[RacePace]

I actually went for my first time last night with my team captain. I was just paddling along and then I huli'ed lol, so I know how to do that now. Steering is difficult for me, it's more than just stepping on the pedals

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[TracerFX]

Damnit, we didn't do that well today. Rate and timing was just off today

better luck tomm dude :thumbsup:

Steering is difficult for me, it's more than just stepping on the pedals

I dont know if you ride a motorcycle or a bicycle, but it has similar principle as counter-steering. hope that helps.

[sho_bc]

Steering problems can also be due to improper paddling (ie. not keeping paddle anchored, drawing/prying at the end of the stroke, drawing at the front of the stroke, etc etc). The weather forecast has changed to sun w/ clouds. I'll take out a K1 and you can show me how much of an expert you are now while you watch me see if I can still paddle them after 2 years of not. :p

[Tapioca]

Damnit, we didn't do that well today. Rate and timing was just off today

Regattas are just tune-ups before the big one in a couple of weeks.

I have to say that we exceeded my expectations, but we definitely had nothing left in the tank by the third race. We'll be working on that in the next couple of weeks. ;)

[TracerFX]

Steering problems can also be due to improper paddling (ie. not keeping paddle anchored, drawing/prying at the end of the stroke, drawing at the front of the stroke, etc etc). The weather forecast has changed to sun w/ clouds. I'll take out a K1 and you can show me how much of an expert you are now while you watch me see if I can still paddle them after 2 years of not. :p


improper paddling causing him to huli as well? :haha:

haha, i would love to be on the water, but this year is a half season for me since i wont be back in Vancity until July, excitedly anticipating Harrison till then hehe

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[sho_bc]

Yeah, I was impressed with the lack of huli-ing. ;)

Like I said, if you wanted it enough, between now and next Alcan, you could be fighting for a seat on FCRCC Mens A. Just lots of water time to build up the endurance and speed.

I won't be back from thailand until the end of the month and then I'll be doing some training for the WPFG. If you don't mind playing catch-up during rest periods like I did when I first started, I'll let you know when I'm out on the water. I find it a good way to train, always trying to keep up with the other guys who are faster than me as it helps drive me to work harder than I think I can. My times for time trials are always fastest when I have someone to chase.

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[Ch28]

I used the rowing machine at Sports Central last night and damn that machine kicked my ass :lol

[TracerFX]

More than 10 seconds slower in a Buk than 2 weeks ago is unacceptable.

You cant compare times with 2 weeks ago let alone a few hours ago.
False Creek tide conditions are always changing and depending on that factor, the boat times may vary greatly.

That is why in a whole day's race, you cant compare your boat times in the different heats you raced, only compare the differentials with the other boats on your heat. There is the term for this, but it escapes me at the moment.

I'm pretty sure now I huli'ed on my first time because I leaned out while paddling on my right. Too used to dragonboating


Funny story, last year one of my team mates who's heavy (220 pound ish?) sat on a Montgomery for the first time and it had the shitty thin ass ama and he flipped over, left side LOL

I'll chase my RGL boys first, then I want to see how fast the FCRCC boys are

Taken out of context def sounds wrong hahhahaha!

I used the rowing machine at Sports Central last night and damn that machine kicked my ass :lol

Where is this sports central?

[Chairman Kaga]

Where is this sports central?


Gym in Richmond

[Ch28]

Sports Central is a gym that's located behind the Home Depot in Richmond by the night market

2611 Viscount Way, Richmond, BC

24/7 gym and its pretty big.

I've been going there everyday for the past week and I love it so far.

[xXDragonXx]

Yeah, Magnum didn't have the race we wanted to either on Saturday's AM Regatta. We were tweaking our race piece in the hopes that it'd help us gain a couple seconds on FCRCC but it seemed to be counter productive. So hopefully we go back to our old race strategy with some minor adjustments.

Our coach was also really disappointed with our first race, saying it's the worst we've ever done this whole year. Our normal caller wasn't here, so we had a brand new caller with no exp. and she messed up a call really badly at one point and our captain had to come up with something on the spot.. so that really screwed us up + our steers accidently called the old finish while the caller called the new finish =p. But we got it together during the 2nd and 3rd race.. however Masters and SIB beat us for the first time this year with our new strategy.

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[xXDragonXx]

Have you checked out the topic on DBW? Apparently the Red Lane 2 Gemini used was the only clean one, and teams racing in it would normally do better on it than they would when racing the same teams on BUKS.

LifeScan beat WW by 1 second with the Red Gemini and then lost to them by 19 seconds in a BUK. That's a drastic difference, even if BUKS are faster.

And wow, 630 in the morning? You guys are too intense haha.. I'm probably going to go out the evening of Wednesday

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[sho_bc]

All the Gems were cleaned a few weeks prior to the races.... There will always be reasons/excuses/theories about race results, but teams are allowed to have an off race, as you guys have already discussed having here. ;)

Besides, some teams just can't handle the poor excuse for a boat that the geminis are.

[TracerFX]

Sports Central is a gym that's located behind the Home Depot in Richmond by the night market

2611 Viscount Way, Richmond, BC

24/7 gym and its pretty big.

I've been going there everyday for the past week and I love it so far.

Is this a new Gym? Its not like i pass there all the time, but i dont think I've noticed it (mind you im only around the area during Ikea trips and night market)


And wow, 630 in the morning? You guys are too intense haha.. I'm probably going to go out the evening of Wednesday

lol, that is early Illuminate...next thing you know, you'll paddle during work lunch time dude hahah

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[Tapioca]

All the Gems were cleaned a few weeks prior to the races.... There will always be reasons/excuses/theories about race results, but teams are allowed to have an off race, as you guys have already discussed having here. ;)

Besides, some teams just can't handle the poor excuse for a boat that the geminis are.

My team cleans the boats and although I certainly understand the frustration that some people felt on race day, the whole issue would have been moot had Eye of the Dragon stayed away from the shore during practice and not scraped the bottom of the red Gem which led to us pulling the boat out for inspection. Funny how some guy on Eye was the first to mention it.

It's unreasonable to expect a team to spend a Friday afternoon cleaning boats. The red boat was pulled out for inspection only a week prior to the Regatta and it was clean. All of the other Gems were cleaned at the same time and if the red boat was clean, the other ones should have been too.

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[Tapioca]

I think the posts about Eye sandbagging are ridiculous and it's hard to blame them for scratching the boat. RGL was out on the water with them that day and the tide was really low, the area they went over you could barely notice it was shallow, and under normal conditions it wouldn't have been shallow. Dan (the coach) even pointed out where it was and if he hadn't of done that, we probably would have bottomed out ourselves

I think the accusations about EOTD sandbagging are whack too; they're a good team.

I've been cleaning boats for 2 years and the amount of film that would have built up over 3 weeks shouldn't have been so much to affect the outcomes of the races too much. It's not like there are barnacles under these boats (which does happen if the boats sit in the water all winter.)

[TracerFX]

I think the posts about Eye sandbagging are ridiculous

I think the accusations about EOTD sandbagging are whack too; they're a good team.

I've been cleaning boats for 2 years and the amount of film that would have built up over 3 weeks shouldn't have been so much to affect the outcomes of the races too much. It's not like there are barnacles under these boats (which does happen if the boats sit in the water all winter.)

I concur, I dont think they are that sort of team either, our teams merged for Taiwanese last year and they are a competitive bunch, i dont believe they would have sandbagged just to get top spot on a lower division.

Its a moot point to be discussing it now that the race has gone by, but I agree that scrubbing the boats on the day before is unreasonable, However I do think Madcap brought up a good point. In my experience, summer heat does tend to accelerate growth at much faster rate and the analysis that Dan pointed out does show an anomaly that warrants questions. In any case, I've learned in db that sometimes things work in your favor and sometimes it doesnt, but it ALL balances out.

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[TracerFX]

Are one of you Magnum guys doing the Trivium group buy? Damnit I'm tempted.

How much are Burnwater (Reactor), Apex (Accelerator), and Merlin (CD2)'s in CDN $?


xXDragonXx is, they currently need 2 more to complete the min 10 orders i believe. I have one and its awesome lol.

If i recall correctly, its USD $300+ (BW) , CAD $280-300 (Apex), and i dont know how much the cd2 is, but the ghost was CAD $400+ last year.

stay away from apex unless its the adjustable one.

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[TracerFX]

Only 3 in vancity so far and mine is red, the other guy on my team is black, and I dont recall the color of the WW guy's paddle.

Blue looks good, go for Yellow/Gold :D

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[Tapioca]

Grid for Alcan is out. Any thoughts?

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[TracerFX]

damn, we got Kai Ikaika first haha. Though it was always going to be a stronger team next to us. At least we're in Buk's :)

Can't wait for my first Alcan, even though we start kinda later in the day, I'll be up and about early I think, roaming around, seeing what's going on. Unless I have to car pool..

Sucks having Kai in the first heat, I saw them last year and they are real good.

Soak in your first alcan man, its an awesome feeling, lots of useless free shit to win hahah


Grid for Alcan is out. Any thoughts?

Yeah, FCRCC Worlds is gonna spank ass. major ones lol.
Kinda glad Mauna Hale isnt competing this year, along with GD.
Watch out for those sleeper island teams and sleeper portland teams.

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[TracerFX]

indeed haha, otherwise they would have taken another 2 slots in Comp A

Us trying for medals in A would be impossible, but u guys have a chance to do so at B. G'luck this weekend!

[RacePace]

It just dawned on us that if we finish 2nd in the first race, that we would have 5 hours in between races on Sat haha

[K-Dub]

Are your respective teams going to Kelowna later this year?
I have a team that's trying to get started but we're short a couple paddlers.. combination of past Synergy teams, Legacy and Rice Rockets.

Good luck this weekend, weather doesn't look great but I think it's good paddling weather :)

[RacePace]

Yeah, RGL will be at Kelowna

[TracerFX]

lol, thats pretty close to average (avg is 4 hours i believe), expect long wait times between races for comp division most of the times, coz more oft than not, its early morning 1st race and late in the day 2nd race.

Yep, Magnum always goes for Kelowna, Casa Loma is nice!

The best paddling weather is one where there is not a direct sun over your head while you are waiting on the water. ie: lining up, waiting for boat traffic, delays, etc.

[TracerFX]

forgot to add, Victoria is the worst, sometimes you wait on the water for abt 15 min or so under the sun waiting for ferries to clear. (sun zapping ur energy away)

[RacePace]

Are you guys going to Victoria this year?

[RacePace]

Oh wait, you're probably doing Seattle for the race series which is a week after Victoria

[K-Dub]

lol, thats pretty close to average (avg is 4 hours i believe), expect long wait times between races for comp division most of the times, coz more oft than not, its early morning 1st race and late in the day 2nd race.

Yep, Magnum always goes for Kelowna, Casa Loma is nice!

The best paddling weather is one where there is not a direct sun over your head while you are waiting on the water. ie: lining up, waiting for boat traffic, delays, etc.
Tell Terry and Anthony Kdub says hi. ;)

[RacePace]

I've been told the girls on Magnum are snobby and super competitive, true? lol

[xXDragonXx]

Tell Terry and Anthony Kdub says hi. ;)

Hahaha i'm right here Kevin. Has synergy finalized the plans for Kelowna yet? Come up with a team name?

And nahh, pretty much all the girls on our boat are all really chill. It's actually the guys that are really competitive on the team (but not to the point where they are unsportsmanlike or unrealistic) .. and I can see 1-2 people from whom people might view as snobby, but definately not the girls.

And is it you that always goes OCing with Derek?

[RacePace]

Yes it is, you guys are always wondering who I am, I feel your eyes on me

I almost joined Magnum actually, but you guys practiced too much, didn't think I could do it.

[Tapioca]

FYI: Tent assignments are out.

I'm not particularly happy about the last-minute changes which affected our first heat, but what else can you do?

[RacePace]

oh yeah, if the dragon warriors are as strong as people say then you'll probably end up 3rd instead of 2nd and have to race 30 mins earlier

[Tapioca]

oh yeah, if the dragon warriors are as strong as people say then you'll probably end up 3rd instead of 2nd and have to race 30 mins earlier

I'm not concerned about the length between races (1 hour is more than enough to recover) - it was the lane change. Boats in the middle are protected from the tide that the outside teams have to deal with. The teams seated in Lane 4 and Lane 5 are usually projected to win.

[RacePace]

Just saw where your tent is going to be, WAY out on the right haha

RGL got a really good spot, infront of the entrance

[TracerFX]

Oh wait, you're probably doing Seattle for the race series which is a week after Victoria

Yea, too close together. Besides, we as a team dont like Victoria as much. Chalk it up to a bunch of small little things (ex: expensive event, freak accident, Millenium boats, have i mentioned BC ferries? lol)

I've been told the girls on Magnum are snobby and super competitive, true? lol

Dont think there was one. Like Terry says, they are pretty chill.
you sure it was Magnum?

Yes it is, you guys are always wondering who I am, I feel your eyes on me.

Girl's eyes or guys's eyes? :haha:

I'm not concerned about the length between races (1 hour is more than enough to recover) - it was the lane change. Boats in the middle are protected from the tide that the outside teams have to deal with. The teams seated in Lane 4 and Lane 5 are usually projected to win.

Indeed, good luck on that heat man.

Just saw where your tent is going to be, WAY out on the right haha

RGL got a really good spot, infront of the entrance

imho, 4 spots that sucks in terms of tent assigments, the very back (well coz its at the very back lol), near the porta-potty (need i say why? haha), grounds that are not concrete (muddy/dusty), and near the front entrance (way too many traffic pass by, watch for belongings, sometimes they put the porta-potty near the front, so its a double whammy with the huge washroom traffic and the smell :haha:)

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[Tapioca]

I've been told the girls on Magnum are snobby and super competitive, true? lol

Even though the board is supposedly anonymous, this city is way too small (and the dragonboat community even smaller) to say anything negative about someone on a public forum. I've been in the community only 3 years, but I've seen my fair share of shennanigans, innuendo, and ego-bashing.

All I can say is that the women I know on the Magnum boat are definitely competitive. Good on Magnum for recruiting them.

[TracerFX]

Magnum's warmups are intense, I heard Denis yell "SWITCH" haha. RGL's warmups are lax

We like to shout a lot hahaha. A good warmup = good practice. Getting your heart rate to the max early on prepares your body up for the intense practice. I normally feel like shit if we didn't have enough time to do a full out run.

Even though the board is supposedly anonymous, this city is way too small (and the dragonboat community even smaller) to say anything negative about someone on a public forum. I've been in the community only 3 years, but I've seen my fair share of shennanigans, innuendo, and ego-bashing.

All I can say is that the women I know on the Magnum boat are definitely competitive. Good on Magnum for recruiting them.

Agreed, I don't usually do it but I've done my share of bashing (warranted in my mind).

lol, sounds like you might have met some ex girl team member :D

[Alphamale]

Wow..all this time I thought "Magnum" was some other team, not the one from UBC or Dragonhearts.

Interesting to see they've advanced so much. I was one of the few to start up the team back in highschool and it's always been really competitive.

[RAYClovis]

Jeez, Tracer, how could discuss so much and not let me know about this site? (Thanks a lot Terry.)

Also hi, hopefully you're having fun with RGL so far, Illuminate. :) By the time you're reading this, though, Alcan's probably already over anyway, but good luck anyway!

[RacePace]

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[RacePace]

Great day today, we got silver in Comp C, edged out of gold by .15 seconds. Our first sub 2 min time ever. Nice job on 4th in Comp A Magnum, you guys should try for the national championships next year

[What_the?]

We got edged out of silver Comp C by these guys *points above*... hahaha congratulations Illuminate and RGL though...

You guys have become our new targets to surpass... previously it was lifescan... until today :)

But overall it was a good day, weather was nice... and we posted our best times ever at 2 minutes... hopefully we'll hit the sub 2 minute mark someday

[RacePace]

lol, pshhh, off by one whole second. Which festivals are Riptide doing this year? Maybe more close races to come

[RAYClovis]

Haha, congratulation to both of you, RGL and Riptide. :D

It definitely wasn't an easy race day for us Magnum peeps. Seriously, we came fourth and the six-second difference between us and the third-place proves how dominate FCRCC and other top teams can be. Though, it was our first time ever to have reached this high, and we're pretty happy even without bringing home a medal. :D It was also our first ever Guts and Glory race, and boy, it was damn wet. Reminds me of UBC Longboat with just slightly less contact. Also, the tide is mega-helpful with breaking time records, as the weekend was the first time ever we've broken the two minutes mark.

Again, congratulation to you and your teams!

[What_the?]

We're doing harrison for sure... not sure about anything else yet... there are talks about either kelowna or seattle... but depends on our fundraising and things...

We need some sort of a target to keep pushing ourselves, so hopefully there will be more races with you guys :D

[TracerFX]

Wow..all this time I thought "Magnum" was some other team, not the one from UBC or Dragonhearts.

Interesting to see they've advanced so much. I was one of the few to start up the team back in highschool and it's always been really competitive.

Its still really competitive but its a totally different animal now :thumbsup:

Jeez, Tracer, how could discuss so much and not let me know about this site? (Thanks a lot Terry.)


lol, that's coz we're supposed to talk abt this over at dbwest :D
at least now you can do this and read up abt cars too haha

Getting a lot of Magnums in here now, taking over this thread.

We Magnum like to dominate :haha::haha:

Great day today, we got silver in Comp C, edged out of gold by .15 seconds. Our first sub 2 min time ever. Nice job on 4th in Comp A Magnum, you guys should try for the national championships next year

Congrats dude, too bad abt the gold...gold hardware is always better than silver, it weighs more (all perception though lol)

We had talks about trying out for nationals this year actually but shifted our goals to just killing it at Comp A, at least that's done now. The key now is to win races that FCRCC dont go to :haha:

Also, the tide is mega-helpful with breaking time records, as the weekend was the first time ever we've broken the two minutes mark.

The tides definitely helped a lot of teams get record times judging from times on the results.

I believe you're mistaken Clovis, if i recall correctly we've gotten 1:58 before.

[RacePace]

lol, that's coz we're supposed to talk abt this over at dbwest :D


Nah, a lot of stuff I wouldn't say over there, lets just keep it here lol

[Tapioca]

The tides and wind were pretty strong on Sunday which led to some really good times. I haven't seen sub-1:50 times from a dragonboat in previous Alcans.

For us, it was a pretty good weekend:

- We were in the re-race (5 races for the price of 4)
- We had a "blade fight" with Without Warning in the re-race
- We raced in the "barney" Gem (Boat 6)
- We snuck into Comp by the skin of our teeth on Sunday, only to get rocked in the final (but, it was one heck of a race though)
- We got smashed in the beer garden afterwards (always a tradition at Alcan)

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[TracerFX]

Nah, a lot of stuff I wouldn't say over there, lets just keep it here lol

lol, there is a sort of a mature, rigid, less horsing around feel in there sometimes. soon enough this thread will be infamous and the link to this might get posted there lol (i doubt it but you never know haha)

The tides and wind were pretty strong on Sunday which led to some really good times. I haven't seen sub-1:50 times from a dragonboat in previous Alcans.

For us, it was a pretty good weekend:

- We were in the re-race (5 races for the price of 4)
- We had a "blade fight" with Without Warning in the re-race
- We raced in the "barney" Gem (Boat 6)
- We snuck into Comp by the skin of our teeth on Sunday, only to get rocked in the final (but, it was one heck of a race though)
- We got smashed in the beer garden afterwards (always a tradition at Alcan)

Yea, 1:47 is pretty godlike (borrowing a term from quake lol)

LOL @ blade fight

sounds like you guys had a blast.

[RacePace]

It's up to you Magnum guys to not leak it out too far, I know I won't lol


Does 1:47 count as a world record? Because I know a 1:48 time posted by Team USA back in Sydney was touted as a world record.
I think it's kind of funny that the FCRCC mixed team is faster than the Men's team. Obviously it's the women on that team that pull the weight

[Tapioca]

Yeah, I heard they were pissed about that

Well, we have a couple of old friends on that boat and they were a little peeved, but that's racing (they still won the race anyway and they pulled a huge comback win in the Comp B final.) Race 18 was a bit of farce - we had the initial collision and re-race, Boat 3 and 4 had problems, our boat and WW had problems, etc. In the old days, the boats would line up literally next to each other and blade fights were not uncommon. In extreme cases, you would actually reach for the other boat's gunnel, or you perhaps put your blade into someone's leg, etc.

[RAYClovis]

Technically 1:47 would count as a world records, except for the conditions in Alcan. Compared to Sydney where the races were held in an artificial channel (No tide, held start, etc.), we had drifting start, major tide movement, and quite a bit of tailwind. Compare it to last year when the best times were within 1:54~ range, it's slightly more dubious. You can even see Rec A teams pushing the 2 minute marks!

And yeah, it's funny to see that FCRCC mixed team is faster than all of the Men's teams, but hey, it really shows how strong the women paddlers are themselves.

Also, full Alcan results are out if you're slow on the intake. Magnums did pretty well in Guts and Glory in the form of having a later start and not having to hit any other boats in the turns. :)

[TracerFX]

It's up to you Magnum guys to not leak it out too far, I know I won't lol


Does 1:47 count as a world record? Because I know a 1:48 time posted by Team USA back in Sydney was touted as a world record.
I think it's kind of funny that the FCRCC mixed team is faster than the Men's team. Obviously it's the women on that team that pull the weight

lol, I've never heard RS being mentioned in dbwest, nor would i start any, so nothing from me hahah :thumbsup:

I dont believe it is even though it's a time recorded from an official festival but i could be wrong. They could actually just say "world record" because it was record time in the worlds, not the whole actual world. But the reason i say i dont believe so is because the worlds/crew championships normally races on a set environments with no tides, just winds (on man made lakes/pool).

Perhaps mixed are faster because men can't be good "strokers"? hahahahhaha

In extreme cases, you would actually reach for the other boat's gunnel, or you perhaps put your blade into someone's leg, etc.

Sounds pretty much like UBC Long Boat :haha:

[TracerFX]

oh dang, didnt see u reply first abt that clovis, now i just sound like a copy cat lol

[TracerFX]

famous last words "Women make or break comp teams"

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[RAYClovis]

Nice triple post. Whistler and Harrison's going to be fun, too bad nobody except for FCRCC's going to take the gold. XD They're bringing their A team without mercy. Maybe if they has a mishap that Magnum can take advantage of, but hey, that's wishful thinking.

Illuminate, quite a few ordered through www.outrigger.ca (Kialoa), but for the Quickblade I'm not sure. I believe someone on Master of Dragonzone have a Quickblade, so maybe you can bugger them about it. I'm also wondering if I should get my own OC paddle, but then again I'm getting an adjustable Trivium and OC mostly once every either week and paddles like a molasses on one. :P I've paddled once with Derek on your team, though, so yeah. Which RGL paddler are you again?

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[xXDragonXx]

He's Jacob, the guy that is with Derek whenever I see them OC-ing and heading back to the shed while we're warming up for practice. :D

Still in awe at 4th in Comp A... all those years of watching those Comp A & Guts & Glory Races and thinking that those guys were so godly. Fast forward to now, and we're racing with them in both races. Guts & Glory is extremely fun race... with the start you have the crowd with their focus on you bringing you a sense of pride.. and then you go through the grueling 2000m with collisions on the way ,changing wave conditions that make u super soaked, wicked turns (like by our steersperson in the crucial last turn) and hearing other teams yelling that wouldn't otherwise do so in an actual mixed race. The whole experience just brings goosebumps and makes the adrenaline pump.. AND during the last 250m of the Guts & Glory... it was amazing to hear the whole team yelling N - F - W (the actual words not the letters) =p

Great racing this weekend everyone! Hope to see you all in Whistler & Harrison! Gotta also love the new Alcan system, which gives you super competitive races from the 2nd race on with teams at the same level as you are. With the old system, you wouldn't be in a truly tough heat until ur semis on day 2.

[RAYClovis]

Oh, Illuminate, now I remember you and your application. You should have joined us. :( That aside, feel free to let me know if you want to OC sometimes, since I'm pretty much a jobless, schoolless bum for most of the summer currently.

And yeah, Terry, I agree with you the Guts and Glory race was amazing, and I'm even more amazed that we snatched 4th place behind only FCRCC and Ika again, on a 2km course. Let's keep on improving. :D The new system also helps in getting more competitive races, and I'm hoping WE will be using that for the future races.

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[RAYClovis]

It's our motto. If you were at Guts and Glory, you'd have heard the full words. XD

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[RAYClovis]

Cool. I doubt that I would be able to wake up at 9am, though. :P (I could barely do so on the race weekend.)

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[RAYClovis]

:) Hey, nothing wrong with preferring the evenings over mornings. I'll PM ya if I can wake up and paddle without needing an unhealthy dose of caffeine.

On the other hand, I need to start hitting the gym. Now that I'm reduced to three practices a week, I should start working out once a week. You know a good, cheap gym within Vancouver? (Preferably something like UBC Birdcoop in terms of equipments available but much closer to G-Island or East Vancouver.)

[Tapioca]

What is NFW anyway?


No F***ing Way.

Drop Them B**ches is a good call to use too.

[xXDragonXx]

haha, come on, you're a Magnum, you're hardcore

This stud of a paddler called Clovis is also the only one on Magnum on a FCRCC team.. The FCRCC Men's Team. No offense to our team or Clovis, but this just proves the point that you don't have to be a team dominated with overly muscular paddlers to be in Comp A or on FCRCC :thumbsup:

[RacePace]

:) Hey, nothing wrong with preferring the evenings over mornings. I'll PM ya if I can wake up and paddle without needing an unhealthy dose of caffeine.

On the other hand, I need to start hitting the gym. Now that I'm reduced to three practices a week, I should start working out once a week. You know a good, cheap gym within Vancouver? (Preferably something like UBC Birdcoop in terms of equipments available but much closer to G-Island or East Vancouver.)

Can't really help ya there, I go to Sportscentral in Richmond, and they have a ridiculous deal right now that's like $14 a month or something. I know the drop in at FCCC is $3.75 and if you go once a week, then that's $15 a month.
Build up that power, it's really noticeable in an OC :D

No F***ing Way.

Drop Them B**ches is a good call to use too.

Yeah, we use drop too. I know Magnum's super duper race call strategy :D Don't worry though, I wouldn't tell RGL, and we wouldn't use it if I did, doesn't suit our team.