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Dragon Boat Canada


IDBF


Canoe Kayak Canada

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[BlueStreak]

Well I am always one to stay relaxed under pressure...and given this was a learning experience for the organizers this festival....I managed to laugh off a lot of the errors this weekend. My favorite memory was of the woman official at the start line who was slouching in her chair, feet crossed and proceeded to call  "Would all boats ROW up to the line together!".......

I thought I was the only one who saw this.....guess not.....hence, the water/race officials not having the experience to line up the teams effectively.

The majority of the water/race officials and dock persons were volunteers from a local rowing club... which explains that mix-up in vocabulary.
IMO, I think their lining up of boats was done just as well as any other festival.

[boatbutt]

Again I appreciate this festival being a learning experience but you dont ever want to mess around at the start lines or  in the finish tent. Not sure how the volunteers were trained etc.?? Maybe that could be a starting point for next season?
Otherwise the enthusiasm of all the dock staff were great and they were certainly friendly and encouraging.

[Plum]

"Would all boats ROW up to the line together!"..

I had a similiar experience when a finish line official came up to me and asked me if I was "rowing today".  I quickly corrected her and said "paddling".   

But besides all of that, I really hope that they train the officials better for next year.
Also, in reference to my post regarding making the entrance to the paddler's village larger, I didn't want it to seem like there should be a decrease in the number of participants.  But, is there some way that they can do it so that teams can marshall out of the area and yet STILL have enough room for other people to enter/exit the village?  I can't tell you how many times I was pushed through or almost trampled on as I was trying to get into the village.

 

[StraightLine]

But besides all of that, I really hope that they train the officials better for next year.
Also, in reference to my post regarding making the entrance to the paddler's village larger, I didn't want it to seem like there should be a decrease in the number of participants.  But, is there some way that they can do it so that teams can marshall out of the area and yet STILL have enough room for other people to enter/exit the village?  I can't tell you how many times I was pushed through or almost trampled on as I was trying to get into the village.

Put up a rope barrier dividing the entrance into ENTRANCE and EXIT lanes?  It could work, but I think another solution would be to have people stop hanging around the entrance.  I know it's difficult for the teams located by the entrance because they can't hang around the front of their tent without getting trampled by people leaving and arriving, but that's one of the challenges.

[Zavion]

Everyone has pretty much covered the points that might need to be looked at for next year so I do not need to go over those again.  Instead
I will list a few things that I liked or had improved from last year. 

Top of the list for me would be the Beer Tent.  It is great to see a local brewery (Vancouver Island Brewery) with their beer there.  In my opinion that beer (thats Grog in Scurvy Dog Talk  ) is far far better than what was there last year.  I would love to see them do the same for next year.

Nice new tents!  It is a crowded area but the setup is good.

The stands for the spectators are always nice..... OK OK I can't resist making at least one or two suggestions..... .   I wold love to see one or two of the big TV's set up.  Have one near the announcers both and one in the paddlers area.  You could set up a few cameras to catch the race starts and folllow the race.  And even flash up the results of the heat quickly as well.

The new docks made everything go a lot smoother than the old locations.


Hmmm, I know there are a few more items that I wanted to mention,  if I think of anymore I will repost.

[puddlebunny]

Vic Fest was pretty good as it is all years. Some things that could be better:

1. Water marshalls; they were not making the right calls (in our 3rd and 4th race we had our wake ridden by the team in the next lane and this was not addressed, which in previous years it was), they seemed really inexperienced. Also we sat on the water quite a bit waiting for things like the coho, clipper, and the harbour ferry ballet.
2. Finish line tent; on saturday they were really slow with results and also seem to have had some problems posting the correct times. I heard that they switched water and finish line management teams. It was better in previous years when I believe Go was running the water crew, start and finish line.
3. Porta potties; no toilet paper, need I say more.
4. Start earlier on Saturday, if they have to give time for the Vancouver etc. teams, run their races later than the Island teams.

What was great:

1. Friendly volunteers.
2. Good entertainment.
3. It was nice having the paddlers party on site, as opposed to Bastion Square as it was in previous years, but it ended way too early.
4. Its still an awesome venue, nice and close to everything.
5. Our team had a great time with lots of friendly faces, beer, and sun.

[Plum]

2. Finish line tent; on saturday they were really slow with results and also seem to have had some problems posting the correct times. I heard that they switched water and finish line management teams. It was better in previous years when I believe Go was running the water crew, start and finish line.

I have to agree and keep re-iterating it that people shouldn't mess with a good thing.  The GO management team was definitely missed on the water this year.  Their volunteers are knowledgeable in all aspects of dragon boating, are properly trained, and have excellent skills to pull off high calibre events.  Just look at the Nanaimo Festival and the VI Championships as examples of their great event management abilities!

[haywitch]

if they have to give time for the Vancouver etc. teams, run their races later than the Island teams.

 It would be impossible to seed the teams more or less properly.

[puppy]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. This information has been taken to the Victoria DB Festival's committee and they have read all your comments and will make adjustments where possible.

We look forward to next year's festival.

PUPPY....