10th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Party

On the evening of Saturday November 28, 2015 we held our 10th anniversary party at Boston Pizza (Beaches) not too far from our practice site.  It was attended by almost 50 people who represented many of our 19 teams this past season.  Besides good food and drink, we had a number of lucky draws and also handed out some awards.

A 16-page Rusty Dragons 10th Anniversary booklet was also presented which included lots of information and statistics for reference.  While that booklet will be made public, here are some excerpts from the booklet...


Highlights of our 2015 season 
(12 events - 28 team registrations to them)

1. Puerto Rico DB Festival (Jan 31) – Small boat, on Lagos Cerillos.
    Rusty Dragons (open team) – 4^th place!

2. Florida Camp (April 12-19) - in Indian Harbour, FL
    Rusty Dragons - 3^rd place in 2000m of 18 teams over two weeks!

3. Milton regatta (May 23)
    Sight Unseen – Qualifier for Nationals.

4. St Catharines (June 13)
    Sight Unseen / Pink Crusaders (bronze)

5. Canadian Championships - Dragon Boat Canada (June 26-28)
    Sight Unseen (gold / national BPS Champions)!

6. DDRA (OPS) Canada Day Regatta at Toronto's Center Island (July 1)
    11 Teams (gold / silver / bronze / trophy)!

7. Hamilton Waterfest (July 4)
    Motley Crew (gold in a gutsy final race)

8. Montreal Challenge (July 25-26)
    Motley Crew – great road trip / team building.

9. Pan Am Club Crews (Aug 14-16) – Small boat in Welland, ON.
    Sight Unseen (gold) / Are We There Yet (silver)

10. GWN Dragon Boat Challenge (Sept 12-13)
     Five Teams / Sight Unseen (gold and trophy)

11. Christie Lake Conservation Area (Sept 26)
     OPS Barracudas (merged w/teams) – medals!

12. 27 KM River Run (Oct 3)
     Not a race / huge headwind / 11 paddlers!  We survived!

Statistics from 2015 to Ponder...

  Unique Teams   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   19

  Unique Regattas Entered  - - - - - - - - - - -   11

  Regatta-team Registrations   - - - - - - - - -   28

  Total Practice Hours   - - - - - - - - - - - -  175

  Total Number of Races    - - - - - - - - - - -   90

  Total Distance Raced (m) - - - - - - - - -   74,500

  Total Paddler Registrations    - - - - - - -    508

  Number of Coaches  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   13

  Total Sets Medals Won  - - - - - - - - - - - -   20

  Total Medals & Trophies  - - - - - - - - - - -  343

  Total Fees Collected  - - - - - - - - - - - $52,800

  Spirit of Life fundraising  - - - - - - - - -  $900

  Year-end Balance (Nov25) - - - - - - - - - -   $822

Recognition Awards

Many people were thanked at the event, especially our coaches.  Team captains were also key in taking care of their teams, as well as our many volunteers.  Six people stood out as going above and beyond for the team, club, and/or paddlers...

1. Myra Rodrigues - Broad and detailed support for the blind team.
2. Estelle McCalmont - coaching and officiating support. 
3. Ingrid Schurr - team and paddler support, race jersey design. 
4. Edwin Huang - club support , community outreach.
5. Valerie Mills - long-term club support, Florida Camp support
6. Lele Chiu - long time club support and Canada Day support.

Highlights of our past ten seasons 

• Balmy Beach Canoe Club (home sweet home)
• Florida Training Camp (Space Coast DBC)
• Kraken Krew (Parents and Kids team) – 2006+
• Puerto Rico / Colorado / Phoenix / Las Vegas
• Corporate & Community World Championships in ‘07
• Great White North events – The gold standard
• Lively Dragon events – Christie Lake, River Run
• Canada Day Regatta – Rusty Dragons are host!
• Canadian Championships – 2014/15 BPS Champs
• Pan Am Club Crew Championships – BPS Division
• Formation of our blind team – 2013
• Formation of the Pink Crusaders (BCS) team - 2014
• Afterburn Fitness (paddle pool) – Andrew Liew
• One Gorgeous Boat / 2014 World Pride Parade

2015 End of Season Thoughts...

End of season thoughts...

The season came to a close a week ago today (October 19th) with our last open practice of the season.  It's been getting dark faster every day and for safety we couldn't be out and about into the dark.  I see posts from other sites that they are now too closed for the season (Outer Harbour DBC, West Rouge CC, etc).  While there is still good paddling weather left, it was time to close down and focus on planning for next year.

This was a great season with many Firsts: teams, events, and MANY new paddlers.  And as we completed our 10th season at the Rusty Dragons, we realize we need to take planning to the next level or else we will suffer further growing pains!  We also want a make-over on the website to better get the message across who we are and make it easier for anyone to find the information they are looking for.  We realize that it is confusing for a new person to see so many options.  We also want to freely share more information for paddlers, coaches, team captains, managers... anywhere in the world.

The objective is always for quality, fun, and cost-effective programs.

We have a special event coming up to celebrate the past season, as well as the past ten years of teams and events at the Rusty Dragons.  Mark your calendars for...

     Date / Time: Saturday November 28th, 2016 - 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
     Location:  Boston Pizza Beaches, SW corner of Leslie St & Lake Shore Blvd East.

The event will be a celebration of teams and paddlers, as well as sharing the vision for the next 5 years.  We'll also elect members of a club-level executive.

Saturday October 17th - Rusty Dragons as an exhibitor at the
Vision Quest 2015 event at Toronto Hilton

Planning for 2016 has begun, with some events already set up...

1. 4th annual PUERTO RICO DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
   Location: Ponce, Puerto Rico (base camp) - Race on Lagos Cerillos in mountains.
   Date: Feb. 6th, 2016 (we plan to arrive a few days before, and return Monday).
   Cost: $
   
2. SPACE COAST (Florida) DRAGON BOAT CAMP
   Location: Melbourne, Florida (Pines Resort / Crowne Plaza Oceanside)
   Date: Week of April 17-24th, 2016
   Cost: $400 USD or $460 CAD

The new executive, as well as team captains and paddler representatives will be working together on the programs for existing teams.

Stay tuned on the Rusty Dragons Adventures Facebook page for latest details, as well as the website (which is undergoing a make-over).

Tim

E-mail: Tim@RustyDragons.ca
Phone: 647-971-7332