Most Frequently Asked Questions:
Download the 2006 WaterWarriors Handbook1. How often do you practice?We practice once a week from March 10th until April 14th.
We practice twice a week from April 14th to mid-September.
The season ends with the Kelowna regatta: Sept. 15,16.
We practice at Cultus Lake.
We lease a boat from
Spirit Abreast (a breast cancer survivor team). They will be practicing Monday evenings (6:30-8:30pm) and alternating Thursday evenings (6:30-8:30pm) / Saturday mornings (8:30 - 10:30 am).
Practice Times: Pre-Daylight Savings:
Before daylight savings time, we will be practicing on Saturday mornings at 10:30am - 12pm, once per week.
Practice Times: Post-Daylight Savings:After daylight savings time, we can practice in the evenings. We practice twice per week.
We have yet to determine which times/days we will practice.
The team has been giving their input now that we know which times Spirit Abreast will practice. It seems like Tuesday evening (6:30pm - 8:30pm) will be an agreed upon choice. The second practice has yet to be determined, although it could be: Friday evenings, Sunday evenings or some alternating like we did last year (Sat. morning/Thursday evening). There is also a possibility that we could practice on Saturday mornings.
Practice times will be decided on March 3rd at our Team Meeting. If you are thinking of joining and want a voice in the practice times, please email Krista Petrie, kryssee@hotmail.com with your preferences.
2. When do you compete?Last year, we competed in 5 regattas and festivals. Two of them were "away" for the night - Nanaimo and Kelowna. The other 3 were day regattas in the Lower Mainland (Cultus, Harrison, False Creek). The thrill of practice together is to see our team blend in sync to win!
In 2007, we are considering the following regattas:
1. False Creek Women's: May 26
2. Either Nanaimo (July 6-8) or Whistler (June 30 - July 1)
3. Harrison (July 21)
4. Cultus Lake (August 11
5. Kelowna (September 15,16)
3. Do you win?Yes, we win! You can see from the photos in this blog that we received medals in 4/5 regattas in 2006. We are the defending champions at the Harrison regatta. We also won the gold at the Cultus Lake women's regatta. We won bronze at Kelowna - out of 47 women's teams!
Cultus Lake: Gold MedalKelowna: Bronze MedalHarrison Gold! Defending Champions!4. How much does it cost?Equipment:
PFD (personal flotation device). A PFD that is meant for paddling (not much padding around the shoulder area) can be purchased for $65 - $150 at either Western Canoe and Kayak or Mountain Equipment Co-op. Most of us started with any PFD and eventually bought one that fits and works for us.
Paddle: A dragonboat paddle costs about $35.
Gloves: This is a personal preference - you may want to ask women on the team about the gloves that they wear and why they like them. Some women don't wear gloves. Paddling gloves are available at Mountain Equipment Co-op (online or in the store) for $16.
Fees:
Each member of the team pays $100 at the start of the season to cover the initial cost of boat rental and insurance. After that, we pay $25 per month to cover the regattas and coaching costs for the season.
Regattas / Festivals:
Our team participates in fundraisers to ensure that we can go to each regatta / festival if the costs are over and above the monthly fees collected and to have money in the bank at the end of the season to cover the next season's initial costs.
Each member of the team covers the cost of their own transportation, food and accommodations on the "away" festivals. This is generally about $200 / festival. The team likes to drive together, stay in hotels together and enjoy some dinners together over the course of the weekend (Friday - Sunday).
If you have any further questions about joining the WaterWarriors dragonboat team, be sure to
download the 2006 Handbook. There will be changes for 2007, but much of the material is still pertinent.
