Needing 20 strong paddlers to do well is a given. For a team to really go the extra, you need a good coach.
There are many coaches out there coaching teams in A level right to H level. What coach makes the difference on a team.

The coach for the Masters team that won Montreal gets a vote from me. What is the coaches name?

Matt. The coach for the Wongs

Isn't this just a little too early to have the appreciation society start ?

Mac Hickox

I could use two words as well....

How about the top five coaches? It's too tough to say that one person is extrodinary over all others.

Not nercessarily in any order...

Mac Hickox
Jim Farintosh
Blake Hara
Doug Tutty
Fred Heese

Excuse me while I gulp a little

Mac Hickox
Jim Farintosh
Matt Robert
Matt Smith
Blake Hara

I find it interesting that the only names that appear are names of coaches that have bascially national level paddlers already in their crews.
Switch anyone of them and you'll still have a good crew.
Take a bunch of complete rookies, and see which coach will stick it out for two/three years to build them.

Okay. Eliminate teams with national level paddlers.

I will name teams since I am not sure what the names of the coaches are...

Piranhas (Rob Chang)
Baycrest (Scott Ford)
HammerHeads (?)
Tempest (?)
Mayfair (Jim F.)

Hammerheads - Adrian Taylor

Matt Smith - coach of the Montreal women

Tempest - Del (paddles with the Imps)

Big fish coach Gavin

Did somebody say Fred Heese???

Maks Zupan makes 60 year olds into Dragonboat Stars.

Derek Schrotter (from MCC)

Tom Milway Action Sport

Richard Rosen, Mofos

That Mike Russell is so hot right now - Mikuuuul Ces't L'homme

Before Jim Farintosh joined the Mayfair Predators 6 years ago, we were a "C" Division self-coached team (2 yrs.) with no prior paddling experience, other then two members, and no National Team paddlers. Since Mayfair can only recruit within their club, I'd say he's done a good job. Mayfair has continually made the "A' Division since the injection of Farintosh. This is probably a strong contender, if not the winner, for the best home-grown non sprint background DB club.

There's no doubt Jim is a great coach, as well as (most of)the other names on this list. Having said that, if you're looking for someone that took a team of non-flatties to something that was greater than the sum of the parts, then you have to put Chris Degraauw at the top of the list. BMO -- like Mayfair -- can only pick from employees, and even with this restriction achieved what no other team will ever achieve: back to back wins of TIDBRF in two different distances (640 m and 500 m). Not to mention bookending that with 2 GWN victories, and the one in the middle being the "lets take the semi result as the final cuase it's too rough to paddle" year.

Although I've limited contact with other coaches, I must commend the ones who've taught me over the past 4 years as they've made this sport not only fun for me but a learning experience. Every year out I get something new from this sport and get to push myself to my personal bests which would not have been possible without Joel Symons (Unisen/AGF) and "Ringo" Veronneau (Durham Dragons Women's team). These two coaches are exceptional people who not only give of their time but their excitement for this sport is infectious.

Thanks guys!!

We got silver the year of the cancelled finals, not gold. But like you said, it was a great run and we could not have done it without Diggs. Seldom has any team over-achieved the way the old First Dragons did.

No question Digg's is a good coach, but he's not on my top list for 2004...

Master Team Coaches: John Hollins/Mac Hickocks (Spelling?)

Rob Varnel ,coach for Pacific Reach and Pacific Reach Echo.......should be considered

Here is a coach who has dedicated his life to these teams and has created somewhat of a family (some call it cult,lol) w/ the 2 teams. He took his new B team "echo" from a bunch of novice & newbie paddlers last fall and turned them into somewhat of terrors here on the westcoast .This team won the A comp division in the first 2 regatta's of this yr placed well in the comp B division in Alcan .Echo continues to excel through his coaching as does his A team "Pacific Reach" who placed very well in both A comp divisions in the Alcan and Montreal Festivals .Rob goes out of his way to coach both teams and push them to new limits .Not only does Rob take the time w/ these 2 teams he also coaches them through outrigger training and his outrigger teams have been just as successful.Rob took both his dragonboat teams and had them place 1 & 2 in the 5 km false creek race earlier this yr . To take a brand new 1st yr team and have them win the Comp A division in their first outing is quite the feat if you ask me .Not too many coaches have done that w/ newbie/novice type paddlers .......

"No question Digg's is a good coach, but he's not on my top list for 2004..."

Fair enough, since he has barely coached in 2004. He's taking a little hiatus this year. I guess joel and I should read the title of the thread more carefully.

But I think that DBoat will be more interesting once he returns.

Matt Smith and Matt roberts for the montreal women. Those guys have built that team from scratch over 4 years. Only 2 or 3 flatwater paddlers are on that team even today.

To look for the top coach in 2004 you have to look at who has achieved great results or improvements in 2004. Matt and Matt have been doing an awesome job in Montreal for the last 4+ years, but in the "what have you done for me lately" category, they're not the years' top coaches. Maybe in September I will feel differently.

So my votes (so far) go to Mac Hickox for the GTDBC Seniors program for their awesome improvement over previous years "masters" teams, Del Dasilva for getting Tempest to the top of the podium in Toronto, and whoever it is that coaches the Sudbury Chiropractic team for their general awesomeness, and finally winning their hometown festival.

Sudbury Chiropractic has done what they've done without a coach... that's right, they are self-coached...these guys are doing something right!!

Barney Vorsneen

Kudos Dabney

Barney.

The best coach would be the coaches that win the divsion that has the rules that limit the paddlers.

So who won those divisions this year?

1) Bankers cup
2) hospital division
3) etc...

Henry an interesting suggestion and good point.
Not sure who won though.

Why would the coach of any of those teams be nominated ?
Sure there are only probably two races all year that require all the paddlers in the boat to be employees, ie. Bankers Cup and Hospital Cup, unless the University Cup also requires that they must also be students of the college/university at that time.
But, how does them winning equate to a top level crew ?

2004 TIDBF Bankers Cup
BMO First Dragons

From what I hear John Hollins has been the master mind behind the scene for the masters team

Because it is the only race to objectively measure the crew, its not who is the best at recruiting. The coach is dealing with the atletes at an even keel

So who coached the bank team and hospital teams that won, does any one know.

BMO First Dragons
Coach - Chris deGraauw

Chris did a great job with that crew I heard they had 9 new people.
He is a GREAT coach and busy too from what I hear

They also won by a big margin most ever in bankers cup?

Chris is a great coach both technically and motivationally.
He injects a greaqt deal of confidence into the crew, and has done for many many years.

How did he find time to coach a bankers cup victory, win the B final at festival with 2 kids, being a chiropractor, building 2 homes, owning a golf course, and teaching at the college...

WOW

He gets my vote

St. Joe's Saints have won the last threee years - 2002, 2003 & 2004.
Previous to that it was Mount Sinai Lightning or Sunnybrook Brookaneers

" Because it is the only race to objectively measure the crew, its not who is the best at recruiting. The coach is dealing with the atletes at an even keel "

So all the other crews, hundreds of them, are all about just recruiting the best talent they can and that's it?
No training, nothing else needed, just go recruit and you're set.

Oh, and Chris didn't coach BMO this year.

sure BMO won this past year but it was only by a few fractions of a second. A couple of years ago I think RBC won Banker's cup by 1 or 2 seconds. Not sure but I do remember looking at the score board and seeing that they did manage to squeak under the radar and blast past Scotia & BMO for the finish as they were all tied up over fighting each other.

Maybe I'm wrong or right ..not sure- my memory is fading on a Friday afternoon.

All paddlers must show student cards before racing. Rob Chang has been dominant in this area with the UofT Piranhas (2001-2002) and the UC Waterdragons (2003-2004).

Shane Chi-chi!

I have proof that BMO this year won by at least 2 seats and a dragon boats head.

BOAKA

I don't care if it was two seats, one seat, or a dragon whisker. A win's a win. And full credit to Scotia for a heck of a good race. They're always a tough bunch.

And back when RBC won it in 2002(?), they gave us a good spanking. We really f'd up that race, and RBC was on a mission.

To the poster who said recruitment alone doesn't win races (i'm paraphrasing), you're absolutely right. It's nice to start with quality paddlers, but good coaching and a strong effort from the team is also necessary. Otherwise we would just submit our rosters in May and they would hand you your medals for the rest of the year. You have to race to win.

The best coach of 2004 is the Coach from Sudury Chiro. This team has done amazingly well this year and from what I have been told he is not a flat water coach/paddler.

The Sudbury team is self-coached - they all get the nomination.

They are also the nicest team around!

My vote is for Kim Ketcham, coach of Wasabi Team Huge (premier women). Starting in 2003 with 8 brand new paddlers, she got the whole team up to par in 6 months to beat the reigning US National Champs in San Francisco, winning the PDBA and the bid to South Africa. That CCWC roster had about 5 people who continued and had been paddling just one year when they took the gold in the 430m race. She rocks!

She may have done well with that but someone else was in there before her and laid down the ground work for her. Team Huge were US champions under his tutelage...

No doubt she learned from her predecessor.....most people do. She's done a great job continuing.

To those who read my earlier note, perhaps I was not clear. Look at the coaches that are on this list, and then look at the paddlers that they have on their team's. Toronto Seniors (5+?), Imps (4), Fish (2)--> all of these teams have paddlers that were coached by Chris, and now have been picked up and are an integral part of very successful teams.
Don't get me wrong, there is no question that there are a heck of a lot of other talented paddelers with them, and that the above coaches are excellent in their own right, but you must agree that it would not take a Vince Lombardi to step in and coach the Imps, Fish or Seniors at the upcoming GWN regatta. These teams are using the byproduct of years of coaching.

To say that these ex-Bmos are good because they happen to be recruited and paddling on the teams is not necessary true.

"To say that these ex-Bmos are good because they happen to be recruited and paddling on the teams is not necessary true."

Uh, does it mean I suck?

Geez, I better tell my crew.

No - just don't assume that all these x-BMo paddlers are good.

So what should I assume? Should I assume you're giving me a compliment? Doesn't sound that way.

Whoever you are anonymous, you're being a bit of a jerk.

All the x-BMO paddlers on the Senior National Team, the Imperial Dragons and Big Fish are in fact EXCELLENT paddlers. Some to a greater or lesser extent as a result of coaching by Chris Degraauw and Jason Roussel. Some came onto the team with more skills to begin with, others, like me, learned almost everything we knew from these two guys. Especially Diggs.

Cheers Buddy, hope to see you out there again soon.

Now let's stop hijacking this thread and get back to giving compliments to good coaches.

I wonder who we will be talking about in a month or so from now.
It seems like the same old coaches, is there anybody new/good out there
that might suprise us ?

who was the best coach is 2004?
those were the days when teams were fast and knew how to paddle