Who is going? Are any of the top 12 from Pickering going to be there? Is there a list of registered teams anywhere on their site?

1. MayFair Predators.

1. Imperial Dragons - They are on the up and up again...new blood, renewed desire.

1. PDBC Elite
2. Mayfair
3. Imps
4. Hammerheads
5. Big Fish
6. Tempest

Assuming no:
-Huron
-Flexogan
-Trout
-Sudbury
-SNP
-Pickering style G&G

and obviously no Ottawa or Montreal teams

P.S. Events Alive, Cascades and Bytown OWN YOU!

I agree. The Imps look like they will be ready for the Island, their home turf.

1. Imps (they looked good in Pickering)
2. Mayfair (will be a very close 2nd)
3. HammerHeads (not enough to win yet, but soon)
4. PDBC Elite (fast but will not be gelin)
5. Tempest (community champs but open field opens it up)
6. Big Fish (Race well but will not finish strong)

Mayfair's out

Mayfair is not going?

Mayfair isn't doing the island this year - $1900 was just too much for us. Have fun.

Who is going? It sounds like a number of the big crews won't be there.

The year the island finally opens it up to make it as competitive as it should be, it looks like it will end up being the weakest field yet due to costs.

Absent so far:
Mayfair
Huron
Piranhas
Hanalei
Any montreal team
Sudbury
Any Ottawa team
PDBC

1. hammerheads
2. imps
3. big fish
4. tempest
5. rbc mojos
6. bmo

why aren't some of the top-shelf teams coming? MCC isn't? The Island's money in the bank (i.e. 10 free trips to Asia) to a team like them...

No Huron? No pdbc? No Mayfair? I don't get it. Sure it's expensive, but the prizes (at least for 1st and 2nd place) are better than anybody else's.

scotia rouge? they looked really good at pickering

Mofos will be their

Island Predictions:

1st - Simon River Sports(may resemble MCC)
2nd - Imperial Dragons(looked very good in Pickering, with the right lane they should have been 2nd to Mayfair)
3rd - Scotia Rouge(they will be much stronger than in Pickering and could move into 2nd and even challenge for first)
4th - Hammerheads (paddled very well in Pickering, just caught the wrong lanes at the wrong time)

I heard MCC is going to be sponsored by a local business and will be called "PG Businessman's Lunch Buffet"

so kevin and karen are going to sponsor one team and paddle on another?

oh and 1 more thing - why are there so many excuses for the imps and hammerheads about lanes.

shutup and quit whining.

Mofos will be their...

Well finish your sentence will ya? Lets see what would fit there, maybe their bitch, and in which case exactly whose bitch?

Let's see whether Karen and Kevin hop between boats from Scotia to the SRS Team.

>"Let's see whether Karen and Kevin hop between boats from Scotia to the SRS Team."

Do you have any pictures of them?

You better find pictures of Kevin's and Karen's backs, because that's the only thing you'll see that weekend.

1. Imps
2. Simon River Sports
3. Scotia Rouge
4. Tempest
5. Hammer Heads
6. Big Fish

Ok, so they faltered just a tad in Pickering (who doesn't every now and again?). Given how hard this teams working, and now even more determined than ever....TCBA Riptide WILL-NOT and CANNOT be denied a berth into A finals!

10-10 rule will play a big factor!

A Div
1. Imps
2. Scotia (depend how many rouge come out)
3. Hammers (always strong)
4. B Fish
5. Tempest (they still got going)
6. tcba Riptide (strong women, determination and they'll bring their 'A' game)

B Div
7. Mofos (say what you want, but they made A cons in Pickering....did u?)
8. Jetstart
9. RBC Mojos (need more time to gel)
10. Blades (experienced, but too much turnover)
11. Shogun (new stroke is coming along nicely - will do them well at the Island)
12. UC Waterdragons

Other contenders - Saints, St Robs, Hydro Dragons, CIBC, BMO?

With one open division this year, the real fight will be in the lower divisions (C and down)

Good luck to all!

Wow, what a great chance for a B crew to get a chance to race in the A division. This race has taken a serious beating when it comes to attacting good teams.

This is like the Summer Sensation. Actually, it may be the same teams racing again there for half the money.

The Island used to be an attaction because all the top crews were there. They all came out in spite of the ridiculous gouging. Now it's like a really expensive Stratford but nowhere near as fun. Lane 1, where are you?

Well good luck to all those going.

I wonder if the Rankings police will knock the weight of this regatta down a couple of notches now that nobody goes. Probably not. Get ready to be in the top 5 in the power rankings Tempest.

Imps, congratulations on winning the 2005 TID-BARF championship again. It was a tough one this year.

I doubt the rankings team will knock this race down since it is Toronto and it is the BIG SHOW of the year in the GTA. Say what you will about the other races and who shows up and who is not showing up . Centre Island is the Prime Time of Dragon Boat racing in Canada. All the media coverage alone merits it being treated as a Big race. Big race for a Mega city Toronto rocks

Let's put it into perspective, it's not the "Big" race anymore. The media coverage is only due to the Cultural event which happens to include Dragon Boat. I agree with the previous poster, it is giving a number of "B" division teams an opportunity to race in the "A" division and for that alone, it's great.

TIDBF race has become second tier for a number of reasons. Good exposure in GTA can be attributed to the media's (mainly Torstar) efforts to patronize the large and growing Chinese population of the GTA. Sport racing angle is not interesting from the media's perspective when compared to the public interest side of dragon boating such as the breast cancer survivor crews and the "cultural festival" element.

Sarcasmoto, stop posting under different anon names.

"Now it's like a really expensive Stratford but nowhere near as fun. Lane 1, where are you?"

Who's calling for 'Lane 1?' Is it already September Richard?

It will be interesting to see what happens at the Island.

So many teams at Pickering had help from so many places (A lot including the venerable IMPS from the national Womens team to name a few) that who knows what will happen.

SRS wins, or whatever form they decide to take on assuming they are MCC/Burloak/NationalTeam. If the Imps national Womens Team help including coach Blake paddles with SRS, what does that mean for the Imps? As stated above if the scotia SRS folks paddle for SRS what does that mean for Scotia... Head spinning...

Scotia Rouge might be able to give SRS a run as stated above depending on who they have out. They were strong in Pickering for sure and just getting their feet underneath them as a new hybrid team so they "should" be that much better at the Island. What they do in Stouffville this weekend won't be of any use to guage as it won't be the same team.

Hammers are strong in 500's period... But not strong enough to win this thing. They will be fighting it out for second or third with Tempest, Big Fish and the Imps most likely.

So, top 6 in no particular order (SRS, Tempest, Big Fish, IMPS, Scotia Rouge and Hammerheads). Mark it in stone as so it shall be.

palaheo you are correct in principle. i think you are "in the know" moreso than in the know him/herself.

kudos for posting real info/

If PDBC isn't going to the Island, then why was Scott down there a few weeks ago with a bunch of PDBC paddlers?

I meant Sunnyside

Maybe TCBA and Lachine use the same boats...

TCBA uses BUK ? I thought they used Simon River Boats ?

Mofos are going to Juice up and prove Pickering was not a fluke

Juice?? Where's the juice? I want some juice. I need some juice now!!!

juice? Who said Juice?
IT's not juice tour time yet!

Ahhh...JUICE

Juice up? Alright boys and girls, it's time to bend over for your weekly shots.That kind of juice?

LOL, it never ends. Jealous much?

Is the full list of participating teams available yet?

Mayfair's not going to the island.

why some teams are not going to the island is because the rules were changed to limit competition to Toronto teams. 90% of team has to be from Toronto if they are to win the trip to Asia. How to win - make sure the competition doesn't show up!

since the main prize has always been won by a team that is 90% from T.O., I fail to see how this "change" has affected registration. besides, it was always awarded to Corporate division anyhow, out of town teams almos always were entered into "international".

the only team I see being pissed off by this is HK&MC. too bad.

Emperor's new clothes,
that competition that was supposed to win came in third last year.
Not second. Not first. Third.
I also thought that crew is in this for fun and the sport. Apparently all they care about is 10 tickets.

It's Mayfair's turn as Imps new coach is too much of a comedian.

THAT MAYFAIR WILL NOT BE THERE?

That said they have underperformed the last two times they were there (at least against their expectations) so what makes you think they would have done any better this time around?

Sure, the Imps will not win because their coach is a comedian? You should gamble on horse racing with predictions like that...you're the joke...

Imps have a new coach this year? And he's a comedian? Keeping your crew laughing can go a long way. But I wonder if he knows how to coach????

You obviously have no clue do you? Scott Ford is one of the best coaches in DB hands down. History of excellent success. I don't know anyone who has been able to place multiple crews in the same A finals as Scott has.

So why are Imps not a DBC crew? Not much credibility unless you're willing to have your rosters checked at major competitions.

I think Mayfair is going to take this one.

Scott Ford is the captain of the 1995 MCC Senior War Canoe which set the CCA record over 1000m. Since then, he has not only gone to three world dragon boat championships, he is one of Canada's top adventure racers and when Scott tells me something, I listen. He is fair, and has the credibility to back up what he says. He has the ability to transfer that knowledge and he has my respect. I am one of his former athletes and am proud to have paddled under such a great person.

Maybe because not everyone cares about the DBC crap. Some people just like to paddle and also happen to be good at it. All this political crap makes me sick...its supposed to be fun people.

schedule was sent..

no hammerheads
no bmo
no mayfair

what the hell...any pseudonyms people are hiding under?

Everybody is going to Ottawa

Look harder.

Mayfair is apparently going to Ottawa.

Hammerheads? Yeah, I can't see them either. Name games?

Hey Rob, I thought your guys weren't doing this event? And how come it isn't Piranhas Beach? Or is this some other Piranhas?

Mayfair isn't going to be at Ottawa either.

Mayfair women are going to Ottawa as part of the GWN womens team. Mayfair mixed is taking a well deserved weekend off.

Can someone post the list of teams?

1 - Team SRS
2 - Scotia Rouge
3 - Imperial Dragons
4 - Hakka Youth Project
5 - Big Fish
6 - Tempest

IMPS

I predict the fall of flatties @ the island

The day has come

Didn't the Imps get beat at Missy by the WOMENS PREMIER TEAM???And in the 200m at that???LOL...Maybe they need to work on their start!

Think what you want BUT "flatties" rule!

...but things will be different for them at the Island than at MCC.

At MCC they lost some of their best girls to the Prem Women, at the Island they will get them back with interest.

Also, the Imps have shown a history of being a good 10/10 performer, where most teams are used to racing 12/8. So a slight nod in their direction on this point.

This may help them beat the other Corporate/Community crews, but will they beat SRS?

I doubt it. But no one else will either.

I wonder if that SRS team will have 10 premier women in it?Plus 10 premier men?

Why are the premier teams not racing as a warm up to Berlin?Actually,TCBA should give all Berlin teams a chance to show there stuff on the island with free entry into their races.

TCBA? Give? Free? Ha. Good one!

I wouldn't encourage TCBA to give the national prem. mixed team a free entry because that isn't the spirit of the festival. It's a foregone conclusion they would win, they are the national team after all.

SRS will probably be about 60-75% of the nats, so you will see it happen anyhow.

You will get a chance to see the Mens and womens national teams race there. I'm sure they will put on a good show.

"Didn't the Imps get beat at Missy by the WOMENS PREMIER TEAM???"

You make it seem like you have the same tone as "Didn't the Imps get beat at Missy by a boat of beginners???"

Your tone should be one that respects the Womens team. They are gold medallists at the world championships in that distance.

It goes to show how jackasses on the forum who don't have complete information (i.e. how many people were they missing? was it the TRUE roster that the imps normally field) and make stupid assumptions.

The final will be great to watch.
It will be a battle I think between

Team SRS
Imperial Dragons
Scotia Rouge

I guess they will finish in that order even though I don't know who exactly is on SRS but i'm sure they will be fast enough.

To 10:13
if you want to encourage TCBA to do something, this is not the forum for it. Contact them.

LOL,I am a huge fan of the Womens Team AND was showing no disrespect!Quit twisting my words around.

IF TCBA gave them a FREE entry ,they could race as an EXHIBITION Team...JMO.Of course they would win...they could use it as a warm up for Berlin.

As a matter of fact,I will go as far as saying that they should not have to pay any entry fees at ANY regatta!!!!!!!Lets support our National Teams for gawd sakes.

.............I mean really!

The island is becoming a community dragon boat festival, and horray for that!

?

Hakka Youth Project.

There is a team out there which is largely composed of overseas "Hakka" chinese.

And they're gonna kick some ass, just like they're gonna do in Welland this weekend.

some hammerheads in there?

No one told me, I just figured it out.

Big talk, but probably by one of these "fans" that the team would prefer to just be quiet.

Try again sweety

Well the Tsun Tsin Association (TTA) is a former sponsor of the team and it is an association for Hakka Chinese. It is highly likely that if the organization is sponsoring the team, that it's going to be the top source of Hakka dragon boat athletes.

Watch. Hakka Youth Project IS the Hammerheads.

www.hakkayouthproject.org

Team SRS will pretty much be the same as last year's winning Flexogen crew was. They will not lose to the imps.

The Hakka Youth Project is not the Hammerheads-they are called Hakkawave. They are a seperate team altogether. They will be racing the Hammerheads though.

Hakka food is good, but they will be lucky if they can make it to the Q final!

marvin starr = hammerheads

I predict SRS will win, basically same crew as flexogen. I guess Flexogen didn't see any value in that sponsorship!!

The Island has deteriorated as a top level event. Pickering and Lachine were both more competitive than the island. The island is still a big show with TV crews and big crowds. But there is no doubt that a large number of the the competitive teams have stopped going.

SRS
Scotia-Rouge
Hammerheads
Imps
Tempest
Piranhas

Ladies and gentlemen, your A-final.

HH going to the Island?

dont take them too lightly....i think i saw them practice....they looked pretty good and i talked to one of the hammerhead team members and he said they could give them some trouble.....they have some huge ppl on their team !

Here is your top 6...........

Shaolin Monks
Star Choice
Sing Fei
Dragons of Steel
Master Stroke
Mecedes Benz

My God. Where have the years gone?

Don't forget OCP - former power house!!

Yes you're right the hakkawave should not be taken lightly. I was wrong to say they'd be lucky to make Q finals. I should say they'd be lucky to make the P final. Hahahahahahahhaa Sucka!!!

SRS
Scotia-Rouge
Hammerheads
Imps
Tempest
Riptide

Ladies and gentlemen, your A-final. Riptide will not be denied!

Everyone else will be fighting for second....

Imps
Big Fish
Scotia Rouge
Hammerheads
Tempest

Hoever, give what has happened in the past at the Island, whoever ends up beside SRS and is able to ride down with them will end up with second.

Keep in mind that SRS has two sides to their wash. 2nd and 3rd will be tight as it will come down to who is better able to come off the wash right at the finish.

Is it possible for SRS to be so quick off the line that no one can hop on their wash??Just wondering.

Yep, if SRS gets off the line quick, and puts out the power in the first 250m, then teams could very well EAT their wash instead of riding it.

But they would have to be more than 5 seconds quicker to do this. Within 5 seconds you're on the wash, more than that and you start eating it.

No one will win the final by 5 seconds. I'll tell you the world has caught up to flatties. Some dragon boaters have a better understanding on how to move the water than the flatties.

Flatties will win because the train 12 x a week, but not by 5 seconds by 4 seats at the most. Plus if you put a cox who knows how to hop look out could be over....

LOL Arrogance...

I'll tell you the world has caught up to flatties.

Is this race on the Island the World Championships?????

Nah,didn't think so.

Oh,and hopping on wash to win?

In the same breath you say you've caught up AND then talk about wash riding???I guess whatever it takes to win.

Good thing its not the worlds, or the non flattie americans might beat us again.

3 years tops then flatties lose in Toronto

the us boat did have some olympic program kayakers on their boat in shanghers, to the ire of many philly regulars.

Yeah but the Canadians had all flatties. Good paddlers but everyone is catching up...

Hope Sri lanka does not send a team this year...

You're not helping the cause. Just stop, please.

is the schedule up anywhere?

Thats what I want to know. I've been told it's up somewhere but I haven't found it yet.

Here you go. Don't say I never did anything for ya.

http://www.dragonboats.com/documents/2005racebook.pdf

move the water
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think ya might have a problem doing that,but give it your best shot!!!!!!


"flatties" will continue to rule because they have figured out how to "move the boat"!!!!!

I am seriously laughing at the mentality of you know-it-alls....move the water!LOL

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The Mofo's will move the earth, water and air.

Are they going to build sandcastles?

While there's not as many competitive teams, there's still going to be some tough competition to make the A final.

In no order.....

Big Fish
Marvin Starrs
Piranhas
Scotia-Rouge
Skippers Plan
SRS
Tempest

That's 7 crews for only 6 spots. Then you have the possibility of a sleeper pick sneaking in to the final as well.

Sleepers....

Blades - they always seem to do well at the Island
RBC Mojos
CIBC
UC Water Dragonz

Mofos will sneak into A division ... you can quote me on that!

rumour has it Mofos will be stacked with a group of Mayfair paddlers.

Oh ... that will be sad if the Mofos make it into A division because of Mayfair ringers. Imagine the criticism on the forum (yikes). Much more admirable to win without ringers, but through training and hard work . But we all know that! (duh)

tsk tsk ... soo sad

News to me that some of my teammates will be paddling with Mofo's. Mayfair does not participate in paddling for other teams. If this is true, it may be that Mofo's need an extra body and one of our paddlers is helping out, otherwise I'd say your info. is incorrect.

1) Simon River Sports: A given
2) Scotia Rouge: It'll be close between 2-3-4-5
3) Marvin Star Hammerheads: Just messing around in Welland, will edge out Imps and Big Fish
4) Skippers Plan Imperial Dragons: Just good enough to edge out Big Fish
5) Big Fish Interactive: Inspired racing but I don't know if they have more to give than 5th
6) Tempest: Just not strong enough

7) Piranhas DBC: No Beach? No A-Division
8) Blades: Always show up strong for the Island
9) Driving Force DBC: A solid team
10) St. Rob's Wavecutters: Strong placement at Pickering
11) RBC Mojos: Will improve over the season if their coach really is Doug Tutty
12) Mofos: Having to race twice to qualify will change everything for the up and coming Mofos

Unless you see a post signed by Matt regarding the MOFOS, I would assume it is someone just stirring shyt up for the heck of it.

Cheers

PS. This goes for all the other MOFOS loving threads out there lol.

---

Black pots living in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks at the kettle

Go MoFair Predators!


*shaking pom-poms*

To answer some questions.

Team SRS - yes, mixed national team (minus a few bodies)
GTDBC - yes, women's national team

It's a great opportunity to get some racing experience before Berlin.

Since West Rouge Canoe Club is paddling in Ottawa this weekend, how many Rouge paddlers are paddling with Scotia Rouge at the Island?

The dragon boat team that West Rouge has entered in a number of regattas in recent years is not a power-house squad. Not putting them down, but they're not like MCC.

The fact that they are going to Ottawa probably won't affect Scotia-Rouge at all, since the paddlers are probably different anyhow.

How are the weeds? I here lanes one and two are covered over and the crap growing up from underneath is up to water level?

Can anyone who was there confirm? Is TCBA going to be able to do anything about this?

If not I predict that the "A" final will be all teams who race the 3/6 lane split. Why wouldn't they have put all the "top" teams in the same lane split like GWN does? Makes sense at the most basic of levels.

Weedeater - sounds like you were there last night. so why don't you just tell us how the weeds are. oh wait, you already have. i'm sure that there will be no weeds on the weekend.

"i'm sure that there will be no weeds on the weekend."

Why? Are you going to cut them for us?

Weeds are a huge problem in watersports. Penrith Australia had a big issue with them prior to the Sydney Olympics, but they solved that using weed cutting boats. I highly doubt TCBA will do anything about them. It will be up to the teams running down lanes 1 and 2 to flatten them out, but that won't completely solve the problem.

Another Lane Lottery in the making?

Make sure you hold on to your paddles tightly...a few people almost lost them to the iron grip of the weeds. If you have a problem with swinging the paddle too wide on the recovery, now would be a GREAT time to fix it, unless you're trying to collect organic matter for your compost pile at home.

Speaking of organic waste, was it just me, or was there WAY more goose poop this year than usual? They're going to have to hose down the grass, or the spectators will have nowhere to sit!

Stop giving others help. Let them figure it out for themselves.

For those who only pay attention to the A division, Scotia Rouge, Scotia Spitfires, WRCC "A" and WRCC "B" were all in attendance at Pickering. So this isn't anything new.

Crap! Busted!!!

Yes it's true. We expect and will win. I have my guys running, lifting weights and practicing 3-4 times a week. We will win. Thanks, Scott

1. Simon River Sports: Gatineau is right
2. Scotia-Rouge: Powered by Karen and Kevin
3. Piranhas-Beach: I hear this boat is going to be 3/4 Beach so watch out
4. Big Fish DBC: Edged out by our #3
5. Imperial Dragons: Is Coach Scott their coach?
6. Hammerheads DBC: Best of the rest

But Piranhas aren't even going to be there even though they are on the schedule (Last I heard anyway).

And depending on whether they can clean up the lanes or not then it might take herculean efforts by the Hammers and Fish to make the final (both have the 1/4 lane split while most other contenders including Imps have 3/6 or 2/5)... That said, if they manage to get in then anything is possible.

je ferais le "pipi" sur le plancher


My french is rusty.Please translate!

All I have to say is GOOD LUCK lane 1 ... if they don't clean up the weeds, expect 5 seconds on everyones times!

do what GWN does and at least assign all the percieved contenders in the same lane combinations? Obviously too late for this year, but maybe they can do it for next year.

Anyone have the breakdown of which of the top ranked (by all these ranking geniuses) are racing is which lane combinations?

Ok, so here are the teams who have been mentioned in picks and their respective lanes.

(First race lane / Second Race lane Team)

3 / 6 Mofos
3 / 6 Scotia Rouge
3 / 6 Skipper’s Plan
3 / 6 tcbajr Riptide A
6 / 3 Tempest
5 / 2 Blades
2 / 5 Piranhas (are they in or what?)
5 / 2 Team SRS
4 / 1 Big Fish Dragonboat Crew
4 / 1 RBC Royal Mojos
4 / 1 Shogun Warriors
4 / 1 The Marvin Starrs

If the Piranhas are out then you would have expected (Scotia Rouge, Skippers Plan, Tempest, SRS, Big Fish and Marvin Starrs) to make the "A" final. Lets see how it all works out. MOFOS, Blades or Riptide may be able to sneak in there.

Funny how it is only when it suits certain posters will the lanes be used as an excuse.

When you have the good lane any lane concerns are just whining.

Hopefully you post the 5th fastest time in your H division and get lane 1 for your final and can enjoy it without any concerns as I know you will.

Anyway, it is all speculation at this point. No one knows Shyt about whether any lanes will be any slower than any others. Maybe they will all be nice and clean and there won't be any issues.

It will be easy enough to tell once the times start coming in. If teams are posting 5+ seconds faster times in lanes 4/5 than they do in lanes 1/2 then you will know there is something wonky. If all lane combinations show the same drop off to lanes 1/2/3 then it's all even except for the finals, but then you have the chance to earn your lane there at least.

Won't be whining or bitching, but simple statistical fact.

A few years ago the participants in the sport helped GWN realize that the Ontario Place race course was uneven. They took corrective measures as far as they could short of dredging the channel (which is out of their hands). They pre-seeded teams and had the top teams their heats in the same lanes. The lowered the number of lanes to 5 and moved the course over to one side (the better side) as far as possible.

The point is that they identified a problem and did their best to deal with it.

I wish TIDBRF would do the same. It's an expensive regatta, and when you pay this much to enter then you don't like to find out that weeds and lane assignements could make the difference between your team making the A Final or the B. In this sport we have many teams within fractions of a second of each other. A lane variance of 2 seconds is deadly. 5 seconds? Hello C division.

But what the hell, I guess it's too late to fix things now. You just have to play the hand you're dealt.

But maybe for next year we can get them to:

a) pre-seed teams and run their heats in identical lane combo's, be it 3/6, 2/5, 3/4 or whatever, as long as they're the same.

b) bring in some kind of skimmer or weed cutter to clear the course.

Why do you people sit and worry so much about lanes, weeds,etc. I bet that you've never won a major festival. Winners don't complain.....they just go out and race with whatever conditions they are given. And guess what, even with bad conditions, they still manage to win. They have confidence in their abilities as a crew.

Bad lane? Accept it, work harder, deal with it.

Get out there and race. Who cares about all the other stuff. If you're already bitching and complaining now, I can't wait to hear you on the forum on Monday morning. Cuz we all know that your crew won't win, and it will be the fault of the weeds, lanes,etc.

God damnit. You all act like little children.

here are more matter of fact and if there is a problem what can be done next year to help even things out.

I haven't seen anyone freaking out and screaming bloody murder. I am sure that Blake and all will do whatever is in their power to help ensure that everything is as fair as possible.

That said, my "A" division stands as I called it previously. I think those teams will have what it takes to make it no matter what.

wouldn't it suck to be in a finals and weeds be the major factor ... 1 year of training and you get fucked because there is a bunch of weeds in ur lane and not anyone elses?

Hahaha,you would think that dragon boaters are the only ones to ever race on Long Pond.CCa has held Canada Day Regatta there for how many friggin years???The sprinters just show up and paddle.But that shouldn't be a surprise.

What a bunch of over analyzing whiners,Just shut up and paddle!!!!!

Blake,Blake,he's our man.He can do it!Yes he can!!!!!

I read "Weed will be a major issue".

Then I saw it was weeds. I dunno, I think weed is a bigger issue than weeds.

I've won major festivals. A number of them. And you know what? I think about lanes. You see, sport, I paddle hard, with my heart and soul, but I also have a BRAIN. You don't seem to understand that some of us who paddle are capable of paddling until their shoulders feel ripped, their guts want to push out their mouths, their legs are burning, their lungs feel like bleeding wounds, etc, etc, and I still have enough grey matter left over to figure out why lane 6 is consistently 5 seconds faster than lane 1, for instance.

You think because I have the mental capacity to analyse a few stats that I'm not a red blooded competitor?

Hey, f#ck you, your freakin moron.

Blood, guts and determination will take you far. But dragging 50lbs of weeds in a lane with dead water will also only take you so far.

Ask Doug to explain things to you, when you're old enough to understand.

the weeds will be gone by race date

Sad to see that the event has been watered down to this. The merging of the two divisions is at least a year late. As such, this will be the easiest TIDBRF to call:

1. SRS - Olympians, flatties and all-stars oh my!
2. Scotia Rouge - Call it a hunch, but these guys know how to catch a wave.
3. Imperial Dragons - A return to the podium but no plane tickets anywhere.
4. Marvin Starrs - A Hammerhead by any other name will still avenge its loss to Big Fish at Welland
5. Big Fish - Will lose. Will complain about weeds.
6. Tempest - Not your 1-year old cousin's Tempest.

How watered down IS TIDBRF?

We're missing:
- Mayfair
- X
- Huron
- Piranhas
- Hanalei-hee-hoo


Cascades and BMO last yr. were exhibition only, so wasn't the Island watered down to be with? We were missing all the Montreal and Ottawa teams to begin with.

Really I think the only losses are Mayfair, X, huron

Thank you everyone allowing us to race in your festival and walking away with your tickets. Thank you for your continued support for the National teams for giving us this wonderful subsidize vacation to Berlin, while you toil away here in Toronto.

Thank you.

SRS / Nationals

probably not an SRS paddler anyway.

Brilliant deduction there Sherlock.

11:04...shall we call you "Greenwithenvy"?

Hahaha

Not green with envy. Probably just tired of feeling like he/she is being bent over the desk all the time. DB is a great activity - very social, gives a moderate sense of fitness, gets you outside, etc. But the level of commercial exploitation is unparalleled. And yes, elite flatties do get to benefit from the DB masses - coaching, chances to go to international competitions, etc. all on the backs of the folks who pay the big entry and registration fees. On the other hand, no one is forcing anyone to do it, so who's to blame? Have a good weekend paddling.

Do you really think it's free to go to Berlin?

This year's trip is costing people $2500.

Stupid question, but how do you know which lane is 1 and which is 6?

At the Island, lane 1 is closest to the grandstand.

106 Premier Mixed Grand Championship
Tour East Holidays Grand Championship Cup Day 2 Sunday
Race Time 16:00
1 big fish interactive inc.
Big Fish DBC
2 Scotiabank
Scotia Rouge
3 Skipper’s Plan
Imperial Dragons
4 Simon River Sports
Team SRS
5 Marvin Starr General Motors
The Marvin Starrs
6 Tempest


And damned be he who first crys, "Nay, no more."

Name the last 6 competitive Toronto teams that actually still think that Toronto Island is worth the money.

Just kidding......good luck guys & gals.

I am picking the Piranhas to win the X final

Just kidding folks, but they are actually still on the schedule. 8:00 am Sunday X final!

I'm thinking if they show up it could hurt their ranking!

http://www.dragonboats.com/pages/result.html

Must be a story there.

No disrespect Piranhas. I am laughing with you not at you! You are a well respected team.

Notice that all the competitive teams who are at the top, are all corporate sponsored teams. Who's at the top who are mere community teams? Tempest? Mofo's? Blades? Who's Shockwave? I bet that next year all the top teams will have a corporate name beside them, or else Toronto Islands will be the largest non-competitive dragonboat regatta in North America

1. House of Lancaster
2. Canada Life Imperial Dragons
3. TTA Hammerheads
4. Scotia Spitfires
5. Cartier Partners Tempest
6. Toronto Rehab

so who was most right and wrong ???

warren g was most right.

Officials "entered" the team even though they never paid and never intended on being there (on the water anyhow). But counting the number of members and former members around today, they certainly could have filled a boat and dominated in the X division.

More importantly, I want to know if this is the organizers new method of ensuring a good final - release the racebook with all the top level teams listed, than hope they'll feel obligated to race (and pay the excessive entry fee) or risk be listed as getting last place. Definately a different approach to promoting a race. (shaking my head at the silliness of it)

it's not a big deal they didn't show up. Wouldn't have made a difference in A finals.

I was on the ferry going to the island and was chatting with two gentlemen paddling on another team. I thought it funny that they had said "I would rather come in first in B division then last in A division". Them saying that I had told them my team was in A division finals. Funny how people's perspectives are. They were truly nice and fun guys. But I said to them ... "after having a month and a half off at the end of Sept and training in the start of November up to 3 days a week, I would rather come in last in the A division then come in first in the B division". (no offense to any lower divisions, I respect all people who put the effort in). Every race I feel has soo much heart and so much effort. If we were first, second or last I would still rather be in that race then any other after all the time, effort and training put in. It was truly an unbelievable honor to be racing the best of those entered this weekend. And it was truly a strong fight. Congrats to all and know that everyone worked truly hard to get where they are...

And to top it off a few of the teams in the A division final decided to end of the night with a quick 250 sprint with their flag in hand. Its so great that these teams all appreciate one another and can truly remember to just HAVE FUN! ....


CONGRATS!! GREAT RACING!!

11:34,words of a true competitor!!!!!!The hard work pays off...you feel proud of yourself and your team.Thats what its all about!Place well and thats the icing on the cake.

No complaints about "weed",lanes,stacking,National Team,etc...

I think I'm going to puke.

Hey Smoke got second in D. Thats pretty good.

But I know some of the guys who raced in A, and they are pretty competitive, and the women were very attractive. Makes you wonder if the women are a distraction to the others teams????

um, i think you mean second in E.

We should keep track of predictions (a predictions GP ranking if you will) to figure out whose predictions are the closest

I like that idea about keeping track of who's predictions are the closest ... except we have 1 problem ... this character named anonymous has around 50 predictions

yeah!