A few months ago on this forum people were whining about the WCCC in Toronto. Someone suggested volunteering instead of complaining in advance about how disorganized it might be.

Individuals can't do much about the water and the officials. We can help in lots of other ways, (epecially if we are not on one of the 546 Canadian crews entered.

How? Who do I contact? When? (Like, everything should already be set ... is there a Web site?)

(We can learn from Berlin.)

Hint to DBC and organizing committee: Post to the forum if you want some volunteers.

CCWC 2006
Note to all paddlers.
This event is not run by DBC.
It is controlled and organised by Sharifa Khan and the IDBF.

Who's currently on the organizing committee?

Make no mistake. This is not a DBC event.

Let me rephrase,

Hint to Ms. Khan and organizing committee: Post to the forum if you want some volunteers.

I don't actually care who is organizing, I just want to help, encourage others to do so, and not listen to all the bitching ...

How many of you anonymous posters ever pick up garbage or drive safety boats, or do translation for overseas teams, or any of the other hundreds of jobs that makes an event go? How about doing these tasks for free?

(OP)

Is Khan is volunteering for free?

I'm a big supporter of the sport of dragonboating but I would never do anything to support a Sharifa Kahn event. She could care less about the sport. She's interested in making money and nothing but. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for her making money but she should start by actually selling a product that has a bit of value for the money.

You all just watch. The WCCC will be a big cash grab and the actual races will be secondary to the extra crap that you can spend money on. If she did care about the racing, why would she want it at Marilyn Ball Park?

Case Closed.

That just came to me. Might be part of the reason. Location and all that.

So what boats will they be using? Would laugh my ass off if teams from all over the world come and get to break seats in SRS boats. Can you imagine.

The entire Russian Men's team sitting on bottom of the boat by the finish trying to paddle

I'll bet any of you "Won't suport WCCC" would jump at the chance to paddle in them.

You'd rather see paddlers who have paid many Euros, yen, whatever to come to Canada for the WCCC be frustrated and disappointed, and go home saying what a miserable time they had in Canada, than help becuase you don't like the organizer?

And then they go home and say what a bad event it was and see if we EVER get to host the World Championships.

Fair enough. Silly, but your choice. It's so easy to sit back (or maybe you are in a crew that qualified) and say, "I told you so."

guilt doe not work here, we have no conscience

I don't know if the boats will be SRS but I'm pretty sure Sharifa will not use BuKs.

No BUK's at WCCC?

Mike K.-get off the forum and let it rest if you truly care about the sport(not only worried about your business interest). You are stirring up uneceesary shit.

I think it's hilarious that there are still TCBA/Sharifa/TIDBRF supporters out there.

How is it possible that you can still be brainwashed by those guys.

what are you - twelve? Go back to your dungeons and dragons game.

The fact that you think only Mike would make that comment is funny all in itself.

Doesn't the issues from last years TIDBRF and Montreal festivals highlight the issues with the SRS boats? Imagine the embarassment we would face if the boats were falling apart all weekend.

If not BUK's then what else would you use that it locally available? The only other boat of the same quality is the PaddleSport ones and I don't think they have nearly enough kicking around.

I rest my case.

don't assume that every boat manufacturer sits still and dosen't want to improve on their products. SRS will get better as did Buk. Even Buks aren't perfect, but as in anything in life it's a work in progress.

And I think and hope that SRS does get better because it benefits us here is Canada to have a good inexpensive alternative to the BUK's, but SRS is nowhere near there yet from my experinces with their boats and the stories from others which are consistent.

We are talking about the boats for next years races, not 5 years from now. We will be a laughing stock.

You must be involved with Buk. I've been in just about every type of boat you can name and in my experience the SRS boats are way better than most of the stuff out there. They are probably among, if not the fastest too.

Granted, they probably aren't as good as Buk quality-wise yet, but to say we will somehow be embarrassed by one of the ? Crap.

I have nothing to do with any boat builder or supplier. Just my persective having raced on a lot of boats around here for years and years. And like I said, I think SRS sticking with the program and ironing out the kinks is a GOOD thing. I want them to succeed, they just aren't there yet.

Have you been in an SRS boat when someone falls through the seat? I have and more then once at that. Never saw someone fall through a BUK or PEL boats seat (of course that doesn't mean it's never happened, I am ust not aware of it).

They may well be pretty close speed wise, but who cares if it's falling apart around you? If they are using the SRS then they better have a clear ruling for what happens if a bench collapses during a race. We wouldn't want our precious G&G national team to miss a final because the boat fell appart on them in a heat.

Actually if it happened to Scotia that might be kinda funny.

And none of that newer Brown sideboard vs. the year older Black sideboard ones either because they are not identical in speed.

Does SRS even have a full fleet (8-12 or 18) of identical boats? Like it or not, I am pretty sure that only Mike and his BUK's can meet that number.

Laughing Stock you say. Too late for that I think. Anyone who has any idea at all about this sport is laughing their asses off right now at the very idea that Sharifa would be given the rights to hold the WCCC.

Just the fact that nobody here has the confidence in her to even choose a boat that wont fall apart in the middle of a race is laughable. This woman has proven herself time and again that she could give a rats ass about making this a world class race.

Is Beligadon Mike K. or one of his little gollums? They definitely harbour a lot of resentment for anyone who isn't Mike or GWN.

what's a gollum?

wtf... Do you guys see this Mike dude in your dreams aswell?

$50 says Beligadon paddles for Mayfair.

You honestly couldn't be more wrong. Trust me.

The team that Beligadon paddles is..

1. Premier/Curzons Predators - ladies and gentlemen, they have found a new home
2. GTDBC/Skippy Peanut Butter Imperial Dragons - scorned by the GTDBC itself!
3. Asianavenue.com/BalmyBeachCanoeClub.com
4. WRCC/Scotia
5. Hawaiianvacations.com Hanalei

"guilt doe not work here, we have no conscience"

Apparently you also don't have any command of the English language.

oh, so am upset I am

'Anyone who has any idea at all about this sport is laughing their asses off right now at the very idea that Sharifa would be given the rights to hold the WCCC.'

OK... so i've never heard of this chick and i'm not 'laughing my arse off'. I'm not even sure if we'll win the right to represent my country in Toronto next year but I'm getting worried about all this bitching... Can anyone reassure us that that it's going to be worthwhile coming over?

And who doesn't know what 'gollum' is? And they call us illiterate!

From what I've seen, a bad Canadian event would easily supplant most events from around the world so I really wouldn't worry to the extent that some of us are compalining about in Canada. We're pretty spoiled up here.

Don't pay much attention to anyone bitching and whining on this forum. It's all we do here and most of it is motivated issues completely unrelated to the topic at hand.

The example here is that GWN (Mike with his BUK sole distributorship) and TCBA (Sharifa or was Sharifa and I guess she is leading the WCCC charge) are long time competitors on the local DB market for both supplying equipment and running events. The fact that some extreme loser paddlers supporting each camp will say anything to discredit the other does not in any way mean that the event will be sub par.

So why the bitching and accusations regarding which boats will be chosen? BUK = Mike, still arguable the best boat around. SRS = Friends of and connected to TCBA (which either is or used to be connected to Sharifa depending on whose story you believe) are also cheaper.

Frankly if they were to fix the seats in the SRS boats and assuming they had enough to make identical sets for all heats then even these would probably be the bet boat most of you will ever have raced in. The ones we have had here for the last two years have had quality problems with seats not being properly anchored, breaking etc.

We are very spoiled here in Canada for the most part with the quality of equipment we race in so we feel the right to complain bitterly whenever everything is PERFECT.

The teams representing Canada are about as close to national level as you could imagine. The competition will be fierce. If that is what your interested in then you will not be disappointed. Ignore all the crying about who is running what and why they suck because it is most likely based on no facts or at the very least is blown way out of proportion to discredit them.

Enough knowledgeable people will be involved to ensure a well run event with quality competition. Most if any monkeying around will be with sponsorship, political schmoozing and the like and that doesn’t really effect us paddlers so much now does it.

It will be GREAT racing! Toronto water front is wonderful (not Sydney , but still nice). The Canadian teams are stong.In the premier division the teams are not as strong as our national teams (most national teams are not either) but are the top Canadian club teams.In the other divisions (senior etc.)the teams are strong as our national teams. Despite what you read here Canadians are very enthusiastic and the competition to qualify was very tough. Believe me, NOBODY in Canada is skipping the WCCC because they have a problem with the organiser. The bitchers would all race if they could.

How stupid is the IDBF? Permitting a world championship event in Canada to be used as a proving ground for "go it alone" ex-TCBA festival producer Sharifa with sailor sidekick Paul and 3rd generation SRS boats. Talk about world series 7th game, bottom of the ninth, 2 out and 2 strikes on the batter. Let's hope for all our sakes they hit a home run.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the reassurance. I'm sure the Canadians will do a good job but it was disconcerting to know there may be drama's with the organisation. I suppose there's politics everywhere.
Not too sure what the difference in the boats are but I assume they're all to IDBF specs?
I've never raced in Sydney (and it's only a 12 hour drive away!) but I have been to China and Berlin. So I have had a bit of racing away from home turf.
It's 2.30pm on the afternoon of the 23rd here so I'm off to finish my Chrissie shopping and then to the pub... Hopefully see you in Toronto and have a great Christmas!

quote "The teams representing Canada are about as close to national level as you could imagine"

LoL ....some of them are the NATIONAL teams disguised as club teams ..just look in the senior division .Talk about overlooking a few of the rules ...

Teams all met the qualifying criteria.Please note that the Canadian "club crew"criteria is stricter than the IDBF criteria and excluded some teams that are exactly the sort of "Club crew" described by th IDBF ,e.g. MCC.Not that MCC ever indicated interest in competing.

What a bunch of crap that is ..... 2 of the teams going to the Wccc also competed and medaled in Germany at the 2005 worlds where they represented Canada. How is that allowed to happen ?

It is not a " Bunch of crap" . Those teams (seniors) met the rule of both Dragon Boat Canada and IDBF to qualify as club crews. If you think the rules can be improved then get involved with the apropriate organization and voice your suggestions.

How does the 2 pp rule then apply in the case of the seniors .If the team all did go to germany then that makes them all pp 's .......thats 18 too many .

Quit throwing "2 pp" around if you don't know what it means. One of the "ps" stands for Premier...Premier Paddler, not senior, not junior...PREMIER. The rule only applies to premier paddlers.

jeez.

To clarify even more for those who think "premier" means "good enough to go to worlds", Premier is a racing class that basically means open to any age. Premier Women is means that any aged woman can be on the roster. Premier Open mean any aged person (man or woman) can be on the roster although it's rare to see a woman on a Premier Open crew.

In contrast, Senior is 40+ and Junior is under 18. There is no SP or JP rule in Canada.

I don't even think they filled all the spots as it is so why the concern?

"LoL ....some of them are the NATIONAL teams disguised as club teams ..just look in the senior division .Talk about overlooking a few of the rules ..."

This is what I mean in terms of the idiots who are in this sport.

translation of the above:
" I don't know the rules but I'm going to assume I do and bitch about them? I like eating shit for breakfast!"

touche!

who do you contact to volunteer?

From DBC website

For registration, to volunteer or for any other information please contact the 2006 CCWC coordinator at: info@2006ccwc.com

none have been replied to.

It's a control thing. Volunteers could hold a certain someone to account in the final analysis and that would be bad for her... I mean him... er, I mean her... whatever.

Of course this will be a non-profit event ?
And, did you notice there is no link to the TCBA...she duped them
into beliving they were a part of this whole scenario.

I was once Sharifa's lover.

And let me tell you, she'll love you long time then drop you like she never knew you.

It hurt so bad.

so much hatred. Business, money, greed, evil.
I hope you like it hot!

feeling hot hot hot