Rank Prev Momentum Team Name Notes
1 1 p Mississauga Canoe Club With the talent available its no surprise that MCC is now at the top of the Eastern Canadian pack. Now that they have raced in the two biggest races in Ontario, they'll likely have club status - and a shot at the 2004 WCCC bids.
2 2 z Imperial Dragons Although some will think that this was a disappointing season for our past #1, consider this: they just finished their second run at a perfect season, they still have yet to finish outside of the top three in any event they have entered and they are still building on their dynasty.
2 2 tu Madawaska Dragons Our co-#2 seed is arguably the best in the nation let alone Eastern Canada. They would have shared the #1 spot with MCC if they dominated Rome. But without entering more races and losing to out #4 seed at the WCCC, sharing #2 will have to do for now.
4 4 z Wongs Dragon Boat Club - Dragonslayers Upset the powerhouse Madawaska Dragons at Rome to cap off an awesome season. This year, the Wongs won the Central Rome Race off, won Montreal, defeated both of our #2 seeds and gained elite status in the process.
5 7 y X-Paddling Collective This crew certainly lived up to the hype they received coming into this season. A win in Pickering and solid second place finishes at the Rome Race Off and TIDBRF show that this crew is for real. The scary part is, they're young and can get lots better.
6 5 z Mayfair Predators Despite a disappointing 3rd place finish at Stratford, the Predators have had their most successful season yet. Their second place finish at GWN and win over the IMPs will be an excellent springboard into 2003.
7 6 tu Les Pionniers de Verdun This solid team from Montreal managed to put up a good fight at GWN even though some of their women were in Rome. They are a definite power and a force to be reckoned with.
8 8 p U of T Piranhas/Sing Tao Daily What a difference a year makes. First, fourth, third and first place finishes tends to make relative unknowns into feared contenders. And like our #5 seed, these guys are young and have loads of potential.
9 9 p Sudbury Chiropractic It surprises us to no end that a team outside of the Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal area would have the ability to push themselves into the top ten crews in Eastern Canada. Kudos Chiros! Now defend your turf and win your home event!
10 11 y Rammin' Dragons 'A' Another Montreal crew that was somewhat weakened by the fact that some of their women went to Rome. Although they showed flashes of brilliance, their surprising inconsistency kept them out of #9.
11 - p Bytown Paddlers Ottawa is making a strong case to be a dragon boat power centre as the Bytown Paddlers come to the fore by easily winnin the fall Ottawa event over our #12 and #13 seeds. Come next year, this product of a Passport Paddlers and Actus Reus merger will likely make a strong push into the top 10.
12 Fallen off z Cascades Canoe Club Babies and other distractions of everyday life has kept us from seeing this powerful team. Their re-emergence and solid second place finish at the fall Ottawa event lets us know that they don't show up often, but when they do, they plan on doing some damage.
13 10 y BMO Investorline First Dragons All in all, 2002 was a very successful rebuilding season for BMO. Although not the same as they were when they became the first-ever repeat champions of TIDBRF, this version is pretty damn strong in the final analysis.
14 21 q Scotia Spitfires The Spitfires get a generous bump back up the list from the power rankings correction process. We admit that we got too caught up in festival-by-festival occurrences and excessively punished this crew. But finishing outside of the A division and getting called for wash riding is not what we expect from a crew that challenged for #1 a year ago.
15 15 tu RBC Global Private Banking Dragons After a long hiatus from dragon boating's upper echelons, RBC is back. The symbiotic relationship this crew shares with our #5 seed will only generate positive returns in the future.
16 12 z Big Fish Interactive Don't get us wrong, we think Big Fish is a very strong team and we are particularly impressed with their second half performances at Summer Sensation and 911. But we also have to factor in the fact that they did get some help from other teams - including our #8 seed while their masters were in Rome.
17 13 q CIBC - I Déjà vu? Coming into this season, many thought that the departure of some key paddlers would severely hurt this crew. But after a successful first half, it seems like things are repeating themselves as stories of paddlers leaving resurface again.
18 23 q TTA Hammerheads The Hammerheads seem jinxed at 911. Last year they ended their successful season with a whimper by finishing well back in the pack. Unfortunately for them, the exact same thing happened again this year.
19 14 tu Action Sport Physio These guys haven't done much so we’re basing their ranking on how they did in Ottawa and Montreal. And judging from that, they're pretty damn good.
20 16 z Mercedes Benz Finished the season off strong with a good showing at 911 and their first-ever win at London. Congratulations and best wishes to Tammy and Greg!
21 17 q Scream'n Demons Ouch! We think the Demons are a strong team but what's with their terrible second half? A jumped start at 911 and then finishing SECOND in Stratford's 'C' Division? What gives?
22 19 tu Wongs Dragon Boat Club - Immortal Dragons The Wongs are the only club that managed to get both their A and B crews in the top 35. That's paddling depth that any other club would kill for.
23 20 tu Fox 22 This crew got off to a sputtering start with their 25th place finish in Ottawa, but after challenging our #8 seed in Waterloo, winning Woodstock and finishing well at GWN, they sure redeemed themselves.
24 30 tu Anderson Raiders We've only seen them race at Pickering and TIDBRF. But at those races they dominated the field - including a time that would have placed them in either A final at TIDBRF….in a teak boat.
25 24 tu Shockwave (formerly Rogers) There may be three crews named Shockwave but this version was the only one that managed to stay on this list. Gave our #18 seed a run for their money at the Welland Classic earlier in the year.
26 31 z DILLIGAFF With the help of a friendly hometown lane, DILLIGAFF placed a surprising second at Stratford and upset our #6 seed in the process. All in all, a solid season.
27 22 y Cartier Partners Tempest After going through their customary lull after TIDBRF (28th at Montreal), this crew got their act together and finished an impressive tenth at GWN.
28 25 tu Toronto Area Dragons Loaded with Masters-level paddlers, this crew their setting its sights on World Championship hardware in 2003. Good luck TAD!
29 26 y Baycrest Blades We're not quite sure what to make of this team. At times we see the 2001 version (4th at TIDBRF-Community) at other times they don't live up to expectations (20th at GWN). Let's hope this inconsistency is just a sophomore jinx.
30 27 z Hunter Steel Dragon Hunters For a crew that started up in the middle of the year and is self coached, they are mightily impressive. With an entire offseason and a whole year to work with in 2003. Look for this crew to make a big push up the list.
31 18 z Shaolin Monks As noted in the forum, the Shaolin Monks at GWN this year were a flashback from 2000 and not 2002. But if those old monks decide to return full time, expect to see them regain their customary spot in the upper half of this list.
32 28 z TCBA Jr. - Riptide/Blakes Thunderstroke 25th in Montreal and 23rd at 911 cost this crew their spot on our straight rankings. After watching this crew for a few years now, we're wondering if they will find it within themselves to push up higher on this list?
33 33 tu Sir Oliver Mowat Dogs The trouble with ranking a high school team is that you don't know how good they will be next year since their paddlers tend to graduate off the team. But from what we saw in their brief appearance, these Dogs have a pretty vicious bite.
34 32 tu Sunnybrook Brookaneers We didn't see them often but when we did we liked what we saw. Especially their strong 10th in a star-studded Pickering field ahead of our #21, #29 and #31 seeds.
35 29 tu Shogun Warriors The Shogun Warriors stay on the list on the strength of their surprise showing at Summer Sensation. They managed to stay close to the Imps and almost beat out our #16 seed in the process there.
Fallen Off 34 y Bod Squad With the addition of several strong Ottawa-area teams, a few teams had to be bumped off. The Squad's lack of participation in the high profile events didn't help them either.
Fallen Off 35 tu Thrusting Mojos Although the Mojos had solid performances in all their regattas, they failed to make the top 10 in any of them. With the list this elite, it takes at least one great performance to be on it now.
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