this is the website for dragon boat canada http://www.dragonboatcanada.org/Main.html
I can't find one photo of our world champions anywhere. Lots of photos of the Montreal Women's team and random local crews at the Montreal basin but not one of an actual National Team member anywhere. I've checked out websites for other db governing bodies - Britain, Australia, Germany, USA. None of these countries has ever dominated the sport the way Canada has but they ALL have photos of their national team on their websites. What's up Dragon Boat Canada? Time to drop your personal issues and take some pride in the group that has made Canada a leader in the sport we love.

You have to remember that DBC is VOLUNTEER run. I'm sure they would gladly post pictures of the National Team, but they have lots of other things to take care of which are of more importance than keeping the website up to date with pictures. We keep complaining that DBC hasn't done this and that, but give them a break, they're doing the best they can I'm sure with the time and ressources they have. And I'm sure if you sent them a good pic of the National Team they would post it up.

But but but... they had time to post photos of their own crews...why wouldn't they have started with photos of our national team and built from there.

send them one and i'm sure they'll put it up...asswipe

Wow, I realize you "volunteers" over at DBC are a little disappointed this morning but asswipes is a little harsh. The budget you claim for a webmaster covers updating your website, which would also include the time it takes to send an email to any of the national team coaches or members.

Matt Smith is a volunteer as he does not get money directly from DBC but that does not stop him from benefitting indirectly from his position as he simply has too much "commercial dragon boat baggage" to be a credible neutral president.

There's merit to both arguments.

Volunteers are just that, volunteers. You can't make demands of them, or they can simply tell you to "f#ck off". However you can make suggestions, or requests, and like someone else said you can help out by sending them information and pictures to make their jobs easier.

I agree with the other side too, that our national team heroes should be recognized on the site. We have had some incredible success and we should blow our own horns and celebrate those that made this happen. Tutty, Hara, Hickox, Cain, Stringer, Roman, Kuyper, etc, there ought to be a "Hall of Fame" section to recognize them. And yes, this is only the most recent history. I'm sure some of you can take it back further to the days of Hugh Fisher and the west coast pioneers. So go ahead, DO IT!

Better to be part of the solution than than someone screaming at the wind.

Send in some bios, send in some pictures. The easier you make it for their underpaid and overworked volunteers to get it on the site, the faster it will get done.

Cheers.

I agree in some sense with the last poster.

However, when you agree to take on a role you also agree with all the issues
that accompany that position. You cannot sit back and hope that everything simply
works out.
Some things look on the surface to be getting better. But, ramping up the old
DBC website is a small part of that initiative that DBC should be getting to grips with.
DBC should have their own newsletter explaining changes, alterations to the organization,
coaching etc.
They should also have up to date information from regatta's such as Welland - if they are
running the event. If Matt Smith was working for a majot corporation then I'd be able to excuse
the issues, but he doesn't and Dragon Boating is a full time scenario for him.

This is a serious question not a slag...Do the DBC reps get their travel and accommodations paid for or subsidized out of the DBC budget? For example, a few are here representing DBC for the CCWC but they are also in Toronto as coaches and paddlers on crews racing at national team race-off and club crews. Our membership fees and funding (such as they've obtained from the Trillium Foundation) feed some kind of budget which pays out on some kind of operating expenses. How exactly does it work?

I would suggest that the Trillium Foundation has put money towards DBc for specific
projects, not a blanket amount of money to be used at DBC's discretion.
I'd be interested to know what the intended use of the $194,000 or so would be used for ?

As for DBC Officials paying their own way, or having a portion paid by DBC to attend
Welland even though they are actually racing. There are three athletes as I'm aware on the DBC
Council that will be taking part in the NTT, with one coach also on the council.

As the CCWC are not officially part of the DBC's mandate, and is not run by that organization.
DBC should not be subsidizing anyone.

Thanks for the flattering comments and the idea of getting some representation for our National Teams on the DBC website. I've never taken the time to check it out so was unaware of any of this. That said, Matt is a volunteer which means he is unpaid and does this on the side. It is unfair to comment that if he was working in the private sector he'd be fired for doing an inadequate job. The point everyone here is missing is that he is NOT an employee of a major company. He is a volunteer president of an organization with a limited budget. Give him a break. If most of the people who post on this forum spent a fraction of their 'forum time' volunteering to do something to build the sport (like offer to work on the website if that is important to you) you'd all have a lot less to complain about. You can get involved and do something to help or you can complain. My guess is many of you prefer complaining.

"If most of the people who post on this forum spent a fraction of their 'forum time' volunteering to do something to build the sport (like offer to work on the website if that is important to you) you'd all have a lot less to complain about."

By far the quote of the year!!

Just to rest the minds of previous posters, I am a member of the DBC exec, I was in attendance in Welland as an athlete and no DBC funds were used to subsidize my trip.

The Dragon Boat community should thank Matt Smith for all of his work at the trials this week. The trials on Wednesday that I attended ran smoothly. As both an athlete at the trials and DBC exec I would like to thank Matt and his crew for their hard work.

I don't see anyone trashing Matt or the exec in any of the previous posts.. I think the original poster's question is valid. Why doesn't our national organization's website have photos of team canada? I doubt Matt is the webmaster. Obviously, it's not an issue of earth-shaking importance for dragon boat racing but neither is the hotness factor of the mofos...so in the spirit of the forum, an answer could be posted. By the way, wasn't Karen H. and other women from the montreal team in Berlin last year? Couldn't they have provided photos? That way they could have photos of their team from montreal and the national team.

I don't think its fair to say the DBC is required to respond to all questions raised by annonymous posters on THIS forum.

I haven't really checked out their website, but surely they have an e-mail address where you can send such questions???

I think its kind of silly that people rant annonymously on this forum, and then expect they get a personal response to their rantings over the forum.

Wholeheartedly agree with the above. If you have a legitimate inquiry or feedback for DBC, it is only fair that you make the effort to contact them directly.

God, you have way too much time on your hands. Some people are truly a waste of space.