So here's yet another post about things I've learned from being part of the World Va'a Sprints. I have learned some pretty fun things.... like how to run the finish line camera! Today this was part of my job as a volunteer. You have to pay close attention and you get to see lovely pictures of the finish that show exactly what order boats finished in, even when it's really, really close. I heard one boat won by a pixel the other day and there was a race today that was almost that close. It's a pretty cool piece of equipment & is the same calibre of gear that they use in the Olympics. (Did you watch any of the track & field or maybe cycling events? Did they show those pictures of the finish? Yep, that's the same camera!) Shout out to the tech crew I worked with in the tower - Brent, Dave, Neil, Dianna & Scott, as well as the tower supervisors, Mo & Khara for doing such an awesome job!
But see, here's the thing... when you do that job, you do have to pay attention, and you can't be say, blogging. Or taking photos (fun ones, not finish line ones...). Or collecting proper names. Or stories. So, alas, my blog is crap today. So, tick off another thing for the 'things I learned' column - if you want to blog, don't take on ten other jobs. Anyway... here's a look at an example of a close race, not taken by me (thanks Derek Lonergan for the photo... Ummm... I hope no one minds when I steal their photos off Facebook. I do try to give proper credit at least.)
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| Team Canada vs. Team Hawaii |
And, by the way, it was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Calgary! 27 degrees & sunny! However, last night we had a bit of a hail storm (which I slept through entirely.) Check it out:
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| Can you spot the golf ball amongst the hail stones? |
Yes, welcome to Calgary. The weather is unpredictable to say the least. Thanks to my friend Matt Burgener for the picture.
What's not unpredictable... great volunteers and amazing paddlers, all with smiles on their faces. Like Craig & Luke from Red Eyes Paddling Club, a dragon boat team here in Calgary that I'm awfully fond of. The team helped serve the meal tonight at Cultural night:
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| Great volunteers! |
And here are some of my most favourite paddlers from Hawai'i. The one on the left is Sui-Lan, and she gives the best hugs ever. She's from Hilo, and for real, I do intend to take her up on the invitation to visit sometime. Here she is with her teammates Lisa & Jona.
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| Lisa, Jona & Sui-Lan from Hilo |
So, Cultural Night. Awesome. So much fun. So many amazing, amazing performances!! I can't do them justice with my pictures (I kind of was stuck in the back - yet another thing in the 'things I've learned' column... get a seat early! Also see, blogging vs. volunteering.) I'm sure tomorrow I'll get a few more pics & videos from others who had better press access.
Here are some awesome Kiwis doing a very loud haka. I was honestly a little bit worried that the stage wouldn't hold up. I think one more Kiwi might have put it over the edge!
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| A very kind, gentle looking haka. OK, this may have actually been taken prior to the haka. They were GREAT! |
And here are some of the kids from the Calgary Canoe Club, prior to their line dance. I did happen to overhear one of the boys (not necessarily one of the ones pictured here...) say, "why did I agree to do this?" (Answer: because otherwise you could be near naked with body paint like Rapa Nui. Your choice.) For real, the Canadian kids did a really good job. I can't line dance. It's hard.
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| Canadian boys looking only a tiny bit terrified before their line dance. They proved Canadian paddlers do have rhythm! |
Here's a shot of one of the Hawaiian crew before their performance. They did a chant, a dance and their own version of haka.
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| Hawaiians - so friendly! |
Here's the hula:
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| I think this group was popular with the boys. |
And what? Hawaiians do the haka too? Yup. Again... things I learned....
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| It's friendlier than New Zealand's, but they're OK with that. |
And here's team Italy. One of their gals (whose name will be sent to me shortly - apologies!) did two very good songs. One in Italian, naturally, and one Canadian - by Avril Lavigne. She was a fantastic singer and had the support of her teammates behind her. Apparently (say it with me... 'things I learned'.... ) outrigger paddling has only been on the go in Italy for about a year. They have a lovely woman from New Zealand who coaches them and they're looking forward to expanding their program and improving their performance. I'd say watch out for Italy in a couple of years. They already look the best (see earlier posts) (Oh, I got a pair of those cool Italian pants today, yay!) so pretty soon they'll probably be a force to be reckoned with.
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| Team Italy! |
What else? Oh yeah. Rapa Nui! They brought the house down (and almost the stage again!) with an absolutely spectacular performance. They have a lot of courage and talent, and not so many pairs of pants. I am not at all complaining. Seriously, they are so great and I believe that men and women alike were impressed by their... physiques? Yes. Near the end of their performance, they brought some ladies up on stage to dance with them, including our very own Kirsten Goplen (in the red hat) and Kristine Malmqvist (in the yellow shirt). Way to not faint, ladies!
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| Rapa Nui's public relations program to help increase female immigration |
Not to be outdone, there were performances by the group from Tahiti and the terrific Canadian First Nations group, Red Thunder. Quite a few are family (from the Crowchild, Pelltier and Buffalo families... sorry for bad spelling) and some of the Crowchild ladies are half T'suu T'ina and half Maori! How cool is that for an event like this? Some really great dancing and singing from this group!
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| 3 of the Red Thunder dancers. |
So, that's all I have for today. Oh, except for the usual link to the race results...lots of VERY exciting finals today. Well done to all the paddlers!!!
http://www3.telus.net/public/cccweb/OCsprints/documents/RaceResults-Day3.pdf
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