| News: |
| [9-June-10] Spring Challenge Camp |
 Aoraki and ABOL will be helping "Fit for Life" to run an "energetic weekend based in Christchurch, lead by experienced and motivated coaches [to] learn the necessary orienteering, navigational and mountain bike skills required for the Spring Challenge race".
The weekend (10 and 11 July 2010) begins with 8am registration at Owles Terrace, and they will "learn how to dragon boat as a team, an experience requiring similar skills as the rafting section in the Spring Challenge".
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| [29-March-10] Paddlers battle unseasonal cold at Nationals |
Twenty four adult teams converged on Lake Hood on Saturday 27 March to determine the NZDBA National "Champion of Champions". Ashburton laid on a scorcher when Aoraki was setting up on Friday, but a Southerly change made for very testing conditions. School teams faced similar conditions on Sunday. More...
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| [29-Oct-09] Kiwi girls at Dragons Abreast Australia |
Sunday 25-October saw several NZ dragon boaters compete in the Dragons Abreast Australia Regatta on Sydney's Darling Harbour. Meri Gibson and three other Abreast of Life team members paddled with the DAM Buster from Melbourne. They were leading BC teams in the event until... the skies opened up, thunder boomed and the forked lightning forced all off the water for the rest of the day.
NZDBA board member Mary McAvoy (and Julia, her CanSurvive teammate) joined a DAA composite team, some of whom had come from far and wide within Australia to take part.
The two Kiwis were placed as Strokes and were amused by a few grumbles regarding pace which resulted in our team holding their own in races. More...
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| [22-Sep-08] World Corcom - Date Change |
Mike Haslam advises that "the 2009 World Corporate & Community Championships, in Miami, which includes the BCS World Championships are 24 -26 April 2009 and NOT 24-26 July as published in the IDBF Calendar of Events and DBI Newsletter.
The change of date was made because of concerns about forecasts of possible hurricanes in late July 2009!"
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| [21-July-08]
World Club Crews & Asian Championships – Penang, Malaysia |
At least two NZ teams are registered at "Penang 2008" - the 6th Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) and 8th Asian
Dragon Boat Championships. All racing will take place on the Teluk Bahang Dam (a fresh water reservoir based paddle sport facility) from 31 July to 3 August 2008. Races are 200m, 500m and 2,000m
Apparently there are "92 Clubs with a total of 179 Crews racing in the CCWC and 40 crews from 10 ADBF Member
Teams racing in the ADBC, giving a total of 220 crews from 22 countries entered for Penang 2008, including new Members
India and Iran. In total Penang 2008 has attracted just over 4000 participants".
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| [21-July-08] World Champs in Europe |
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Poland will not be the venue for next
year’s World Dragon Boat Championship. Shirley Boys were due to travel to “Malta Regatta
Course” Poznań in August 2009. But Mike Haslam of IDBF explains that a scheduling clash
with canoeing regatta means the event is now moved to the reserve location Racice,
just outside Prague in the Czech Republic.
The event had already been moved once from Moscow to Poznan, due to local organizational difficulties.
The
purpose built regatta course in Racice, near Prague and the original dates of 26-30 August 2009 have been confirmed as being available.
In a departure from previous Worlds, it is likely that most of the 2000m competitions will take place on the river in Prague City centre, with the
famous Charles Bridge as the top turning point. The remaining races will be held on the Racice Regatta course some 30 minutes drive from
Prague.
IDBF says "... the decision is in no way a reflection on the ability of the PDBF or the City of Poznan to organise and host an IDBF World Championship
Regatta, having already done so in 2003, as well as a European Championships in 2002..."
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| [1-April-08] National
Champs:
a true 'test' |
Canterbury was extremely well represented at the NZDBA-sanctioned Nationals
in Auckland.
Read more about how our teams
'did us proud'... and click here for photos of adult and school crews.
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|
[15-Jan-08] "Capsize Practice" dates. |
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All teams should set aside Sunday 17-Feb-08 for a "tip-out"
practice at Magazine Bay in Lyttelton Harbour [click
here for a map]. In case of weather cancellation, Capsizes
will be run on the following Tuesday evening (19-Feb). Coaches,
please ensure your crew are fully familiar with the Safety
Protocol (esp 5.9 to 5.20).
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| [8-Dec-07] March regatta brought forward. |
| Aoraki have brought forward the date of the season's second
regatta (the Christchurch Dragon Boat Regatta) by one week.
Corporate and Open teams will now race on Saturday 1st March 2008.
School teams will race on Sunday 2nd March. This assures
us of better access to Kerr's Reach, with rowing crews being at
Lake Ruataniwha for the weekend. And it also avoids the
clash with the Wild Foods Festival in Hokitika on 8th and 9th
March.
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| [13-Nov-07] Safety protocols under development. |
| Aoraki Board are reviewing the safety protocols and waivers
etc that have been in use in the past. Obviously, using the Avon
for training and racing, safety procedures need to be re-assessed.
Drafts of the forms are being circulated and will be considered
at the next Board meeting. Meanwhile the Safety summary and team
waiver can be downloaded
here.
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| [11-Nov-07] Owles Terrace is the preferred training area... |
| Aoraki Dragons recently met with representatives
of Canterbury Rowing and local Kayakers. They are concerned that
Kerr's Reach is particularly busy on weekday evenings. So we need
to restrict trainings to one boat per time-slot, with most training
down at Owles Terrace, New Brighton. That gives us much more river
to play with, without having to watch for scullers, kayaks etc.
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| [4-Nov-07] Dragon Boats have arrived in Christchurch... |
| Aoraki DBA have taken delivery of four more boats
kindly gifted by NZDBA. The boats were unloaded off the Pacifica
ferry from Wellington, and were set up on the new storage frames
in the Owles Terrace compound on Sunday 4-November.
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| [Oct-07] New venue for Dragon Boating in Christchurch |
| Kerr's Reach finalised as new regatta venue
(also for training, as well as New Brighton end of the Avon).
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| [Sept-07] NZDBA back new paddle design |
| NZ Dragon Boat Association supports ultra-light
"202a" Dragon boat paddle (to IDBF spec).
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| [Sept-07] New concepts on show... |
| Crews who recently travelled to Australia (World
Champs in Sydney and BCS Festival in Caloundra) are hugely impressed
with the IDBF-approved boats. The (German) "BuK" and
(Chinese) "Champion" were particularly impressive. |
