The Sunnyside Juried Art Show is back for 2011. Take a minute before or after your races at the GWN Challenge this weekend and get down to Sunnyside to check out some of the terrific works on display!
Sunnyside will be closed for the Labour Day holiday weekend (Fri, Sep 2 through Mon, Sep 5), and will be open for business as usual next Tuesday, September 6th.
All teams regularly scheduled for Mondays should check their team schedules HERE to confirm their next practice time.
Wa’SUP! - Next week, we have arranged for a set of SUP (Stand Up Paddling) boards and paddles to be onsite at Sunnyside from 6-8PM for all of our Sunnyside teams. Everyone is welcome to try them out! We hope to integrate this new complimentary paddlesport into NDC Programming for 2012. Along with SUP, NDC is investigating other complimentary paddling disciplines in an effort to diversify our paddlers abilities and skills and raise the bar. Stay tuned to the NDC website blog (Tumblr) for more details.
Two additional boats have been added to the Sunnyside dragonboat fleet to accommodate the increased number of teams preparing for the GWN Challenge (September 10/11). These additional boats should help to alleviate demand on our existing BuK/Kahlua fleet and ensure that NDC teams have all possible advantages in final preparation for the final major race of the season.
If your team is racing at GWN be sure to book your additional practices ASAP as available practice times are filling up quickly. Bookings can be made by contacting the office.
WED, AUGUST 24 - CANCELLED PRACTICES
A handful of NDC teams were treated to a spectacular lighting show to the north of Sunnyside last night before being driven off of the water as the storm came closer. For over an hour lightning was striking off in the distance with brilliant ground and building strikes as teams continued to practice. Near 8PM it became too dangerous to continue on and teams were called in and credited for their practices.
After the boats were put away the real show started as the storm moved overhead and produced some fierce wind and rain to go along with the spectacular lightning activity. This photo was taken by ZensLens from the buildings to the west of Sunnside and shows a surreal bolt of lightning striking the water right off Sunnyside.
This is a great opportunity to remind paddlers that lightning in the immediate vicinity will cancel all practices at Sunnyside. If the lightning and thunder are within 10 seconds of one another there are less than 3KM to the strike making paddling unsafe. In this scenario teams are instructed to seek immediate cover at a nearby club or return to Sunnyside if it is safe to do so.
Teams are also reminded that if there is lightning activity of any kind they will be offered a voluntary cancellation wherein they can continue practicing or reschedule for a later date.
Teams are always invited to call our weather information hotline at 416-910-2563 or check back here to see if practices have been cancelled for the evening.
If you have any questions about our weather cancellation policy contact us in the office.
The latest trend to come into the paddling community is the discipline of Stand Up Padding. Due to it’s easy learning curve and loads of fun this new activity is something every paddler should be trying. Especially important is the connection and core power required to move the boards, the crossover potential they have for improving dragonboat performance is through the roof!
BluWave are the newest line of SUP boards to be made available in Ontario. With two models available between 10.5’ and 12’ in classic veneered wood these boards are something to see!
In an effort to see more dragonboat paddlers diversify their discipline BluWave has made a pair of boards available at Sunnyside for the next week as well as offered unbelievable discounts for members and our Representative team members.
Look out for the BluWave boards
For more information please speak with an NDC lifeguard or check out www.BluWave.ca for full details.
Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival
Congratulations to all of NDC’s Member teams, coaches and all Sunnyside teams that raced at the 2011 TIDBRF on June 25th & 26th. It was a great weekend of racing with impressive results across the board - from the Grand Championship Final right through to the “R” Final!
Notably, the course was devoured during Sunday’s finals by our very own NDC OCEAN1 Open Class Representative Crew who took gold with a course best time of 1:50.00!
A Special Congrats goes out to the Spirit Challenge participants who raced with heart and showed us what teamwork and commitment are all about!
Thanks to everyone who supported our Float the Boat Party on June 23rd at Sunnyside. In case you didn’t hear the party was a smashing good time helped along by some great music from Team Tribal and tons of beer samples from Great Lakes Brewery and Ganaoque Brewing Co. Attendance was through the roof and ticket sales made the event an entire success with $2,500 raised toward the purchase of a new BuK dragonboat this year.
A huge thank you goes out to the prize sponsors; Regatta Sport, NuMe Fitness, Sunnyside Cafe, Chinook Paddles, SUP Ontario, GWN Dragonboat, Alliance Films, Lift Salon, OPA - Outrigger Performance Advantage, Yoga Lounge, Paddle Core, Blu Wave Paddleboards, Toronto Firefighters Association and Karen Kot’s Jewelry.
We’re planning on having another end of season party to raise the rest of the boat funds…prizes will be even better! If that’s possible…so stay tuned!
If your name is on the list but haven’t claimed your prize please contact info@nationaldragonboat.com
We’re having a “Bring Back the Boats” party tonight, June 23rd at Sunnyside Café.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and you an get tickets from Sunnyside coaches and lifeguards starting tomorrow (Saturday June 18th).
There will be lots of great door prizes from NDC partners such as Chinook Paddles, Great White North Dragon Boat, Regatta Sport, Lift Salon, Yoga Lounge, Sunnyside Café, Alliance Films, and Tim Hortons.
Admission gets partygoers two free beer samples to help us choose the Official NDC Craft Brew!
Limited number of tickets available so get your TODAY!
With so many teams having been affected by the unusually abusive weather this spring there are many scheduled practices to be made-up. To better accommodate the demand the Sunnyside practice site will be open on Victoria Day Monday May 23rd. Practices will be offered according to the schedule below:
· 4-5pm
· 5-6pm
· 6-7pm
Please email or call the office to schedule your team’s practice.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE NO PRACTICES ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY MAY 21st & 22nd.
