ottawa police dragon boat club “the blue dragons”€¦ · canadian tulip festival flotilla in...
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
An Overview of Club Activities
February 2007
Ottawa Police Dragon Boat Club “The Blue Dragons”
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
Our History The Ottawa Police Dragon Boat Club (OPDBC) was established in 1998 as a way for members of the Ottawa Police Service to participate in the Nortel Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. Initially comprised of 28 sworn and civilian members of the Ottawa Police Service, the team was a recreational group of paddlers who participated in a single event each year. By 2002 there was a desire among club members to participate in more events and become a little more competitive. The first step in this pursuit was the decision to add a second race to our season, The Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival, The Fall 400.
As time went on more and more events were added to our calendar. In 2003, we traveled to New York City to compete in the Liberty International Dragon Boat Festival and placed second in the police challenge race and first in a 250-meter event. We then placed fourth overall in 2004’s Belleville Dragon Boat Festival and also won our division. Later that season we went on to finish third overall at a race in Carleton Place, Ontario. Although the extra training in the weeks prior to an event was starting to show some results, it soon became apparent that for the “Blue Dragons” to go to the next level we needed regular practices throughout the season. With practice rates at $100 an hour at our local canoe club, the only thing holding us back was money to rent time in a boat. The solution was simple; the Ottawa Police Dragon Boat Club would purchase our own boat. After nearly two years of fundraising the OPDBC took position of a BuK International Racing Dragon Boat in the spring of 2005. Within a few months of the purchase we ended our 2006 race season winning first place overall at the Kingston Dragon Boat Festival. Our final step in becoming an official club came in May of 2005 when the Ottawa Police Dragon Boat Club was incorporated with the Province of Ontario as a Corporation Without Share Capital.
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
A Winning Tradition Our recent accomplishments include:
• Winning the Police and Firefighters Challenge Cup at the Nortel Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival five out of the last eight years.
• Gold Medal at The Great St Lawrence Dragon Boat Race (Brockville, ON) in 2006 • Silver Medal at the 2006 Kingston Dragon Boat Festival. • Three Silver and One Bronze at the 2006 Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival • Bronze Medal at the 2006 Belleville Waterfront and Ethnic Festival • Bronze Medal at the 2006 The Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival, The Fall 400.
While such accomplishments have resulted in invitations to more events, our true success is our ability to interact with our community. This allows them to see another side of their Police Service and lets us put a face to the faceless men and women who patrol Ottawa’s streets. Giving Back to the Community Each season the club makes an effort to give back to community by raising money for local and international charities. Here is a small sampling of our recent efforts: Memorial Paddle Twelve of our team members participated in a 160 mile Memorial Paddle in 2004, along the eastern coast of the United States with members of the Philadelphia Police Department, FBI and New York State Police. The event consisted of relay teams continuously paddling for 33 hours from Liberty Island in New York City to North Wildwood, New Jersey. This event was a fundraiser for groups who provide support for families of US police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. 24 Hour Paddle for Roger’s House In 2004, we raised $6,000 by completing a 24-hour non-stop paddle to raise money for Roger’s House, a local children’s palliative care facility.
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
Canadian Tulip Festival Flotilla In May 2005 we paddled our Dragon Boat in the annual Flotilla parade on the Rideau Canal during the Canadian Tulip Festival. Dawn to Dusk Paddle
Fire broke out in an apartment in Ottawa’s Chinatown in April of 2005 killing five members of the Thach family (the mother, daughter and three sons). In performance of their police duties several team members attended the scene the night of the fire and expressed a willingness to help the family. After speaking with fellow club members it was decided that the team would paddle from “dawn to dusk “ and collect pledge money for our efforts. Through this endeavor OPDBC was able to raise $6,000 for the surviving members of the
family. Rocco’s Paddle for Progress on Stroke The OPDBC accompanied kayaker Rocco Rossi on the last leg of his Toronto-Ottawa fundraising paddle for the Heart and Stroke Foundation on July 14, 2006. In addition to these examples of charitable fundraising and community activities, a portion of the team’s registration at each race is donated to various charities. Equipment The team supplies life jackets and team jerseys, which are assigned to each member at the beginning of the year and must be returned at the end of the season. Although some members own their own paddles, team paddles are available for use during practices.
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
Expectations All members are expected to attend practice sessions and to participate in team events. As many of our club members are police employees, shift schedules and personal commitments will sometimes conflict with the team’s activities. For this reason we have more team members then we have seats in the boat. On race day, if more than 20 paddlers are able to participate, members will “sub in and out” of races to allow everyone an opportunity to participate. Whether an employee of the Ottawa Police Service or not all members of OPDBC members are representatives of the Service and are expected to act accordingly. Practice Makes Perfect
During the months of March and April the club conducts weekly off-season pool training sessions. These practices allow our paddlers to focus on technique and to rebuild some strength lost over the winter months. Once the snow melts and waters levels are high enough (usually the end of April) the team hits the water and begins our regular practices (Monday and Thursday from 7-8 pm). Practices begin on Dow’s Lake and continue along the Rideau Canal. Over
the last several years the Blue Dragons practices have become a fixture on the Rideau Waterway. Many a tourist has captured a photograph of the team racing a tour boat during our evening practices. What that picture may not capture is the sheer determination of the Blue Dragons as they do their best in every race, even if their competition has a motor. From the caller at the front of the boat yelling their encouragement and overseeing the coordination of 20 paddlers, to the steers person at the rear, it is a team effort from start to finish. The Cost of Membership Each member of the team is expected to pay an annual $100 membership fee. This money goes towards race fees and other team expenses. Members are then asked to pay and additional $5.00 per race that they attend. This money goes into a separate fund to repair and purchase equipment. When attending an out of town event, members are expected to pay for their own food, accommodations and make a contribution towards transportation. Although some team fundraising may be conducted to offset costs of out of town trips. It is important to note that no public money goes toward any team activities. Team members conduct all fundraising activities themselves and all funds raised goes toward event fees, related expenses or team equipment.
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O.P.D.B.C. – “The Blue Dragons”
Upcoming Season – 2007 Although our event schedule has yet to be finalized the following is a list of the races we are considering for our 2007 season:
• Onake, QC - May 26th • Kingston, ON - June 9th • Brockville, ON - June 16th • Ottawa, ON - June 23rd-24th • Belleville, ON – July 7th
• Ithaca, NY – July 14th • Montreal, QC July 28th & 29th • Peekskill, NY – August 5th • Carleton Place, ON – September • Onake , QC – September 29th
As you can see from this event list, the club attends a variety of races in a given year, ranging from small towns to large urban centres. In fact it is often the smaller venues that are the teams favorite ones to attend. The intimate nature of such events allows the “Blue Dragons” an opportunity to get to know their host clubs. The OPDBC is a team that feels the spirit of these festivals is just as important as our results on the water. We take great pride when teams comment on how much we encourage others and how we are always willing to help out an event in whatever way we can. With every season the goals and aspirations of the members of OPDBC members continue to grow. As we continue to surpass our goals we will continually make an effort to make a difference in the lives of the people we are fortunate enough to meet along the way.
In 2006 the club traveled to Washington DC to compete in an international race placing second behind the, very strong and very, young Taipei National Team. Above all else the Blue Dragons left behind a memorable impression of a Canadian police team that works hard to achieve success, all the while enjoying the comradely and friendship they developed along the way.