One Year To Go

Today is a special day, it is the one year count down to the World Masters Games.

No other multi-sport event in the world attracts as many participants as the World Masters Games. Since 1985 the Games have brought together mature aged sports men and women from around the globe who share a commitment to the simple philosophy of "sport for life". 
 
"Masters" is simply an age designation; it does not denote a level of proficiency or a particular achievement.  To compete, all you need to do is to satisfy the age criteria for your sport. The World Masters Games are for you.
 
The World Masters Games have been held on six previous occasions:

Toronto 1985
Copenhagen 1989
Brisbane 1994
Portland 1998
Melbourne 2002
Edmonton 2005

The seventh Games will be held in Australia's global city, Sydney, from 10 - 18 October 2009.

The sports for the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games were endorsed by the Games Advisory Committee in April 2006 and subsequently approved by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA).

The sports are separated into two groups;
The Core Sports that must be conducted under our contract with IMGA are:

Archery                  Athletics                    Badminton
Basketball               Canoe/Kayak              Cycling
Football (Soccer)      Hockey (Field)            Orienteering
Rowing                   Shooting                    Softball
Squash                   Table Tennis               Weightlifting

SWMGOC recommended the following Optional Sports that have all been approved by the IMGA.

Baseball                 Diving                       Golf   
Lawn Bowls              Netball                      Rugby
Sailing                  Surf Lifesaving            Swimming 
Tennis                   Touch Football           Volleyball  
Water Polo  

Optional Sports and disciplines in the Core Sports have been chosen on the basis of:
Their tradition in the World Masters Games and other similar events,
Sports expected to attract a base number of participants,
The response by Sports Associations when invited to submit a case for their sport to be included,
Local interest in the sport, and Venue suitability and availability.
A discipline of a sport that did not meet the majority of these criteria may not be included in these Games.

Triathlon has been in previous World Masters Games but at this stage will not be included in the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games as the International Triathlon Union (ITU) is no longer a member of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA) and have resisted our invitation to be involved in the Games. However, we remain open to any future change of direction by ITU and suggest that you occasionally check the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games website for updates. 

Mountain Biking will not be included in the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games.

Registration ...
Ready to Register for the Sydney 2009 World Master Games? To start, you must first complete our personal details form. This will provide you with a User ID and Password to access myGames.

Please allow up to 5 minutes to complete this form and approximately 15 minutes to register for the Games. Click here to start your Games registration.

B.C. Masters Day One

Today the first day of the B.C. Masters at Whonnock Lake in Maple Ridge. One of the first races to go was the masters K1 500 meters. I was in the first heat of two. The progression was going to be the first three to the final and the next three fastest times of the heats to the final. I was in lane five, just looking to get third place or better, so I could move on.

My start was a little shaky, but I recovered quickly, and soon found myself sitting in forth. So I started to pull harder to try and move up. as I was doing this I could hear the referee start yelling at boat two. He was telling him to move to the right, that he was out of his lane. Then I heard the guy on my right yell to him that he was in his lane, but there was no stopping him. He came flying across all of the lanes. Seeing this I knew that he was going to be disqualified, and I was heading to a third place finish.

Sure enough I managed to come in third and boat #2 was disqualified. I felt bad for him because two years earlier, I had done the exact same thing. If you look just a little to the left, it looks like your lane and you follow it. You don't realize that you are crossing lane, and the referee is yelling at “you”. After the second heat, and the times were posted, I checked to see if the DQ hadn't happen would I have still made the final. It turned out that my time would have gotten me in anyways.

Next up for me was the K4 500 meters. This was about an hour and a half away, so I had lots of time to relax and eat. Since it was cloudy and cold, I made sure that I was dressed warm. We got our boat setup, and headed out for a warm up. I was in seat four, which comes in handy. People can't see how badly I am paddling. So the order in the boat was Jeff, Dan, Hugh, and myself. We practised a couple of starts. Six hard slow power strokes , and then smoothly building the stroke rate up.

Our start was a little rocky , but after about 50 meters we got into sync. We held our own, but could not catch Victoria, and came in second. It was a good race. After thanking everyone for a good race, it was off to the beach, and some warm clothes. Another hour plus wait before the 500 meter final. The sun actually managed to come out, and the warmth was appreciated after a cold morning.

I managed to get some sleep before the final. For the final, I switched the high seat for the low seat in the Super Lancer, which would help me put more power on the blade without having to deal with balance. I was in lane two, for the final. After a brief warm up, I headed for the start line. I looked down my lane and made sure that I had the correct colour of buoy on my right side. That way I would not cross into the other lanes.

My start was ok, but still needs work. Right from the get go, I was about four boats down on the start. For some reason I could not concentrate on technique and was basically flailing around. This does not make for speed in the boat. I think I came in sixth or seventh.

So I managed to make my goal of making it into the finals of the K1, but I was hoping to be closer to the front at the end. Being that regattas and racing against guys that are faster than you, helps you determine how much training you need to do. In this case, a lot. Also you get to observe the technique that makes a boat go fast. By watching the younger and faster paddlers, you can see what works and what does not, in terms of boat speed. It is helpful just to sit back and watch.

Next up was the 2000 meter race. I was number 10, but the order really doesn't make I difference. No one really line up in order on these races. The starter tries to get it right, but the paddlers are not really helpful, by lining up before being called to the line. My self included.I moved over to the middle of the start line, to get a better line to the turn at the end of the course.

The start was fast, with Jaden and Garth blasting off. By the time I was almost at the turn, I think I was sitting in 8th or 9th. The whole time I just kept concentrating on putting the blade in vertically and pulling hard. I was behind Karol the whole 2000 meters, and could not get any closer than about three boat lengths. I did manage to keep other people behind me from passing. I could hear Steve behind me, and it acted like a motivation thing, to keep pushing.

It was a good hard race, and I am happy with my performance.

Readership Expanding

When I started this blog on January 2nd, 2008, I thought this was a good way of keeping a training log for my lead up to the World Masters Games in 2009, and to promote kayak racing in general.

Since then it has been read in 73 countries and over 2,000 unique visitors as per google. This is cool, and I hope some of my training will help others in their goals as well. As well as my failures. (learn from my mistakes)

Thanks for reading.

Darrell

Busy Week Ahead

This is going to be a really busy week, with two surf ski races and a regatta in Seattle on the weekend.

First up is tonight's core workout, and the way I am feeling right now, it is going to be tough.

Tuesday's race is Deep Cove #10, I am hoping everyone is bagged from the Round Bowen race on the weekend.

Wednesday is the World Masters Games road show, where i will be one of the guest speakers. I am really looking forward to it.

Thursday's race is Big Chop #4, which as always is a good race.

Friday is a travel day down to Seattle for the weekends sprint regatta. Also I will be checking out the Sammamish Slough for an adventure race I am doing on the 29th of this month. I need to check the parking, launch area, and the course before the race. I will probably go for a easy 10 kilometer paddle, along the course to see how it is.

Saturday and Sunday will have a lot of races packed into the two days.

By the time I finially get home on Sunday night, I think I will be completely bagged.

Registered For Worlds Masters

Registration opened for the World Masters Games last week , and we are now signed up to race in Sidney.

I am registered for K1 200m, 500m, 1000m and Mixed K2 200m, 500m, 1000m.

It feels good to have one more thing on our "to do" list for the games. Now we or should I say Amber, just have to tackle the next 500 or so items left. ;-)

Amber did a great job of getting us signed up for our respective regattas.

World Masters Games Roadshow Reminder

Just a reminder that the World Masters Games Roadshow is this Wednesday June 11th.

It takes place at the Best Western Richmond Hotel & Convention Centre, 7551 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, B.C. in the ballroom, and begins at 7:00 pm.


I have been asked to be one of the guest speakers, and will be discussing our experiences at the last games, and my preparation for the games in Sidney.

WMG 2009 Road Show Update

*****IMPORTANT NOTICE*****

You need an invatation to go to this meeting.

Email: rochelle.geeves@2009worldmasters.com right away.

The closing for this meeting is May 30th, 2008.

The meeting will be held in Richmond, B.C. On June 11th, 2008.

The venue will be:

Best Western Richmond Hotel & Convention Centre.
7551 Westminster Hwy.

In the ballroom, starting at 7:30pm

Topics covered:

Latest information on your sport
Advice on where to stay in Sidney
How to make the most of your visit
Social Programme
Bringing your equipment to Sydney

World Masters Games Update

Just a quick updated of the World Master Games in Sidney, Australia 2009.

Early Registration opens on June 2, 2008

June 9th, 2008 Edmonton Roadshow
June 11th, 2008 Vancouver Roadshow
July 31, 2008 End of Early Bird Registration Offer

I will post more information as it becomes available or go to:

http://www.2009worldmasters.com/