Now what...

Its Monday night.

My schedule today was as follows: work, pick up the cat from the vet and uh nothing. Yep you read it right folks. It's Monday night and I did NOT go to dragon boat practice. But what about the beautiful summer-like weather it would have been perfect! Yep it would have- but here's the thing DB season is O.V.E.R. Am I sad? Nope not in the least bit. Don't get me wrong, you all know how crazy I am about this sport, but it makes for a long season when you start practicing on the side of the pool in March and not finish till Sept. 24. practicing 2 or 3 times a week plus a few weekend festivals certainly takes a toll on a body... my ankle, knee, shoulders, back, you name it, it hurt at some point within the last 6 months. So with my monday's and wednesdays free- now what? Well tonight I hung out with my BFF at her new house that she jus moved into. I brought her dinner, helped her bring in a few boxes and we vegged and stared at the boob-tube watching hottie Wentworth Miller in Prison Break. Then we started watching the Bachelor. It felt so good to do nothing and spend time with one of my favourite people on the planet. Not really feeling guilty about not doing the laundry that I know I have to do after the weekend in MTL.

Right- the weekend in MTL- this past weekend was the last DB festival of the season. The Quebec Cup was the culmination of many months of work, many hours of practice. I left on Friday night since we had to be on site for 7am Saturday. Having 2 mixed boats, a men's and a woman's boat meant Saturday's race schedule was 5 x 500m races and one 2000m race. Sunday- 5x 250m races and one 2000m race.

(Paddle Demons racing at the Olympic Basin)

Nao'r came along to MTL for the weekend. He watched a few races, but mostly wondered around the city, hanging out at the old port, and getting us tickets to see the Sens vs. Habs at the Bell Centre on Saturday night! We didn't actually find out about the game till that morning, so this was definitely an impromptu evening out. So much fun!!! I must admit I was a little conflicted- having been a habs fan for as long as I can remember, living in O-town for the last 9 years, and after the Sens trip to the Stanley Cup last year, how can I notcheer for my (now) hometown boys??? I was so hoping for a tie! While MTL completely dominated the game, gerber saved the Sens collective butts and the boys from O-town took the game 2-1... oh well- la prochaine fois boyz!

(Me and Nao'r at the Sens vs. Habs game in MTL)

Thank goodness the game started at 7pm, cuz that meant we were able to crash by 10pm since I had to be on site again for 7am Sunday morning. Nao'r decided I should take the car and go on my own- he was going to stay in downtown for the morning then join me at the Olympic Basin for the afternoon races.

We finished around 4:30 or so on Sunday, so got home at 7pm Sunday night... I was asleep a mere 2 hours later, and (barely) woke up to the sound of my alarm this morning.


Tomorrow I'm heading to my second NHL game in 4 days... not a bad stat if you ask me! This time, ther'es no mistaking it- GO SENS GO!!!

Go Paddle Demons Go!

This past weekend was the annual Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival held at Mooney's Bay. This is the largest Dragon Boat Festival in North America, with 190 teams participating... with 22 people per boat, this translates into over 5000 paddlers (not rowers!).

This year, I'm with a new team, and couldn't be happier. My team embodies sportsmanship, athleticism, balance and positive attitude. And while there was no celebrating in the beer tent between races or even after Saturday's races, once Sunday afternoon came around and tent-city was brought down, we headed over to the beer tent to celebrate a phenomenal weekend of paddling our best and of course to collect our hardware. One of our mixed crews won bronze in the B final with a time of 2 minutes, 8.6 seconds- making us approx. 11th overall fastest team of the festival (out of 190 teams). Our women's crew made the A final making us the 7th fastest women's crew of the festival and in the top 50 of the entire 190 teams with a time of 02:26.86- quite an accomplishment for a crew who only practiced together 4 times prior to the festival- and who had never raced a 500m race together before (let alone the four that the weekend called for).

I love this sport so much- the camaraderie, the exhilaration and rush of 20 paddles hitting the water at exactly the same rhythm for 2 solid minutes catapulting a 1000lb boat to glide over the water like a hovercraft- it's insane... I love it.

what an amazing weekend!

BBQs, patios, beer, hockey... what more can a girl ask for???????

How about zip lining through a forest, the occasional nap, getting my hair done, and why not throw in some shopping and a massage for good measure?

Yep that's pretty much what sums up my May 2-4 weekend! It was amazing! I spent such an amazing time with so many different friends, I truly was spoiled all weekend long!

Cathy and Bill spoiled me with a wonderful BBQ dinner Friday night to kick off the long weekend, and not to mention to celebrate my first compressed Friday off of the summer! Phil rounded out the bunch of us and as usual we had a phenomenal conversation and laughter. Saturday, Dom and a bunch of other friends we all went to Lafleche Aerial park for some zip lining and treetop obstacle courses. I have over a dozen bruises on both arms and legs (not even exaggerating here!). It was over three hours of an amazing adventure that I'll be sure to do again before the summer is over! After that, the group of us found a resto in Gatineau to watch the end of the Sens game cheering on our boys to the Stanley Cup finals.

Saturday night, I partied on the Sens Mile with some good friends, but alas, Cinderella was home by midnight as I had a couple hours of Dragon Boating Sunday morning to help out some new steers people (nothing like paddling in circles for two hours!). Oh I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that half of that time we were only 6 of us paddling per boat? Right. Oh yeah, and that zip lining adventure was a fricken workout. It was insane. That of course justified the 4 hour nap I then had on our rainy Sunday afternoon.

My buddy Jim then invited me over for a bbq.... and by bbq, I mean BBQ- steaks, salmon, grilled peppers, salads, wine, wine, wine... it was awesome! Great company with Kim and Ray too.

Kate and I met for lunch today in the market and then ventured to visit the Tulip Festival at Major's Hill park. It wasn't what I remembered, but it was still a lovely stroll around the park. Oh right- this was after a pitcher of Sangria at the Black Tomato. Quite possibly, the best Sangria in the city. DELISH! Then some shopping in the Rideau centre, which despite working right next too, I haven't actually shopped there a few weeks. Good deals, good times...

Cap the weekend off with another hour-long Dragon Boat practice, and VOILA, you've got one happy, tanned, tired blonde chick ready for a summer filled with fun and laughter!

pain. i'm in lots of pain

but it's the good pain. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

This weekend, my dragon boat team, the Paddle Demons, went to Lachine (MTL) for a training camp. Two-boats worth of us went. Practices were from 10-2 Saturday and 9-1 today (Sunday). The first practice on Sat. AM we were taped, which allowed us to see what it is we look like when we paddle. I was so happy that the only comment the coach made to me was for me to keep my head straight, and he said i had already improved from the morning. YAY!

By the time the fourth practice came around this afternoon, we were spent. I was spent. Every ounce of energy I had had disappeared. Was it the sun? the wind? the cold? the 3 weeks worth of paddling crammed into 2 days? the copious amounts of beer we drank when we went out Saturday night? Yeah, I'd probably say a good combo of each. Actually the beer not so much. We were all so tired from Saturday's practice, and knowing very well we'd have to do it again today, and be sore before we even started, lots of water was consumed to help rehydrate.

I hurt. I'm sunburned. My body aches. My arse is sore from that damn wooden seat. My back is aching- I'm now aware of muscles that I don't know if I knew I had or if I just forgot they existed.

So much fun.... so so so much fun.

My summer love

I love dragon boating. I do. I fell in love with the sport the first time I put a paddle in the water 3 years ago. uh two years. yes, this is my third year. Right. Ok but it feels like longer, I think because I feel like it's such a part of me that I've just been doing it forever.

I love it. Tonight was our first practice. My first on the water practice with my new team, the Paddle Demons. It was frickin cold tonight, practice was from 8-9pm @ Mooney's Bay. Getting into my car and driving to practice even felt good. I could do that drive with my eyes close (I won't, but i probably could).

I froze my ass of with half of my new team, and we starting dusting off the cobwebs and shaking the bits of rust of and greasin' up the ole muscles. Man I hurt. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Did I mention how much I love it? Ok I'll stop.

The calmness of the water. The power in my paddle. The synchronicity and rhythm of 22 paddlers hitting the water all at once thrusting the boat to glide across the water.

Damn being in the water felt good.

btw- It's official in case you didn't notice: SUMMER HAS BEGUN!!!!!!!!

It's DB season again!!! Bytown RIP, Long live the Paddle Demons!

Yesterday (Saturday) morning was the first pool-paddling session i could make with my new Dragon Boat team. Yes, it's sad to say that my beloved team of two years, the Bytown Paddlers, is now defunct. Bytown and the paddle Demons are arguably Ottawa's two top teams. We have enjoyed an extremely amicable (read: we get drunk together) relationship while maintaining our competitiveness on the water. For the last two years, we've been very closely matched on the water. Fort he 2007 paddling season, the Bytown team has lost a number of significant paddlers for a variety of reasons. This year, seemed to make for the smooth merger of the two teams which had been in talks over the last couple of seasons.

The Paddle Demons have been doing pool sessions for a few weeks now but I had to miss them due to the trip to Toronto and subsequent ankle issue. Frankly ankle or not, I was getting my paddlin' arse tot he pool for practice yesterday (even though it was at 8:30 am). Paddle and sandals in tow... off I went. Oh dear God how I missed it. I love paddling. I love love love love love love love it. Uh did I mention how much I love it? I'm all of a sudden realizing that while my summer months revolves around this fantabulous sport, some of you dear faithful readers may really be thinking I've lost my mind, not having ever been introduced to this phenomenon. Well Dragon Boating is awesome. 22 people in a big-arse canoe, paddling with such force that our boats (the good ones that is) can go 500 meters in 2 minutes. it's awesome.

Below: this is me "calling" or drumming (hence the drum) at the team at the 2006 Ottawa fest. The caller is the strategist of the race... yelling at the team when she wants needs more power, ensuring always that they are in sync with one another. Rhythm is key

Below: here's the best pic ever taken. One of our team-mates took this shot from a bridge as we were going under it at the Toronto GWN festival in September 2006.

This year, with my new team we'll be doing 5 festivals in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto- be sure to check it out... and for my faithful readers back home- go check out the Windsor festival (not that I've been) but I'm sure it's a great time (i.e. all festivals have a beer tent)!!!!!

Can't wait to get back on the actual water (and not in the pool) in May!!!