Archive for September, 2007
Great White North Dragonboating Championships
WRCC leads and wins the B Final Race churning down the Marilyn Bell Park Course
For the past 15 years I have watched the meteoric rise of dragonboating not just in Toronto, or Southern Ontario, but across Canada. And Canadians are very good at dragonboating. For example, at last years World Team Dragonboat Championships, which were held in Toronto, Canadian teams did very well indeed. For example, the Pemberton Laoyam Eagles won 7 golds of the 9 medals (see our write up here) available to the Junior teams. Canadian Dragonboat teams ended up steeling away almost 2/3 of all the hardware up for grabs. Note “steeling” is deliberate – the racing is very good across the country and as a result Canadians are do very well in international dragonboating competitions.
Now it is curious why Canadians should be good at a sport that is native to China and has only in the last 20 years or so grown in popularity in Canada.
OHDBC Hydrophobic Dragons – a typical dragonboat
Dragon boating is a curious sport as can be seen from the picture above. There are 20 paddlers, 1 steer-person and 1 drummer per dragonboat. The boats are all fitted with a decorative dragonhead and a lingering tail. Teams are made up of all men, all women, or mixed crews. There are age groups stretching from Juniors (roughly high school age) through to over 50 senior level teams. The sport is popular worldwide, as the World Championships had teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, The UK, Ukraine, USA just among the winners.
The origin of dragonboating is traced back to 500BC in central China with the rise of the Qin dynasty during the Warring States transition period. This corresponds to the rise of the Olympic games in Greece. However, dragonboating has had a rambunctious tradition:“It is believed sacrifices, sometimes human, were involved in the earliest boat racing rituals. During these ancient times, violent clashes between the crew members of the competing boats involved throwing stones and striking each other with bamboo stalks. Originally, paddlers or even an entire team falling into the water could receive no assistance from the onlookers as their misfortune was considered to be the will of the Dragon Deity which could not be interfered with.” Fortunately, Dragonboating is quite civilized now but still quite closely raced.
Watching the A Consolation Final at Marilyn Bell Park
This year the Great White North Championships were held in Marilyn Bell Park on the Lakeshore between Ontario Place and The Boulevard Sailing and Tennis Club. Just go straight down from the Dufferin Gates at the CNE Grounds through to the Lakefront and proceed to the right for half a kilometer or so – it is a pleasant walk along the lakeshore with the breakwater following the shoreline. There is a bicycle and jogging trail alongside the lakeshore which on the weekends gets pretty brisk traffic from late Spring to late Fall so the setting for the GWN Dragonboat Championships is quite attractive.
In fact as I watched the A Final Race, the last and Championship race of the day(see screenshot below), it suddenly dawned on me why Canadians are a)attracted to
and b)do very well in dragonboat racing. There is a long tradition, going back hundreds of years, with the voyageurs and fur traders in Canada for using canoeing for thousands of miles as the first transportation web in Canada. It also helps that the thread of lakes, streams and rivers across the Great Canadian Shield offers almost continuous connections from NewFoundland to the Rockies. And of course this rowing tradition shows in the Olympics where Canadian rowers, kayakers and canoers have produced an abundance of Olympic medals for the past 50 years.
Rower training among moored dragonboats
One can see this tradition because just down from Marilyn Bell Park is the Toronto Canoe Club. It is not unusual to see rowing crews leaving the waters just as dragonboat crews start their training runs. There is definitely a sense of rivalry between the canoe, rowing and kayaking communities to see who will do better in international competitions. Just ask any elite dragonboat team if they steal ringers from the rowing or kayaking community … danger, danger, do not attempt this unsupervised.
B Final Start of the Race
So one would expect the GWN races to be pretty competitive and spectators were not disappointed. The times were hovering around 2:10 seconds going into the final heats. Now to put that into perspective, the World Record for 400metres in swimming is 3:40 by Ian Thorpe of Australia, but remember swimmers get to re-launch themselves off the wall every 50 meters. The World Record for the 500 meter dash is Italian Donato Sabia’s 1.00 minute flat time.
Missing from this years GWN were two-time champions Sudbury Chiropractic who had just won on August 28th the first inaugural Canadian National Championships in Calgary with a clocking of 1:58.92 for 500 meters. However, one could see that the wind was up and the times were slipping down as the day advanced. For example, in the A Open Consolation Final, the Canadian National Women’s team, prepping for the World Championships in Sydney Australia from September 20-23rd ,were two seconds slower than their mid-afternoon time in finishing a fast closing second at 2:09:53. So the final race of the day the A Open Final figured to be a bit slow but very competitive.
However, the race turned out to be very different from anticipated One team, Miller Genuine Dragons managed to set a pace despite wind and water turbulence
Genuine Miller Dragons have a half boat lead in the A Open Finals
that the other teams could not match. At the races end Miller Genuine Dragons were in at 2:01.27 nearly four seconds ahead of the Imperial Dragons. Normally, the racing gets closer as you reach the top rated clubs. Also rough water and headwinds tend to compress the field again. So this was a victory well worth noting.
Also worth noting was the monies raised for the Big Brother and Big Sisters charity at the GWN Championships. Each year, GWN sponsors a charity and helps to raise funds with a variety of events during its two day run. This year over $50,000 was raised for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Finally, the move to Marilyn Bell Park provided the event a little more stretching room and new vistas. Previously held just a kilometer east at Ontario Place breakwater, races had to held up for the navigation of pleasure boats up and down the breakwater channel. No such problems this year, and as you can see from the pictures, there is a new view and venue for GWN – it will be interesting to see how the event changes over the next few years.
New Views at GWN
Mill Pond Park
Fountain on the Lake
There is a jewel of a park in Richmond Hill just north of the Public Library on the lip of the hills that were once the shore line of ancient Ice Age Lake Iroquois The city has smartly chosen not only to develop the area but rather to zone residential around the park and refurbish the lake around the old mill way. So right next to the old Main Street there is a taste of the old wilds that was North of Toronto.
Gazebo with Lake
The city has added a reinforced pathway and steps down to the shoreline, a gazebo with surrounding trees and tables, plus wide pathways on the north shores. The steps and Gazebo are a natural lead into skating during the wintertime. In the summer, the fountains on the lake add a cooling mist to the breezes and a splendor to the park. And of course their are plenty of lake moochers … geese and ducks that get their fill of handouts from the local kids and walkers..
However, what is even more interesting is that the northern approaches and shorelines of the lake have been left largely untouched. So there are small hillsides dropping to the North Lagoon with big fields of bulrush and cattails shaded by water-hardy willows. And skirting around the lagoon, meandering up and down the hillsides are wide pathways that take walkers right into old lush stands of prime forest – big pines, maples, and oaks. This is primeval, climax forest.
These are the types of woods where kids energy and imagination can run rampant like playing as courier de bois making a beaver-pelt-packing run through to Fort York. Or one could be a swashbuckling pirate hiding a treasure trove just up the creek and by the big old Black Oak with its gnarled branches pointing to the hiding place. Or it could some menacing monster in the …. this is an adventure park for running away with your imagination.
Dining at Dusk
As well the park is for a variety of fun. If you go to the park you will see not a few joggers and walkers using the park as the starting or round and returning end point of their longer treks through North Richmond Hill. In fact Mill Pond is like Hyde Park in West Toronto, a place for general public amusement. I saw badminton players in one corner and just across the way an improv game of Ultimate with its fast passing of frisbee and great runs. This is a place to be entertained and entertaining and so its no surprise the city has everything from its Jazz Fest to Thanksgiving celebrations at Mill Pond.
In the clamorous rush of urbanizing, something that Canadian Sociologist Jane Jacobs so shrewdly watched and then wrote about so incisively, there has to be at times what Ms Jacobs described as serendipitous good fortune. In the suburbs of Toronto, there are many parks and golf courses, but few jewels as accessible and lovely as Mill Pond Park.
One of the problems in the economy is the rise of the big box stores whose deep discount prices are hard to match so they tend to glom up a lot of business. But what gets lost in the shuffle is reuse and service. Now what do I mean by reuse ? Big Box stores do not want you to get repairs, they want you to buy new. So service and warranty on my less than one year old computer meant instead of repairs I got bucks back in the form of a gift card intended for a rebuy of a new computer. Ditto for my 7 month old printer. Ditto again for the less than 2 year old toaster.
So when the battery ran out on my Timex watch, I did not want to buy a new watch just replace the battery. But not the people at the Mall Store or the Bigbox Mart. The people at the Mall Store were courteous enough but they just did not have the expertise or the battery to do the repair. And Bigbox Mart people were totally into replacement – “if you have had it for 4-5 years, its time to replace it”.
So when I entered Hepburn Jewellers in Port Hope I was none too hopeful that I would get what I wanted – a battery replacement for the Timex so it could keep on tickin for 5 more years. Silly me. The lady immediately took the watch and within 3 minutes I had a tickin Timex. The gals even got the Timex set to the right time – I have to keep the instructions on setting the watch in a safe drawer at home so I can change the time at “the Daylight One Hour Delight In Resetting the Watch” each Fall and Spring. So the gals at Hepburn jewellers managed to easily please a customers with their fast care and service. To double the delight, the new battery saved me a bundle on getting a new watch.
So rethink the Big Box bargain. At the Main Street store often the prices are close; but if you are thinking repair, reuse and courteous service – well stores like Hepburn Jewellers are hard to beat.
French Pirate Ship of Music and Colors
Hidden in a cove by the waterfall down from the Dufferin Gates next to the Bandshell and of course Better Living was anchored a Pirate Ship Fantastical, Aquarêves direct from France by La Compagnie Malabar . On board this Fantastical Ship were a troupe of musicians, jugglers, tumblers, gymnasts, pogo-stick strutters extraordinaire and, of course, a mystery woman. And all for the benefit of THEx goers who happened to stroll by around 10 each evening. I made sure I did on last Friday night.
The event explodes with a guitar and siren song of music and lights as the pirates appear on deck and then swarm around the boat tumbling and pogo-stick jumping like dolphins at play, swinging and animating the vessel with their shadowed movements. But the jumpers and tumblers are not the only ones at play, as there are a bank of lights projecting fantastic colours, masks and shapes onto the all white vessel. Shades of this last Winter’s Cavalcade of Lights, when Frenchman Olivier repainted Old City Hall in a wonderous projection of ever changing, yet precisely fitted textures, hues and music too.
Magical Costumes – photo by Nicole Babin
Then a sonorous guitar riff announces the unfurling of a sail into a mystery woman dangling by white ribbons over the starboard bow. And suddenly she is twisting and shaping her shroud in an acrobatic sequence that changes from black and white to painted hues and then into hard rock diminuendo. And just as she alights, the scene changes again to magically horned head-dressed jugglers on stilts doing their prestidigitation alone and then in twos while a spike-haired mischief bounder tries to upset the showboaters.
Jugglers Extraordinaire on Stilts
But the musicians will have none of this and in the instant an aria of liquid lyrics and music has harmony restored as the stilt-walkers are now blowing bubbles to eveyone around. And I and the crowd, which has tripled in size and now fills the complete plaza, are enthralled. Now not a moment to lose because a new set of hues and sounds has our stilt-players doing acrobatics and sparring with light sticks, now jumping over them and one running up a pole pursued by our spike-haired mischief-maker. Its like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean just stilted towards the madcap and phantasmagorical.
LightRope Jumping
Within a blink the mood, music, and mercurial colors have changed beats again and now our stilted players are skipping to the music and jumping over a lightrope – this time Spikehair gets the the turn of things: his long hairs catch the rope. But no matter, because the crowd is ohhhing and ahhing as a shaft of fireworks hits the plaza and suddenly the ship is alight in sparklers and fire whistlers. Talk about tripping off the light fantastic.
Fireworks Fun
Even the players seem to pause to enjoy the light show; but not the musicians whose string rhythms now scream out a fast and wild beat. You know they must be up to something. And suddenly one of the troupers had a huge plastic tube out of which was blowing the froth of white soap suds filling the air. And of course the lightshow colored the suds various tints of blue yellow, green and then orange in almost a magical way – changing the suds into orange blossoms, blue petals, and then golden daubs. Then the players pulled off their last bit of magic – and slide open the gates separating the crowd from the plaza stage. And not a few audience members were eager to frolic in the soap suds and fun … and within a minute the whole plaza was filled with soapsters – audience and dreamers playing in the suds.
Soaps on Finale – photo by Nicole Babin
Now I am sure that not everyone was thrilled – but the suds were wet, cool and harmless. However, the show was not – and in fact I heard the definitive statement from a non-soapster as I was leaving the plaza – “what a show, What A Show, WHAT A SHOW!” I could not help thinking of the Dutch company, Close Act Malaya, that came to Toronto for the 2004 Winter Festival, and put on stilt and lighted drama of no small acclaim. Our French pirates were mining the same vein but this time with a very piquant pace and sense of humor. Bravo – what a wonderful show indeed.
One of the ways I gauge the popularity of THEx in Toronto is how many people are out taking the Rides on the Midway. This year there seemed to be an upsurge in age on the rides – more 20 somethings and even an uptick in Freedom 55-ers. The rides appeared more crowded than usual as well; but of course this is statistics by impressions – and with only 3 nights at THEx- not the best of samples; but I will stick by my observations and say that the Midway Rides are seeing better business.
There may be three reasons for this. First, the younger kids have their own Midway over by the Dufferin Gates. These are smaller rides, lower cost, but most important of all there is not the same vigilance required at the regular Midway to screen out non-qualifying kids. Second, the weather was less rainy and also not so muggy as the last two years, particularly at night. Finally, and probably most importantly there are more challenging rides. This review will look at the challenge or Freak-out Factor in the THEx rides.
First lets consider what makes for good rides. Staggering heights and daring speed immediately come to mind adding a small spice of fear. But the experience with great rock sounds and Das Blinken Lights makes the mood frenetic. However, one has to realize that going on a CNE ride is a contact sport – the whole idea is to be jostled around and therefore in unexpected touch with that belle dame by “the forces of nature” – or at least physics. Of course those same forces can dash-and-mash you up against the side of the car or that big oafing stranger too. Maximum surprise contact opportunity is of course provided by the rides with circular seating (“the gals… they were all over me, all over me”) and at least two degrees of swing freedom – more on that later. Now lets examine some of the Midway’s favorites.
The Ferris Wheel
This Midway standby has three major factors going for it – height, especially when you are at the top of the wheel, the winds are up, the car is roiling and its taking forever to get people loaded on. Speed is usually not so great, I have yet to be on a wheel that really motored around. But contact sport – now that is the basis of the wheels continuing popularity. If you get in a three abreast car – be sure to dive for the middle seat except if you are going with your four-eyed cousins Hanz and Franz – my condolences. More true romances have blossomed on a Ferris Wheel than corn seeds in a Warkworth field…if you know what I mean.
The Roller Coaster
THEx’s one ride which used to stay over winter, the Roller Coaster, is long gone. In its place is a what I call the Mining Car Rider, THEx calls it Mark I. Now again, a roller coaster has two-abreast contact – so it is a classic joy ride up their with the ferris wheel. But gone with Mark I is the old stand-bys of scary heights and blazing speeds. However, the Mark I makes up for that with unexpected dips, tips and whipping turns – in short, with two abreast seating, this means great “accidental” contact opportunities. Now if the contact is with Swarthy Joe, the CNE can’t be responsible for that “accident”….By the way the Mark I is best ridden at night – that is when the lighting is better because its worse – you plunge into darkness and then suddenly emerge in to the brightest of colored lights.
Fun NoNo Rides
If you are looking for rides that are fun, especially with a group either during the day or at night, try the EuroSlide or the Carousel Swing. I saw an awful lot of 20-Somethings having a blast on both rides. But these are NoNo rides because they are solitary – the opportunities for a serendipitous touching are somewhere between slim and NoNo chance. So be forewarned, you are in for a religiously good time on these rides.
Rides with 2 or More Degrees of Freedom
Cyclone, I think…
Here is a sample of a ride with one degree of freedom – its a roller coaster on the inside of a wheel. This goes very fast, not too high, but did I tell you it is very very fast? One problem is one-abreast seating …. yep ohhhhhhhhh tooooo baddddd. The other downside is that this ride is locked into one position – round and round. After you conquer the fear of riding upside down – there are no more challenges . Now compare this with the Zipper.
The Zipper
This ride has a long history at THEx. I remember watch about ten years ago couples lining up to go into what I thought at the time was a dumb cluck ride. You stand up 3-4 in a cage that is able to swing freely. There are are about 6-8 cages on a pair of beams that themselves rotate – aha, the second degree of freedom. So as The main two beams spin, the cages inside , linked by chains, also spin too, counterclockwise, and topsy turvy. Very disorienting especially with the roaring music and plenty of Das Blinken Lights. The spin from the outside does not seem so fast and it stays in one plane, so how bad could it really be – screams be damned. But on the inside – its hold on tight.
Now riders are strapped by safety harnesses into place. But let me suggest a)there is room to maneveur and b)there is a need to hold onto someone. So make sure you get in the car with the two gals in short-shorts, just giggling with fun. But be careful, take the Zipper for a couple of spins beforehand lest you be the one helped out of the cage by the two girls in shorts shorts with advice like “there is a Men’s Washroom just around the corner where you can go cleanup. Hope you are feeling better …”
The Swing
This is an example of a NoNo ride, the Carousel Swing, being transformed into a GoGo ride. First the seating is two abreast for all you true romantics. Second, the Swing rises up while whirling riders around to about 100-150 feet in the air – as tall as the Ferris wheel. Third, just as the Swing reaches it top height it slows down a bit and then speeds up for full-out whip around action – “dear, don’t worry you’re in my arms”. In short, the Swing has it all – height, lights, two degrees of freedom and speed galore. Not only fun but also 5 star True Romance opportunities.
The Orbiter
Here is a smallish ride that hardly looks intimidating but don’t be fooled. The Orbiter is a two abreast monster ride of three degrees of freedom which has speed and flashing lights to burn plus the ability of the car arms to flex in and out and up and down on a central pivot that itself can lean sideways. Finally, each car swivels while being whipped around at amazing speeds. This is definitely another 5 Star True Romance Ride.
For example, the other night I was prepared to be found in dereliction of photographic duty at the Orbiter when a buxom brunette pouted “Now who is going to ride with me.” Yes those were green eyes of jealousy daggering the guy who had to come to her rescue. No wonder I got more pictures of the Orbiter than any other Midway Ride this year.
The Claw
I would call the mauling Claw the epitome of 5 Star True Romantic rides if I could only manage to live through a ride without … ahem. Think of this as the the Zipper and Orbiter combined into a devilishly fiendish ride. Like the Zipper you are standing up in carefully harnessed postion, but unlike the Zipper, the Claw has three degrees of freedom similar to the Orbiter. There are are claws with clusters of four riders attached. Those clusters pivot. Then the whole claw assembly rotates. Then the whole claw is at the end of a long lever that rotaes thrugh 200 plus degrees of oscillation. Fast – very fast. The photo above suggests all the gyrations. If you and your date live through this ride, and she still really likes you, marry her – you aren’t going to find anyone that can enjoy the good and the bad like her.
Every year, the day after Labor Day I feel a little nostalgia as the THEx deconstructs and I feel a little more or less SuperBad – depending of course on how many rides with Two or More Degrees of Freedom I got to take over the previous eighteen days. Every Ex I also get a lesson in the meaning of SuperBad – its to be cursedly fifteen and dorky at twenty five, forty-three or sixty and counting and loving it. And like Snidely Whiplash, more often than not its “Curses Foiled Again”.
This is dedicated, this is dedicated to the one I love.
You are at the THEx and it is hot, steamy, hot, muggy and just plain too hot – you need some cool relief. Well the THEx’s secret and surprising delight was they had an Ice Show at Ricoh Coliseum with over 3000 seats cooled to around 20 degrees Celsius – and it was all free. Here is where you would be sitting and cooling off:
The Ricoh Show Place
Now the good folks at THEx would supply entertainment – an Ice Capades-like Salute to Broadway. I had heard word that the show was quite good so on a hot Friday afternoon I was more then ready to try out the cool Salute.
So I made my way to the Ricoh Coliseum which is where the Toronto Marlies play sandwiched between the Horse Palace and the International Centre. Sure enough cool and shadow was the word. Ricoh was about half full by the time I got there but the good news is that there is not a bad seat in the house. And the good news about the show must have gotten out because the Coliseum was near full to the brim when the show got started.
Phantom of the Opera
And what a start! The lights came up blue and revealing a circle of skaters with torches revolving while the aria of Phantom of the Opera was sung live by a skating Phantom. Talk about a dramatic opening number! I must admit I had expected canned music and I was delighted to hear not just a live voice but a great rendition. And the singing performance seemed to inspire the skaters who were sharp and crisp throughout. And they have distractions – flash cameras are not allowed but the big spotlights were flashing on and off while changing hues and masks, that has to be a challenge to the skaters who are going non-stop in a series of numbers and acrobatic performances.
Cats
Cats followed with an upbeat tempo and skaters pirouetting and preening themselves all over the ice. Here the music and two pairs skaters blended well together with the lyrics and song. Add the skating choreography and lighting – the results were quite enthralling. You could hear members of the audience having their breath taken away – especially with the pairs lifts and dramatic death spirals.
Lion King
Having seen two top notch productions with great voices and innovative ice choreography, I was preparing for a letdown. Wrong! The dramatic lighting and overture came up for Lion King and again I and the audience were treated to a mini-masterpiece of staging and sound. First, masked lighting changed hues in a throbbing style matched to the music’s swings. Second, two young skaters frolic like lion cubs on the ice matching each others jumps and spirals in an exuberant display – a romp straight from the movie. The show adds some high trapeze stylings and then switches again to a moving full ensemble finale.
Chicago
When the lights and All That Jazz came up on Chicago there was a round of applause – wow what staging.! The under fourteens in the audience were treated to some steamy numbers that raised the temperature a few degrees. Salute to Broadway was doing it again with outstanding singing matched by wonderfully creative ice choreography. And Chicago like Cats used pairs of skaters well mixed with the music and song. Very entertaining.
Cage Aux Folles
I didn’t think that the Lion King was going to be matched for sheer color and styling – wrong again. The troupe did quite a staging number with Cages Aux Folles. Again the lights and masks were sumptuous as were the costume while the skating was nothing short of acrobatic with dramatic jumps and spins. In fact the acrobatic exuberance pumped up the lyrics and song. It was remarkable to see such great singing while skating. Now I started to wonder what would Salute to Broadway serve up next.
Evita
Well I should know by now. And yes, the producers used the haunting songs of Evita with red ribbon acrobatics to stunning effect along with a very inventive slow change of colour, masks, and strobe lights. It also helps to have a beautiful rendition of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina. But the styling of the skating changed as well, a slower pace more spins and spirals timed to the tempo of the singing and music.
Grease
What a better Broadway show to do the final number with than Grease. The rock and roll beat allows for all sort of jumps, spins, spirals, and general hotdog skating- one could easily see Canada’s Elvis Stoyko having fun in this number. But even without Elvis the exuberance of the singing and dancing … oops, skating was absolutely infectious. It was a toe tapping and hand clapping good time and a super end to the show.
So consider that I had just happened to overhear the people at the CNE Info booth praising the show(no sign of this show in the newspapers; but I did not do a thorough search either), found the going hot and muggy – and so I decided to take an afternoon cooler break at Ricoh. And what did I get ? A Very Cool Salute to Broadway show with great singing, skating and super staging. It was like getting the price of the CNE ticket refunded and then some. The only thing missing -well rammaa dammaa ding-dang I am too busy humming sweet nothings on my wayout to figure that out.
