Big Summer Tournament

[mrkeeg]

Hello all. :wavey:

We are speculating about a big summer tournament to be held in Red Deer, at the bower or 3 mile bend ponds. Both are frequented by the innocent bystanding citizens of Red Deer, so we might attract some attention (cool :cool:)

The idea would be to have a big tournament, free from the pressure of it being a championship, where everybody could have fun, play very hard, try new things and play LOTS OF GAMES. Either venue would give ample room for at least 3 FULL PITCHES. Combine this with the long daylight hours of the summer, and everyone will go home tired.

Camping is available nearby.

Red Deer is reputed to have the largest number of bars per capita in north america, or something silly like that... so when the sun goes down...
:cheers:

As for date... There is a big, relatively unplanned summer there. My only thought is that if it were the week immediately before or after nationals (in GP..) that some american players may stay for it - especially if there was some sort of training camp, or river running trip in between. (This might be backwards from the BC folks... who may not want to stay in Alberta that long, and also may not want the big drive twice in a row...rats..) The other consideration is that, if some players were planning to go to europe (I notice all the european events on our calendar), we would have to plan around that...

There is obviously a lot of work to be done on our part, but does anyone have thoughts? Good times? Would people come from a far to play here?

Thanks,
Keegan

[Jamison]

hey keegan this "pond".... it doesn't contain leeches and other kinds of gross invertabretes like at the CKC

:silly:

[mrkeeg]

Hey now, leeches and healthy populations of many other invertebrates are part of a functional and varried ecological system..

But actually, the 3 mile bend ponds are pretty sterile compared to the "silver" lagoon, so no worries!

PS: 85 views here, and only 1 comment?

-Keegan

[shooter]

Sounds Great!

Just give me some dates and I'll try my best to make it.

Andrew :ninja:

[Jamison]

man keegan... can't handle the bugs/ etc...... ughhhh



:waah:

[mrkeeg]

OK, it looks like there may be enough interest to go with this.

So, how do we entice the greatest # of people out? I need to get some basics figgured out pretty soon.

For you BC people (Tristan, Marese, Ben)... Would it be good to hold it the weekend after nationals (July 5,6), and offer some river tripping and/or polo camps for the week in between? (Canada day is tuesday). My thinking is you may not want to drive to AB two weekends in a row. Alternately, we could hold it at completely another time.

Brainstorms:
I'm thinking the tourney would start as early Friday afternoon as possible (local teams first), and go till dusk, then go ALL of the daylit -Saturday, and do finals either sat night or sun morn (depending on participation), to leave sunday as a traveling day.

I am looking for sponsors for _cash_ prizes. Not sure this has been done before at a polo tourney - the cash would go to the club of the winning team, to assist thier program in some way (equipment purchase, coaching, up to you...)

Teams would enter the standard categories (open, club, novice), clubs would be expected to submit fairly balanced teams, and encouraged to try new things. We could also have some "breaks" from the regular playing schedule for some "special" exhibition games (U21 guys and gals, Masters, recombined open teams) between teams that would be made from all eligible players present. (ie, if you are U21 or O35, you would be put on a team for this)

Hey, why not a blindfolded game?
(nevermind... couldn't find a blindfolded smiley with an "I'm stupid" sign.)

I digress... please let me know any thoughts you have, ESPECIALLY AND MOST TIMELY WITH REGARD TO DATES.

Thanks a lot!

Keegan

PS: we will need to talk to someone (EWP) about equipment. We can certainly rent / compensate the costs for the use of boats, paddles, PFDs and helmets.

PPS: the smiley's on this site are great. I'm pretty excited about this tournament :hump:

[Brad]

I'm in if it happens before August 1.
BC

[KAP]

Keegan,
Sounds like a good idea, but won't the polo get in the way of the bar hopping?

[sp_edey]

Kyle that's why we need to get messed up before hand and then it wouldn't be a problem. I'm in. :cool:

[spike]

im in to. what are the teams to be, dose it have to stay club or can we register with who ever we want. also what are th dates for sure, if we know yet. thanx.

[JW Lester]

Do y'all have any dates for this tournament yet? We (SF) are probably coming to GP. No guarantee we can do it since some of our team may need to get back home, but if there is any chance for pub crawling in Red Deer to fit into our plans, we will need to know before we book flights (ie. very soon).

:cheers:

Cheers,
John

[mrkeeg]

Well... it's sort of hard to think about a summer tournament since it looks like we're in the middle of another snowstorm :bang:

but OK, let's go with it. The weekend after nationals in GP.

I think this date has the best chance at attracting the most people. If you are from far away and can stay, it means you can get the most bang for your buck - 2 big tournaments in one trip, with 3-4 days in between to allow for some training camps, river running, and/or sightseeing/ relaxation and recovery, depending what people want. Contact me with ideas.

Since no one has said otherwise, I had better not hear any "Keegan, I'm too tired from nationals to play another tourney" :waah:
(why isn't there a smiley with a boot contacting its butt?)
:)

OK, stay tuned for further details, but put this date on your Calendar and spread the word!!

Keegan

[KAP]

I like the idea of having it the weekend after nationals. It would be wicked to unwind after the big tourney and play some more polo for fun.

[mrkeeg]

Just to keep you posted, (so ya don't think I've forgotton) things are going ahead in Red Deer! The city parks people actually seem keen and interested in helping to make it a great event! (This was quite a shock after dealing with crusty beurocrats for some events we've planned in my hometown...)

Anyway, planned start is aftrernoon Friday, July 4, to finnish evening Sat, July 5. A social event of some sort is being planned on Sat night. Nationals finish in GP I think midday June 30. I Tues, July 1 is Canada day. Many details are still being worked out.

I have heard from a # of people who plan to come. I'm not asking for registrations ahead of time, but it would be great to hear a "statement of interest" from you if you think you would like to come. Msg here, or email me mrkeeg@hotmail.com

I will continue to share details as they become available. Let me know how we can best accomodate you.

Beeee Cool, talk to you soon, see you in July...

Keegan

[mrkeeg]

a little info and pics of the venue here:
http://www.city.red-deer.ab.ca/Connecting+with+Your+City/City+Services+and+Departments/Recreation+Parks+and+Culture/Parks+and+Trails/Bower+Ponds+and+Great+Chief+Park.htm

[Roberto]

Looks like a nice place Keegan. As far a interest. You are now where I am at, having to deal with paddlers who can't commit (ah the life of a event organizer. Enough venting).

Perhaps the Saskaetchwan people will find this event close enough for them. I would sure like to see of them play polo again(taunting here).

I will publicize this event with the Wapiti club and hopefully that should get some more responses.
Good luck,
RK

[mrkeeg]

Well here it is! I would like to invite paddlers of all ages and skill levels to a weekend of fun, sun (garunteed?) and great paddling. Divisions will depend somewhat on interest, but we will certainly have a Club A/open competitive division, as well as hopefully a club B and a novice division. We could also have a youth division if there is interest. You may create a team from exclusively your own club members, or mix it up and play with some new people in a different combination if you like. Some effort should be made to balance the strength of teams. I hope to encourage a few very novice teams to form from locally, for example our boy scout troup is taking a clinic from us and considering entry - maybe some of you other clubs have people or groups in a simmilar situation... what a great opportunity to get them out to a fun polo event! Maybe you are a whitewater club with a base of strong paddlers - here is a great chance to try out some polo in a relaxed setting! If you would like to play, but do not have a team, come come - we will find someone for you to play with!

Bower Ponds should be a great venue for us. It is in a nice City of Red Deer park, and usually has a steady flow of people using the paths, renting paddle boats, eating ice cream and hanging out - good polo-publicity! It has lots of parking, and a pavillion with concession and good washrooms. http://www.city.red-deer.ab.ca/Connecting+with+Your+City/City+Services+and+Departments/Recreation+Parks+and+Culture/Parks+and+Trails/Bower+Ponds+and+Great+Chief+Park.htm

Games will start (if we can arrange for equipment) with local teams, playing 7:00-9:00pm on Friday night. We can then play from 8:00am-8:00pm on Saturday. In the case that there are quite a few (pre-registered!) teams, we can set up a second pitch and arrange for the additional equipment, to ensure that everyone gets enough games to tire them out! This leaves Sunday free for you to travel home, or perhaps head to the Briarly rapid near Rocky (not too far away....)

For out-of-towners, I can arrange some billets for Friday and Saturday nights. However, there will be a limited number, and you may have to stay at Calum's house (not for the weak!)(just kidding Calum...). Otherwise, camping is available 5-10min drive away, at the Lion's Campground on the Red Deer River. They do not take reservations, but if you would like a spot, let me know and I will get there early Friday and claim a spot for you.

Cost will be $20 for kids (Under 16), and $25 for others. Hopefully we will break even at this price, but it includes:
-A delicious catered Buffalo-on-a-Bun dinner, at the venue, on Saturday night. Includes potato salad, homemade pie, and soda pop!
-A local band, live on the stage at Bower Ponds. Saturday night.
-Enough games to tire you out!
-Use of equipment as you need: boat, paddle, PFD, helmet, and deck
-Massages from the Alberta Institute of Massage... Saturday afternoon, on-site in the massage tent (limited #).
-Prizes ? (I'm working on this)
-Suntan ?
***Note that low participation numbers would mean a neccessary reduction in the "extras", as I am not allowed to lose money! Please pre-register to aid in planning!

Volunteers are a vital part of any event. We will need some people to work as scorekeepers/timekeepers. The more people who are able to help out, the easier the load is for everyone. In return for your services scorekeeping/ timekeeping, I offer my undying appreciation, as well as free Buffalo-on-a-Bun dinner on Saturday night. We will need some local volunteers to assist in setup on Friday. If you can refferee, you are expected to, and if you have a good knowledge of the rules but have not reffed before, we can team you with a more experienced person on some novice games, this way you can help out and also build your reffing skill! For anyone bringing a non-paddling volunteer from out of town, I will try especially hard to arrange a billet for you! If you can volunteer, please let me know so that I can arrange times and ensure that we hae enough food on Sat night. Thank you very much for considering being a volunteer for our event.

Non-paddling, non-volunteers are very welcome join us for the dinner and band on Saturday night, extra dinner tickets cost $15.

So that's that, my friends! I hope that many of you may be able to join us for a great weekend in Red Deer. Please distribute this to all of your club members, and to anyone at all who may be interested! Also, pre-register to help in planning and to ensure that we can offer all the extras that we want! For pre-registration, I would like a preliminary "statement of interest" ASAP, followed by a confirmation and team list in the last week before the tournament. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or any suggestions on how we can best accomodate you team!

Thanks, see you soon!

Keegan Smith
VP Kayak Polo, Cottonwood Kayak Club

home (403) 556-6858
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