events

Only 68 days until HHP’s 2018 Open House Kick-Off!

Dear Paddlers (and would-be paddlers),

This is to let you know that the 2018 version of Haliburton Highlands Paddlers Annual Open House, will take place on February 4th, 1:30pm, at the Fish Hatchery.

Full details will follow closer to the event. Join us on February 4th to be involved with planning the 2018 season and to take advantage of our great door prizes.

Please consider volunteering to help with festivals, or joining the management committee.

Bring a friend, all “new” paddlers are welcome!

Remember: Paddles Up!

Coaches Appreciated by ALL

Coaches Appreciation Night – Aug. 31, 2017

Without an experienced, qualified coach a Dragon Boat cannot venture out on the water. We at HHP are lucky we have three very experienced and enthusiastic volunteer coaches who have been “at the helm” for some time now!

They are Janine Papadopoulos, the coach who ‘got us off the ground and onto the water’ when the club was formed back in 2014; Scotty Boyd, an ‘old sailor’, well acquainted with still water and the pounding seas; Lois Deacon, who just joined as a coach this year and has a long history of dragon boating in various roles. She coached our Barrie team to its success this past August.

Also to be mentioned is our ‘fledgling’ coach Marg Cox who filled in for a few outings this year, her first as a qualified coach. Well done Marg, the paddlers look forward to going out with you next season again, ….. and not only for the jokes!

Chairperson Elli started the evening off with welcoming the large turnout of paddlers and introducing the Management Committee, in addition to expressing members’ appreciation to our wonderful coaches.

Coaches Scotty and Lois reported on our two Festivals, this season Port Perry & Barrie, and our efforts which were rewarded with some success.

Of course, even thinking about dragon boating works up an appetite and we were well served, again by a coach – Janine, whose “Into the Blue Bakery” with its mobile wood fired pizza oven turned out a selection of great pizzas and tossed salad (& a vegan one too!) until we could eat no more! Followed by the celebratory iced cake with a (partially) edible dragon boat & paddles decorating the top of it.

When all was consumed, we had a wonderful presentation by Mgmt. Committee member Chris Whittemore (aided by Carolyn & Pamela), of their trip to New Zealand this year to compete as members of IB Dragonboating in the 2017 World Masters Games. We were envious!

To wrap up the evening, Elli thanked by name all the many volunteers who have made our club the success it has become in only 4 years, and made a few announcements about possible winter paddling in “the tank”, plus coaching and steering courses, not to mention how to contribute to the club next season!

Soooo, you can put away your paddles now, but not too far, it’s only 5 months to our “Open House 2018”!!

And remember,

PADDLES UP!

Fun & Success in Barrie

HHP Women’s Team Performs Well at Barrie Festival

Haliburton made its mark at the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday August 26th, 2017. The three-race effort paid off, our team getting faster with each race: the Haliburton Highlands Paddlers placed second in the festival’s Female Consolation final.

In addition to our regular twice-a-week mixed (men & women) sessions on the water, race coach Lois Deacon had previously held two special Thursday evening practices just for the Barrie Festival team and made sure, on the day, that the 21-member (20 paddlers plus drummer) all-women team had fun, paddled hard and paddled in unison.

Our club chairperson and race drummer, Elli, was pleased with Saturday’s results, saying “it is unfortunate that we ended up in the Consolation Finals, our Consolation Final time was actually faster than all of the times posted in the Women’s main finals.”

Saturday marked the Barrie festival’s 15th year and a total of 48 teams from across Ontario competed. The atmosphere was great, the weather was superb and the venue was stunning.

Dragon boaters were asked to be mindful of the need in their local communities, Festival organizers specifying that each team should raise a minimum of $500 for a local charity.
The Haliburton Highlands Paddlers raised $1,696.00 to be shared by the Haliburton Food Bank and the Rowan Pettinella Fund!

Haliburton Highlands Paddlers competes in two dragon boat festivals each year. In June, our mixed team won a silver medal at the Port Perry Festival.

The Haliburton Highlands Paddlers, a women’s and men’s club, paddles two days per week on Monday and Wednesday at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. New members are always welcome.

The club’s 41-foot dragon boat, Susanna Foo, affectionately known as ‘the Foo’, is moored at the Patient News dock on Haliburton’s Grass Lake from May till mid-September, after which she is wrapped and stored for the winter at Haliburton RPM.
This year’s very successful season is about to draw to a close, with our last on-water session being Wednesday 5:30pm, Sept. 13^th.

On Thursday Aug. 31st, our 54-member club hosted its annual Coaches Appreciation Night at the Fish Hatchery. All the members of our club join in giving a great big thanks to our volunteer (& excellent!) coaches; Scotty Boyd, Lois Deacon, Janine Papadopoulos and Marg Cox, without whom there would be no “Foo Paddles Up” in Haliburton!

Invitation from the CHAIR

You are invited to

Coaches Appreciation Night

2017

Date and time: August 31, 2017, 6:00 pm

Location: Fish Hatchery, 6712 Gelert Road

Cost: $15.00 cash payment at the door

Bring: – Place setting – plate/cutlery

– a friend

Pizza and salads provided by ‘Into the Blue Bakery’

Come and express your appreciation to our wonderful coaches for

their many hours of volunteer time to our club.

Where would we be without them?

HHP Scores SILVER at Port Perry Dragon Boat Festival 2017-gallery

By Joan Ransberry

Lisa Werry and fellow paddlers “left it all on the lake” at the Port Perry Dragon Boat Festival Saturday, June 17.
Once again, the Haliburton Highlands Paddlers came home with hardware, placing second in the Mixed Division “D” to win a Silver medal.

The Port Perry festival was especially exciting for the 38 participating teams. In keeping with the commands of dragon boating, all eyes were in the boat. However, when boarding the boat at the beginning of each race, competitors looked up to the sky: The storm clouds loomed all day. The weather gods sure teased: the sky opened just as the awards ceremony got underway.
The Haliburton Highlands Paddlers didn’t mind getting drenched. “We waited in the downpour for coach Scotty Boyd and race captain Ginny Carmichael to hand out our hard-earned medals,” said Joannie Ransberry.

An especially proud competitor, Lisa Werry had one concern at the end of the third and final race.
“I wasn’t sure if I had enough energy left to get out of the boat,” said Lisa.

Team coach Scotty Boyd was very pleased with the results of the day. “The team did a fantastic job, especially in the last race,” Scotty said. “We had four first-time paddlers. They did a great job.”

First-time paddler Julia Donnelly came away from the race very impressed: “Everything was wonderful,” said Julia. “I had a great time.”

The Haliburton Highlands Paddlers appreciated the efforts of steerspersons Lois Deacon and Lillian Hall and, of course, drummer Jane Boyd.
“It was a very precarious race” said Jane. “I’m just glad my team didn’t dump me in the lake.” Once again, Edna Jamieson gave it her all. “There was lots of spirit from the paddlers, from the coaches and from the volunteers. It has been an amazing day,” Edna said.

The Haliburton team’s focus is now on the next festival to be held in Barrie on Aug. 26.
With a few more paddlers needed for this all-women’s race, a call has gone out to “fill the boat.”
Haliburton Highlands Paddlers chairperson Elli Armstrong is excited to enter the Haliburton team in the Barrie festival. “Last year we walked away with the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award. The Barrie festival is a wonderful venue and promises to be a great day. Let’s fill the boat!”

Dragon Boating opens a whole new world….

Dragon boating opened a whole new world for me when I began in 2013. It has included the joy of seeing baby loons, the rising mist, camaraderie, endorphins, laughter and physical exercise. Who knew it could get even better for me when Donna Enright began paddling in 2015.

I had no idea then that the paddling together, and getting to know each other at festivals would lead to a deep friendship and eventually a romantic relationship.

When we decided to get married, a couple of paddlers suggested that we consider arriving at the ceremony by dragon boat. The Club agreed and my friend since high school, Lois Deacon, agreed to coach and steer the crew. We are so very grateful to the Club, crew, fellow paddlers and the community for their support and sharing in our special wedding day.

We were feted with a champagne toast before our send-off on Susana Foo, who has never looked better with her refinishing, lots of fresh layers of varnish and sporting a beautiful dragon head and tail for the boat! What an honour! We were given a tremendous gift from the crew – a signed dragon boat paddle and a beautiful beginning to what we hope will be a long and happy married life together.

We appreciated the sunshine, the excitement, the enthusiasm of our paddling team as they ably paddled us to the town docks, after taking several passes past the band shell in Head Lake Park.

After the ceremony, we were delighted to make our transition into married life with a walk through a paddle arch formed by the crew.

Donna and Marg wedding paddle arch — Donna and Marg Wedding Paddle Arch

The day was perfect for us with the foundation of a magical dragon boat limo ride, surrounded by friends and cheered on by those on shore.

Donna and I give our heart-felt thanks to the Club, crew, fellow paddlers, coaches, club organizers and leaders and to Lois for helping make this a fantastic launch to our married life together!

Marg Cox

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