SD Digest 6/14/11

Space Dragons,

First and foremost, great freakin job in Vancouver!  Let's keep it up for Big Long Beach!

1.  PRACTICE Officially... for Wednesday (6/15), Saturday (6/18) and Sunday (6/19): NO PRACTICE! Take a well-deserved week off!  But be ready to get right back into butt kicking mode for Big Long Beach!  Alcan crew, take your well-deserved time and see you next week! Non-Alcan crew, we've been paddling and training non-stop since the beginning of the season too.  Overtraining is bad - week off!

Unofficially... if you don't want to take a week off, or perhaps you're already in butt kicking mode for Big Long Beach - "unofficial" practice will be held on Wednesday and Saturday (none on Sunday due to OC-2 testing).  What is unofficial practice, you ask? Well, the team is taking the week off. Thus, there will be no official attendance taken.  That also means captains and coaches will likely take the week off, so feel free to take a week off as well. 

But. if you would like to participate in Unofficial Practice, email ROD.  Otherwise, we may not have enough (i) coaches, (ii) steerspeople, or (iii) reserved boats.  We are required to have a coach on each boat, so if we don't have any one of the three, you'll end up doing an hour and a half of core and land workouts instead of paddling!  YAY! If there are too many paddlers for coaches/steerspersons planning on going, then it will be first-come first-serve (Rod makes final determination).  Coaches and captains need time off too; most of us won't be there.

General reminder: No attendance poll this week, but please fill out the attendance poll for each practice; Wednesday polls close at 7 PM on Mondays, weekend polls close at 7 PM on Wednesdays.

Parking reminder: please do not park on any street; Sunday mornings please do not park in the small Boy Scout lot (adjacent to the building), leave it for the elderly and physically challenged church goers

2.  OC-2 TESTING -- Sunday 6/19

Testing will be for Big Long Beach.  Required for a seat on the Red boat.
Don't really care to be on Red boat? You can still test to gauge how you progress.  The tests are completely anonymous and helps the coaches to help you improve 
You will receive individualized coaching and a video analysis of your technique. Then you can also see your own improvement and progress with each passing testing day.
Sign up here.  Hurry, only a few slots left!  Email coaches if you need a make-up date.

3. UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS -- 7/30 & 7/31; 9/17 & 9/18

BIG LONG BEACH - 7/30 - 7/31.  It's that time again!  Our big home tournament is right around the corner. Let's take the momentum and energy we're riding from Vancouver and bring it straight into Long Beach! RSVP on the Evite.

SAN FRANCISCO - 9/17 & 9/18.  This is huge!  Fun factor off the charts! Awesome venue and crazy sister team!  Have you heard the many SF shenanigans fellow teammates have?  We always seem to come out of this tournament with some nutty story. Don't miss it! Sign up NOW!  I know you want to!

4.  SD LADIES NIGHT -- WINE/FOOD/CHEESE -- 6/24, 6 PM

Ladies Only, this will include any of our SD guy’s significant other.
What to bring:
a bottle of wine, cheese or appetizer
games, movies, etc
Also, you can spend the night at Marina's and then go to practice together the next day!
See Facebook invite from Janet, SD social extraordinaire, so friend Janet now!

5.  SD BAKE SALE -- Saturday 7/2

What goes great with 4th of July BBQ and beach outing?  Cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc.  This will be a great fundraising and team building event, so put it on your calendar!  We need helpers for this event!
Needed:
   Volunteers to sell
   Bake sale items donation (hint, don't want to do all the work?  You can buy cookie dough from your friendly grocer's freezer, drop it in the oven and viola, fresh baked cookies!)
   Not a baker?  We also need non-bake sale items donation: bottled water, forks, napkins
Let Marina know what (bake/non-bake items) you can donate
Proceeds will help keep tournament fees low, so help where you can please!

7.  FIRST ANNUAL SPACE DRAGONS FAMILY PICNIC - Sunday 8/14

Mark your calendars and save the date!  First Annual Space Dragons Family Picnic will be in August. Invite your family!  This will be a family and kid-friendly event.
This will be a potluck-style event with organized games. Want to help with the action?  We need helpers for this event!  Talk to Jackie!

8.  SD FAMILY TREE

Emily has been working on a family tree, so let her know via comment on the blog, Facebook, or email her who brought you to the Space Dragons
NEW -- Please note the year your became a Space Dragons
Also please help track down which paddler(s) you brought to the Space Dragons, active or retired

9.  SD PARKA

Put in your orders by Thursday, 6/16 for your magnificent blue Space Dragons parka.  Email Marina to order.  This is the LAST order of the season! 

Think about it... sure may be warm now, but this is your last chance before winter to order one!  Still useful for cold Wenesday practices!  But also remember those cold mornings in San Francisco?  Or how about the really windy and cold (and sometimes a tad wet) autumn, winter and early spring practices? Bet you're gonna wish you ordered one then!  So order one and maybe one day you'll look as dashing as CJ.

10.  STEERING

We are still looking for more people who are interested in becoming Certified Steerspersons.  Let the coaches know if you would like to try your hand at it!

Dang, there's a lot going on, amirite? See, we mean it - extra help would be greatly appreciated. Email Captains if you can help with anything! Thanks.

Paddles up!

-Captains