BC OC6 / OC12 Cohorts – Temporary Suspension

Effective December 2, 2020, for CORA member clubs in British Columbia, by Order of BC’s Provincial Health Officer, restrictions are now in place suspending all adult and youth indoor and outdoor team sports until further notice. This temporary suspension is in place to limit the amount of physical interactions and travel to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

What does this mean for CORA clubs and CORA paddlers in BC?  Where clubs have established “cohorts” for OC6 practices, all such cohort activities are suspended pending new guidance from the Provincial Health Officer and viaSport. CORA will keep BC clubs and members updated on the status of cohort training during this temporary suspension. In the case of OC1 training, the new public health order does not restrict solo paddling at this time, provided that established COVID mitigation measures such as social distancing, use of personal protective equipment, shared equipment disinfection and contact tracing are maintained as required by Phase 2 Return-to-Sport Guidelines.

BC CORA members and member clubs are encouraged to review the PHO Order (December 2, 2020; LINK HERE) and to exercise an abundance of caution in their training during this period of restricted and suspended activities.

 

IVF

The IVF 2021 World Distance Championships have been postponed until 2023. While this news is not unexpected, it is hard to see in print. CORA extends its thanks on behalf of Canada’s outrigger community to the organizers and the government of Samoa for their effort and resources they contributed to preparing for the 2021 event. The official IVF announcement is available HERE.

CORA’s IVF committee recognizes the hard work of Canadian paddlers who’ve trained and logged strong individual time trials in preparation for the Samoa championships. All participants, along with the CORA IVF committee, were eager to see the results of putting Canadians in V6s together. We will not get the chance this cycle.

But don’t let this be discouraging. Those who invest in training over the winter for distance and continued base-building will be ready for the preparatory steps of IVF 2022 Sprint Championships in London, to be announced early in the new year. Plans are under way for fall 2021 selection trials for the London 2022 sprints. If you are looking for your next goal, there you go! Base build through the winter, and then go into sprint mode in prep for trials. We thank each and every paddler involved in our selection process for their commitment and effort over the year. We look forward to having you involved in Team Canada selections again soon.

Please click HERE to read the official announcement from the International Va’a Federation. Take care, stay safe, take time off the water, be kind to yourself and others!

Leanne Stanley (on behalf of CORA and CORA’s IVF Committee)

2020 WETDASHE CHALLENGE: REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Welcome to the Wetdashe 2020 Challenge, an annual race in support of men’s health. Wetdashe 2020 has been adapted this year to respond to COVID-compliance measures unique to each community, region, province and state. Hosted by Victoria’s Fairway Gorge Paddling Club (FGPC), the Wetdashe Challenge is a fun end-of-season outrigger race to challenge solo and cohort paddlers of all ages and abilities.

The 2020 Wetdashe Challenge has been adapted to accommodate the health of athletes and of the general public in different regions. Instead of traditional head-to-head competition, this year’s Wetdashe is COVID-compliant: solo athletes and cohort teams (OC6 & OC12) can race on home waters across western Canada and beyond, wherever public health authorities permit the sport of outrigger in conjunction with physical distancing measures in effect. Registrants, both teams and individuals, will provide their digital race results to FGPC race officials as they’re logged and submitted from November 1 through 30th. Competitors’ results will be averaged across four 3km loops of water available to each region (lakes, rivers and the ocean). A fastest-lap leaderboard will also be published. Any team or individual paddler can participate without the need to travel or congregate beyond the safety of their families and training partners (where cohorts are permitted). Prizes and commemorative high-vis-tech Wetdashe race shirts (size-selected in advance) will be sent to all registrants. Laps must be logged, recorded and submitted over the month of November 2020.

The 2020 Wetdashe Challenge offers added excitement: friends, family and communities can participate by “adding speed” to teams and individual competitors by pledging donations to the BC Cancer Foundation’s Wetdashe Men’s Health Fund. Money raised through supporters’ pledges are directed to the BC Cancer Agency’s research and clinical development of an advanced prostate cancer diagnostic, “PSMA prostate scanning technology.” For every tax-deductible $10 donated through the Wetdashe Men’s Health Fund, a 1-second advantage is added to the score of chosen teams and solo competitors. Please join individuals and athletes and their supporting communities across BC to “make every second count” for men’s health through the work of the BC Cancer Agency.

FOR RULES OF RACING AND TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE