March Madness 2024
IT'S TIME for the 13th annual FCRCC Women's and Men's Ourtigger (WMO) March Madness OC 6 outrigger race. This two day event will be taking place, rain or shine, on both Saturday, March 23rd and Sunday, March 24th, 2024!
Our registration closed on March 9th, but it is not too late!
If you still want to register, fill in this form for your crew:
Please fill in a separate form for each crew.
Race Description
If you've raced with us before, you'll be familiar with the course. If this is your first time, we know you'll have a fun race. This approx. 5 km OC6 race takes place in beautiful English Bay and involves four ama side buoy turns. We've chosen to keep this course so spectators can watch as much of the race as possible from the shore. You are guaranteed one race each, and in the event your team finishes in the top two positions in your heat, you will be invited to participate in a sprint style final with three other teams.
The race is segregated into the traditional divisions of Open, Masters +40, Senior Masters +50 and +60 divisions, Juniors (U19), Kupunas (+70), and Race Development. You can register as a women’s, men's, and/or a mixed team.
RACE COURSE
Location
FCRCC Outrigger Compound, Burrard Marina, Vanier Park, Vancouver (see site map). 1655 Whyte Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1A9.
Parking is available in several paid parking lots in and around our compound/dock.. Lot 70 - Vanier Park (Gravel) or Lot 71 - Vanier Park (Water)as examples. These parking lots accept credit card, and PayByPhone (Android / iPhone). You may also decide to park for free outside of Vanier Park on the street (Chestnut St. and surrounding area) and walk in.
Race Registration and Payment
Teams will be registered on a first come, first served basis. If registration fills before the midnight deadline, Saturday, March 9th, 2024, your crew will be wait-listed.
Each crew must submit a separate registration form (e,g, if you are registering 6 teams, you must fill out the registration form 6 times). Payments for one or more teams can be made online via etransfer (preferred) or at the race site by cheque or exact cash (e.g. if you are paying for 6 teams, you can pay for them all together). If paying by cheque, please make the cheque payable to the FCRCC Women's and Men's Outrigger.
Registration Fee: $150 Adult team / $75 Junior team. Please etransfer the amount to false.creek.outrigger@gmail.com and use the password "madness". To ease congestion at the registration table, please pay in advance of the race.
*Please note your crew may race either a men or women’s division or combine with other crews to race in a mixed division.* Mixed crews can have a maximum of 3 men.
All paddlers are required to complete an FCRCC waiver (Adult or Junior). Please email a copy of the signed waiver to false.creek.outrigger@gmail.com by March 20th, or at the very latest, it must be brought the day of the race and turned in at registration.
All paddlers must be members of the Canadian Outrigger Racing Association (CORA) to race. An annual membership ($30 for Adults and $10 for Juniors (including GST)) is valid for all races in 2024. You can register and pay for your CORA Annual membership or Single event membership online before race day:
Please remember that these one-day passes are only valid for one specific event, which you much choose when you purchase the pass.
Race Schedule
The final race schedule will be published shortly after the submission deadline of March 9, 2024.
We anticipate that the Open and 40s will race on the Saturday, and all other categories will race on the Sunday. Race Development/Novice is defined as having less than two years of racing canoes.
We will be holding a special heat for Breast Cancer Survivors. If you are a paddler who has had a breast cancer diagnosis, join us in the breast cancer race on Sunday. You can either put together your own crew of 6 breast cancer survivor paddlers or contact Cathy Marr at outrigger@fcrcc.com to be put in touch with others who wish to be part of a breast cancer crew. All paddlers including the steers must have had a breast cancer diagnosis.
Equipment
OC6 canoes will be provided by FCRCC. Life jackets (PFDs) must be worn during the race. We will have a limited number of PFDs and outrigger paddles available, but please bring yours if you own either item.
One of our crazy March Madness crew members will be happy to jump in the boat with you in the event something unforeseen happens to one of your paddlers and you need to fill a seat. We will also be happy to provide your team of 5 with a steersperson if that role is needed to complete your team. In either case, if you know of an open spot on your team in advance let us know and we will schedule you a paddler.
March Madness Bake Sale
Back by popular demand is the famous March Madness Bake Sale. Please help support our Women’s and Men’s Outrigger Student Bursary Program (WMO SBP) by purchasing baked goods on site.
WMO’s SBP covers the club and program fees for our most promising and dedicated students who are a member of our program. Dependent on weather, the bake sale table will be located in the vicinity of the boat launch / marshalling area or by the registration desk. We welcome donations in kind, and if you have a particular goodie you are known for, please bring them with you to the event and we will include them in our bake sale!
Steers Meeting / Marshalling
The steers meeting will be held 30 minutes prior to the start of each heat in the vicinity of the dock (see map). The steers meeting must be attended by the steerer of each crew. If your crew needs a steers, we will provide one for you. Please let us know when you register whether you need a steers to be provided. If your crew is using a volunteer steerer, please ensure another member from your crew also attends the meeting. Following the steers meeting, crews will immediately marshal by the boat launch where they will be directed to the appropriate canoes as the racers from the previous heat arrive back at the dock.
Important Additional Information
Reduce congestion at the registration table by paying for your CORA membership in advance. We will have limited extra membership applications on hand. There will be a CORA representative on site if you need to purchase a membership, payment online or exact cash payment on day of event please.
All paddlers must wear PFDs approved by Transport Canada. We will have a limited number of PFDs and paddles to loan if needed. Please inquire at the registration desk. We encourage all paddlers to bring their own or make arrangements to borrow from fellow paddlers.
We may run ahead of schedule, so please ensure all your paddlers arrive at least one hour before your scheduled heat.
As always please dress for cold, damp conditions. Bring an extra change of clothes and warm beverages.
Washroom facilities: port-a-potties will be available in the boat compound on Whyte Avenue. The Vanier Park Public Washroom is a two-minute walk from the Burrard Compound, but we encourage you to use the port-a-potties to reduce traffic at the public washrooms.
FCRCC is committed to protecting our paddling waters starting with the elimination of single use plastic bottles and therefore request everyone to bring their own reusable water bottles. Water will be supplied, and we highly encourage you to bring your own supply.
Any Questions? E-mail us at false.creek.outrigger@gmail.com.
See you out on the water!
Lorri Stewart
2023 March Madness Race Director
FCRCC Women's and Men's Outrigger Program