To All Athletes:

As the race weekend is quickly approaching, the following is a list of reminders and event information for the 8^th Annual Great White North Dragon Boat Challenge.

We will inform you when your race kits (which include your team wristbands for entrance into Ontario Place) are ready for pick-up at the practice site. Out of town teams will receive theirs by mail.

Please read through this information very carefully and call me at (416) 962-8899 should you have any questions.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Anne King

GWN

From the east - Exit the Gardiner Expressway at the Spadina Avenue exit, drive west along Lakeshore Boulevard and follow the signs to Ontario Place.

From the west - Exit the Gardiner Expressway at the Jameson Avenue and follow Lakeshore Boulevard east to Ontario Place.

Ontario Place will be open to the general public. Athletes should enter through the West Gate entrance of Ontario Place by the white bridge. A site map will be included in your race kits.

Please ensure ALL team members are wearing one of the wristbands on as proof of their participant status.

We are not granted extra wristbands. There is no room for replacements. If you loose or forget your wristband, you will be required to pay the regular Adult admission price ($10 plus tax) to Ontario Place and you will not be allowed to race. Please put your wristband on snugly so it does not come off. We will be checking the wristbands at the marshalling area and cutting off any loose bands and reaffixing new ones.

Parking at Ontario Place is $10.00 per day (no in and out privileges). Because Cirque de Soleil is on as well, parking rates will go up to $15.00 after 2:00pm on Saturday and after 1:00pm on Sunday. We encourage car pooling to help save you money and the parking lots are always very busy. Please leave yourself enough time to get ready for your race – expect at least a 30 minute wait to get into the parking lot, especially early in the morning!!. You may wish to look into parking at the CNE as another option.

Race Headquarters will be situated in the Island Club, in the Ontario Place daycare centre. For those who participated last year, it is the same location as before. This is where Team Check-in Desk, Pledge Desk, Information Desk, Race Schedule, Lost and Found, Results Board, and the Silent Auction are located.

There are washrooms located in the Island Club on the upper level as well as throughout the grounds of Ontario Place. There are some site maps in your race kits.

There are absolutely NO pets allowed on the Ontario Place premises. If you bring your pet, both you and your pet will be escorted off the site.

Personal BBQs or Hibachi stoves are NOT permitted on the Ontario Place premises.

Ontario Place has requested that we do not set up personal "pup tents" on the site. We appreciate your cooperation with this request. Team Tents are available to rent. A team tent is an excellent way to provide an easy meeting area and shelter from the sun or rain for your team. You are permitted to put team or sponsor banner on your tent if you wish. To find out more about securing a tent for your team gathering area please call Anne at (416) 962-8899.

If you have already booked a tent for the Event, when you check-in at race headquarters there will be a site map with the tent locations marked on it. All tents will be assigned and labeled appropriately.

Everybody should have read, signed and submitted ALL their Waivers with your official Team Roster to Great White North by August 23^rd, 2002. The Race Headquarters’ officials will be notified of Teams with missing Waivers and Rosters and will not allow your team to race until all Waivers have been signed and submitted. For extra copies please download them off of our website www.dragon-boat.com.

On-site check-in of Teams will take place between 7:00am and 10:00am on Saturday, September 7^th at Race Headquarters. All teams must check-in upon arrival. As mentioned above, please ensure all Team documents have been submitted. In an effort to avoid confusion, please send only one Team representative to check-in your team. We recommend your team arrives onsite at least one hour in advance of your first race (leave extra time for parking delays).

The gun of the first race goes off at 8:00am on both Saturday and Sunday. All Teams are guaranteed 2 races on each day, plus any potential Industry Challenges or Unisex races. The Race Schedule will be posted on our website www.dragon-boat.com the week prior to the event. Please note that Teams are required to be in the Team Marshaling Area 30 minutes prior to each of their scheduled race times. Make sure all of your crew members are on site with plenty of time. The race officials will not hold the races for late arrivals. For those teams that were at the event last year, Ontario Place has done some renovations, and therefore our team marshaling area has moved. Please make sure you are familiar with the site layout and where you need to be. A site map will be included in your race kit. Race Headquarters can assist you as well.

We invite everyone to join us at The Awards Ceremony Sunday, September 8^th at 6:00pm on the stage of the Island Club.

Great White North is pleased to be partnered with Variety – The Children’s Charity for the first time this year. We would like to challenge each participant to raise a minimum of $100.00 in pledges - reaching that goal would result in a total amount of about $340,000 for special needs children, surpassing our total of just over $180,000 in pledges last year!! Collect pledges and receive great prizes from our fabulous pledge prize incentive program.

The more you raise, the better your prize…it’s that easy!!! Top fundraising Teams and Individuals will be honored at our awards ceremonies. You will be receiving a package of pledge forms and prize details directly from Variety. It will also be posted shortly on our website www.dragon-boat.com.

The pledge table will be set up in Race Headquarters. To be eligible for your prizes, your pledge sheets and monies must be submitted to the pledge table officials by 2:00pm Sunday, September 8^th, 2002.

Back again this year is a great line-up of vendors and exhibitors with exciting new merchandise and information!! Don’t forget to bring some $$$ with you to take advantage of these unique shopping opportunities! Remember Christmas is right around the corner! Perfect for souvenirs or thank you gifts for your sponsors!

Great White North is pleased to bring it’s new "Pro-Shop" to the event. Paddles, PFD’s, the official event souvenir shirts and more will be available. Vendors will be located in the Island Club.

Back by popular demand is our Silent Auction! It will be held in Race Headquarters. Come out and bid on great new items and fantastic sports memorabilia.

Great White North is pleased to welcome back Dr. Barry Shapiro, Doctor of Chiropractic to the Event site for the third year. Dr. Shapiro has been practicing Chiropractic Care for over 23 years and invites you to visit him and his associates at the Event for a free consultation.

Sutherland and Chan will be back again this year to provide you and your team members with massage treatments on both Saturday and Sunday.