The lengthening days of February pick a heartstring that rekindles my desire to hear the song of the Canoe. My love of the sport is as wide open as the blue skys above; from floating down a wilderness river on an extended backcountry trip, to feeling the spray and rush of a whitewater plunge, to the euphoria generated from the speed and competition of a marathon race.

Whatever the venue the song is sung, and to me it is never sweeter then when the Canoe is One with the river and the paddlers within.

My racing career of some twenty years is cemented together by four components: comradery, fun, competition and music.

The friendships my family and I have made in this sport are enduring and solid. To have fun has allways been of paramount importance. Competition and doing well follow closely. It is important to do your best, have fun while doing so with friends who enjoy the sport and to allways, allways listen for the music!

When the Canoe is gliding effortlessly across the water, propelled by paddlers in perfect unision, whom change sides with a melodic "HUT", and ride the wash of similar guided craft which all push the miles to that distant finish line; it is then I hear the music - the loudest and the sweetest. Listen ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is with pleasure that I welcome our membership old and new to our 2001 racing season. As a group The Nova Scotia Marathon Canoe Racing Association extend a warm welcome to those who are new to the sport and or to our association. You will find we offer something for everyone, from those who enjoy a fast paced paddle in a recreational canoe, to those who ply the waters for long distances in sleek, finely tuned, light weight craft. We encourage you to bring a friend and come out to a race. See the schedule included within and check out our website for up to date association news and race results.

This past year proved to be a rewarding year for N.S.paddlers. Our neighbours in New Brunswick hosted the the Canadian Marathon Canoe Championships on a well organized course in St John. NS paddlers showed a strong third place provincial finish close behind Ontario and the first place host province New Brunswick.

Canoe to the Sea 2000 hosted the World Marathon Canoe Championships on the Dartmouth Lakes. This world class event hosted paddlers from across the globe as they competed for Gold, Silver, and Bronze in ICF style canoes and kayaks. For the first time in the history of the event the Masters Class allowed North Americain style marathon canoes and N.S. Paddlers were there to participate and excel.

As an association we have formed an alliance with the Atlantic Sprint Division of the CCA to better enable us to represent our interests to N.S. Paddlers. With the alliance comes a well oiled infrastructure and the possibility of expanding our sport to the hundreds of paddlers within the world of sprint paddling. We look forward to this relationship and along with it the opportunity to welcome sprinters to Marathon Paddling.

On another front Dave Lewis is the NSMCRA represenative on a national body looking at developing a national coaching certification program for marathon paddling in Canada. Such a program would be based on Competency Based Education Training Standards. This certification will be necessary to maintain our berth on the Canadian Canoe Association which is our link to the International Canoe Federation, the World Body. This should prove to be an interesting and rewarding path.

In closing I wish to thank Jean Marien for the years he has dedicated to our sport as president of the NSMCRA. As past president he is by no means gone and will be there continuing his strong efforts to promote marathon paddling. As newly elected president I welcome his support and guidance along with the rest of the committee. To Dave Lewis and family for time and commitment to the sport, newsletter, coaching and race organization, to Ross Dennman who as secretary tresurer keeps the wolf away from the door, to Al Billard, vice president who scares me with ideas but adds a verse to the song, and new to us this year in the field of promotion we have Gordon Warnica and Bruce Murphy.

I CANOE, YOU CANOE, WE CANOE !! and the magic is in part found in this verse by turn of the century poet Alan Sullivan :

Oh, gently the ripples will kiss her side,
And tenderly bear her on:
For she is the wandering phantom bride
Of the river she rests upon;
She is loved with a love that cannot forget,
A passion so strong and true
That never a billow has risen yet
To peril the White Canoe.

Listen to the Music, Doug Archibald
President NSMCRA