The Eastern Ontario Division (EOD) of Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is looking for leaders to help guide the development of sprint canoe-kayak in our region and manage divisional activities. The EOD Board of Directors has three openings for the 2021 season. This is an opportunity to learn more about sprint canoe kayak, help guide our sport and provide leadership at the Divisional level, and, of course, meet and work with a terrific team of like-minded people. Three EOD Board positions will become open in October 2020.

About EOD

EOD is comprised of ten sprint and paddling clubs from Cobourg and Peterborough in the west to Petrie Island in the east. EOD’s mission is to provide leadership and support to build strong paddle sport clubs dedicated to:

• Promoting paddle sport as fun and lifelong activity for all ages and abilities 
• Producing sprint development opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials
• Managing sprint regattas to ensure safety and fairness for all participants
• Achieving success at all levels of competition

Learn more about EOD here: www.ckceod.com.

The Board

The EOD Board is guided by the EOD’s Constitution and Bylaws, and creates and implements its own initiatives, as well as implementing those required by CKC (nationally) and CKO Sprint (provincially). The Board’s role includes setting the Division’s regatta schedule and providing training for coaches and officials.

The Board is comprised of the commodores and a director from each of the ten clubs plus five officers: Flag, Vice Flag, Secretary, Registrar and Past Flag, and appointed positions: Divisional Officials Coordinator, Divisional Coach, Divisional Athletes’ Representative, and Divisional representatives at the provincial level.

Given EOD’s broad region, all EOD Board and committee meetings are held virtually (and have been for many years).

Board Member Candidates

The ideal Board candidate is associated with sprint canoe-kayak in some way, either as a parent or guardian of a paddler, or as a current or former paddler, official, coach or club administrator. Detailed knowledge about the sport is not required as you will learn as you go. The Board is very supportive of new members!

Below are descriptions of the three open positions.

Vice Flag Officer

The Vice Flag Officer is responsible for supporting the Flag Officer in their duties. Related duties include administration of the division volunteer policy, ensuring adherence to CKC safe sport policy as it pertains to volunteers, and maintenance of divisional trophies and procurement of divisional awards. Time commitment is generally 5-10 hours/month and 15-20 hours/month in July and August related to the two EOD sponsored regattas.

Treasurer

The Treasurer manages the division’s finances, keeps accounts of funds, and is a signing officer for the Division. Time commitment (other than attending the monthly meeting) is about 20 hours per year.

Secretary

The Secretary takes minutes at the monthly meetings, advises members of meetings and attends to the division's correspondence. Time commitment is about two-three hours per month plus attending the monthly meeting.

A Note about Nationals

The Canadian National Championships will be held at the Rideau Canoe Club on Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa in August 2021. It is an honour to host this competition in our Division. Note that an amazing Host Organizing Committee has already been working on this event with CKC for about two years. As an EOD Board member, there is no expectation for you to get involved in organizing this event – although you are invited to do so!

Next Steps

To learn more or to apply, please contact Heather MacIntosh at heathermacintosh100(at)gmail(dot)com. She’d be happy to connect you with other Board members.

Message from Heather MacIntosh, Flag Officer, EOD:

CKC Leadership is conducting a special Town Hall meeting for the benefit of all EOD clubs and leadership. 

We will be joined by: 

·       Casey Wade, President & CEO

·       Ian Mortimer, Director of Development

·       Graham Barton, Chief Technical Officer

·       Kathy Hare, Finance

Who should attend: 

·       All commodores (you may wish to extend the invitation to your entire club board of directors)

·       All club finance/treasurer directors

·       All head coaches and all club coaches who are expected to be with athletes when paddling operations resume

We are living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 is now a global pandemic. Lives have been put on hold and there is much fear and anxiety about the future.

How can we overcome the uncertainty we find ourselves in?

Join us tomorrow, Thursday April 9, 2020 at 12 noon for a live free webcast hosted by Dr. Tim Lau, psychiatrist and president of the medical staff at The Royal: Building resiliency in times of uncertainty – conquering COVID’s emotional contagion.

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Dr. Lau will share strategies to help people feel stronger, stories of bravery, and silver linings that will surely inspire. Applying principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, mindfulness, and problem solving therapy, he will show how we can take control of our emotions without being defined and overwhelmed by them, foster hope and kindness, and transform this situation into something more meaningful.

Live Webcast details are as follows:

Date: Thursday April 9, 2020

Time: 12 noon

Link to the webcast: http://webcast.otn.ca/mywebcast?id=174775654

 
This webcast will be recorded and made available on theroyal.ca and will be shared across our social media channels.

Summary

We are living in unprecedented times. Never before has the entire world been locked down together with unending torrents of information and widespread tragedy. Our lives have literally been been put on hold. On top of the fears of infection, some of us are facing the uncertainty of making ends meet and being able to have the basic goods for daily living. 

Join Dr Lau, a psychiatrist, and President of the Medical Staff, at The Royal as he discusses what is known about the invisible enemy we face and what we can do to respond.  This includes both the virus but also the fear and anxiety that is arguably more contagious.  He will share strategies to become stronger, some silver linings, amazing stories of heroism and bravery that will inspire us to find ways to overcome the uncertainty we find ourselves in, and turn tragedy into triumph. Heroism is a reality that health care workers, first responders, and those in our society that keep everything going, are now called upon to undertake.

In our minds, we need to change the idea of social distancing into physical distancing with psychological and social connectedness.  Applying principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, mindfulness, and problem solving therapy, he will show how we can master and take control of our emotions without being defined and overwhelmed by them.  In 1654, scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote: “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” An article in the Journal Science (Wilson 2014) suggests that there is some science behind that.  Many of us, in our own homes, have lots of opportunity now to engage in reflection and contemplation.

We have an opportunity, on a scale never seen, together with the rest of humanity, to foster kindness, and bravery that will transform this tragic but temporary situation into something much more meaningful. Hope and the choice to adapt and improve, can be just as contagious, but more constructive and powerful.  And it is something we all need to work on in these uncertain times. If we do, we will all be stronger afterwards.