Navigate The Streets http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/index/ en bryan@navigatethestreets.com Copyright 2008 2008-03-10T16:30:01-05:00 NAVIGATING IN 2008 http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/navigating_in_2008/ After a fantastic race in 2007, we are excited for the 2008 edition of Navigate the Streets.  We are working out our race date for Vancouver and hope to have it all ready by early April.  Stay tuned for more info! 2008-03-10T15:30:01-05:00 RACERS TELL THEIR TALE http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/racers_tell_their_tale/ Three time NTS participants and this year’s winners of the $2000 Helly Hansen Shopping Spree, Sylvia Jorger and Mike Helliger, recount their lucky ways at the Navigate the Streets.  Click on the “read more” button below to view their story of success and fortune!  MIKE AND SYLVIA NAVIGATE THE STREETS...
“Two years ago Mike and I attended a 5 Peaks race in Whistler when he saw a group of people who looked like they were in some sort of an “amazing race”.  We immediately agreed that we would love to participate in such a race.  Once at home we found the Navigate the Streets website and signed up right away.  When I saw the first prize I said to Mike “I am going to New York.” He thought I was kidding… little did he know....  The morning of the race he pointed out to me how fit all these racers looked and how well equipped they were with GPS’s etc.  I insisted that I was going to NY.  Well, the rest is history - literally!!  We won that race and had an awesome time in New York!  The most important factor for us though was that we had a lot of fun doing the race and of course we have a very talented support man sitting at home working hard on the clues, David Hopwood.

Needless to say we entered the race again in 2006; we had a lot of fun despite the rain and we came in under the first ten. 

So we entered again this year and since I had been sick the week before our motto was to just have fun and go out there and do the best we can.  The first clue we tried to solve “on the Drive” was definitely the hardest to guess and it took us almost 40 minutes to figure it out as we were sent in the wrong direction by a well meaning guy we had asked on the street.  During this time period though our support was able to figure out the rest of the clues and so once we got the mosaic on Commercial we just had to make our way through the City from clue to clue in the most expeditious way possible.  Since I had not been feeling well we took more transit than usual and perhaps that paid off as well.

Of course we were thrilled to come in second place and win a pair of shoes.  We both would have been totally happy with this.  This year we also got medals and that was an awesome surprise and it was great to share everything with our smart support man.  So there we were - sitting with our medals and waiting to see who would win the big draw prize.  When we heard Marc Campbell pause when he read our name we had that little feeling inside that says.....and then oh my God - what a surprise; what an amazing event - to win $2,000 in shopping money!  I felt like I was in a movie just going into the store and “buying” clothes without having to “worry” about the price… And I think this is probably the first time in Mike’s life that he ENJOYED shopping....!

So thank you Navigate the Streets and Bryan, thank you Helly Hansen, Marc Campbell and the wonderful ladies at the new store and Leo, the store manager and the Make a Wish Foundation.  Dreams really do come true - all you have to do is believe it! 

We’re hoping Bryan won’t ban us from his future races..... and look forward to participating again next year (and no, we won’t trade our support man either....).

Sylvia and Mike

P.S. We gave our second win shoes away and bought some more..... smile

]]> 2007-10-20T16:44:01-05:00 PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/photos_photos_photos/ Here are a bunch of photos from the 2007 edition of Navigate the Streets.  Please send me some of your own that I can add to the set.  In particular, I want to see some photos of teams at CityTV, Harbour Air, JapaDog, Ocean Commotion, and the Crave 95 bus. Please email them to . Click here to view the photo gallery. 2007-10-17T01:37:00-05:00 2007 FINAL RESULTS: Team Player Wins it All! http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/2007_final_results_team_player_wins_it_all/ First time racers, Team Player, are the winners of this year’s Navigate the Streets.  Finishing with a time of 2:01:57, the team consisting of Navigators Graham Tutti and Paul Player with Carly Domes on Support, crushed all other teams by finding all ten checkpoints 36 minutes faster than the second place team.  Public transit factored into every team’s strategy with many teams taking advantage of the skytrain, ferry, and bus.  Click HERE for final results. The top five teams all won Helly Hansen prize packages.  Special prize winners included Charlene Wharton who won a Helly Hansen jacket for wearing her Lifa during the race; the Rum Girls and the Dirty 30’s shared the best costume prize; and it was Team 2togo who won the $2000 shopping spree to Helly Hansen. The day also featured some amazing talent on the Helly Hansen Entertainment Stage. Musicians Laura Smith, Mark James Fortin, Don Alder, and Eric Campbell were incredible, as were, Kim Sato and the Souldiers who performed an electrifying breakdance and hip hop set. A BIG THANKS goes out to all the racers, sponsors, entertainers, and volunteers for your incredible support for our event.  Yesterday’s event raised over $500 for our official charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC.  Some of you expressed interest in making an additional donation and that can be done through the Make-A-Wish BC website. Thank you! A photo gallery is being compiled and will be posted on the site in the next few days.  If you have a few good photos, please email them to me at bryan@navigatethestreets.com . Thanks again and we’ll see you next year! Bryan Tasaka 2007-10-14T16:29:00-05:00 HELLY HANSEN ENTERTAINMENT FESTIVAL ADDED TO RACE DAY http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/helly_hansen_entertainment_festival_added_to_race_day/ We are excited to announce the addition of the Helly Hansen Entertainment Festival to this year’s edition of Navigate the Streets.  Five awesome local acts will be performing from 11am to 4:10pm.  From local singers, to guitar wizards, to Hip Hop Breakdancers, this lineup of entertainers will make this event extra exciting! Click on the “Read More” button to view the complete lineup and schedule… 11 am-11:45 – Mark James Fortin
Fortin is a guy you want to invite to your party. His guitar playing and songs are punchy and soulful--in a Bruce Springsteen kind of way, and he’s entertainingly expressive. http://www.myspace.com/markjames410

12:10 to 12:50 pm – Laura Smith
Laura’s piano and voice are sweet, soft, passionate and oh so kind. Smith’s songwriting has earned her awards from her home on Vancouver Island. http://www.myspace.com/laurasmithmusic

2:20pm – 2:30pm—Breakdancers & Hip Hop Performance
Local hip hop sensation, Kim Sato, and her b-girls and b-boys will perform the latest breakdancing moves and hip hop styles. Kim is the founder of Project Soul Productions and was recently in the movie Kickin’ it Old School.

2:40pm – 3:20—Don Adler
Don is the 2007 International Finger-style Champion. It’s so intricate and it just pumps you up! He’s endorsed by Yamaha guitars, though it’s his very own special guitars that make his stage and show so colorful! http://www.donalder.com

3:30pm – 4:10—Eric Campbell
Eric packs a serious punch. He has been blowing audiences away for the past year and along with opening for artists like Melanie Dekker, he has recently headlined some big Vancouver events. Stevie Ray, George Thorogood and ZZtop come to mind when you hear Eric, and if you are lucky to hear and see him live (yes is under 16!) you will be blown away. http://www.myspace.com/ericcampbellll

]]> 2007-10-11T04:06:01-05:00 UPDATED: RACER INFO - FAQ http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/updated_racer_info_faq/ Attention Racers!  The FAQ page has been updated. Please review this document in detail as it will have all the info you will need for the day. This version is “updated on Oct 10th” so if you see the one from August, you need to refresh you cache.  Also, please review the RULES pdf document if you haven’t already done so.  2007-10-11T04:01:00-05:00 RACE BOUNDARIES ANNOUNCED http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/race_boundaries_announced/ Here are the 2007 Race Boundaries for Saturday’s race: + All of Downtown Vancouver excluding Stanley Park + South to Broadway, West to Arbutus, and East to Main Street. + NEW:  A ‘satellite’ race area has been added to this year’s race. A 1km radius around the Broadway Skytrain Station will also be a potential location for a checkpoint. Start putting your maps together. Make sure your map has the Civic address grids on them as it will help significantly in your route finding.  I also recommend you get familiar with the websites for Translink, Aquabus and False Creek Ferries, Google, and Superpages.ca.  These should be your ‘staple’ websites for the day.  2007-10-09T21:39:01-05:00 Volunteers Needed http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/volunteers_needed/ We are looking for energetic, organized, and fun people that want to help make this event a big success.  Volunteer shifts are from 9am to 5pm.  You get a gift bag filled with goodies including a cool souvenir shirt.  To sign up, please email bryan@navigatethestreets.com . Thanks! 2007-10-04T19:27:02-05:00 Special Edition Navigate the Streets T-Shirt - Order Yours Today! http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/special_edition_navigate_the_streets_t_shirt_order_yours_today/ Check out the Special Edition Navigate the Streets souvenir t-shirt.  The shirt was designed by Roddy Tasaka at Surface Collective and screened by T-Shirt.ca on American Apparel.  These shirts are not included with your race entry and must be pre-ordered. Female sizing available. Cost is only $20+tax.  To order, please email bryan@navigatethestreets.com with your size and gender, and we will have it ready for you on race day.  You will pay when you pick it up.  CLICK HERE TO VIEW AN IMAGE OF THE SHIRT 2007-10-04T19:09:00-05:00 Announcing Race Headquarters http://www.navigatethestreets.com/index.php/site/announcing_race_headquarters/ Race Headquarters for this year’s Navigate the Streets will be at the TD Plaza at Pacific Centre located at the corner of Granville and Georgia.  This is where the race will start and finish.  Support Captains who plan on setting up downtown can now get out and research wireless hotspots.  Race boundaries will be announced on Tuesday, October 8th, at 5pm.  2007-10-03T16:04:01-05:00