San Diego, California, USA: Using 21,500 balloons, a team of eight Canadians competed in the World Balloon Competition including the 27 hour long continuous Large Build. While not reaching the podium, they received multiple achievement awards for technical difficulty and design:Derek Wong
- Sliver Achievement in Hat
- Silver Achievement in 12 minute Figure
- Bronze Achievement in Costume
- Silver Achievment in Costume
- Bronze Achievement in Large Sculpture
“We are absolutely thrilled with the result! Two years of hard work all came down to those long 27 hours,” says Drew Ripley, Business Director.Leading up to the event, teams are allowed to recruit additional help during the build. The team grew to an impressive 22 balloons artists, thanks to Anna Marie Fiore of Montreal, and Brendan Ord and his crew from Australia.
“These balloon structures are extremely complex and labour intensive. Brendan was ready to jump in and give us that big push our team needed! Thanks to our Australian friends, we were really able to push this sculpture over the top,” says Drew.
The team is comprised of balloon artists from all over Canada, competing against teams from all around the world. They are supported by their Pioneer Balloon Canada, The Mech Lab, and Borosino Balloon Accessories.
About Canada’s Twisted Team
Created in 2015, Canada’s Twisted Team is Canada’s first internationally competitive balloon twisting team. The team consists of eight professional balloon artists from across Canada, building structures and scenes for competitions and conferences.
About Drew Ripley
As a passionate balloon artist and public speaker, Drew brings with him over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry through his own company Drew Ripley Entertainment (Kitchener, Ontario). Drew is currently the Business Director of Canada’s Twisted Team, and participated with the team at the 2016 World Balloon Festival (www.worldballoonconvention.com New Orleans, USA)
MORE INFORMATION
Pamela Lee – Pam@drewripley.com 519-635-1038
Email: pam@drewripley.com
www.canadastwistedteam.com
www.facebook.com/CanadasTwistedTeam