Months of practice and years of experience paid off for a local team at last weekend's fifth annual Sudbury Dragon Boat Festival.
 |
Local team SCC Team Chiropractic set a new course record on their way to winning Division I, securing a spot at the New York Hong Kong Dragon Festival Aug. 7-8.
They finished in just over two minutes, the culmination of improvements made every year since the festival started, according to officials.
The team had been practicing since October, working out at the gym at Laurentian University. In February, they got in the pool. Closer to the event, the team was paddling on Lake Ramsey three times a week.
Twelve team members attended a special dragon boat camp in Florida.
The team will meet soon to decide whether to attend the New York event.
Reg Wilkinson Waterdogs took second place in Division I, coming in 11 seconds behind SCC Chiropractic.
Saturday provided the perfect conditions for dragon boat racing. The wind - a key factor in dragon boat racing - was calm.
But the races were not without complications. There were a few collisions and capsized boats, and one woman was taken for first aid treatment after hitting her head during a collision.
The collisions were the result of the wakes from large power boats, according to organizers.
Crowd numbers were down slightly from last year, but the festival nonetheless was expected to meet or slightly exceed its goal of raising $100,000 for the Sudbury Manitoulin Alzheimer Society's capital campaign.
Originally set at 124 teams, the field shrunk slightly at the end of last week to 120.
There was some speculation that after waiting weeks for some consistently warm weather, Sudburians and out-of-towners alike may have taken their first chance for a really pleasant day at the cottage rather than at the festival.
S.W.A.T. came in quickest in the Division II final, posting a time of 2:20.08. Miller Maki Trogdors took Division III and Wacky Paddlers won Division IV.
Division V through Division IX winners, in that order, are as follows: Strokers, Esodynamic Centers, To Health With You, Mansour Dragons and The Paddling Peddlers.
