Here’s a quick recap of our race in Hartford, the insurance capital of the world. For those of you that couldn’t make it, and for those of you who weren’t paying attention or can’t read, here’s the final tally in chronological order:

Living Root
Saturday
500m time trial - 2:46.80
200m time trial - 1:01.10
200m semi-final - 1:05.64

Sunday
500m semi-final - 2:27.21
200m final - 0:59.01
500m final - 2:31.94

Ocean State
Saturday
500m time trial - 3:07.74
200m time trial - 1:13.91
200m semi-final - 1:13.06

Sunday
500m semi-final - 3:02.28
200m final - 1:07.77
500m final - 2:54.36

These were some tough races, and the river’s strong current really killed our times. That being said, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The timing has to be perfect. I noticed some people paddling with their heads down, and that’s got to stop. You can’t stay in time if you’re not watching. Worry not, I’ll help you fix these and other problems!

I’ve attached the race results for your enjoyment. One thing that jumps out is that lanes 1 and 2 were much, much slower all weekend long, which meant that if you got stuck in one of those lanes, you were going to have a tough time. I’m not usually one to go for excuses, but in this case, it’s hard to ignore.

On a more positive note, I was really impressed with how everyone did this weekend. Our LR/OSD combo team found ways to work together. It may have included hair dressing, and that’s okay. Our LR team managed to hang on the heals of MAD in a couple of races, and I do believe we’ve earned a little respect for that. I totally had a blast hanging out with everyone and Tweety Bird, and that always makes me smile.

Thanks to all those who helped out, including: Nila (carpools), Michael & Steve (housing), Karla & Chris (PICOLS), and Evan (bacon).

I wish I had cheerier news. No gold or silver was won. Both teams had a tough time fighting a fast river and faster competition. What do we do? Do we mope around for the rest of the season, or do we fight back? I say we fight. I say we paddle till our hands bleed and the fish know our names. We have 2 races left this season. Get your butts into practice, and let’s make that boat fly.

~Captain P.