This past Saturday, we started the day of racing in Philly with what we thought was a standard, lackluster 500m time trial. No wind, no current, but the rating was a bit high, and people felt like they couldn’t put much more into the finish. Sound familiar? Well, we did something right because we pulled a 2:14 !!!! Yes, you read that right, a 2:14. I couldn’t believe it myself, but Living Root smashed it’s previous club record of a 2:17. I was so happy that I chose not to murder anyone.

Our next heat of the day, the semi-final, was a bit disappointing. We pulled a 2:22, which was good enough to land us a spot in the A Division Consolation final. We picked up the pace again in the final 500m race by pulling a respectable 2:19 and coming in 3rd out of the 8 boats in our heat. Overall, we came in 11th out of 154 teams in Philly. Not bad for a day’s work.

I was really psyched with how well we were able to do. It’s been a tough, tough season, and it’s good to see that we can pull some really good times if we train for it and put our hearts and souls into these races. We finished the season on a high note, and the cheery thought of pulling a 2:14 will help keep us warm all winter. Well, that and a little rum and a Snuggie.

Oh, and some of you were asking about the team profile that I prepared for the Philly race, so here it is once again:

Living Root Dragon Boat
Buns of steel and thighs of thunder,
Make men weep and gaze in wonder,
Gold hardware we come to plunder,
Move it or you’re goin’ under!

Take a break, rest your arms, mend your broken bones, heal your pinky knuckles and get ready for another season filled with paddling, friendships, beer, man hugs, more beer, more man hugs, power pyramids, long hauls, mall runs, light touching, paired progressions, and hardware, let’s not forget the hardware.

-Captain P