battle in the bay news

Fundraising and race results

Mon, 10 May 2010 09:44:39 -0400

They came, they saw, they conquered and they are returning to Battle In The Bay Dragon Boat Festival in 2011. Tarpons, a dragon boat team made up of fierce competitors from Tampa and Miami dominated Battle In The Bay’s A Division races. “Joe Sinkovic, team captain and manager for Tarpon’s, emailed a message prior to Saturday’s race stating they were going home with the free entry for 2011” said Karen Bowers, event director. “They went home with all the A Division bling!”

The Cinderella story of the event is the homegrown Conch Republic Navy. Even with roster changes from the award winning 2009 team, they remain undefeated in the Clear Channel Military Challenge and advanced from 2009 B Division to this year’s A Division; racing against seasoned paddlers from Miami, Punta Gorda and Tampa. Placing 4th overall in a field of 18 teams, these local powerhouses qualified for the 2000 meter race held for the top four finishing teams from A Division based on times in the Final race. “Danny Price, team captain looked a little stunned at first and I think that was because they’d never competed in a 2000. It was a new endurance race premiering this year”, commented Bowers. They quickly found Balu, one of the experienced helmsmen hired by the event planners to help with the local teams that had steered for the Conch Republic Navy team earlier in the day. He gave them the advice they were seeking. Bowers explained “This race is about the paddlers pacing themselves and is really dependent on the steersperson to get them around the turns and powered back up in the straight-aways.”

Here are the official results:

Clear Channel Military Challenge Race: Conch Republic Navy
Dragon Boat Club Challenge Race: Tarpons
Open Challenge Race: Weiler Engineering – The Floaters
Woman’s Challenge Race: Save Our Sisters (SOS)
Hospitality/Tourism Challenge Race: Squally Weather HeronCane

Top Community Team: Girls’ Night Out Paddle Pushers

Division C Champions: Real Rotary Rowers 1:52.96;
Division C 2nd Place: Paddles Up Tweet Up 1:53.95
Division B Champions: Marathon High School Dolphins 1:49.04
Division B 2nd Place: Squally HeronCane 1:49.55
Division A Champions: Tarpons 1:38.43
Division A 2nd Place: Miami Red Dragons 1:40.58
200 Meter Champions: Tarpons 7:35; 2nd Place: Draggin’ Dragons 7:56; 3Rd Place: Red Dragons 8:06; 4th Place Conch Republic Navy 8:11
The finishing times for all 26 races and the 200 meter can be viewed at www.battleinthebay.org on the Teams page.

Exemplifying the community spirit of Battle In The Bay, some paddlers collectively raised $17,142 in pledges that benefit Heron Peacock Supported Living, Reef Relief, Marathon Business and Professional Woman Scholarship Fund, Stand Up For Animals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, WomanKind and Grace Jones Community Center.

Dave Condra retuned as the individual fundraising frontrunner winning 2 nights for two at the Curry Mansion Inn. Condra surpasses his 2009 earnings by over double for Heron Peacock Supported Living. This year he raised $4,503. The combined money raised for Heron Peacock with other dragon boat teams totaled $10,295.50.

WomanKind is receiving $5,685 from the Girls’ Night Out Paddle Pushers largely from a stellar fundraising event held the night before the dragon boat races at the Bottle Cap Lounge in Key West.
“It was the biggest happy hour event the Bottle Cap has ever seen,” state Mary Lou Hoover dragon boat team captain and founder of Girls’ Night Out. It was GNO’s first co-ed event and pep rally for the Paddle Pushers.

Battle In the Bay this Saturday

Mon, 3 May 2010 08:25:52 -0400

The sponsors have been secured since January. Teams began signing up in February. Paddlers started their practice sessions this past Sunday. Sombrero Beach in Marathon is being groomed for Battle In The Bay Dragon Boat Festival this Saturday.

Race action kicks off at 9:00 AM with the Qualifying heats. Teams in these first sets of races are grouped by similar industry and are competing for a Challenge Race medal. All times from the first round are arranged fastest to slowest and teams are assigned to Divisions based on those times. Movement from the Semi-final to the Final round in a Division is based on a seeding system. The top 4 finishing teams from A Division qualify for the 2000 meter endurance race, new to Battle In The Bay.

“Part of our objective besides building an exciting local attraction, is to entice competitive teams from Florida, Canada and actually, across the United States to enter our beachin’ race”, said Karen Bowers, event Director for Battle In The Bay. She continued to explain that the Marathon dragon boat race falls between a sprint (200 meters) and a traditional race (500 meters). “It can be expensive getting to The Keys and a 350 meter race sometimes isn’t worth the trip for these A level teams. That’s why we added the 2000.” All four boats are racing at the same time and besides endurance, the skill of the helmsman is critical.

Teams from Punta Gorda, Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are joining local teams for a field of over 400 paddlers. “The Draggin’ Dragons from Punta Gorda had such a good time last year they are coming early and bringing over 30 paddlers”, commented Bowers. Teams are made up of 20 paddlers, a steersman and a drummer. So the extra crew members from Draggin’ Dragons are going to join local teams and provide expertise and inspiration. Their team is entirely 65 years of age and older.

Two other teams racing this year is the breast cancer survivor team Save Our Sisters (SOS) and the Paddle Pushers, a group of women from Key West sponsored by Girls’ Night Out. “I am really pleased with the diversity of the teams this year and the level of fundraising for different charities taking place”, said a beaming event director. Teams are encouraged to raise money for the non-profit organizations of their choice. This year, Heron Peacock Supported Living, WomanKind, Stand Up For Animals and the Marathon BPW scholarship fund are going to receive an economic stimulus to their tight budgets. Reef Relief is receiving the proceeds from the Fresh Beer product, sponsors of the official brews of the dragon boat festival.

The Dragon’s Nest children’s area is another new addition to the event. Home Depot, Mosquito Control, The Marine Sanctuary and Marathon Parks and Recreation are providing games and crafts for the next generations of dragon boat enthusiasts.

Continuing with the shore side activities be sure to catch some crabs - The Stone Crab Band, that is, playing from noon until 2:00. Food vendors offering a variety of meals - Greek, barb-b-que and jerk chicken; and snacks – French fries, hot dogs and deep fried Oreos; paired with some artists should provide spectators plenty to do for a fun day at the beach.

It’s free to watch the races. Parking is available at Marathon High School for $3, benefiting the Leadership Class. A free shuttle to and from the beach is being provided by the hot pink KukuKonkanut party bus.

Contributing to the smooth operation of race day is an elite crew of Dragon Wrangler volunteers. Donating their time as the Emergency Response Team are diver instructors from Tilden’s, Innerspace and A Deep Blue Dive led by the expertise of Captain Sabo. Boy Scout Troop 573 in Big Pine is returning as the Keep The Beach Clean crew.

Race schedule for May 8, 2010

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:38:14 -0400

The second annual Battle In The Bay Dragon Boat Festival is set to host 400 paddlers representing 18 teams for a day of serious fun, beachin’ in Marathon, Florida Keys.

Below is the list of team names in order of their appearance in the Qualifying Heats that are also known as the Challenge Races. During this first round, teams are grouped by like “industry’ and are eagerly competing for a medal. Based on their finish times, they are then seeded in A, B or C divisions and are then racing for the respective division championship medal in a semi-final and final race.

RACE #1 OPEN CHALLENGE
9:00 AM Lane #1 Paddles Up Tweet Up
Lane #2 The Floaters
RACE #2
9:15 AM Lane #1 Marathon Dolphins
Lane #2 Real Rotary Rowers
RACE #3 WOMEN’S CHALLENGE
9:30 AM Lane #1 Save Our Sisters (SOS)
Lane #2 Paddle Pushers
RACE #4 DRAGON BOAT CLUB CHALLENGE
9:45 AM Lane #1 Red Dragons
Lane #2 Team Godzilla
RACE #5
10:00 AM Lane #1 Tarpons
Lane #2 Draggin’ Dragon
Lane #3 Blazing Paddles
RACE #6 HOSPITALITY/TOURISM CHALLENGE
10:15 AM Lane #1 Squally Weather HeronCanes
Lane #2 HeronCane Gully Washers
RACE #7
10:30 AM Lane #1 Storm Surge HeronCanes
Lane #2 Draggin’ Wagon
RACE #8 CLEAR CHANNEL MILITARY CHALLENGE
Lane #1 Conch Republic Navy
Lane #2 Conch Republic Air Force
Lane #3 Pirates of the Marquesas

Flower ceremony

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:00:19 -0400

Around the world, survivor dragon boat teams celebrate with the Flower Ceremony. This year Battle In The Bay organizers are incorporating the ceremony in the race day activities.

Pink flowers graciously donated by Flowers by J&J and available at the Merchandise picnic shelter for a donation amount of your choosing to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure can be had to join our dragon boat teams in a floral tribute to all those touched by life threatening disease.

There will be a moment of silence in honor of those courageous people who are fighting, for those who are too sick to fight and especially for those who have lost the battle. When the drums fall silent please join Save Our Sisters and Key West’s own Girls Night Out dragon boat teams in releasing your flowers. By releasing your flowers to the current, we remember all those who have gone before us. We take courage from their valiant struggles and recognize our shared experience in life’s ebb and flow.

BCS Dragon boat team

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:51:53 -0400

HOPE AFLOAT, ABREAST IN A BOAT and many similar creative names serve as reminders and inspiration for those paddling in dragon boat teams made up of survivors of life threatening disease that courage and support are a combination critical in winning the race literally and figuratively.
In 1996 a Canadian sports medicine researcher wondered what would happen if he put 20 breast cancer survivors in a dragon boat. The idea of such vigorous upper body exercise for this group was very counter to conventional medical wisdom. Breast cancer survivors were told not to do any upper body, repetitive, or strenuous activity for fear of creating even more health risks to their already ravaged bodies.
As Dr. Don Mackenzie suspected, the paddling was not bad for these ladies, but good. Dragon boating not only improved strength and flexibility, their immune systems and general wellbeing improved dramatically too. Team members provided emotional support, camaraderie, and an information system for coping with this deadly disease, which now affects 1 out of every 8 women at some point in their lives.
What started as a small experiment in Vancouver, Canada, has mushroomed into an international movement represented by over 300 Breast Cancer Survivor teams throughout the world, in over ten countries, on four continents, with more than 50 teams right here in the United States.
One of the hardest losses most breast cancer survivors face is the loss of confidence. Breast cancer robs women of many physical things, but this disease steals emotions as well. It affects these survivors’ entire bodies, as well as the families surrounding them. Dragon boating has brought these women back from hating their bodies for betraying them. Dragon boating has given them confidence to no longer think of themselves as victims, but thriving, courageous athletes fighting back against this disease.
For survivors, dragon boat paddling has become a symbol of their struggle against disease and their celebration of life - THRIVING WHILE SURVIVING.
Save Our Sisters (SOS) who contributed to this story, the first BCS team in South Florida, is bringing their team and spirit to this year’s Battle In The Bay Dragon Boat Festival being held May 8 at Sombrero Beach in Marathon. All In The Same Boat: Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors is a half-hour documentary about Team SOS and how that “twist” in their lives prompted them to embark on a journey “all in the same boat”. Produced by team member Shirley Ravachi together with Miami’s WLRN, the program received the 31st Annual Telly Award and is currently airing on PBS stations nationwide. Kim Bonomo, SOS team captain is available as a guest speaker to guide anyone surviving life-threatening disease through the process of creating your own floating support group. Visit www.teamsosmiami.com for more information.