Father-son team no strangers to victory

Move over, Billy and Jim. Max and David are breathing down your backs.
No, this isn’t about the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, but there is another family from Minnesota that is making a name for itself in Borderland.
The Lindner brothers are no longer the only family team to post back-to-back victories in district competition. Last weekend, Max Roszkowski and David Harrington from Bemidji practically ran away with the canoe race at the annual Chapple Days regatta in Barwick. In case that might be considered a fluke, the father and son team did the same thing last year, except this time, it was against a larger and stronger field.
Seven canoes took off on a hot Sunday afternoon from the waterfront by the lighthouse for the grueling around-the-island race that included a portage and when it was over, there was no doubt who the best paddlers were.
“This was our second race this year,” said Harrington after he and his step-son collected their trophies and a cheque for $400. “It was good to win this one,” he added.
Harrington went on to say the difference this time was motivation.
“The deal was, if we win, he gets the new rifle he has his eye on,” he chuckled. “Last year, we lost two races by one second; this year we practiced and I guess it paid off.”
It will probably pay off in more than one way. Max, 13, is on his way to a canoe camp in Kenora, where he hopes to hone his skills and stamina, so this event was sort of a tune-up.
But will he still get the rifle?
“We’ll put the money toward it and see how much more he needs,” Harrington remarked.
Gary Both of Barwick and Bud Dickson of Atikokan finished a distant second and collected a cheque for $300, while Wes and Andrew Friesen of Stratton came in third. They went home with $200.
The field also included the mother-daughter team of Olive and Heidi Friesen, who finished in sixth place, which was good enough for $100.