Joey Payeur
The thought of being three-time second-place finishers did not appeal in the slightest to the New Gold Nuggets.
Instead, it was the Nuggets who were pure gold in defeating the defending champion Kemira Paper Dragons in the championship final of the sixth-annual International Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday at the Sorting Gap Marina.
New Gold announced it meant business right off the bat in the first qualifying heat of the day by beating Kemira by nearly four seconds for the Manufacturers Cup.
The two teams’ efforts in their second heats had them as the two fastest when it came to their combined times, with New Gold holding a nearly eight-second edge in that category, to put both teams into the championship final.
With their title at stake, Kemira brought its best performance of the day in the final. But it still wasn’t enough over the 300-metre course as New Gold finished with a time of 1:26.68 compared to 1:29.38 for Kemira.
Kemira didn’t walk away empty-handed, though, winning the Energy Cup in the dragon boat tug-of-war held after the championship round.
In the showdown for bronze between the teams with the third- and fourth-best combined heat averages, the OPSEU Otters actually posted an even better time than Kemira did in the final with a clocking of 1:29.29 to triumph over OPSEU We Own It (1:34.77), which did win for best team name.
Earlier in the day, We Own It had edged the Otters for the Civic Cup by 6/100ths of a second in their respective opening heats.
Fort Frances Dental Centre Dragons Breath smelled more like roses in coming out on top over the Pharmasave/BDO Canada LLP Twin Dragons in the fifth-place final, with a time of 1:36.12 compared to 1:42.23.
The most thrilling race of the day actually may have been the seventh-place final between the team from farthest away at the festival, the Dragon Tamers from Kenora, and the Good Samaritan Society/Shooniyaa Wa-Biitong Good Samaritans.
The Dragon Tamers, made up of both breast cancer survivors and supporters, and dressed entirely in pink in support of the cause, took the early lead against the Good Samaritan crew that included the entire Boundary Waters’ youth team that began this year, as well as several first-time dragon boat paddlers.
They hung right into the end and almost forged ahead, but the Dragon Tamers (1:40.95) crossed the finish line to win by a mere 2/10ths of a second over the Samaritans (1:41.15) in the closest finish in festival history.
That meant the Good Samaritans took home the Tail of the Dragon trophy traditionally given to the last-place team in the field.
The Dragon Tamers also won the Courage Cup, best team look, and best team camp.
As well, they helped fill one of two boats that took part in the special flower ceremony held on the river between the qualifying heats and championship round
“The festival went really well and the weather was perfect–beautiful but breezy enough to keep us cool,” said festival organizer Annely Armstrong-Thorstad, who is also the Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Foundation board secretary and the club’s head coach.
Thorstad said the Dragon Tamers already have committed to returning next year while the Divas team from Minneapolis already has expressed interest in making an appearance.
As for the present, there is plenty on the local club’s plate with the upcoming FMG Ice Dragons race meet being held this coming Feb. 17 on Rainy Lake beside La Place Rendez-Vous.
“[Yesterday], Ice Dragon planning goes into full steam ahead planning and I have to prepare the teams for racing,” Armstrong-Thorstad said of the event, which already had two teams from Oak Ridge, Tenn. and one from International Falls signed up.
Those interested in trying dragon boating are welcome to attend the community paddle sessions held each Tuesday at 6 p.m.
