Regatta Highlights
This past July has not been the warmest or calmest on record, and so it was with great relief that Aug 1st finally brought some summer weather to Kamaniskeg Lake. Just in time for the regatta on Aug 2nd! We had the most glorious day for our summer tradition of meeting on Hinterland Beach to compete in swimming, canoeing & sailing races, as well as the time honoured sand castle and tug-of-war competitions. While we have never taken official counts of attendees on the beach, this year’s counts were well in line with prior years. Competitor counts in several races were up from last year, and we had 2 additional senior and 1 additional junior tug-of-war team(s) this year over last. The willingness of over 120 competitors to remain until 4:30pm for this final event is a testament to how seriously we take our tug-of-war!
Lack of wind at 11am delayed the sailing race start by nearly 90 minutes, but it didn’t dampen the race enthusiasm and drama. After all performance handicaps were considered, William Cahoon took the 1st place position with his boat, Kerry Dancer. Second and third place positions were secured by John Salt (Laser) and Ed Byers/Martin McLeod (Pyewacket) respectively. I understand that there was a sailing “crash” but unfortunately did not get the details before the sailors headed home – sounds exciting!
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Photo Credit: John Michalecki
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Throughout the day, all sand castles were evaluated and awarded a winning category. We had 14 entrants this year, far exceeding our entrant numbers in 2013, giving our judges much more to consider. We had one entrant “Team Holland” who traveled from Holland to build an awesome castle. Team Madagee developed the best name by combining “Maddy and Georgia” right on the spot. Gabrielle and Angelina were delighted to be assigned the team name “Super, Great, Awesome” by the judges. Many teams plan in advance bringing with them tools, decorations and structural elements. Team “Sponge Bob” thought out details and drew up a plan the night before. Team Dolly brought dolls, jewels and flowers to add a touch of color and beauty. Zen brought the materials to build an “Octopus Garden”. Nathan, Nathan and Landon built a “bug catcher” castle using star moulds, toy trucks and of course bug catchers. The all boys team of “Team Hole” put their muscles into it and dug the deepest hole ever seen my the judges on the beach. Castlelandia lived up to its name by building the biggest, most sprawling castle on the beach. “Fort Toad” had a great use of rocks, sticks, leaves and a lovely stone path at the front to get over a huge moat. Julianna showcased the great dam and flowing moat by pouring water for the judges. Of course, design is always important and Team George showcased symmetry while Harper and Payton showcased asymmetry and then “Team Lump” got their name by working with a natural lump of sand. The judges were really happy to see many returning participants and families from previous years. The kids have great stories to tell about all their work.
Again this year, all swim and canoe participants were eligible for a purple participation ribbon. The swimming and canoe races followed the prior years’ format, including the 50+ noodle race which once again garnered some unabashed attendance. The female swim trophy was awarded to Sarah Hansen (11-14 age category), a repeat winner from 2013. The male swim trophy was shared by Ian Cox (11-14 age category) who is a 3-time winner for that trophy, and new trophy winner, Eric Johnson (under 10 age category). When swimming scores were combined with canoeing results, our Best Overall Competitor trophy winner emerged, and this year it was Gabriel Coutu (11-14 age category) who won it back from a prior 2010 win. He only narrowly secured the trophy from last year’s Best Overall Competitor winner, Bradley Beecroft. No doubt, Brad will be looking to win his former title back again next year!
In addition to the 248 hotdogs and nearly 100 drinks sold on the beach again this year for KAPOA fundraising, KAPOA ran its annual 50/50 draw. New this year was also a draw for a half hour ski or wakeboard lesson with Bob Millar, and a separate draw for a Bud Lite cooler chair, complete with a 6-pack of Bud Lite! Needless to say, the men on the beach were eyeing that prize with some enthusiasm, that was noticeably unequaled by the women! Lucky recipients of all of these great prizes were: Stella Adamich (50/50), Scott Gehlbach (ski/wakeboard lesson) and Holly Black (Bud Lite chair). Thank you to everyone who supported these draws, which assists in covering the costs of the regatta like trophies, ribbons, condiments, megaphones and signage. We could not successfully run the regatta each year without this enthusiasm and monetary support.
Our 2014 sponsors are also greatly appreciated, and we ensured that they were recognized many times during the day on the beach. Cathy Pitts Remax for her monetary donation, Yuill’s value-mart for the delicious hot dogs, the Pyz family for their contribution of hot dog buns, Sand Bay camp for donating the ice that kept the drinks cold all day, and Bob Millar for the draw prize. Thank you to our repeat and new regatta sponsors, you are highly valued contributors to the day’s success!
As mentioned above, the day ended with 12 teams (8 senior and 4 junior) vying for the tug-of-war championship. In the junior division, the Mighty Mice edged out the Planica Jr. team to take the 1st place position. In the senior division, the Barbarians (and we’re not kidding, there was a striking resemblance) took down the Pyz-Lagerquist family – a feat not often done. Many thanks to all competitors who retained the day’s enthusiasm right up to the last minute of competition!
Lastly, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge and thank all of the volunteers who made the day’s activities possible. We had 20 volunteers assisting with taking the dock in and out, setting up the KAPOA tents and tables, collecting annual memberships, cooking and serving hot dogs, manning the finish line, calling and organizing the swim, canoe and sailing races, judging sand castles, selling tickets for food & draws, organizing and running the tug-of-war, and handing out ribbons and tallying trophy winners. And never once without an encouraging word to our competitors, big smiles and lots of laughs!! Without these volunteers, we just wouldn’t enjoy running the regatta in quite the same way. Given that most volunteers return year after year, they must be having fun – thank you, thank you!!
We look forward to maintaining the KAPOA regatta tradition again in 2015, so mark your calendars for Sat Aug 1st, 2015! See you then, and let’s plan for another fun day in the sun!
Kerra Wylie & Lynne MacLean
