THIRD PLACE!!!

OWLS Dragonflies in Tacoma

The OWLS Dragonflies prevented a sweep by 4 Wasabi teams at the Rainier Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, May 15, at Thea Park in Tacoma, Washington.

It was a beautiful race morning as the team faced paddling rivals Wasabi Fury and the Sirens in their first heat. It was not even close. The 'Flies, under the command of their experienced and inspirational coach, Laura Ricker, came in first in this first round, 12 seconds ahead of the Sirens and almost 5 seconds ahead of Wasabi Fury. In heat #2, the 'Flies crossed the finish line first again, almost 4 seconds ahead of second place Wasabi Ferocious.

After the first two rounds, these fiesty women lawyers were seeded the third fastest team in the semi-finals--the only non-Wasabi team in the top 5. Only the top finishers in the 4 semi-final races could advance to the finals. In the semi-finals, the 'Flies again came in first, beating the second place finisher Peace Dragon Warriors by more than 10 seconds. The 'Flies had secured a place in the finals with Wasabi Huge, Wasabi Fierce and Wasabi Ferocious. Could the 'Flies prevent a sea of green shirts on the medals podium? The team hunkered down for its fourth intense race of the day . . . and forced Wasabi to put their brooms away. Dragonflies take BRONZE!!!

Thanks to Kenny (married to 'Fly Polly) for the video footage from heat #2 and the semi-final race: