OWLS win Bronze at Rose Festival Races!

On June 9 and 10, the OWLS Dragonflies competed in the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association Dragon Boat Races on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The Flies had a great day on Saturday, earning the best possible score of 2 points by finishing first in Rounds 1 and 2. On Sunday, the Flies started the day seeded 3rd out of 22 women’s teams based on points and combined race times from Saturday.

Quarterfinals were a tough race because the Flies drew lane 4, and it has a tricky current that pulls the boat off course and requires more steering, which creates drag. Racing next to tough competition, lane 4 was no match for the Flies who finished in third place, posted the fastest time for a women’s team from lane 4 during the quarterfinal round, and advanced to semifinals.

In semifinals, the Flies caught fire and, for a third time, finished in first place at the 2012 Portland Rose Festival Races. Finals were decided by a margin of less than 3 ½ seconds between the four boats in a double photo finish. At the line, the Flies captured the flag with a time of 2:57:01 to become your 2012 Women’s Division I Bronze Medal Winners.

Special thanks to our coach, Laura Ricker, generous sponsors, and OWLS friends who came out to watch the races. The OWLS Dragonflies will race locally again in the Portland Dragon Boat Race held on September 8 and 9 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, so please save-the-date and come see the Flies in action.