Blown out of the water
3RF racers navigate canoes, kayaks on St. Joseph River
Seconds from race time, a hush fell over competitors and spectators gathered at the Shoaff Park boat launch Saturday.
As one spectator commented in a whisper about the sudden quiet, the only sound from the racers came when paddles were gently dipped into the St. Joseph River.
The hush came before the launch of the afternoon race in the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival Canoe & Kayak Regatta, which included morning and afternoon races in both recreational and competition boat classes.
The quiet spell before the afternoon race ended abruptly when “Go!” was shouted, prompting 13 racers to dig paddles into the river as spectators shouted encouragement.
The afternoon race involved only competition boats, which are designed for speed and are much lighter than their more practical counterparts – the recreational boats.
Before the race, Kurt Begue, race organizer, said while competition boats can travel at more than 7 mph, the river’s slow flow Saturday might slow racers down.
“It’s almost like being on a lake,” Begue said about the poky current.
A faster current can create swirls and eddies, making countercurrents that can help propel racers as they move upstream.
“So today is pretty much a brute-strength, caveman-cavewoman sort of racing,” Begue said.
For Saturday’s morning race, recreational boats covered a 4-mile course comprising two laps between Shoaff Park and the Washington Center Road Bridge.
Recreational boats are heavier crafts that can be used for fishing or transporting gear and usually travel about 4 mph, Begue said.
The competition boats, used in two races during the morning and afternoon, covered a 7-mile course with a first lap that stretched from the park to the Coliseum Boulevard Bridge.
Sonja Gilman, 48, of Bristol, competed in both the morning and afternoon competition boat races in her sleek 19-pound kayak.
After being introduced to kayaking by friends five years ago, Gilman said she now trains seven to eight hours in the water every week and also jogs. She competes across the U.S. in about 20 competitions a year.
Although her efforts have left her trim and muscled, Gilman said races also require strategy.
“It’s not just putting muscle into it,” she said. “You have to put your mind into it.”
When racers were warned the start was only 12 minutes away, Gilman stripped down to bicycle shorts and a sports bra, lifted her kayak and headed to the river, where she joined her competitors in practice laps, urging muscles into service and testing the current.
Before leaving, Gilman confessed her competitive streak, saying competitors who get too close to her during the race might prompt an added burst of speed from her.
“I guess I get a ‘grrrr’ attitude if they get too close.”
bmanley@jg.net
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