Row, paddle or float.

Article from MyRecordJournal

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/local/article_38a9d72c-a2f8-11e1-92df-001…

by Kimberley Primicero posted Sunday, May 20, 2012 MERIDEN — The sun was blazing through a cloudless blue sky Sunday morning as racers in canoes and kayaks got ready to paddle down the Quinnipiac River.

Nearly 100 people participated in the 32nd annual Quinnipiac River Watershed Association Downriver Classic canoe and kayak race. The event is was one of the association’s biggest fundraisers that brings in paddlers from all over New England.

“It can be a challenging course,” said Dan Pelletier, race director and members of the association’s board of directors. There’s a lot of zigzagging and maneuvering around rocks and trees, he said.

Volunteers spent two days recently removing trees, branches and debris left by last fall’s Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm.

“A lot of work had to be done,” he said.

The course is a bit easier for a kayaker with a smaller boat to paddle. Canoes are more difficult to handle. The association’s science educator, Mary Mushinsky, compared a kayak to a sleek sports car and a canoe to a large sedan or Buick.

“You’ll be tired afterwards,” Mary Mushinsky said. “You earn your hot dogs by the end of it.”

Once participants finished the race, food and beverages awaited them at the association headquarters on Oregon Road.

At about 10:30 a.m., participants gathered at the commuter parking lot on the Southington-Cheshire town line. Men and women of all ages applied sunscreen, drank water and buckled up their life jackets. After a brief safety meeting, paddlers were ready to go.

Eric and Phoebe Jones, of Granby, were racing in the competition for their third year . Eric Jones said the course’s rapids aren’t challenging but the trees, narrow sections and shallow water make it difficult.

“It’s intellectually challenging,” Eric Jones said.

Wearing her “girl power” helmet and drinking plenty of water, Phoebe Jones, 7, was ready to take on the course. Eric Jones said he started taking his daughter out a few years ago and they just enjoyed it.

Long canoes and slim one-person kayaks were pushed off the boat ramp behind the parking lot. Some participants gracefully plopped their boats into the water, while others had a hard time balancing and launching the boats. Each boat was numbered. Volunteers with stopwatches in hand documented the start time, counted down, and off the boats went — one at a time.

“We’re making memories,” said Richard Guerrera, of Cheshire, who was competing in the race for the first time with his 13-year-old son, Justin.

“I don’t expect to win; we’ll just have fun,” Guerrera said.

The five-mile race took paddlers past East Johnson Avenue in Cheshire, Quinnipiac Park and Carpenter’s Dam. Eventually, participants reached Red Bridge in Meriden, the finish line.

A crowd of family members and friends had formed on top of the bridge. They cheered on the paddlers and encouraged them to go faster and not to give up. As more participants paddled to the finish line, they gathered on the sides of the river and continued to cheer on their fellow paddlers. Sweaty and out of breath, participants were relieved and pleased to be done with the race.

The best time in the kayak race was recorded by Mark Wendolowski, of Hatfield, Mass. He’s been competing in the Downriver Classic for the past five years. His time was 51 minutes and 23 seconds. Wendolowski also travels all over the country with a United States kayak team.

“It’s a good competition,” Wendolowski said after the race. He said the course is technical with all its twists and turns. “It was a good time.

The best time for a canoe was posted by Vicki and Del Cummings, of Meriden, who have been paddling and competing for 10 years. Their time was 59 minutes and 30 seconds.

Once participants finished the race, they pulled their boat out of the water and enjoyed refreshments and raffle contests.

kprimicerio@record-journal.com

(203) 317-2279