All week trash talk between the two teams began to spread from office email to office email and the challenge was set. It would be men versus women and the teams would need to be even. It was decided that we would race rapid by rapid and that score would be kept. Each team would also guard a pumpkin in their raft which could be stolen by the other team at any time during the float. The last detail was best executed by Doug and Mary Ann, we should look like fools... I mean we should dress up. This helped hide our identities from our kayaking brethren and also allowed us silly entertainment entire day.
All week we planned and all week the hate between the sexes grew. By Saturday it was at a fever pitch. Saturday was a release on the Cheoah and all day we thought about the race the next day. Trash talk was uttered and the anticipation grew. Sunday came and it was officially race day!
Once at the put-in everyone began to really have some fun. We had kayakers laughing, no other rafts, and plenty of silly costumes (mostly provided by Doug and Mary Ann). We got all geared up, went over the rules, then posed for a couple of pictures.
It was race time and Grumpies was first, well not so much... The guys ended up helping in a rescue so we didn't race right away. I think the lady being rescued was a little hesitant to jump in a raft full of costumes and a random pumpkin, but none the less we got her down. Once she was safe the race began. We laid low through the first rapid thereafter and then began to race Broken Nose. The ladies styled the drops and we were close behind. Slice and Dice was next and the boys rallied late to take the lead. In the eddie below Slice and Dice the pumpkins began to get into play.
What some of us failed to realize, was how important that pumpkin ended up being. The racing itself really became secondary to wrestling for the pumpkin. This was never more evident then in the race through Moon Shoot when Zack mid rapid boarded the ladies vessel. This was not welcomed by the ladies who ended up throwing him out of their boat in the rapid. Ruthless I tell you. We were able to get him back into the boat without injury but we would not forget throughout the day what they did to him. Unacceptable.
Double suck was ours and a surf attempt was tried but really didn't provide any carnage. Through Double Trouble we were able to just get ahead of the ladies and lose our guide to the bounce. Jason took a huge leap and was flung from the craft loosing the Darth Vader mask. We all mourned it's loss...
The next rapid was Flipper. We had a ball surfing in it even though we lost two paddlers to it's fury. Several spins were made and the boat really filled with water. The ladies were nice enough to rescue David who may have actually swam more of the river then he paddled. But he seemed fairly comfortable swimming so we really didn't rush to save him much.
Down past the Doldrums and on to Table Saw. Here we couldn't decide whether to race or join forces to float-tilla. We decided late to race and we had a ball. The next couple of rapids were the wrestle mania ones of the day. Everyone at some point was thrown from their boat, in November, into the frigid waters. We all laughed groaned and tried like hell to secure that sacred pumpkin.
From there on, the rapids were not really raced and instead we focused on boarding the other teams rafts to fight for the pumpkin. Through Hell Hole and Power House we just focused on getting through and the flat water to the take out was again time to wrestle.
I can honestly say, I have never wrestled so much in my life. Honestly. The girls were determined and quite a match to our efforts. In the end, the score was never tabulated and the kayaks we brought to make a last run in were never used. We were beaten and bruised and we loved every minute of it.
We were told some action shots were taken throughout the day but they were surly not by us. Next year, we will train and we will be faster!
Thanks goes out to all that made the race possible! It was a blast!!
rc
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