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Big Canoe Challenge

Turns Out It's All About Teamwork

Jesse Osbourne/Highlands Today

The Sebring High School Interact team prepare to take off during the Big Canoe Challenge Saturday at Lake June Park in Lake Placid. The team finished with a time of two minutes and 22 seconds.

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By Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today

Published: October 21, 2007

LAKE PLACID — Like her teammates, Julie Halkias marched to her craft with the tattoo "Killer 7" on her arm.

Okay, it was a temporary drawing, and her group was the Heartland Vineyard Church, but don't miss the point. This was a team, and they were in it for ... well, not for blood, but they wanted to win pretty badly.

The 14 canoeists crowded onto the floating dock at Lake June Park, ready to board, ready to put their muscles into it, ready to ... hmm, the dock started sinking.

"We're taking on water here, coach. What do we do?" shouted Steve Halkias, more for comic relief than information.

Turns out, the answer was obvious. Lose some weight pretty quickly, or back up. So Halkias and six crimson-shirted crew members retreated to a more stable part of the aluminum dock, until a few oarsmen boarded.

Then the boat rocked an inch, and someone squealed, loud enough for the others to hear, "Oh, I hope Jesus is in this boat." They giggled.

Fund Raiser

This was the Big Canoe Challenge, a benefit for the Ridge Trails Association. On Saturday, they raised $3,000, said Meritt O'Brien, the chairman. Each of the 12 canoe teams donated cash, and the 4-H Club from Venus raised more money by selling food.

Across Lake June Park, noted Mayor Tom Katsanis, the busy day continued with the second week of Miracle League Network play. There were six teams with 60 athletes playing ball. And then there was the amateur sand sculpting contest, where both youths and adults turned silica into silly structures.

Back to the canoe challenge — Bill Redmond, who owns Wild Creek Adventures, the Lake Wales canoe-rental company, was instructing the first team.

"I'll tell you the secret of winning this race: don't put 14 people in the boat," he said, and the 14 crew members laughed. "However, rhythm is the key. Now if you fall out, stay with the boat. And you there in the back. The drain plug is under your feet. Don't kick it out."

This event was really about team building, and Rich McCann agreed.
"We got it moving pretty good, the problem was in steering it straight," McCann said, after the team landed.

Redmond noticed the same thing, which Heartland Vineyard was still on the water. "They've gone off course," he said. "The winner will go straight."

But as it turned out, Heartland Vineyard crossed the watery finish line between the two flags, and they paddled the 200 yards in 1.10 minutes.

"We're in first place," someone shouted, and a great hurrah went up. Well, this was a timed event, and Heartland Vineyard was the first team to compete.

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