While Rice didn’t beat her record 2009 time she could still have been drinking a Peña Colada at the WatersView Restaurant (If they had been open…) by the time her closet competitor raced across the timing mat.
As event coordinator Kathy Dikeman was welcoming the entrants this morning, she had Rice come up to the makeshift podium set up at Morningstar Marina and introduced her to the new record 313 other entrants. Dikeman told them, “Here is Kim Rice; she’s the one you have to beat.” No one would best her on this day.
Every year the O’SAIL organization, who started this tradition, names an honorary Commodore for the event and this year was no different. Dikeman had Lake Gaston Association president Doug Hughes come to the podium to introduce this year’s Commodore.
While introducing the latest Commodore, Hughes told the crowd, “Kathy told me I had two or three minutes to introduce your Commodore this morning, and quite frankly, if she thought I could do all of this person’s accomplishments in two or three minutes, she doesn’t know Jack!” After the laughter died down, Hughes introduced Jack Saunders as the 2010 Crossing Commodore.
With that done, the event began to get underway. There was a bit of confusion, as in year’s past, the ‘contraptions’ and other paddlers took off first, before the swimmers, but this year all the ‘crafts’ remained ashore until the swimmers had taken off.
Eddie Hardee and Shoreline Specialists’ big blue boat was once again the center of attention as he took his “floating beach party” full of swimmers out to the starting line and officially started the 2010 ‘The Crossing.”
While all of this was going on, another group of land based ‘Crossers’ were making their way to the Eaton Ferry Bridge to walk, or roll, as in wheel chairs and various contraptions, to begin their ‘Crossing’.
Overall, the 314 entrants made their way across Lake Gaston in grand fashion. Rice accomplished her ‘three-peat’, the three other women finishing behind her still proved women are better than men when it comes to crossing Lake Gaston and a canoe was the very first ‘contraption’ to make it across. Maybe we can guess that means the original paddle craft is still the best paddle craft? Who knows…? What we do know is everyone had a ball and once again, O’SAIL pulled off another fantastic event. Job well done everyone! Look for more stories on the Crossing in the next week-or-so right here in Lake Gaston Today. We found stories everywhere! We also have the best photographs you’ll find anywhere, so keep checking back, maybe you’ll see yourself scrambling ashore.
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