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Dragons on Lake Mohawk

| 23 May 2018 | 01:55
    In second place at a time of 1:03.563 in the final round is RDA Fitness. Photos by Rose Sgarlato
    In second place at a time of 1:03.563 in the final round is RDA Fitness. Photos by Rose Sgarlato
    “That’s How We Row” won best costume at Sunday’s Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival.
    “That’s How We Row” won best costume at Sunday’s Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival.
    Cast&More’s Dragons get ready for their last race of the day.
    Cast&More’s Dragons get ready for their last race of the day.
    This team psyches up for the next race.
    This team psyches up for the next race.
    Leighann Castamore is the drummer in full regalia for her crew “Cast & More’s Dragons.
    Leighann Castamore is the drummer in full regalia for her crew “Cast & More’s Dragons.
    Sparta High School volunteers on hand in the Front Row: Bayleigh Takacs, Paige Lucas, Kelli Vogel; Back Row: Zander Papandrikos, Juleanna Green, Steven Sullivan and Lorenzo Rending
    Sparta High School volunteers on hand in the Front Row: Bayleigh Takacs, Paige Lucas, Kelli Vogel; Back Row: Zander Papandrikos, Juleanna Green, Steven Sullivan and Lorenzo Rending
    First time competitors Cross fit Skylands take to the water.
    First time competitors Cross fit Skylands take to the water.
    Off-shore “tailgate” activity in a staging area where teams hung out waiting their turns.
    Off-shore “tailgate” activity in a staging area where teams hung out waiting their turns.
    Third place overall winners Red Shed Cross Fit final round ranking at a time of 1:05.048.
    Third place overall winners Red Shed Cross Fit final round ranking at a time of 1:05.048.
    Proud winners SA American Muscle take it all for first place with the overall best time at 1:03.363.
    Proud winners SA American Muscle take it all for first place with the overall best time at 1:03.363.
    Just some of the excitement at Sunday’s Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival sponsored by The Sparta Education Foundation.
    Just some of the excitement at Sunday’s Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival sponsored by The Sparta Education Foundation.
    Racers said lining up before the start was the hardest part due to some wind and choppy water most of the day.
    Racers said lining up before the start was the hardest part due to some wind and choppy water most of the day.

By Rose Sgarlato
Sparta — SA American Muscle won Sunday's race by a nose, a dragon’s nose that is, at the Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival on Lake Mohawk .
37 boats and crews took to the water. In groups of three, the crews rowed in 250-meter heats, until the field of contestants was whittled down to the final boats. SA American Muscle posted a final round time of 1:03.363. RDA Fitness came in second at 1:03.563 and Red Shed Cross Fit finished third overall at 1:05.048.
Presented by the Sparta Education Foundation (SEF), the May 20th boat race fundraiser continues to gain momentum and popularity among Sparta residents, businesses and their friends.
Individuals and businesses form teams, each having 21 paddlers, who pay a total of $1,500 a boat. Over 750 people participated with over 50 volunteers coordinating the event.
And there is certainly a lot of creativity that goes into team names: Crew U, Sink Oar Swim, Beastie Buoys, Wun Fun Cru and Oarganized Chaos to name a few.
“One of the best parts of the Dragon Boat Festival is how it promotes community pride. Our whole community comes together on the boardwalk to cheer on friends and family members who are racing, “ said Danielle Dykstra, President of SEF.
The SEF calls itself a “non-profit corporation, all-volunteer, community based organization” with a mission “to raise money that enables the SEF to make ongoing charitable contributions to enrich the educational experience of children in Sparta Public Schools.”
The Platinum Sponsor of The Fourth Annual Dragon Boat Festival was Atlantic Health System/Newton Medical Center. All of the proceeds including team donations, raffle and auction revenues will benefit the SEF and be tallied by June, said SEF Trustee Donna West.
The SEF provided the following: "Recent grants have included Genome Editing CRISPR/Cas9 classroom kits, 5 rowing machines, Year 2 of Chromebooks and 8 sound systems for audio amplification at Sparta High School; activity furniture for Mohawk Avenue School third graders; Lego Mindstorms EV3 Core Sets for Sparta Middle School; and Creative Construction Pack Cubelets, Ozobot Classroom Kit and 14iPads for Helen Morgan School. We are proud to have raised over $898,000 for grants to our schools since we were founded in 2006.”
For race results and more information: www.spartadragonboat.com.