GG Crew XX
Another Canoe Season has come and gone.
GG Crew XX came together for the 47th Annual Disneyland Resort Canoe Races and I'm happy to report that we made it to the finals again this year.
I don't know if I can adequately express how proud I am of this year's team. We rowed 3 seconds faster than the time that got us 1st place two years ago. We shattered the coed record that has stood since 1996. We finished with a time faster than those of the 3rd and 4th place Men's teams, and we achieved the fastest time that GG Crew has rowed in 20 years.
And this year, all of that was only good enough for 3rd place.
This year's coed division was the most competitive group of teams I have ever seen. The normally wide field of "DC" teams consolidated, and all of the best folks showed up to row. DC United: Back in Black set a coed record of 4:10:35. That fact seems to have been missed in the official accounts of the day. The previous record for a Coed team was set by Rescue & Rhythm in 1996 with 4:16:17. In the years since then, teams have placed first with times as slow as Hyperion High School's 4:34:57 in 2004.
The fastest time on record was set by the Men's Division DC Sausage Chowda on July 31st, 2008, when they rowed a ridiculous 3:53:72 during quarter finals. It's rare that a Men's team breaks the 4 minute mark, and it's only been in the past few years that you could count on a team or two skating in that quickly. This year the 1st place Men's team DC Fist Pump came in at 4:03:64.
But the 1st place coed team this year blew the 14 year old record apart by 6 seconds. That's truly remarkable.
A few members of GG Crew XX seemed a little down that we "only" placed third. I told them what I just told you, and a little more research into GG Crew's legacy got their spirits up even more. Sure, we started out slow. GG Crew doesn't appear on the official record until GG Crew 7, when we placed first with 4:22:83, and those first few seasons include a couple DQ's. But in our 20 year history, GG Crew has placed 1st 9 times, including a 4-peat from 2000 - 2003, which is a legacy unrivaled since the coed division formed in 1970.
As competitive as the Coed Division is, one of my favorite things about the Canoe Races is the friendly rivalries between the teams. Part of the fun is cheering each other on. Unfortunately a little bit of that was lost this year due to the way that Cast Activities herded us around during the medals ceremony. The only sour note was being stuck on the bottom level of the Hungry Bear Restaurant, unable to cheer for the other teams as they received their awards.
But we all met up for Pancakes afterwards, which is another fine tradition that GG Crew keeps alive year after year.
I think we'll be back to row again next year. After all, we had shirts that said "Old Enough to Vote!" for GG Crew 18 - it's only fitting that we have "Old Enough to Drink!" shirts for GG Crew 21...
~j
(You can see more pictures courtesy of sheercandy here.)
GG Crew XX came together for the 47th Annual Disneyland Resort Canoe Races and I'm happy to report that we made it to the finals again this year.
I don't know if I can adequately express how proud I am of this year's team. We rowed 3 seconds faster than the time that got us 1st place two years ago. We shattered the coed record that has stood since 1996. We finished with a time faster than those of the 3rd and 4th place Men's teams, and we achieved the fastest time that GG Crew has rowed in 20 years.
And this year, all of that was only good enough for 3rd place.
This year's coed division was the most competitive group of teams I have ever seen. The normally wide field of "DC" teams consolidated, and all of the best folks showed up to row. DC United: Back in Black set a coed record of 4:10:35. That fact seems to have been missed in the official accounts of the day. The previous record for a Coed team was set by Rescue & Rhythm in 1996 with 4:16:17. In the years since then, teams have placed first with times as slow as Hyperion High School's 4:34:57 in 2004.
The fastest time on record was set by the Men's Division DC Sausage Chowda on July 31st, 2008, when they rowed a ridiculous 3:53:72 during quarter finals. It's rare that a Men's team breaks the 4 minute mark, and it's only been in the past few years that you could count on a team or two skating in that quickly. This year the 1st place Men's team DC Fist Pump came in at 4:03:64.
But the 1st place coed team this year blew the 14 year old record apart by 6 seconds. That's truly remarkable.
A few members of GG Crew XX seemed a little down that we "only" placed third. I told them what I just told you, and a little more research into GG Crew's legacy got their spirits up even more. Sure, we started out slow. GG Crew doesn't appear on the official record until GG Crew 7, when we placed first with 4:22:83, and those first few seasons include a couple DQ's. But in our 20 year history, GG Crew has placed 1st 9 times, including a 4-peat from 2000 - 2003, which is a legacy unrivaled since the coed division formed in 1970.
As competitive as the Coed Division is, one of my favorite things about the Canoe Races is the friendly rivalries between the teams. Part of the fun is cheering each other on. Unfortunately a little bit of that was lost this year due to the way that Cast Activities herded us around during the medals ceremony. The only sour note was being stuck on the bottom level of the Hungry Bear Restaurant, unable to cheer for the other teams as they received their awards.
But we all met up for Pancakes afterwards, which is another fine tradition that GG Crew keeps alive year after year.
I think we'll be back to row again next year. After all, we had shirts that said "Old Enough to Vote!" for GG Crew 18 - it's only fitting that we have "Old Enough to Drink!" shirts for GG Crew 21...
~j
(You can see more pictures courtesy of sheercandy here.)