Danforth second in school challenge

Photograph by John Bartlett
DOWN THE STREAM – For East Grand, Aaron Henn, bow, and Andrew Gilman, stern, make good time paddling down the stream during the Marsh Stream Race.
Blood sets record straight, high school challenge continues     Danforth high school students competed in the Marsh Stream Race in Winterport/Frankfort on Sunday, as part of the High School Canoe Race Challenge through the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization.
    The next high school challenge will be the Machias River on  Sunday, April 25 at 11 a.m. For more information, call Greg Dorr at 852-8755.
    Other races are the  Meduxnekeag River Race on Saturday, May 1 and the Baskahegan Stream (paddling  leg of the East Grand Adventure Race) on Saturday, May 8.
    In last Sunday’s race, Andrew Gilman and Aaron Henn finished second in the SC OC2 high school category with a time of 0:38:36. Finishing sixth in the class were Elizabeth Gilman and Kaitlyn Beaudoin of Danforth/Brookton, respectively, with a time of 0:51:46, while in seventh were Mitchell Bartlett and Samari Stewart of Danforth/Weston, respectively, with a time of 0:53:38 and in eighth, Shaunna Beaudoin and Jayne Cousins of Brookton/Danforth, respectively, with a time of 0:55:22.
    In the     SC OC2 Junior/Senior division, Dave Conley and Alex Brittain finished second with a time of 0:54.13.
    Schools leading the 2010 High School Canoe Racing Challenge are Orono and East Grand, with the following results from the Marsh Stream Race:
    Orono High School: Schuyler Collett with Alex Introne, 36:52 44; Karl Koehler with Laurie Hamilton,
39:46 42; Yuval Boss with Paul Robinson, 40:02 46 and Ethan Vienneau with Eliot Lamb, 41:29 41.
Total elapsed time of the top three boats was 1:56:40 and time deduction, one minute per boat, was four minutes for an adjusted elapsed time of 1:52:40.
    East Grand School: Andrew Gilman with Aaron Henn, 38:36 39; Elizabeth Gilman with Kaitlyn Beaudoin, 51:46 40; Mitchell Bartlett with Samari Stewart, 53:38 43 and Shaunna Beadoin with Jayne Cousins, 55:22 45. Total elapsed time of the top three boats was 2:24:00, with a time deduction, one minute per boat, four minutes for an adjusted elapsed time of 2:20:00.
    Orono High School wins the first race of the challenge and takes a 1-0 lead over East Grand. Hopefully, other schools will enter the challenge by showing up at the Machias, Meduxnekeag and East Grand Adventure Race. Schools will score one point for every team they beat at a race.
Other paddling news
    Peter Blood of Houlton raced with a 73-year-old paddler, Maber Cronkite in the Passagassawakeag Race in the Century division on April 3. Their ages add up to 139 years.
    “Not another team was within 30 years of us in total,” said Blood.
    Blood knew they probably couldn’t get first in Century Rec, but they did come in second not fourth, as reported last week in the Pioneer Times.
Photograph by John Bartlett
ON THE WATER – East Grand’s ShauNna Beaudoin, bow and Jane Cousins, stern, both freshmen, approach the finish line in the Marsh Stream Race.
Upcoming races
    The next race is the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race on Saturday  at  8 a.m. in Kenduskeag. The race is a 16.5-mile whitewater event, the fifth of 11 down river series races. Race day registration is at the Grange Hall from 6:30-7 a.m. Cost is $30. If a participant pre-registers by Friday, April 16 at 1 p.m., the cost is $17.
    For more information, call the Bangor Parks and Recreation at 992-4490 or e-mail   parks.rec@bgrme.org.
    Participants may also check the following Web sites: http://www.myrecdept.com/me/bangor/default2.asp or http://kenduskeagstreamcanoerace.com.
    There will be college and high school classes.    
    Saturday, May 1: Meduxnekeag River Race  at 10 a.m. from New Limerick to Houlton. The local race is an 8-mile, whitewater  race, the eighth in 11 down river point series races. Registration is from 8-9:30 a.m. Cost is $15 adult and $10 for youth. This is the third of five MaCKRO Paddle with a kid races.
    For more information, call Peter Blood at 532-2577  or e-mail cibpgb@myfairpoint.net.
    If participants pre-register by April 29, they get a free T-shirt. Race proceeds benefit Dollars for Scholars.
    All the usual categories will be open for the local race, plus this year, the committee guarantees the Junior/Senior class will be divided. The first division will be junior 12 and under and senior 18 and older, with the second division, junior 13 through 16 and senior 18 and older.