August 13, 2008
Captain's Blog—The Tuesday before Sunday's Big Race
Room 3a, Echo Park Lake Boat House, Echo Park, CA
Regatta administrators can't even describe the past few days. Teams that had hadn't existed mere days ago are dominating the league tables, and once-favorites are finding the gentle waters of Echo Park Lake getting choppy. As I look out from the boathouse, nothing is as it used to be—even ducklings are looking both ways before crossing the course. Here's your guide to what's happened, and to what might happen this weekend:
Here comes the Suns: with almost twice as much raised as the nearest competitor, the Venetian Suns are pre-Copernican in dominance. Look for teammates Mark Rainville and Michelle Katz to lead the pack around the Regatta's first bend—the mighty fountain—where it will be Rainvilling Katz and…
…Clumber Spaniels. Will Sunday be the dog day of summer? Team members Mac Barnett and Dan Villalon have been agonizing over this question, and have come to the conclusion that it will be. With an impressive roster of sponsors, it looks like the Clumber Spaniels could be Sunday's top dogs.
Bottom's up: Whatever the opposite of soggy bottom is, that's where The Soggy Bottom Duo is finding itself now. TSBD's steady fundraising puts them starting the race in the #3 position. Could a #1 finish be theirs? That depends if…
The Price is Weiss: the highest-ranked team to surpass its fundraising goal is the remarkable, and often remarked about, Team Weiss. Weiss is also the highest-ranked team not to have an image on the Regatta website. And with no picture there, rumors about what the TW boat might look like, which rumors started as wild speculation, have coalesced around a fire-breathing dragon.
Fighting Mono(don) a Mono(ceros): If you had to choose a winner based on a team's image, you would have to chose Team Narwhal, one of the few team animals that actually lives in the water. And you'd be hard-pressed to find anybody better than Alex Riguero and Amanda Krieg to pilot that animal. As one of the first teams registered in this race, Team Narwhal is one of the teams that's been preparing the longest and one of the teams that will be pedaling the strongest.
The high-flying LittleBird: We don't high five! is suddenly a top-ranked team. If things go their way on Sunday, Hamish and Mylissa Grieve will have a very good reason to high-five themselves, and other competitors have been warned about the "down low / too slow!" olive branch.
Earlier this week, race administrators reported that Jennifer Goyette and Igor Jadrovski are "done with" the 4P's, and have confirmed that the Urban Acheivers have added a fifth, which is also "pedal". Representing a 25% improvement over historical training standards, the 5P's are all anybody is talking about on the dock.
Race speculators have been charting the progress of The Lotus-Eaters with great interest. A team all about precision, TLE has been bringing sponsors aboard on both sides of the decimal point. Now with a top ten position, Bonnie Chau and Jessica Burkhart are attending yoga very, very regularly—which means the only thing that will be out of balance on Sunday is going to be their odds of sweet victory.
No regrets: For those fun-fans out there with fundraising thoughts of woulda, coulda, shoulda, The Julie McCoy Experience is your boat to join. That's right: a top-ranked boat with an empty helm. It's like Michael Phelps stopping time one second before the finish of an Olympic race, handing you his swimcap, and saying, "Hey, would you like to win this thing?" Talk about once in a lifetime! Tickets for this boat will be raffled on raceday.
Stop Pynchon yourself; they're real: The Chums of Chance know a thing or two about riotous, compelling, and absurdly fantastic adventures. Powered by the minds and feet of Amy Ganser and Charles Day, their hopes for a first place finish are well-grounded.
That's what to look for from Tuesday night's top ten teams. Fundraising is open till midnight preceding the race. Looking forward to seeing you all on race day,
Captain Barnacle
August 6, 2008
Bands for Post-Race Show at The Echo announced!
The fun doesn't stop at the lake! Join us after the race for music and merriment at The Echo with The Damselles and Super Duper—two great bands with 826LA volunteers in their line-up!
August 6, 2008
Captain’s Blog—A Guide to the Top-Ranked Teams
The competition has gotten fierce. Fiercer than a band of Clumber Spaniels, chomping at a $795 bit. Co-captains Mac Barnett and Daniel "Dan" M. Villalon know it'll take more than the best starting position to win this race… or do they? "We don't," says Dan.
Among the first entrants are Team Weiss, long-time 826LA supporters. 826LA has counted on them in the past, and with $500 locked up, Weiss’s sponsors can count on some great odds now. Be sure to watch as Team Weiss executes its classic "Weiss right" around the Regatta’s famous final turn.
What Team Weiss is to right turns, the Bay Area's The Soggy Bottom Duo is to lefts. TSBD pedaler Joel Arquillos is rumored to be traveling from San Francisco via paddleboat for this event, where "I'll be pedaling the left side of the boat with my legs, and the right side with my teeth."
Team Narwal is the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. Powered by Alex Riguero, Amanda Krieg, and the longest-running streak of 826-volunteerism that LA has ever seen, it's hard to think of anything that would stand between Team Narwal and Team Narwal's trophy.
But that might be where The Urban Achievers come in. Igor Jadrovski and Jennifer Goyette have spent the past few weeks focusing on the 4 P's (Pedal, Pedal, Pedal, Pedal)—could that be what it takes to achieve victory? It might.
Or might it? 826LA interns Jamie Pierson and Erin Reeves will be making waves as they power the formidable Disco Interno. Did somebody say first place finish? "That’s the way / [they'd] like it."
On August 17th the way to experience victory may be through The Julie McCoy Experience. 826LA's own Christina Galante will be raffling this boat to financially-motivated pedalers. Think that maybe it could be you? Then it could be you crossing the finish line first. See you in the winner's circle, [your name here].
But wait! Lauren Rogers and Vanessa Harris will be wearing sweatbands and traveling at the speed of Sparkle Motion, which is described by race organizers as "just about as fast as you can go before things get dangerous." On August 17th, if you see something sparkling, it means you just got passed.
Stay tuned for more updates,
Captain Barnacle
July 18, 2008
Do You Have The Mettle to Pedal?
826LA is pleased to announce and host the Paddle Boat Regatta of the century. We've tested the boats for their lakeworthiness and have determined the most regattaworthy course for this historic race. Do you have the mettle to pedal?
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