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Canoe Racers Show Lots Of Paddle Power

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By STEVE KORNACKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 18, 2007

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RIVERVIEW - Rod Price of Orlando competes in nearly 20 canoe races annually, some as far away as the Adirondack Mountains in New York. He said he always makes it a point to enter the Alafia Challenge.

"It is the biggest race in Florida and you could not ask for more from a canoe race," said Price, 47, after Saturday's 11-mile paddle down the Alafia River. "There's so much stuff going on after the race that you don't even mind waiting around for the award ceremonies."

Price and Ken Streb, 49, of Rochester, N.Y., won the elite canoe category in 1:21:33.

Said Streb, "It's the best organized race, and I like the food, celebration and camaraderie afterward."

Ron McClain, who started the race in 1999, said its 345 entries are the most of any race in the state. Now an environmental lawyer in Washington, he returns almost every year to take in the atmosphere.

"It started with a bunch of people who do river and coastal cleanups," McClain said. "We always got together and worked our butts off. So, I thought, 'Why not do something fun. Let's have a race.'"

McClain stood on the dock at the finish line, exhorting a pair of paddlers: "C'mon, guys! All the way through! Straighten it up. Good job!"

Paddlers said they were cheered from the riverbanks most of the way.

"There was more watching this year than any other year," said Tim Jervis, 55, who has entered every race since 2002 with his son-in-law, Ken Grobeck, 34. "And we attracted our share of attention."

No wonder. The Riverview residents paddled a canoe disguised as a viking boat, and they wore viking helmets.

"Somebody told me that they were trying to catch us the whole race just so they could talk to us about the boat," Jervis said.

Grobeck carved a dragon out of Styrofoam and his daughter, Kacey, 14, cut out eight shields that she decorated with construction paper and paint. Jervis said they attached the shields and dragon to the canoe with hot glue.

Riverview residents Michael "Guy" Irving, 39, and his son, Josh, 15, won the parent-child heat in 1:36:49 and said they were looking forward to the unique race trophies.

The trophies are laser-etched onto slices of hickory tree limbs that fell on race chairman Karen Wagner's property. Plastic canoes and kayaks are attached. The trophies were the work of event sponsor Crown Trophy of Tampa.

"One year the trophies were cut from avocado trees downed by the hurricane winds," said Michael Irving, a pressman at The Tampa Tribune, which was one of the event's sponsors. "They are pretty cool trophies."

Irving has entered the race before with his wife, Lori, and brother, Jeff, and also won or placed in the mixed crew and open men's categories with them.

Irving said: "They were injured this year, and so I said, 'You're my partner, Josh.' I got in the back and he was our power, our workhorse, in the front. The water was slow and low this year, and the river flow was only this bad one other time in the seven I've entered. So, you really had to paddle."

When Jessica Leiby, 17, of Valrico, crossed under the checkered flags, she raised her paddle over her head with both hands and pumped it several times as she shouted for joy. Spectators on the dock and aluminum bleachers cheered.

She said: "I was saying, 'Thank you! It's over!' It made me happy and confident to finish. And I was thinking that I could sure go for a big slice of chocolate cake."

RACE WINNERS

Canoe Elite (all ages): Rod Price and Ken Streb, 1:21:33
Canoe Men's Open (20 and older): Eric Costello and Jordan Costello, 1:39:57
Canoe Women's Open (20 and older): Christine Canevari and Joyce Fornero, 1:35:35
Canoe Masters (50 and older): Garth Waters and Bill Skiffington, 1:46:30
Canoe Mixed Crew: Greg Zimmer and Sharon Zimmer, 1:43:43
Canoe Parent-Child: Michael Irving and Joshua Irving, 1:36.49
Kayak Elite Tandem (all ages): Mike Jordan and James Bryan, 1:07:10
Kayak Elite Racer (all ages): Derick Bezuidenhout, 1:08:51
Kayak Men's Open (20 and older): Michael Carlini, 1:34:08
Kayak Women's Open (20 and older): Shari Francavilla, 1:41:03
Kayak Masters Women (50 and older): Donna Rosen, 1:47:03
Kayak Tandem: Marty Sullivan and Maura Smith, 1:29:49
Kayak Masters Men (50 and older): Peter Eichenberger, 1:34:35
Kayak Juniors (ages 16-19): Sean Bubernak, 1:41:54
Source: Race chairwoman Karen Wagner

Reporter Steve Kornacki can be reached at skornacki@tampatrib.com or (813) 731-8170.

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