College Students Paddle to Finish Race
By JOHN LYNCH
Longview News Journal
(4/8/02)

JEFFERSON — Was that a snake?

Hopefully not. The only wildlife seen Saturday at the annual canoe race sponsored by the Jefferson College Center of Panola College were crickets and the occasional lizard.

Organizers say alligators and panthers make their home in the woods along the Big Cypress Bayou flowing behind the Freeman Plantation in Jefferson. They seemed to be joking.

The historic Greek revival home of Panola booster Duke DeWare provided the backdrop for the race as it has for the past four years. Canoeists from four schools launched from the woods behind the stately manor, riding the bayou into downtown Jefferson and the public boat ramp.

It was clear Saturday that intercollegiate competitive canoeing is in its infancy in East Texas — the only sponsor is the college, which first organized the competition four years ago.

It's a pristine, yet rough-hewn childhood, untainted by doping scandals and shoe endorsements. Participants eschew flashy sponsors: If someone was wearing a Nike T-shirt, that's just because that's the shirt he happened to put on that morning. Most participants opted for the Panola-green commemorative T-shirts provided by the school anyway.

Participants carried their own canoes, some of which were borrowed or rented. No big corporate sponsors here either — if this was NASCAR, each one of the six boats would be covered in stickers hawking Viagra and corn flakes from stem to stern.

Several of the participants had a difficult time navigating through the woods, bumping into trees and a couple even dropped their boats. That prompted some concern from onlookers — if the canoeists were having a hard time maneuvering on dry ground, how well would they handle the craft in the water?

Saturday's competition was more about camaraderie than competition, said organizer Dr. Jeanne Scott, director of the Jefferson center. "We wanted to do something to bring the students together," she said.

DeWare, who helped Scott found the competition, has opened his home every year to racing participants. "We've got this gorgeous bayou here and we thought, why not use it," he said. "It's fun for the college students to compete and get to know each other."

Participants gathered about 10 a.m., snacking on doughnuts, strawberries, orange juice and sweet rolls, laughing and joking and plotting strategy. And like most athletic events, there was even a little trash talking.

Questioned about a strategy for winning, the students from Texas State Technical College had a simple, yet potentially elaborate plan: "Paddle," said student Brandon Allbright. "Paddle hard." "And don't stop," fellow student Adam Kimbro elaborated.

But how far were they willing to go to win? Would they ram their competitors? How much did they want to win? "We'll do whatever it takes," promised another student, K.C. Craig. "That's what paddles are for," Kimbro said, as he practiced swinging an oar like a bat, tossing pine cones in the air.

Fortunately, no one resorted to violence Saturday. Unfortunately, both TSTC canoes (both rentals) tipped over early in the race, with Allbright and fellow student Wesley Talent getting their dunking almost immediately after the start. "I'll bet that water's cold," DeWare mused as he watched the floundering pair scramble to right their boat and get back in the race. Allbright and Talent recovered enough to place third out of six boats, while Craig and Kimbro placed fifth.

First place went to students Richard Woodard and Tommy Russell of East Texas Baptist University, who just managed to edge out second-place finishers Philip Verhalen and Kevin Rutherford, a pair of Panola instructors. The teachers were the first to clear the bridge over Polk Street, but Woodard and Russell cut them off to seal their win.

The students finished the roughly two-mile race in about 351/2 minutes, 10 minutes faster than last year's best time, said unofficial timekeeper David Sutton.

The pair used a slightly more elaborate game plan than TSTC, combining paddling with strategic tree-avoidance. Russell, who was part of last year's ETBU team, said a collision with a tree in 2001 cost the school a first-place victory, moving them to third-place.

But Russell and Woodard were quick to credit their victory to duct tape and school president Bob Riley, who was present to cheer them on. They said it was Riley's idea to cover up the name of the boat's owner, the Campfire Girls, with duct tape.

"He said we should put duct tape over (the name)," Woodard said. The pair were so enthused with their win that they plan to make the tape their mascot.

"We're going to do it again next year," Woodard said.

Panola students Kathryn Wood and Shane Bacon got fourth place, with Scott McKenzie and Jerrod Scaramuzzo, students from Texas A&M-Texarkana, capturing sixth.

A delegation from Wiley College also attended "to provide moral support," but declined to compete, citing a lack of swimming and canoeing ability.

Next year's meet is scheduled for March 29. Organizers hope the earlier date will allow more colleges to compete. Scott said Stephen F. Austin University, Tyler Junior College and Shreveport's Centenary College wanted to compete, but Saturday's race day conflicted with other school activities.

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