A race called "Arkansas"

[Donald]

The following is an article about the Boy Scout National Invitational Canoe race on the White River in Arkansas written by one of the Scouts from Bogalusa, LA. The race is held on the last weekend in July and is in its 44th year. Enjoy
More info on the White river race can be found at http://www.whiterivercanoerace.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This past year was my eighth year in a row to attend the White River Canoe Race. One may presume that after eight years that I would be bored with the race, but each year the race never failed to be a memorable event. From age 13-22, I have been involved with Venture Scouts and canoe racing and would do it all over again if I had the choice. The saying, “Time flies when you are having fun” definitely holds true. Many things have changed over the years I’ve attended the race, from the people participating in the race to the racecourse itself. On the other hand, some things have never changed; competition has always been fierce, participation has steadily increased, and the water has always been freezing cold. This past year was an especially memorable year for my team, Venturer Crew 313 from Bogalusa, Louisiana; we broke the five-year winning streak held by our rivals, Venturer Crew 300 from Russellville, Arkansas, and won our 11th title in the Open Cruising Division. Life is definitely not all about winning, but it is always nice to see perseverance pay off. If I had to create a formula success, the three main parts of the equation would be hard work, dedication, and attitude.
Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Venturer Crew 313 has been led by Lt. Col. Robert Miller (Ret. USMC) since 1977, and the team has attended every White River Canoe Race since, except in 1978 when the Crew went to Disney World. Over these years, Crew 313 has brought home numerous titles in the Beginners, Novice, Aluminum, and Open Cruising division. These accomplishments do not come without hard work. When the weather warms up in Louisiana, we immediately begin practice on a lake every Sunday. Then, when school lets out for the summer, our true practice regimen begins. We practice five days a week, four of those on fourteen miles of dead water, and one of those on twenty miles on a moving river, all to build our strength and endurance. Each practice is filmed by Colonel Miller himself, and then watched by the team so that we can improve our paddling techniques. Throughout canoeing season, our team attends numerous small races to give everyone experience with racing, but everyone knows that the event we are ultimately preparing for is “Arkansas,” as we simply call the race here in Louisiana. Teams from all over the country travel to the race to put their hard work to the test. This past year, new teams from as far as Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, and California attended the race with one of the best race turnouts I’ve ever seen throughout my years. The evening before the race, during canoe registration, teams scope each other out, trying to determine the winner of the race before the race even starts, but the truth is the race is not over until everyone crosses the finish line in Batesville on the last day of the 120-mile marathon. Penalties, flipping, and malfunctioning equipment can all determine the outcome of the race. The teams who prepared the most will avoid most of these mishaps and have a better shot at winning the race. I am certain teams such as Pocahontas, Arkansas Crew 455, who placed first in the Boys Aluminum Beginners and Coed Aluminum Advanced divisions, can attribute their success to their hard work and preparation.
The second part of the equation is dedication. Dedication is KEY to success. In the five years when our team took second place in the Open Cruising Division, our team always had a “first timer” on the team, a person who had no prior experience on the White River. We have always had difficulties keeping scouts involved for more than one or two years. Participation on our team over my eight years has had its ups and downs. My first year, we had enough paddlers for a beginners team, two novice teams, an advanced aluminum team, and an open cruising team. A couple years later, we only had eight paddlers, enough for 2 four-man teams. This past year, we had 14 paddlers; I am sure other Crews are seeing a similar up and down pattern. There are just so many activities a 14-21 year old can get involved in these days, whether it be another sport activity or video games. I can speak on behalf of Crew 300 from Russellville; dedication was and is essential to their success. Each year, Crew 300’s Open Cruising team would come back with the same members, stronger and more prepared than the year before. In this past year’s race, Russellville’s team placed first in the Boys Aluminum Novice, Girls Aluminum Advanced, and Boys Aluminum Advanced divisions and placed second in the open cruising division, only ten minutes behind our team. My crew brought back a strong four-member team who had all had prior experience at the race, largely contributing to our success. New teams should definitely not be discouraged by their performance at their first years attending the race; one must first know what it feels like to fail to value success. Basketball star, Michael Jordan, once said, “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” Whether it be playing basketball, learning to play guitar, or becoming successful at canoe racing, dedication is vital.
The final piece of the equation is attitude. Quoting Henry Ford: “If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right.” A positive attitude has always been strongly encouraged in Venturer Crew 313 and has always been reinforced at the White River Canoe Race. Positive attitude alone may not necessarily win a team first place, but it makes a strong impact on those surrounding. For example, it is encouraged by many teams to help others that may finish after you with their canoes and equipment. Also, you will see competitors congratulating each other regardless of their place in the race. Each year, a sportsmanship award is given out to a worthy team voted on by the team captains. This past year Little Rock Venturer Crew 8 deservingly won the sportsmanship award and received the rotating trophy. They were also very successful; their team won first in the Coed Beginners Division and second in the Coed Aluminum Advanced Division. A quote drilled into us by our advisor Colonel Miller is, “Win with humility, and lose with dignity.” Without a positive attitude, I don’t believe anyone can achieve his or her highest goals in any area of their life.
The year 2008 was my last year to paddle the White River Canoe Race because of my age. Therefore, I was not on the Open Cruising team in 2009 when our team took first place. One may think, “Man, that is a shame that Emile was devoted to the team and was one year away from being on the winning team.” This is not the case; I felt just as much on the team as they did while they were paddling. I knew that my hard work, dedication, and attitude had helped better equip our paddlers for the race. After the race, all four of the members of our open-cruising team came up to me and said, “We just wanted to let you know that you won this trophy just as much we did…we couldn’t have done it without you.” I will never forget that moment. “Arkansas” will always be a part of my life.

[Gordon Kumpuris]

Neat article. Thanks for sharing.

[Donald]

You are welcome and I am glad you liked it. Emile did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the race.

Don Walls