North Shore Dragon Boat Festival
Overall Race Results
| Place T | eam | Home Town | Heat #1 | Heat #2 T | otal Time | |
| 1 | A Better Dragon T | hunder Bay, ONT | 0:01:42.0 | 0:01:38.6 | 0:03:20.6 | |
| 2 | Team Gunflint G | rand Marais | 0:01:52.8 | 0:01:48.2 | 0:03:41.0 | |
| 3 | No. Lights Timber Frame | Minneapolis | 0:01:54.0 | 0:01:50.3 | 0:03:44.3 | |
| 4 | Hungry Jack Outfitters G | unflintTrail | 0:01:54.9 | 0:01:49.9 | 0:03:44.8 | |
| 5 | Fired Up Puppies G | rand Marais | 0:01:53.9 | 0:01:51.9 | 0:03:45.8 | |
| 6 | Cook County Dog Mushers | Cook County | 0:01:58.0 | 0:01:54.2 | 0:03:52.2 | |
| 7 | Heart of the Continent G | rand Marais | 0:02:01.1 | 0:01:52.5 | 0:03:53.6 | |
| 8 | The Otters | Mpls & beyond | 0:01:59.1 | 0:01:55.5 | 0:03:54.6 | |
| 9 | North House Folk School G | rand Marais | 0:01:59.8 | 0:01.55.9 | 0:03:55.7 | |
| 10 | Taconite Pellets | Plymouth, MN | 0:02:01.1 | 0:01.54.8 | 0:03:55.9 | |
| 11 | Hot Plate Agates | Minneapolis | 0:01:58.4 | 0:01:57.7 | 0:03:56.1 | |
| 12 | WTIP Tippers G | rand Marais | 0:02:01.7 | 0:01:56.4 | 0:03:58.1 | |
| 13 | Harbor Fiends G | rand Marais | 0:02:03.6 | 0:01:54.7 | 0:03:58.3 | |
| 14 | Nokomis Dragon Slayers | Minneapolis | 0:02:02.9 | 0:02:01.2 | 0:04:04.1 | |
| 15 | Spirit of the Wilderness G | rand Marais | 0:02:08.2 | 0:02:08.2 | 0:04:20.2 | |
| 16 | Women on the Edge 2 | Mahtomedi, MN | 0:02:16.3 | 0:02:13.1 | 0:04:29.4 | |
| 17 | Women on the Edge | Mahtomedi, MN | 0:02:16.7 | 0:02:17.4 | 0:04:34.1 | |
| 18 | Birkie Girls | Hayward, WI | 0:02:19.4 | 0:02:23.9 | 0:04:43.3 |
Part of the Dragon Boat Festival fun is the “Parade of Teams,” with dragons, dancing, squirt guns and water balloons, which are greatly enjoyed by the kids in the crowd.
The Dragon Boats race across the harbor three at a time. In the calm before the drumming, teams talk strategy. The front boat is North House Folk School, the middle is overall winner A Better Dragon, and in back is the Heart of the Continent team.
The fired up drummer of the Fired Up Puppies of Grand Marais vigorously encouraged her team at the Saturday, July 31 Dragon Boat Races.
The 2010 North Shore Dragon Boat Festival has come and gone. The long dragon-headed boats have been pulled ashore, the racing buoys removed from the harbor, and the tired but happy paddlers have headed home, plotting their parade and race strategy for next year.
The overall Dragon Boat race winning team was A Better Dragon from Thunder Bay, Canada. The powerhouse Canadian team has claimed first or second place in all seven of the events held in the Grand Marais harbor. Coming in second was a “home” team, Team Gunflint, followed by Northern Lights Timber Frame of Minneapolis.
Winning first place in the “Friends & Family” division was the Heart of the Continent team. Cook County Dog Mushers claimed first place in the “Service/Professional Division.” The “Non-Profit” division winner was Harbor Fiends of Grand Marais. Hungry Jack Outfitters of the Gunflint Trail beat out the Hot Plate Agates of Minneapolis for first place in the “Hospitality/Tourism” division. The women’s division winner was The Otters of “Minneapolis and beyond” who defeated both of the Women on the Edge teams.
A fabulous group of fashionable stilt-walking girls took part in the Parade of Teams on Friday night.
The real winners are the three local non-profits—WTIP community radio, North Shore Health Care Foundation and North House Folk School—that receive not only a financial boost but the goodwill of the many folks who gathered for the boisterous “Parade of Teams” on Friday or who lined the waterfront to watch the racing under sunny skies on Saturday.
The Cook County Dog Mushers celebrate a strong finish.
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