Tellico Heat’s First Year of Participation in

Johnson City Honor Flight of the Appalachian Highlands 2nd Annual Dragon Boat Festival was a huge success!

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Raindrops just after the final heat as Sandi’s Solider’s 1 paddled into the dock by our ever-present exceptional steerer of the day, Kathy Watson. The racing competion was tough, but Tellico Heat paddlers showed them just how strong “those old people” were with true grit and sportsmanship. Tellico Heat brought two boats for the 200M festival: Sandi’s Solider’s 1 and Sandi’s Soldier’s 2, racing in three heats each.  

The race consisted of two qualifying heats, and one final heat for each of the two races. Sandi’s Soldier’s 1 finished the first round with a time of 58.789  winning their heat and setting the bar.  Sandi’s Solider’s 2 also won  it’s first heat with a time  57.158. BWXT: Rapid Response Team finished in blazing fast time of 52.767. Tellico Heat Coaches reminded the team of their preparation and the race strategy. Sandi’s Solidiers 2 coached by Dee and Denise stepped up their game with a time of  in 57.101 in the second round with an explosive finish.  Not to be outdone, Sandi’s Soldier’s 1 broke it’s own record with the 3rd fastest time in Heat 2 with a new team record  time of 55.703. For some team members, it was their first race, and it was evident that they too caught the racing bug. 

The clouds dispersed and the sun came out heating up the day for the final round. The Hard Hat Warriors provided a photo finish with a time of 52.947, but not quite fast enough for  Rapid Response, who finished just a little over a tenth of second ahead with a time of 52.794. Tellico Heat’s Sandi’s Soldiers 1 came in 4th place in the heat with a time of 57.092. 3rd Place final heat time: 55.805; 4th place: 56.684

Tellico Heat Sandi’s Soldier’s 1 Final results: 5th place overall – 57.092

Tellico Heat Sandi’s Soldier’s 2 Final reults: 6th place overall – 58.399

Watch the Video Highlights to hear Coach Kevin’s assessment of the day. The bottom line was that everyone brought 100% and had a blast! It was a day of great racing, comraderie, and in true Tellico Heat spirit, we once again helped out another team who were short paddlers.