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Little Miss and Mr. Tomato crowned

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High School Golf: Season swings into action today with Tryba Tournament

<p>Yes, I was in a dragon boat that capsized on the Susquehanna River on Sunday morning.</p><p>Into the drink we went &#8212; a boat full of paddlers from the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association, our drummer and our steersperson.</p><p>And, you know what? It wasn&#8217;t as bad an experience as you might expect.</p><p>Sure, our team came in dead last out of seven teams. But we won the spirit award for being good sports and getting back into the dragon boat for our next heat.</p><p>We also won the prize for best-dressed drummer, thanks to Patty Hughes, special events coordinator for the City of Wilkes-Barre, whose yellow and black &#8220;Queen Bee&#8221; costume included striped socks, yellow eyelashes and a honeycomb effect on her cheeks.</p><p>&#8220;People are telling me my make-up&#8217;s still in place,&#8221; she said after the capsize.</p><p>So, what&#8217;s it like to capsize?</p><p>It happened fast, yet there <em>was</em> a split second when I anticipated the tip. It felt as if some weight had shifted and we were way off balance. In that split second I grabbed my nose and &#8212; splash! &#8212; the next thing I knew my seat mate, Anne Rodella from the Kirby Center, and I were in the river, assuring each other that we were OK.</p><p>All of us who ended up clinging to the overturned boat in the river and trying to push it to the riverbank gave each other the same assurance.</p><p>But event coordinator John Maday told me later some of our team mates hadn&#8217;t secured their life jackets and were not feeling quite so OK. He was pleased with the way the river rescue folks quickly recognized they needed help and got them out of the river before they came out to help those of us who had stayed with the boat.</p><p>He was also pleased that none of the other six teams quit when they saw our boat overturn. &#8220;They <em>all</em> deserve a spirit award,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Speaking of spirit, some of Sunday&#8217;s paddlers were so enthusiastic about racing, they ended up paddling on more than one team. That included a few of us from the Times Leader-sponsored Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association dragon boat who also paddled for Downtown Arts because team leader Gina Malsky had room in that boat and invited us.</p><p>As the day neared its end, I jokingly asked a science professor from Wilkes University if I should get a tetanus shot because of the river dunking. I expected her to simply say &#8220;no,&#8221; so when she told me to &#8220;just take a good shower,&#8221; her answer gave me pause until I remembered that most people would probably want to &#8220;take a good shower&#8221; after swimming in a chlorinated pool, too.</p><p>On a final note Maday, the event coordinator, who truly loves and respects the river, said he hopes the possibility of capsize doesn&#8217;t scare people away from paddling on it.</p><p>I agree. Don&#8217;t deny yourself the opportunity, just take some precautions.</p><p>Fasten your life jacket. Leave your keys and anything else you don&#8217;t want to lose safely onshore, unless you have a zippered pocket. Secure your eyeglasses with a strap, perhaps one you buy at a sporting goods store. Follow instructions from your coach about the way to move in a boat. Then relax and have fun. Paddles up!</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_TTL081119Biebel1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Biebel </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_TTL081119Biebel1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Biebel </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

For this paddler, dragon boat capsize not so bad