SHAMOKIN DAM —
Losers were winners in Thursday evening's sixth annual Crying Towel Regatta, a series of three boat races on the Susquehanna River, where the last-place finishers were awarded a ceremonial towel to cry on.
And, they earned a platform on which to make wonderful excuses as to why they lost.
"It's all done for laughs," said Sheila Hartung, of South Williamsport, president of the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association, the regatta's sponsor.
"This is one of our most enjoyable races of the year," Hartung said. "Basically, we have all of these boats and we throw people into whatever boats we can. They haven't practiced together. Some are experienced; others aren't. It's a race where we can show off this part of the river to our guests."
About 40 rowers in three boats participated in three 700-meter races, stretching from the intake to where the boathouse is at the Northumberland Boat Club.
The Susquehanna is uncommonly wide and has little competing traffic or other obstacles, making it an ideal location, even when compared to some of the most famous rowing locations in the Northeast.
Besides rowers from the CPRA, guests from the York-Harrisburg area and the Naides Oncology Rowing group from Rochester, N.Y., participated.
"We came here because the Susquehanna is one of the best places to row, said Teri Mahoney, of Rochester. "It's just a beautiful river, and this is a great location in which to race." But by 7 p.m., when the races began, the water was uncommonly choppy, due to all the other boats on the river. "I can see a lot of people are bass fishing tonight," Mahoney said.
She was in one of the winning boats. "We won because we're great," she shouted. "We couldn't do anything but win. Our coxswain was awesome."
While Mahoney had nothing but praise for her crew, the losers cried in their towels.
Janice Butler, of Lewisburg, on the first losing boat, said she lost because of a combination of factors. "We raced in an old boat, and we have wooden shoes," she said. "So it's really hard to push off with. We also had learn-to rowers in the boat. But we put in a really valiant effort, and I'm really proud of what we did."
Jill Martin, of Selinsgrove, had even more excuses. "We lost because we had too many oars, and they were too short. Our opponents had longer, sweeping oars. Our shoes were wooden, they don't tie and they're too small. Oh, and the coach wakened us. A huge wave came up against us. But I think we'll win the next race."
Sherry Ulrich, also of Selinsgrove, said: "Aside from the fact that we had the shortest oars, we also had the least amount of experience in our boat. Some rowers were only in their second week of rowing. That's probably why we lost."
There is no pride of place here, joked Jim Baker, of Selinsgrove. "Most of these rowers have never practiced together, but that's OK. We're hoping some of these rowers will come back and participate in real races later in the year.
News
Related Photos
-
This boat, powered by Beth Belotti, left, Jim Gallagher, Karen Wilson, Jennifer Shulman, Joe Agoglia, Bill Grose, Steven McDoagal and Teri Mahoney and piloted by coxswain Carol Graybell, won the Crying Towel Regatta. Robert Inglis
-
Kim Daubman, of Lewisburg, christens a boat before the start of Thursday's Crying Towel Regatta. Robert Inglis
-
A rower competes in the Crying Towel Regatta on Thursday evening in the Susquehanna River.Robert Inglis/The Daily Item Robert Inglis
Discussion
Losers are winners in Crying Towel Regatta
Extravagant excuses come out at regatta
- News
-
-
New Report: Large charitable donations on the rise
SEATTLE — Money donated by the nation's most chartable people is starting to catch up with pre-recession giving, thanks in part to some very large bequests from a few donors. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports today in its annual report of the nation's most generous people that the top 50 donors made pledges in 2011 to give a total of $10.4 billion.
-
State Rep. William DeWeese convicted on five counts in corruption case
HARRISBURG — A jury today convicted a senior Democrat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on all but one of six charges in the latest corruption trial stemming from a five-year investigation into the use of taxpayers' resources for political purposes.
-
State gas-drilling bill may pass today
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's top-ranking state senator says he's hoping for a speedy vote in his chamber on sweeping legislation to impose a drilling fee and update safety regulations on the booming natural gas industry.
-
Senator warns of 'dramatic' and 'difficult' state funding cuts
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's top-ranking senator says he expects dramatic and difficult spending cuts in Gov. Tom Corbett's budget plan. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said Monday that Pennsylvanians should be prepared for a debate on how best to use tax dollars, and he warned that he can't envision lawmakers raising taxes to ease spending cuts.
-
'It's just amazing'
PAXINOS -- Eli Manning may have been the Super Bowl's Most Valuble Player, but Henry Hynoski was the name on everyone's tongue in the Valley onSunday night. Patrons gathered in blue Giants jerseys to support Hynoski, the 23-year-old Elysburg native and Southern Columbia High School graduate who is now the proud owner of a Super Bowl championship ring.
-
Schools await word on Corbett's budget
SUNBURY -- Winston Churchill once said, "A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen."
-
DA wants Loving Care leader held liable for $68G fine
MIDDLEBURG -- More than a year has passed since the former corporation that operated a Selinsgrove personal care home was convicted of stealing a resident's money, but the case still lingers in court. In December 2010, Loving Care Nursing Center Inc. was convicted of stealing about $32,000 of former resident Francis T. Simonoski's money while he lived at the 308 S. Market St. home in 2007. The corporation was fined $100,000, which later was reduced to $68,000 following an appeal.
-
For Riverside couple, game day means party
RIVERSIDE -- Super Bowl Sunday is more than just a sports day for Joe and Leanna Muscato. It's also one of their biggest parties of the year. They have been holding Super Bowl parties for 32 years. They have been holding Super Bowl parties for 32 years. "When it started, it was in my little apartment" in Danville, Leanna said. Only eight people were at the first gathering. Now, there are usually 25 to 30 people every year.
-
Who will feed US?
SUNBURY -- More than 60 percent of farmers are over the age of 55, and without young farmers to replace them when they retire, the nation's food supply would depend on fewer and fewer people. "This is an alarming revelation that we have been hearing for several years," said Tim Lesher, a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's Young Farmer and Rancher Committee and president of the Northumberland County Farm Bureau.
-
A dip'll do: Few linger in 41-degree water
LEWISBURG -- Why? Group by group, about 250 otherwise perfectly sane-looking folks dived in and ran out of the Susquehanna River at St. George Street landing Saturday in the Seventh annual Polar Bear Plunge, part of the yearly Heart of Lewisburg Ice Festival.
-
5 of 9 coaches: Giants will be super
CATAWISSA -- Around 10 tonight, it will be the New York Giants being showered with multi-colored confetti, holding preprinted newspaper front pages that proclaim "GIANTS ARE SUPER!" and getting sweaty fingerprints all over the 7-pound sterling silver Lombardi Trophy, so say five of nine Valley high school football coaches.
-
State mandates manure must be managed
HARRISBURG -- Anyone who spreads manure on fields or has a pasture, barnyard or feedlot must now have a manure management plan, even if he has no animals and imports manure only for his fields, a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection official said Friday.
- More News Headlines
-
New Report: Large charitable donations on the rise
