Oregon Women Lawyers

Dragonflies Race September 6 and 7, 2008 in Portland

Come cheer on the Dragonflies as they race in the Portland Dragon Boat Races September 6 and 7. These are the last races of the 2008 race season and will be held at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland.   Well wishers are always welcome at the Dragonflies Tent. 

Dragonflies Race Strong in Victoria, B.C. August 2008

The OWLS Dragonflies raced in Victoria B.C. August 16 and 17 in exciting heats, and were the highest ranked women’s team that weekend.  In the semi-finals, the 'Flies overtook three mixed teams (men and women) in a last minute surge for first place.  The team also finished second in the Women's Cup.

Dragonflies Win Gold in Portland, September 2007

By Cashauna Hill

The OWLS DragonFlies capped off an exceptional local race season with a first-place finish in the Dragon Sports USA Portland Dragon Boat races held on September 8 and 9, 2007. After winning gold at Vancouver, Washington (the DragonFlies’ first win since 2001), the 'Flies took bronze in their division at races in Victoria, Canada (at a venue with no women’s-only bracket). By the time the Portland races rolled around, the 'Flies were in fine racing form.

In the first race on Saturday, September 8, the 'Flies finished third, as determined by a photo-finish. Saturday afternoon’s race was the final qualifier and established the roster for the Competitive and Challenger divisions. To make the Competitive Division, comprising the top four teams, the 'Flies needed to place first or second in the Saturday afternoon race. During the line-up that preceded the start, all four boats battled the strong side winds. Even though the DragonFlies started well behind the other boats, they managed to overcome the deficit and take a second-place finish. Because of the uneven start, the 'Flies decided to officially protest the start, and the protest was decided in favor of the 'Flies. The 'Flies went home Saturday afternoon undecided about whether to accept the race officials’ offer to rerun the quarterfinal race.

After learning that the second-place quarterfinal finish was enough to land them in the Competitive Division, the 'Flies decided to let those results stand. Thus the 'Flies headed down to the dock for Sunday morning’s semifinal match as the bottom seed in the Competitive Division. The team, however, dug in and finished second in the semifinal race. After such a dramatic lead-in, the 'Flies were ready for a final showdown!

The Sunday afternoon final did not disappoint. The winds had grown stronger throughout the day, and by the time set for the final women’s race, the water was choppy. Again, the boats jostled for proper position at the start line, and after a three-minute wait for one of the teams to locate its tiller, the teams again tried to line up. As with most of Sunday’s races, the conditions were not conducive to an even start. The 'Flies, though, won the race, beating the second-place team by more than six seconds! The victory would prove short-lived, however, as one of the teams protested the start, and the second-, third-, and fourth-place teams voted to do the race over.

The 'Flies trudged back down to the dock, trying to remain upbeat and determined to win the second final. After loading into the boat and preparing to paddle out to the start line, DragonFlies co-captain Kristin Sterling noticed a dog near the finish line. The dog appeared to be in trouble, so the team decided to guide her back to shore. After saving Roxy, the 'Flies joined the other teams at the start line. The buzzer sounded, and the teams were off! The 'Flies proved their mettle and won again, a perfect end to the 2007 local race season.

Cashauna Hill, a judicial clerk for Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Ronald Cinniger, is on the OWLS Board.