Local Sports
Watson finishes 24th in ‘World’s Toughest Canoe Race’
By Jay Neal
sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com
SAN MARCOS — The Texas Water Safari bills itself as “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race.” It’s doubtful any of the 99 entrants of last month’s yearly undertaking would argue that claim.
The race covers just over 260 miles and is a non-stop, marathon canoe racing adventure that takes place over several challenging rivers and bays in South Texas.
Beginning at Spring Lake in San Marcos, participants, which this year included Jacksonville’s own Steve Watson, travel down the San Marcos River to Gonzales where they enter the Guadalupe River that takes them through the cities of Cuero and Victoria onward to Trivoli, through the San Antonio Bay, finally to the finish in Seadrift.
Racers must battle low water conditions, log jams, periodic head winds and seemingly constant, at least during the daylight hours, heat indexes that often top out in the triple digits.
According to the rules of the race, which first started in 1963, entrants must have all provisions, equipment and repair items in their vessel at the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased or delivered to a racer or race team during the event except for water and ice.
Each team has a team captain who has the duty to follow the team by vehicle, monitoring the racers’ location and physical condition and provide them with water and ice.
Watson’s team captain this year was his son-in-law, Anthony Jackson.
Participants also are not allowed to receive assistance of any kind, except verbal, and must be prepared to travel day and night — often in non-stop fashion to be competitive.
There are checkpoints scattered throughout the journey, and if racers are not up to par timewise they are not allowed to continue.
Oh, and if the aforementioned challenges were not enough, there is a time limit to the race — 100 hours.
Just over 80 hours after starting the jaunt, Watson crossed the finish line in his 16-foot kayak, finishing in 24th place overall, seventh place in the solo category.
The modest Watson said he reached his goal — to simply complete the race.
“My goal was to just finish, so I am not a world-class paddler,” he said. “As the 2009 results show, solo winner at 50 hours and me at 80 hours.”
And the award for completing the race?
The Texas Water Safari patch, which all racers who come from across the globe to compete have a hankering to take back home with them.
The true reward, however, is the intrinsic sense of personal achievement that is found in the inner psyche of those who reach their goal.
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Sports Schedules, Feb. 9, 2010
Feb. 9
Basketball
JHS boys at Kilgore, 7:30 p.m.
Rusk girls and boys vs. Carthage, 5:30 p.m.
New Summerfield girls and boys vs. Mt. Enterprise, 5 p.m.
Bullard girls and boys vs. Spring Hill, 6:30 p.m.
Soccer
JHS boys at Lufkin Hudson, 7 p.m.
JHS girls vs. Lufkin Hudson, 7 p.m.
Tennis
JHS JV at Lindale Tournament, 8 a.m. -
Jacksonville turns back Lions, 62-50
Jacksonville’s array of weapons proved to be too much for Henderson Friday night at the JHS Gymnasium.
The Lions put up a good fight, but as soon as they shut down one Indian, another would step up and get the job done.
In the end, Jacksonville upped their worksheet to 21-6, 8-0 in District 14-4A, by beating the Lions 62-50. -
Brook Hill’s Chappelle, Dickey make college decisions
An atmosphere of football could be found both outside as well as inside the Kyle Lake Athletic Center at The Brook Hill School Thursday afternoon.
Outside, chilling rain under a gray sky — late season football weather, indeed.
Inside, an overflow crowd made up of a plethora of Guard football players, coaches and administrators who joined with Guard supporters and a large group of local media.
The occasion?
To witness first hand two of the Guard’s very best gridiron talents (Jeremey Chappelle and Heath Dickey) sign their respective National Letter of Intent. -
February is when pre-spawn fishing is at its best
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Maidens capture second-straight 14-4A title; Scott scores 22
HENDERSON — Jacksonville head coach Jason Crow, not at all pleased with a meager four-point halftime lead, called his team out during the break Friday, demanding the Maidens get their act together on defense.
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Bullard sweeps Chapel Hill in district hoops action
NEW CHAPEL HILL — Bullard won a pair of District 17-3A contests over Chapel Hill Friday night at Bulldog Gymnasium.
The Lady Panthers bombed the Lady Bulldogs, 70-28, behind a 22-point performance by Christina Hatten. -
Texas sportswriters honor four Indians
Jacksonville High School placed four representatives on the Collin Street Bakery/ Texas Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A All-state football squad which was announced Friday.
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