(July 14, 2016) Some matches played out in seconds, with the jouster hitting the water as soon as the starting horn blew, others were more like chess matches with opponents taking several passes, feinting and dodging around until finally, one fell.
At the end it was the Aquaholics — a team of Caitlyn Cody, Phillip Mccordell and Calvin Mccordell — that won the day and the coveted hand-carved paddle trophy of the annual Snow Hill fire Company canoe joust, held this past Saturday.
In second place were the Sea Men, Andrew Benson, Adam Schoepf and Bobby Gordy. PC3, with AJ Miller, Travis Cowger and Doug Mumford, placed third.
The event, a fundraiser for the Snow Hill Volunteer Fire Company, drew teams from as far away as Salisbury, and the event, watched by hundreds, had the feel of a family reunion — if the family was particularly fond of bawdy team names.
In a designated spot on the Pocomoke River at Sturgis Park in Snow Hill last week, two teams squared off, jockeying for position and advantage, in bouts that could take seconds or several minutes.
Two paddlers steered the canoes for each team, trying to find the best position for the target — the person doing the jousting with the help of a dowel about nine feet long with a foam head on one end.
Teams were co-ed, with a mix of men and women, old and young, skilled and unskilled, and only the river standing between victory and defeat. None of those categories seemed to feature much into the battles, as the tall had little advantage over the short, and upper body strength faltered before a well-placed poke.
Once a team dislodged the others’ target via either surgical precision or brute force, the match ends. The tournament’s format was double elimination, and each target was outfitted in life vests and helmets for safety.
At the end it was the Aquaholics — a team of Caitlyn Cody, Phillip Mccordell and Calvin Mccordell — that won the day and the coveted hand-carved paddle trophy of the annual Snow Hill fire Company canoe joust, held this past Saturday.
In second place were the Sea Men, Andrew Benson, Adam Schoepf and Bobby Gordy. PC3, with AJ Miller, Travis Cowger and Doug Mumford, placed third.
The event, a fundraiser for the Snow Hill Volunteer Fire Company, drew teams from as far away as Salisbury, and the event, watched by hundreds, had the feel of a family reunion — if the family was particularly fond of bawdy team names.
In a designated spot on the Pocomoke River at Sturgis Park in Snow Hill last week, two teams squared off, jockeying for position and advantage, in bouts that could take seconds or several minutes.
Two paddlers steered the canoes for each team, trying to find the best position for the target — the person doing the jousting with the help of a dowel about nine feet long with a foam head on one end.
Teams were co-ed, with a mix of men and women, old and young, skilled and unskilled, and only the river standing between victory and defeat. None of those categories seemed to feature much into the battles, as the tall had little advantage over the short, and upper body strength faltered before a well-placed poke.
Once a team dislodged the others’ target via either surgical precision or brute force, the match ends. The tournament’s format was double elimination, and each target was outfitted in life vests and helmets for safety.