Awards

Bring Home a Trophy!

You can be in the Winners’ Circle! With a little grit, determination, teamwork and great costumes, your team will bring home some really cool awards! We have many chances to win shiny trophies all day long.

How the Races are Staged and the Winners Determined

The Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival races are 200 meter sprints that last between one minute and one and a half minutes depending on team skills and water conditions. Each team will compete in at least 2 heats.

The first heat of the day you will be racing strictly for time. Teams will be seeded in 8 divisions based on their first round times. The fastest 8 teams will be Division A, the next fastest 8 teams will be Division B, and so on.

For the remainder of the day you'll be racing against the other members of your division in straightforward, head-to-head, single elimination racing. In Round 2 each division will race down from eight teams to four; in Round 3 those four teams will reduce to two; and in Round 4 those two teams will face off against one another for their division championship!

Eight divisions, eight gold medal winning teams!

Spirit Awards (the really fun part!)

Every year at the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, we give prizes to participating teams for their show of SPIRIT. The whole reason to have this festival is to have fun and raise money for a very good cause. How better to do that then to have a lot of SPIRIT?

This year Spirit Awards will be a little bit different. For one thing, the teams themselves will be selecting some of the winners! Community teams will have a chance to select the top three teams in the Best Team Name and the Best Team Campsite categories.

Our amazing Spirit Award judges will be at the marshalling area, where they will decide on the the top three teams for Best T-Shirt/Uniform and Best Song/Cheer.

We encourage your teams to participate and show your SPIRIT MAXIMA!

So join the fun and let your SPIRIT SOAR! (See below for logistics about your performances.) Between now and festival day, we encourage you all to get busy and write those special words, design those fantastic t-shirts, sew those banners, and plan those campsite decorations!

If your team chooses to design a t-shirt, consider printing one extra shirt to donate to Dragonheart Vermont. Drop t-shirts off at the Awards Tent. We plan to make banners of all the t-shirts we receive and display them at future festivals.

Back by popular demand, the Spirit Photo Boat Booth will once again be available just outside the awards tent. This is the spot to perform your Spirit routines, show off your awesome t-shirts and sing your songs throughout the day. We'll be taking official team photos of each team when they come off the water after their first race. Then we'll videotape your team cheer and post it on YouTube! Later in the day, the Photo Booth will be available for teams to take their own photos or videos!

So come on along and let your SPIRIT SHINE! If you have any questions or need more encouragement to REALLY get involved, contact us at:  ilvcmp@comcast.net.

Paddles up! Smiles On!     Lyn Porter - Head Spirit Angel

Spirit Award Judging Logistics for Community Teams:

1)     The teams themselves will select the Best Campsites and Best Team Name winners. Each team will receive one vote; a ballot will be included in your Captain's registration packet. Enjoy a walk around Athletes' Village while you collectively choose your three favorite teams in each of the categories and drop off your ballot at the Spirit and Awards tent by 10:30.

2)    Judging of songs, cheers, shirts, and total enthusiasm will take place at the marshalling area near the bike path during the first heat of racing.

3)    Be sure to come to the marshalling area at least 45 minutes before your race time.

4)    Bring any props, costumes etc. with you and prepare to dance, sing and show your SPIRIT MAXIMA!

5)    You will perform for the Spirit Judges before you move to the tents and warm up to get ready for your first racing heat.

6)    All props and costumes not going in the boat will be left in plastic bags marked with your team’s name. Team Captains need to pick up your prop bag after racing the first heat. Teams will then proceed directly after their first race to the team picture taking area.

Spirit Award Presentation

TBA