Covenant News
Covenant Shores Team Surprises Dragon Boat Competitors
MERCER ISLAND, WA (September 26, 2005) - The staff of the Covenant Shores retirement community surprised onlookers during a community wide charity event earlier this month by placing a strong third in a "dragon boat" race.The previously unknown team, Covenant Chikara, comprised of 20 employees and three community residents, competed in the Corporate Division of the Second Annual International Cancer Cup Dragon Boat Festival at Newcastle Beach Park in Bellevue, Washington, on September 4.
The novices competed in boats with dragon heads at the bow and tails at
the stern. Spectators and other competitors paid little attention to the
team until it won the first heat and posted a third-best overall time of
2:38 among the 12 teams competing.
The unexpected competition brought crowds to the observation dock. During the second heat, the Covenant Chikara team proved its win wasn't beginner's luck - the team improved its time by three seconds to 2:35.
With two first-place victories under its belt, Covenant Chikara assured itself of a medal and the opportunity to race against the traditional powerhouses - Microsoft and Mulvanny G2 Architecture. The Covenant Chikara boat raced between its two competitors.
The Covenant team had a rough start against heavy winds but battled back. By mid-course, the race was neck and neck. With drums beating, the race caller yelling and crowds screaming, the three boats crossed the line in a photo finish. When the results were in, Mulvanny retained its first place seat and Microsoft took second. The novice Covenant Chikara team went home with third.
The 23 Covenant Chikara team members were elated. They participated in the race as a means of demonstrating support for cancer survivors and to celebrate the joy and exuberance of life. They went home having accomplished that goal and much more.
"Covenant Shores is a big-hearted community that is well-accustomed to working as a team," says Anne Arakaki-Lock, campus administrator. "We're thrilled our team of staff members and residents pulled to victory - the team represents every aspect of our community."
When it formed just three months before the race, the team chose the name Chikara because in Japanese it translates to "strength," "force," "energy" and "power." After a mere three practice sessions with coaches from Team Survivor Northwest, Covenant Chikara used sheer determination to compensate for its lack of experience, the administrator believes.
The International Cancer Cup Dragon Boat Festival is an event organized by Team Survivor Northwest and presented by the Seattle Sake Dragon Boat Club and the City of Bellevue. The festival focuses on cancer survivors in all stages of recovery and the medical staff who assist them. This year_s teams included survivors, health care professionals and community supporters from Seattle, Canada, Oregon and Alaska.
In addition to the three winners, Starbucks and Studio 904 competed for the Corporate Cup, while eight medical support teams competed for the Specimen Cup. Five survivor teams competed for the Celebrating Life Cancer Cup.
Team Survivor Northwest provides a broad range of fitness and health education programs to enable women cancer survivors, in any stage of treatment or recovery and at any fitness level, to take an active role in their ongoing physical and emotional healing.
Covenant Shores is a nationally accredited not-for-profit continuing care retirement community administered by Covenant Retirement Communities on behalf of the Board of Benevolence of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
(Editor's note: The accompanying photo shows the second heat of the International Cancer Cup Dragon Boat Festival on Lake Washington. In this photo, Covenant Chikara pulls in front of teams from Swedish Cancer Institute and the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center.)
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