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Hundreds of athletes from Okanagan Super Sprints take to Penticton’s Skaha Lake

The 13th edition of the event is hosted by the Penticton Dragonboat Festival
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(Jordyn Thomson - Western News)

Nearly 600 athletes will be at Skaha Lake this weekend for the Okanagan’s first dragon boat races of 2022.

The 13th annual Okanagan Super Sprints and the 5th annual Senior Sprints will take place in Penticton from June 10 to 11 for a 250-metre race right along the Shaka Lake Park promenade.

Between the two season-opening events, a total of 24 teams hailing from the Okanagan, Kamloops and the Lower Mainland will be in attendance.

“The 250 metre sprint format means fierce racing, with little room for error,” said representatives from the Penticton Dragon Boat Festival, the hosts of the event.

The two-day extraordinaire set for Friday and Saturday will raise money for a new boathouse on Skaha Lake, according to leaders from the Dragonboat Festival, who have collected a total of $38,500 for its local chapter of Muscular Dystrophy Canada as a result of past super-sprint events.

Those in Penticton hoping to catch the action can expect the seniors’ race to run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, with the festivities wrapping up with the super-sprinters on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Each team in attendance will race three times.

A special 50/50 draw in support of the festivities will also be on-site for spectators.

People interested in getting involved in the weekend at the lake are asked to email admin@pentictondragonboat.com.

READ MORE: Penticton Dragon Boat Festival ready to roar back in 2022


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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