DC Gorilla Oarfare raised their oars above their heads and sang Queen’s “We Are the Champions” during a victory lap around the Rivers of America as the home team successfully defended their turf and claimed the Disneyland Canoe Races championship once again.
Disneyland crowned a familiar champion on Thursday, Aug. 10 before the Anaheim theme park opened to the public as the team made up of Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes employees hoisted the Fastest on the River trophy.
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More than 1,000 employees from Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering and from throughout the company take part in the canoe races each year. This year, 84 teams participated – with eight to 16 members on each team.
It’s an arduous commitment. Practices began in June with races starting in July and winners crowned in August. All of the practice and competition time on the water takes place when the park is closed – typically in the early morning hours just before and after dawn.
It was a hard-fought victory this year for the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes team that is so strong and dominant that they field varsity and junior varsity squads. The DC in Gorilla Oarfare’s name stands for Davy Crockett and the tandem teams take pride in winning the top two spots in the annual employee competition they started 60 years ago.
The varsity DC team crossed the finish line in 3:58.24 – completing the single circuit along the Rivers of America in just under four minutes. That’s right. These races are tracked down to the hundredths of a second.
If you’re wondering, the average lap around Tom Sawyer Island on one of the few Disneyland rides with no motor or track takes the average crew of 20 visitors about eight to 10 minutes.
The junior varsity DC Gods of Oar came in second at 4:02.49 – a difference of less than five seconds behind the varsity team.
But the story this year…
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