Boat races, dog races abound at Pride of the Fox
Team Survivor Madison rowers jumped off the dragon boat and ran through a high-five line. As onlookers cheered, the women smiled and celebrated like champions.
They had not won the qualifying heat of the dragon boat races. Indeed, they finished 11th out of 12 teams in the seeding rounds.
Just don't tell them that they lost.
For the team members, just paddling the 328-yard course and catching the flag at the end is a win because it means they are alive.
Team Survivor is composed of women who have survived and are living with many different types of cancer.
"For that brief moment, it is the exhilaration of 'We're alive,' " said Diane Stojanovich, the president and founder of Team Survivor Madison. "We're thriving and we're strong."
The 17th Annual Dragon Boat Races was one of many events at the St. Charles Pride of the Fox RiverFest on Saturday. The festival, which continues today, takes place downtown and along the riverfront.
Kids walked through the area with painted faces. Food booths were packed.
CanineCapers put terriers through obstacle courses and had them perform Frisbee tricks. The dogs also ran a six-second race, leaving their human competitor, who organizers chose from the crowd, in the dust.
On the river, The Wonder Lake Water Ski Show Team entertained the crowd in between the qualifying and elimination rounds of the races.
Skiers jumped a 5-foot high ramp and performed gymnasticslike moves while on skis. Sometimes, the performers even sped through the water on bare feet at 40 mph.
Kaylie Henderson, 12, of Downers Grove, said her favorite was when things didn't go so perfectly and some girls were dropped into the water. She liked the human pyramids.
"I want to learn how to do that," she said.
But at the end of the day, the dragon boat races continue to be the festival's main event.
Teams like Team Survivor contribute to that. Although they didn't win, they always keep things in perspective.
"Being in an organization that involves cancer, we lose people," Stojanovich said. "But that makes the celebration all the much more important."