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Team Belize Bank wins Canoe "Boom to Belize City" race

Last year's Ruta Maya champs, the Big H team of Armin Lopez, Daniel Cruz and Amado Cruz crewed a Belize Bank canoe to a first place win when the Belize Canoe Association held its 7th annual "Boom To The City" on Sunday morning.
The Belize Canoe Association organizes the "Boom to Belize City" canoe race every year and it serves kind of like a pre-race for the Ruta Maya that will be held from the 3rd to the 6th of March. It's the same route as the last day of the Ruta Maya and allows teams to check their equipment and team condition. It also gives them an idea of what the competition looks like.

Twenty teams entered (not so many as last year when 30 teams entered) in seven categories: the male, female, mixed, masters, intramural, pleasure and the dory division and there were prizes for each division.

The race began from the bridge in Burrell Boom at 9:15 A.M. and the Belize Bank canoe crossed the finish line at 11:44 clocking a time of 2:29:00 to win a $700 prize in the male division.

The Pine Lumber canoe paddled by Ignacio Cruz, Rudy Cruz and Efrain Cruz finished second in a time of 2:29:20 and won the $400 second prize in the male division.

The Atlantic Bank canoe paddled by Andres Cabb, Clayton Cabb and Keon Cabb clocked a time of 2:29:35 to win the $200 3rd prize in the male division.

The Boomers team of Nalbert Seguro, Jerry Rhaburn and Chris Guides paddled their canoe into 4th place in 2:36:45 and won the Haulover Creek station prize: Free registration for this year's La Ruta Maya.

The Snickers team paddled their canoe in to 6th place in 2:42:15and won the $200 first prize in the Masters' division.

The Neon Plastics team finished seventh in a time of 2:43:11 to win the $200 first prize in mixed team division.

The Koop Sheet Metal dory finished 10th and clocked 2:47:30 but picked up a $100 first prize in the dory division.

The three sisters from Esperanza Village, Cayo district: Marisela, Anna and Francisca Cruz crewed the Player Ade canoe to an 11th place finish in overall in 2:49:05 to win a $200 first prize in female division.

The "Grumpy Old Men & a Lady" team: Jerry & Susan Wilkins and Doug Jurgenson clocked 2:49:06 to finish in 12th place and win a $100 2nd prize in the Masters division.

The UB Environmental Ambassadors won the $100 first prize in the Intramural division. Rudolf Gentle, Roger Rhaburn and Felipe Reyes paddled the Print Belize canoe to a 17th place finish in 2:58:40 and won the $200 first prize in the pleasure division beating the IMMARBE canoe which clocked 2:59:15 for an 18th place finish and 2nd in the pleasure division. The Big H team finished in 19th place to


Wendy Auxillou
Auxillou Beach Suites
Caye Caulker, Belize
www.auxilloubeachsuites.com