National Champs: Bogalusa Crew 313 wins overall title on White River

Bogalusa’s Venturer Scouts came back from Arkansas this week with a healthy portion of hardware, including an overall championship and one additional first-place finish to go with a pair each of second- and third-place trophies split between crews 313 and 277.

Crew 313’s Paul Dauterive, Steven Sessum, Josh Treadway and Pete Fortenberry had a lot on their minds when they took the trip to northern Arkansas for last weekend’s race. To capture the ultimate goal, the overall championship, the crew had to knock off the reigning champs for five straight years, Crew 300 of Russellville, Ark. One of those Russellville wins left a mark and provided motivation for Crew 313.

“It’s great to get the trophy back. That’s been our goal,” veteran paddler Dauterive told the Batesville (Ark) Daily Guard. “We got blasted by like 30 minutes by Russellville a couple years ago and we weren’t going to let that embarrassment happen again.”

Though Crew 313 was the overall winner at the event, Crew 277, sponsored by Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, was also well represented, bringing home first place in the coed novice aluminum. The crew also took third in both the boys’ and coed advanced aluminum divisions.

Crew 313, sponsored by The Daily News, took second place in both the boys’ advanced and novice aluminum divisions.

Treadway said the open cruising team accomplished its first goal, to start well.

“We wanted to jump out to a big lead so everyone else had to play catch-up,” he

said. “After the first day, we were ahead by about five minutes. That takes some of the pressure off us.”

On day two, the lead swelled to seven minutes. As long-time Bogalusa coach Colonel Robert Miller can attest, though, that is far from a safe lead.

Early in Miller’s coaching days, he saw a lead of 10 minutes evaporate on the last day when a canoe tipped over.

Crew 313 avoided disaster, however, and increased its lead to win by more than ten minutes.

Miller said while winning was important, it was not all that mattered to him.

“I want the boys to win and not rub it in anyone’s face. The teams that finished behind them already know who the winner is without someone rubbing it in,” Miller said. “Losing with dignity means that you tip your hat to the team that beat you and don’t whine about it. In other words, don’t be a sore loser.”

The race saw 34 teams compete in nine divisions. The race covers three days and 120 miles from the heart of the Ozark Mountains near Bull Shoals Lake to the foothills of Batesville, Ark.

Among the states represented in the race were Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and California.