A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
Members of the team "Early Risers", Karen and Perry Francis disembark their canoe as teammates from "The Islanders" close ranks on them. In the background, the HAVFD airboat sits in case of an emergency. The SRMT Tribal Police and AMPS also provided land and water support. Photo credit: MJKS.
The Water Moccasins team showed strength and speed during the race to earn first place for the second year in a row. (L to R) Brandon Swamp, Steevi King Amanda Jacobs, Kathleen Arquette and Louis King.
The Water Moccasins team generously donated their winnings back to the Akwesasne Freedom School. Steevie King presenting Aronhiaies Herne with their first place prize.
The second place team; The "Eh" Team: (L to R), Lynda King, Andrew Chubb, Andrew Bomberry, Pat Chubb, Jay Chubb and Brayden 'Sonny' White. Facebook photo.
Placing Third, The Islanders, from left to right: Bailey Thomas, Tanka Thompson, Drake Adams, Kyle Skidders, Mackenzie Wright and Ratons Thompson. Photo by Crystal Adams. Facebook photo.
Team "From 16 to 60" came in fifth place. KC Herne, Camryn Buckshot, Heather Lynn Seguin, Kaientake Thompson and Margie Skidders. Skidders, being the oldest member of all teams entered stated, "Being 60 years old and being on a Survival Race Team shouldn't be the exception, it should be the norm. People of all ages should enter this race. The race is about camaraderie, working together and surviving, and at that – we were successful."
KC Herne (resting near her bike) just tagged Heather Sequin. Each woman carried 55 pounds of sand and each male carried 80 pounds of sand in their backpack for one mile.
The Islanders trying to make fire.
The proper way to 'portage' a canoe; resting on your shoulders and holding onto each side of the canoe. The canoe should be light weight and have a yoke built into it. It makes this race so much easier.
This year's AFS Annual Survival Race took on a new task for all participants; fire making. In what almost became the 'great equalizer' in a well organized, challenging, and hard fought survival race, the fire making proved to be the biggest challenge of all. In fact, based solely on fire making abilities – not one team survived.
However, Team Water Moccasins once again earned first place honors, the second year in a row. Arriving at the former IGA building at least one hour and twenty minutes before the arrival of second place team 'The Eh Team". They had the fastest, strongest and most agile team. But they also had over an hour and twenty minutes over the last place team to make a fire, but like all teams entered in the Survival Race, without success.
Once the last runner arrived at the IGA building, a timer started with 30 extra minutes for all teams to start a fire. Since no team had any success with starting a fire, the tally reverted back to the original scoring of who arrived first, second and third.
With seven registered teams and six 'surviving', each team was presented with the same tools to make a fire, packed in the same type of waterproof carrier. Each fire bundle contained a medium length of paracord, a bow, a spindle, a hand hold (to cap the spindle) a fireboard (a small piece of wood with two or three holes drilled into it, two extra scraps of wood, and tinder). Each team participant had to carry the fire bundle in a waterproof container with them throughout the race; the half-mile swim, the six mile paddle from Racquette River to King's Marina, the portage to the Tsi Snaihne Fire Hall, the ten mile bike ride from Snye to the fire hall on Route 37C, then a one mile backpack trek (80 pounds for men, 55 pounds for women) from the fire hall to the North Road railway tracks and finally a 6.5 mile run through Frogtown and back to the former IGA Building.
So, no one survived the Akwesasne Freedom School Survival Race this year, but you can be sure 'making a fire' will be Googled, explored, studied, YouTubed and practiced by the time the next race comes around.
Teams entered included; team 'Water Moccasins' (time 2:59:20), team "Eh" (time 3:17:10), team 'The Islanders' (time 3:23:43), team 'Early Risers', team 'From 16 to 60', team 'Straight Off the Couch' and team 'Stink Balls' (disqualified due to a bike accident).
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