The rhythmic beat of the drum, the splashing orchestra of the river, the cacophony of cheers from the bank; yes the sounds of the 3rd Annual Independence Dragon Boat Race Regatta could be heard all along Kelly Drive. Paddlers from all over the Delaware Valley gathered at the Schuylkill this Saturday to demonstrate their ability on the river race course.

Our own Sales and Marketing Manager, Katie Godfrey, called the entire race and we aimed to make her proud. We finished 10th overall out of 65 boats! Not bad for a boat full of mostly rookie paddlers. Many local organizations competed including PAL, US Army, The Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial Society and NBC 10.

Dragon Boating involves speed, power and an incredible amount of teamwork. With 20 people in the boat, synchronization is critical. If you're not paddling together, the boat does not move as quickly across the 500 meter stretch. Think about giving it a try next year. Rally your coworkers and put together a team for 2010!

Here's the official website. Click to see photos from the big race day and information for next year.
http://www.independencedragonboat.com/

Team NK Rocking the Boat

This past weekend our own Technical Support Manager, Ben Churchill, placed third in the National Selection Regatta for the Men's Double ("NSR2"), rowing for Vesper with his partner James Dietz of NYAC.

As a result, Ben and James have been invited to the National Training Center at Princeton to seek a seat in the US National Team 4x. Being ever the devoted NK employee, Ben will be both commuting and telecommuting from Princeton to make sure every NK and Kestrel customer receives the support they need.

If by chance your question appears to be hitting Ben while he is on the water or in transit, don't hesitate to hit "0" when you call in or email info@nkhome.com and we'll make sure you get an answer promptly. We wish Ben and James the best of luck in their training.

Our resident Technical Support Manager, Ben Churchill (aka the guy who can fix anything and answer everything)is out of the office for a bit but still on the job.

Ben is training with the California Rowing Club and will be racing in the National Selection Regatta 2 on May 15-17 in Mercer, NJ. While he may be away from his desk, Ben is just as dedicated to his Kestrel customers as he is to his rigorous training program. Ben brought his laptop along with him and will continue to answer your tech questions and provide product support- from wherever he is!

The National Selection Regatta is a very important step in order to make it to the selection camp for the National Team. It's very competitive where every practice counts! Besides training hard twice a day, Ben is still working full time for NK making sure our customers get the help they need.

Let's cheer on Ben as he works toward making the national team for the chance to represent the US in Poznan, Poland at the World Championships in August.