Manchester Girl Scout, Partner Paddle To Trophies At NY Regatta

MANCHESTER, NJ — A pair of Girl Scouts from Ocean County took second place in 10-mile endurance canoe race in New York last weekend.

Callie Rommel of Manchester and Samantha Dawson of Little Egg Harbor took second in the race at the General Clinton Canoe Regatta in Bainbridge, New York.

The 16-year-olds paddled down the upper Susquehanna River on May 28 as part of the Jersey River Runners, the canoe team of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore. The Jersey River Runners have competed in Girl Scout-specific races at the regatta for more than 20 years.

The team is coached by Steph Smida, Alana Vega and Michelle Duffy, all previous members of the team.

Rommel and Dawson completed their race with a time of 2:16:12, more than a minute ahead of the third-place finisher. The first-place team finished the race in 2:09:22.

In addition to the 10-mile endurance race, members of the River Runners competed in a 5-mile sprint down the river, placing second in the 14- to 18-year-old division and fifth in the 11- to 14-year-old division.

The General Clinton Canoe Regatta is more than 50 years old and draws hundreds of racers from all over the United States, Canada, Europe and South America for races ranging from sprints to 70-mile endurance races, and has both amateur and professional categories.