At the 9th Oktoberfest Dragon Boat Cup on 5 and 6 October in Munich-Oberschleißheim, the Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) pipe-laying team put their skills to the test - and were rewarded with very good results. The men and women from Central Hessen achieved 2nd place twice in the company competition.
A total of 32 teams from Austria, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and Germany competed on the 200 metre sprint course. After three races on the Olympic regatta course in one day, it was clear: with the active support of some paddlers from RC Hellas, the Wilde Hassians and the Moondoggies, the pipers from Giessen had fought their way to 10th place overall and 2nd place in the company classification. "This is a great success for the team," said a delighted team captain Oliver Lassika. "It paid off that we trained twice a week in the evenings." And helmsman Björn Lehrmund, who got the team in shape before the competition, adds: "The sporting performance of the 24 amateur athletes cannot be rated highly enough, after all, they prevailed against high-calibre sports teams."
The Giessen team also impressed on the 500-metre course, coming 6th out of all the teams and 2nd in the company classification. "For us, this regatta was the perfect end to a successful season," says Oliver Lassika. "We're already looking forward to next year in the spring."