Live from the awards banquet!!

After a very lovely dinner, slide show on the racers this year, and presentation of race certificates and plaques to each 2012 racer, the awards have begun. The first thing to be presented is the leg prizes, for which they take out the top ten race teams and award medallion awards to the first, second, third and fourth best times for each leg among the other 38 teams. All three EPA teams won leg prizes. Linda and I won second place on legs 5 and 9, and fourth place for leg 1; Mary and Barbara won first prize on leg 8; Barbara and Ethel won first place in leg 3. We are all delighted!! Then they give out the collegiate prizes, and our baby birds got both leg prizes and the second place collegiate team - well done Esther and Mollie! Then they gave out the turtle award for the slowest team. Then Mary and Barbara got a special prize for the overall fastest time on leg 8 (Sault Ste Marie to Benton Harbor) - excellent job ladies!! Then they did fastest Piper, won by a collegiate team. The best stop award went to Goodland which is very well deserved. The most congenial team award went to two teams who tied, team 1 and team 51, the unbelievably cute college girls who dressed as Rosie the Riveter and were very cheerful the whole time. 10 - Team 51; 9 - Team 46 (Embry Riddle collegiate team); 8 - Team 8 (Kansas State collegiate team); 7 - Team 4 (Joyce and Janet in their C182); 6 - Team 39; 5 - Team 12 (Lin and Susan, our 99s friends from Frederick MD); 4 - Team 29 (Arlene and Julia); 3 - Team 11 (Terry Carbonell, racer extraordinaire); 2 - Team 3 (Embry Riddle collegiate team); 1 - Team 24 (Diane Stanger). And how did we do overall? Mary and Elaine (Plane Dames) ranked 18; Barbara and Ethel (Rick's Chicks) ranked 22. Linda and Alison (Vectors Wild) are really pleased that we came 15th, and also were one of the few teams this year with no penalties. We all did great and can return to PA with our heads held high. First order of business... Strategy for next year's race...!