BAD ended the 2013 racing season at the Halloween Howl Race at Oakland’s Lake Merritt with a peek-a-boo sun making its debut only so slightly around noon on Sunday.  Breakfast was hosted with ample servings of bagels, eggs, and coffee. Thankfully, the challenging weather did not dampen the high spirits and enthusiasm of our paddlers as we transformed into characters from head-to-toe, wore crazy hats and joined the festive atmosphere with aromatic home-cooked dishes and snacks. The most popular costume this year were The Minions with a team wearing the evil purple minion beanie hats. Warm-up drills consisted of Hammer time’s break-dance performances from the Grand Master's (age 50 and up) age group. There were also group rapping and endless photo shoots throughout the day.

The 10 person and 20 person heats were all running slightly early with many boats needing paddlers from other teams. The most popular and fun heat was the back paddling race as BAD's boat nearly overthrew its drummer into the water as it crashed into the dock. To add to the fun, BAD's respectable coaches and advanced paddlers joined the other boat to compete against their own team.  Winning was obviously not the main purpose of the day. The event ended with raffle tickets being sold for prizes and a spectacular after-party live band performance. This year’s Halloween Howl played out beautifully with everyone doing their part to play, row, eat, and most importantly, to have fun.  We had a howling BAD time.

By Kim G.