The rhythmic drumming of the dragon boats filled the air along the shores of Lake Bemidji on Saturday, as a large crowd watched the 11-time champion-winning team, the HydraHeads, finish second to the team they help train in the off-season. After a day of racing, complete with 11 morning qualifying heats, followed by another 11 in the afternoon, each team's racing times were combined to determine the top finishes of the day — deciding who would race in the division finals for the bronze, silver, gold and championship cups. As the championship race got underway, the Nordic Whitecaps were in the lead, but with only a few yards left between their boat and the finish line, the HydraHeads began to quickly close the gap between the two teams, leaving the crowd in suspense. As the boats crossed the final buoys, it was a photo finish, but eventually the final times showed the…

"Honestly, it was very exciting," Whitecaps captain Riley Story said of beating their coaches. "It's kind of surprising; we felt our time was quite a bit slower than theirs, but it was very exciting when we crossed the finish line and saw that we won." Story said she has been racing with the Whitecaps for three years. "We tried a few new things, but we mostly just really dug deep," Story said about their training. "There are quite a few people that are returning to our team, but there's a lot of new people, too." The reigning champion HydraHeads, representing the Headwaters Canoe and Kayak Club, were just as excited for the Whitecaps, realizing most coaches' dreams when the pupil finally beats the teacher. "Well, as I see it, if we were going to get beat by a team, it might as well be the kids we train," said HydraHeads Captain Mark Walters, stepped down as head coach…