ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605280023
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER STAFF WRITER
SOME RACERS take things more seriously than others, who only hope their boats float.
When orthopedic surgeon Al Durham casts off at today's Festival River Race, he just hopes his raft - a wonder of modern medicine's junk - will float long enough to get through the first heat.
"I'm not sure it'll make it down the river twice," Durham said.
Durham is one of about 25 entrants who had signed up by Friday for the annual homemade raft free-for-all that helps kick off the 11-day Festival in the Park.
He built his craft with 60 to 70 heavy-grade plastic arthroscopy bags, which normally hold saline solution used in joint surgery.
Durham said he entered the race because his 12-year-old son wanted to ride with him. But later, they found race rules require participants to be at least 16.
Without his son, Durham said he lost a little motivation. He pressed on, though, with his son helping put together what Durham called the "recyclable, collapsible, environmentally friendly, techno wonder." He coined that description for an essay he had to submit with his entry form.
Throughout the preparation stages, Durham has stuck to his simple raft-race motto: "Any expense is too much."
He bought some wire to string the bags together, but that was about the extent of what he spent on the Peptobismarck III - named after a boat owned by the Yellowstone National Park hospital where he once worked.
When Durham paddles down the river - using his son's broken hockey stick adorned with bed pans - he'll have one goal in sight.
"The only prize worth winning in a homemade boat race is the `I can't believe it floats' award."
For the team from Dragon Corp. in Roanoke County, today's race is a more serious enterprise, literally.
Kurt Matlock captains the four-man crew of the not-quite-starship Enterprise. Matlock's boss, general manager and crew member Steve Ehart, thought Captain Kurt was close enough to Captain Kirk to warrant naming their boat after the starship in the "Star Trek" television series.
Matlock, a manager at Dragon Corp., said his team wants to have fun today, but they're also in it to compete.
"We really, really believe we can win," he said. "We're out to have fun, but we're going to go at it as hard as we can."
The bright blue Dragon Corp. boat, made from Styrofoam and 2x4s, is outfitted with banners proclaiming the company slogan, which Matlock thinks will work to their advantage.
"`Nothing beats the Dragon' - that's an intimidation factor," Matlock said jokingly. "I figure we'll scare a couple of rafts off."
Employees have put in about 30 hours over the past two weeks, Matlock said. The company, which distributes lawn and garden supplies to retailers, bought all the materials from local businesses that carry their products.
The crew planned to test the raft at Walrond Park Friday, but rain kept the boat in dry dock inside a company warehouse. The weather might not be much better today, with the forecast calling for mostly cloudy skies and showers and thunderstorms.
No matter what, Enterprise crew members will be ready for what they hope becomes an annual event for the company.
They won't be wearing Starfleet uniforms. Instead, they'll sport bright blue Dragon polo shirts. And they promise some secret weapons - but will say only that they aren't phasers or photon torpedoes.
Matlock will borrow one thing from one of the starship Enterprise's captains.
"I am going to give the order to `make it so.'"
The River Race is part of Festival on the River at Roanoke's Smith Park. It gets under way at 10 a.m. Entertainment on the waterfront stage begins at 11 a.m.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. The Dragon Corp. crew, including Kurtby CNBMatlock (left), Steve Ehart (top), Chris Bush (right), readies to
win the race. color.