Bucket list Team once again shows the right stuff

The Starbuck Dragon Boat Festival is returning Aug. 7 and 8, and once again several teams will try their luck at this unique race on Lake Minnewaska.

One team that turned lots of heads last year was a team called “The Bucket List,” led by team captain, Timmie Baukol of Starbuck, MN.

“They were getting teams together last year and Lori Vaadeland (Starbuck Chamber) wanted me to get a team together. I checked to see if I could get my kids together and make a team, but it just wasn’t working out. I told Lori that we wouldn’t have a team.  Vaadeland told Timmie that she should ask her friends to get a team together.  “I said, ‘We’re too old,” said Baukol. “She said, ‘no you aren’t’”

So Timmie thought about it for a couple days. She brought it up to her husband, Peder, and then mentioned it to some of her friends. Before long she had enough for a team. “We didn’t have any trouble getting people to say ‘yes,’” she said. “We actually had more people want to do it than what we could have on a team.”

Each team has up to 21 people in the boat during the races, 20 paddlers and one drummer. Nearly all members of the “Bucket List” were in their 60s or 70s.
“We added up the ages of the people on the boat and it totalled 1,477 years,” said Baukol. During a practice session the night before the main event, the Bucket List learned how to get the boat going. But there was no wind on the practice days. Moderate to heavy winds picked up the day of the races, making things interesting.

“It was pretty strenuous,” she said. “We learned quickly that timing (of the paddle strokes) is very important. And balance is also important.”

The Bucket List faced stiff competition, but remained upbeat and full of fight. They started cheers like “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?!” They had so much spirit, they were given the Spirit Award.  “It was lots of fun and we really got lots of attention,” she said. Despite their best efforts, the Bucket List finished last in the competition. “We were kind of expecting that, but we did almost beat the team from the Starbuck Chamber of Commerce,” said Timmie.

Baukol said the whole experience was great and they are signed up to race again this August. She said some seniors from Glenwood have been talking about forming a team to challenge the Bucket List squad.  “It was great. I would encourage everyone to give it a try,” she said.
The Bucket List is named after the movie in which Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman make a list of places they want to see before they “kick the bucket.”
Last year’s team included Peder and Timmie Baukol, David and Joyce Baukol, Mary Baukol, Paul and Lorie Billehus, Corbin and Jackie Corson, Dick and Marvae Engebretson, Darlene Femrite, Don and Colleen Gandrud, Larry and Linda Kittelson, Doug and Linda Lida, Doug and Pauline Opdahl, Roger Pederson and Sue Holten. Nearly all are returning to race this year.
The Starbuck Dragon Boat Festival is sponsored by the Starbuck Chamber. For more information on the event, call the Starbuck Chamber at 320-239-2440, or visit www.starbuckdragonboat.com.