2nd Dessau water battle

The author may not have learned to write from a green gnome, but what we RainRiders delivered at the 2nd Dessau Water Battle on the weekend of February 17/18, 2018 certainly had the charm of "power" for us in places.

After two great days in the Dessau Südschwimmhalle, we have many fond memories and a hard-won second place in the first unofficial international SUP fish-piercing world championship.

Only Anja from Potsdam was able to break the grandiose record of six victories in six duels in the final against Leo. After two knee falls in front of her opponent, it was a precise poke to the chest with a technically well thought-out swing to the next kick that got our Leo off the board, which meant the world to him.

But the weekend wasn't just about knocking opponents off the SUP in one-on-one matches, there were also some great polo games played, refereed or simply watched with excitement from the edge of the pool.

With two victories at the start, six rather sleepy riders turned into wide-awake attacking strategists and tough defensive masons at pug speed.
This was followed by two narrow defeats to the future fourth and second-placed teams in the tournament and thrilling, hotly contested victories. With the threat of extra time looming, we decided to take the lead in the knockout round in the last fifteen seconds.

Well-coordinated ball recovery in our own defense; shift of play to the right; on the left, Pauline plows through the water with all her might to end up alone in front of the goalkeeper and Johannes throws across a third of the field into her hands. As the end of the game is announced over the loudspeakers, she doesn't hesitate and mercilessly throws the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. Lead - whistle and victory.

In the end, we took the last single-digit place (number nine) in the overall standings and were delighted with the praise we received for the way we played.

Clausthal as a town is still halfway dormant in winter, but the riders are keen to play.
On the way back, we practiced manoeuvre critique and critically reviewed what we had experienced.
Now it's time to study hard, apply the knowledge gained in training and then head off into adulthood with our cuddly tournament!

Many thanks to the Junkers Paddle Community for the great weekend; Simi, Christian and Fabi for their support in refereeing; the Schweifsterne and the ladies from Leipzig for their speedy racing bowls.