Power Dragons take home Top 5 finish

Mississippi Power answered the challenge on Saturday and the results turned out even better than expected.

A team of nearly 30 employees competed in the inaugural Fire on the Lake Dragon Boat Festival and Race on Gulfport Lake.

“We were publicly challenged to enter a team by someone from Coast Electric Power Association,” Senior Environmental Affairs Specialist and team co-captain Patrick Chubb said. “On top of that, with the event helping to raise funds for the United Way of South Mississippi, our team was very motivated to deliver a peak performance.”

The company’s team – nicknamed the Power Dragons – finished fourth out of 20 South Mississippi companies and organizations that entered teams in the fundraiser.

Each boat held 20 paddlers and one drummer to keep cadence. There was also a professional steersman on hand to assist the teams on rowing instructions.

The Navy Seals team won the event, followed by the IP Casino’s team and a group from the Seabee Base in Gulfport.

“We had a great cross-section of employees on the team. Generation, Environmental Affairs, Finance, Corporate Communication, Marketing and more were all represented,” Industrial Marketing Representative and co-captain John Templeton said. “We had practice on the Thursday before the event and I think we all finally realized how much fun we were going to have on Saturday.”

At the post-race awards ceremony, Mississippi Power was presented the “Fired Up Fans Award” paddle for having the most enthusiastic team and supporters.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team for their effort and attitude on the water,” said Vice President of Customer Services Organization Nicole Faulk.

Faulk served as the team’s drummer, setting the pace and rhythm for the rowers.

“It was a great teambuilding opportunity that showed how much we’re capable of when we’re all rowing in the same direction,” Faulk said. “And taking home the ‘Fired Up Fans Award’ was special as well. We’re big fans of the work United Way of South Mississippi does every day, so receiving this paddle means a lot to us.”