POUGHKEEPSIE — As the high noon sun shone down on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, Friday’s canoe and kayak preliminary events were done for the day.

But the day wasn’t done for some of the competitors.

The Adirondack four-man kayak team — probably hyped after watching the four-women team win gold — prepared for a practice run.

The first and fourth seats on the kayak represented the old guard — pair of athletes who had competed in games before. But in the middle two seats were two kids that represented the new guard.

Generations merged as little Larry Staubach took his seat in the four-man kayak and was helped by his father Chad. Nearby, Larry’s grandfather, Joe, watched with delight. Three generations of one family competed in the games.
"I have a lot of pride for them," Chad Staubach said. "They struggled out there; yesterday the waves were bigger than them. They battled and went at it. They had a good time."

Chad was one of the first of the Staubach clan to begin paddling. He and his brother, Justin, took up the sport at an early age.
"Chad and his brother went to a Boy Scout Camp and the Hilltop Hoppers were there," Joe Staubach said. "The boys liked it and went to practice a couple of nights a week."

The Hilltop Hoppers, which started as a snowshoe club in the Helderbergs, has fielded and coached perennial winners in water sports at the Empire State Games.

Joe and the boys’ mother, Deborah Larson, used to sit at practices and wait for Chad and Justin to finish until they finally got sick of just sitting around.
"People came up to us and said, ‘Why don’t you give it a try"’" Joe Staubach said. "We thought, ‘Why waste time just sitting around.’"

Chad Staubach was 10 at the time and Justin was a year younger when they started.
"At first, I don’t think they believed that we could do this," Joe Staubach said. "It was like having your parents on your Little League team."

"It’s just cool"
"It’s good to see him do something," Chad Staubach said. "The kids are involved and the parents are just sitting on the shoreline. They get more and more involved and then come back for more. Then, when they get a boat in a race, their competitive spirit comes out."

Chad Staubach learned the competitive spirit from his mother who was a masters’ world champion in 1997 and won seven golds and two silvers at the world championships.
"She is fanatical about the sport," Joe Staubach said. "That is where they learned to be dedicated to the sport."

Chad Staubach took a hiatius from competing in the sport — mostly canoe — due to a commitment to the United States Army and Justin missed this year’s Empire State Games with his National Guard unit.

Chad Staubach came back to rekindle his desire to compete.
"I came back for the competitive spirit," he said. "And for the people. I’ve never met a nicer group of people."

Larry Staubach is just gaining that competitive spirit. The 10-year-old teamed with his friend Maclin Norray — they will be classmates in the fall — in the two-man kayak and faced guys that dwarfed them in size.

But right now, the sport is just fun and Larry likes sharing the same interest as his father and grandfather.
"It is nice for them," Larry said. "They get to see you racing. It’s just cool; you have your father and grandfather with you."

And that seems to be the cool part of the canoe and kayk competition at the Empire State Games. A familial atmosphere presides whether the competitors share genetics or not.

First family

The Norray’s of Berne are the first family of canoe and kayak in the whole state. Jack Norray and his wife, Ruth, have been involved with the Hilltop Hoppers since the start, it was a snowshoe club.

Interest came in canoe and kayak and the Hoppers took off. They hold practices on Mondays and Fridays on Lake Onderdonk in the summer.

Tim Norray is the state chairperson for the Empire State Games and runs the show with the help of his parents — Jack and Ruth — and numerous other numerous volunteers.

Tim Norray’s wife, Jill, has been a participant and coach of the Adirondack team. Tim’s sister — also named Jill — has been a coach and her children have competed.

William, James, and Rebecca Dergosits have won numerous medals at the Empire State Games and competed all over the country.

The Adirondack team has dominated the medal count at the Empire State Games’ canoe and kayak competition and has influenced its rivals to get better and they have.

Three years ago, the team in yellow and white tank tops brought home 18 medals. This year, they finished with 12.
"We have a couple of new paddlers," Jill Norray said. "We have a new girl, Holly, and for her first year, she has done real well."

Holly Bisbee of Clifton Park had a golden moment in her first games. She helped the four-women kayak win gold on Friday with teammates Rebecca Dergosits, Rhiannon Darrone, and Victoria Dow.

The new generation is coming up, thanks to watching their parents and for some their grandparents and non-genetic relatives who are treated like family.
"It’s a very friendly sport," Jill Norray said. "You see the same people every year, it is like a reunion."