ORLANDO, Fla. — While most of Orlando just started waking up early Thursday morning, groups of Disney World cast members gathered to compete in their annual "Canoe Races of the World" event.
Chants of "Row, row, row" could be heard throughout Magic Kingdom before the park's opening as the race got underway for its 50th year at the Rivers of America near Liberty Square. Disney World employees, known as cast members, sported color-coded t-shirts representing their team — which had Disney-themed names or a play on words, such as "Beauties & the Beast" or "cROWin' Down the Bayou." The team that makes it around Tom Sawyer Island in the fastest time is crowned the winner.
The Canoe Races of the World, or "C.R.O.W." for short, is Disney's oldest tradition for their employees, originally starting back in 1963 at Disneyland. The event serves as an opportunity for cast members to team build and just have fun.
"It's something we all look forward to," said cast member Michael Cooper, who's been competing in C.R.O.W. for over 20 years.
Cooper's dedication to the race runs so strong that he represented two teams competing this year. He said the camaraderie he shares with the cast members keeps him motivated.
"It's almost like coming to a homecoming. Seeing these people year after year for decades, and people I've worked with, people I've paddled with over the years: it's just encouraging," he said. "And it's a beautiful place to get up early and see the sun rise over the castle, so it's a lot of fun."
This year's event saw also some first-time participants, like Amanda Curry.
"It was definitely a different experience, I enjoyed all of it. Definitely very exhausting if you didn't know how much strength five minutes of a row takes to move a boat — even with 10 people," she said.
While it was Curry's first C.R.O.W. event, it was not her first time rowing.
"I'm from Maryland and I lived right on the river, so we did a lot of canoeing and kayaking, mostly float trips, so we had the stream to help us along," she said.
Curry said she felt great that she was able to contribute to her team and looks forward to joining them again next year.
"Especially with this team, you can't beat everybody who's there," Curry said. "Just constantly supporting each other, the fact that we go up to other teams to support them as well — it's very fun and exciting. Glad I could be able to do this."
This year's race theme was centered around Disney's 2009 animated movie, "The Princess and the Frog," with decorations and a guest appearance from the trumpet-playing alligator, Louis.
The theme was a nod to the park's anticipated debut of their newest attraction, "Tiana's Bayou Adventure," which is set to open this summer.