From ducks to bucks

Standing out on the field at Friday night’s Kitsap BlueJackets game, Barb Botkin was gleaming, she had won.

“I guess I never can say I’m not lucky,” she said with a smile spreading across her face. “My duck has finally come in.”

She was the big winner in this year’s Great Kitsap Duck Race and had the option of taking the keys of a brand-new 2007 Nissan Frontier King Cab pickup truck or $16,000 cash. Botkin took the money.

“With a wedding coming up, a kid still in college and another volunteering (in India), there are plenty of opportunities to share this good fortune,” Botkin said with a laugh.

She also made a donation to Hospice of Kitsap County at the check presentation Friday. Botkin talked about the advantages it brings to the community and how important the organization is.

Attributing her success to her husband Tim, former Kitsap County commissioner, she said he’s always putting her name on raffle tickets and prize entry forms.

“I’m lucky to have a husband that buys a lot of (tickets),” Botkin said with a laugh.

In this case, the tickets were adoption certificates belonging to a five-duck Quack Pack sold by Silverdale Rotarian Natalie Bryson.

“It was wonderful (selling the winning duck),” Bryson said with a smile. “I have sold ducks since the beginning of (the duck race).”

Racing more than 25,000 ducks in the Great Kitsap Duck Race and raising more than $92,000 for Hospice of Kitsap County as well as other Rotary projects, Patricia Roberts, chairwoman of the duck race and more affectionately known as “Madam Duck,” said she was pleased.

“Overall, we worked really hard the entire year so the results were a lot better,” Roberts added. “We had great support from our sponsors ... we are looking forward to breaking our record next year.”

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.