The dragon boat races are an integral part of the Dragon Festival. Our goal for the races is to bring to life the history of dragon boat racing and to encourage everyone to participate in a team sport that originated in Asia.
Each year, approximately 20-24 boat teams take part in races over the two-day event. The friendly competition has been a great team-building exercise for many corporate teams!

 

The Boats
These sleek, ornately designed boats are each 40-ft long and under 4-ft. in width. Each comes with a drum to provide the rhythm for the paddlers. The character of each boat is shown through its intricately designed head and tail representing the most venerated mythical beast in Chinese folklore--the dragon. The dragon is a believed to be a benevolent creature with powers to bring rain (that guarantees good harvest) and the power to ward off illness.

 

The Teams
Each team consists of 20 team members: 18 paddlers, one flag catcher, and one drummer. Each team is given a training/practice session on Saturday with timed races on Sunday. Time trials take place Sunday morning to put teams in divisions and divisional races take place in the afternoon. Each division will crown a champion that will receive a trophy for the team and medals for each team member.

Please contact Roger, Dragon Boat Race Director with last minute updates or considerations. If you are a single paddler, there may be a spot for you!

Legend of dragon boat racing
The history of dragon boat racing dates back 2,400 years to China. It originated as a day to commemorate the death of Wat Yuen (Qu Yuan) - a poet, minister and counselor to the emperor during the Chu dynasty. Wat saw the corruption within the government but could not get the emperor to bring about changes. Tired of his protests, the emperor dismissed him. Despondent, he wrote one of his most beautiful poems and then threw himself into the river to express his despair and sorrow.
Local fishermen raced to the tragic scene in their boats, splashing water with their oars in an effort to scare away the fish. They also dropped rice dumplings into the river as a way to distract the fish so they would not eat Wat's body.

The re-enactment of this event takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in Asia.

 

Dragon boat racing today
While dragon boat racing originated in China, it is now a cross-cultural sport with events throughout the world, both at the local and international levels. Its popularity has made it the fastest growing team water sport, with clubs and races in more than 60 countries. The biggest event outside of Asia is in Sweden followed by the US and Canada.

There is also an on-going petition for the sport to be included in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and to be a demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games.
Recognized for promoting camaraderie, strength and endurance in its participants, the sport is also gaining grounds in corporate and charitable circles.