Due to its increasing accessibility and broad appeal, dragon boat racing is the world’s fastest growing water sport. As 22 people move in unison, it is a great team building activity, which can also lead to personal gains in strength and flexibility. Most importantly, it’s a great opportunity to have fun with both people you know and new people you meet.
Dragon boat racing originates from China where legend has it that a poet named Yuan was expelled from his office by a corrupt administration. Protesting the corruption, Yuan drowned himself in the Mi Lo River, near present day Yue Yang. Local fishers, seeing his plight, rushed out in boats to try and save him, but were unsuccessful. In order to keep evil spirits away from his body, they beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles. They also threw rice in the water as a food offering to Yuan and to distract the fish away from his body. Late one night, the spirit of Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that he died because of a river dragon. Since that day, the act of racing to find Yuan’s body has been commemorated in an annual festival which has evolved into present-day dragon boat racing. Today, this tradition has continued around the world in over 60 countries with over 75 million participants, as people come together to participate in this easy-to-learn, fun sport.
A crew of twenty, seated in two parallel columns of ten people each, paddle to the beat of a drummer stationed at the bow of the dragon boat. A steersperson, standing at the stern, navigates the race course with the help of a single long oar. A dragon boat is a long, narrow boat designed to resemble a dragon with a dragon head and tail affixed to the bow and stern, respectively. The boat’s sides are brightly painted with dragon scales. A dragon boat typically measures about 12.5 meters (41 feet) long and about 1.2 meters (4 feet) across at its widest point. Empty, the type of dragon boat used by the Edmonton Dragon Boat Racing Club weighs 260kg (570 pounds). During a race, however, the paddlers must propel a boat and crew weighting anywhere from 1,600kg to 2,300 kg (3,500 pounds to 5,000 pounds).
A typical dragon boat race is 200-500 meters, during which the paddle stroke rate can range between 60 and 100 strokes per minute. A 500-meter race usually lasts anywhere from 2 – 3 minutes depending on weather conditions and the team’s experience. While sprint races of 200 meters are not uncommon, paddlers also compete in endurance races of up to 6 kilometers, lasting over 30 minutes. Crews of 20 paddlers are usually of mixed gender with a minimum of eight women and eight men.
From a spectator’s perspective, dragon boat races are colorful and exciting. Multiple dragon boats come streaking down the race course with drums beating, paddles splashing and fans cheering for favorite teams. Each race brings its own excitement as both participants and spectators come together to celebrate the sport and the culture, as well as each others’ company.