Paddles Up!

Dragon boating has its roots in ancient Chinese culture. As legend has it, over than two thousand years ago a poet named Qu Yuan was banished from his beloved kingdom. Qu Yuan weighted his pockets with stones and waded out into the Mei Lo River to drown himself.

Fishermen took their boats out to try and save him. As they frantically searched, they beat gongs and drums, stirred up the water with their paddles, and threw sticky rice dumplings into the river to try to distract the hungry fish and prevent them from devouring him … to no avail. In his honor, festivals were held to remember the tragedy. Today, dragon boat teams race to keep the tradition going (however no food is thrown).

NOW, dragon boating is a team participation paddle sport. Boats typically hold crews of 20 with a steersman and drummer, and these crews propel a roughly 700-pound boat over predetermined race distances (typically 200m, 500m or 2k). During festival events, teams are divided into divisions by skill, and race in heats of up to six boats compete at a time. Races continue until a winner emerges from each division. Then medals are handed out and merriment ensues.

You can learn more about the interesting history of dragon boating from the International Dragon Boat Federation .