The 10th Annual Youth Dragon Boat Race
at San Francisco’s Lake Merced
Saturday, April 16, 2011
30 Bay Area High School Teams Take Part in Only Youth Specific Race in North America
www.cdba.org
18 February 2011 – San Francisco, CA: Who knew – the best place for youth to find common ground is on the water – specifically the surface of San Francisco’s Lake Merced during the annual Youth Dragon Boat Race, this year celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Saturday, April 16. Sponsored by the California Dragon Boat Association (www.cdba.org), the event is the only youth specific race of its type in North America.
“All it takes is one person paddling faster or slower than the others to slow down the boat and lose a race,” says Bob Leung, CDBA Youth Program Director and Mission High School Teacher. “By participating in Dragon Boating, these young people learn how to value their differences and find common ground.”
A key focus of the California Dragon Boat Association is its youth paddling program. Formed in response to cuts in high school athletics, the program aims to provide Bay Area youth with a healthy physical activity that also teaches teamwork, leadership, and personal development. The youth program currently provides over 1,000 Bay Area high school students with free coaching, equipment and access to practice facilities.
“It’s indescribable to witness the sense of achievement and pride of these kids as they cross the finish line or do well in a time trial,” said Ken Hong, CDBA Youth Race Director. “They really support each other. It’s more than just a sport to the kids – they have to learn how to maintain discipline in the boat during races and in practices.”
The youth program emerged from an initial battle for bragging rights at the first international competition in 1996. In this race, the two competitors, Washington High and Lincoln High, faced off against each other for the first ever youth race in the Bay Area. Lincoln won the race, but more significantly, it was the start of a proud tradition of youth dragon boating for the California Dragon Boat Association.
“The youth dragon boat program helps fill an important void by providing a free fitness and leadership development program for Bay Area youth,” says Jeanie Lee, President of the California Dragon Boat Association, explaining that the program is open to all schools and youth groups and is subsidized through California Dragon Boat Association fundraising and race proceeds. “All of our coaches and steers-people are certified from adult dragon boat teams and provide free coaching for the nearly 1,000 Bay Area high school students on youth teams.”
The youth division continues to grow, and in 2002, an all high school dragon boat team race was established as an annual event in the spring. In addition to local growth, youth teams have expanded their racing to areas beyond the Bay Area: youth dragon boat teams from the Bay Area have traveled to compete in festivals in Long Beach, Portland, Vancouver, and Macau, China. In a testament of the youth program’s success, the California Dragon Boat Association sponsored a combined team to compete in the World Club Crew Championships in Toronto in 2006, and this past year, Independence High School competed at the World Club Crew Championships in Vancouver.
The youth dragon boating program has numerous benefits for its participants, including an opportunity to participate in a highly competitive team sport and learn all of the important life skills that are traditionally taught through participation in a team sport. In addition, the youth who participate in the high school dragon boat learn about the importance of fitness and also develop leadership skills, as shown by the development of the college program, which has been driven by former high school dragon boaters.
“No one who has discovers dragon boating – either on the water or as an on land volunteer leaves unchanged,” Cheu sums up. “These talented young people learn the value of working together and of being part of a team and community.”
The Youth Dragon Boat Race features racing from 8am – 5pm and related activities from 10am – 5pm. Entrance to the Festival is free and open to the public, as is viewing of the races.
The History of Dragon Boating
For those unfamiliar with the sport, dragon boating simply put, is a boat of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steers person paddling to cross the finish faster than their competition. It's a team sport in its purest form that encompasses the elements of power, speed, synchronization and endurance.
With its beginnings in Southern China, dragon boating today is the fastest growing international team water sport. Each year, race festivals are held around the world in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States.
Dragon boat racing is one of the earliest known forms of aquatic competition and is celebrated at festivals and races throughout the world. This mythical celebration is a symbol of Chinese culture and spirit and is one of the three largest festivals in that country, with its roots going back over 2,000 years.
Legend has it that Qu Yuan, a scholar and advisor to the emperor of the Chu Kingdom, jumped into the Mei Lo (Mi Luo) River in despair and protest against government corruption. Local fishermen raced out in their boats to save him. They beat drums and pounded their paddles on the river's waters and threw rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river to distract the water dragons and keep them from eating from Qu Yuan's body. Dragon boating evolved from the re-enactment of this legend at annual festivals.
The California Dragon Boat Association is now the largest dragon boating organization in the Bay Area and organizes one of the largest competitive dragon boat festivals in the United States. In addition, the Association oversees the largest high school and college dragon boat program in the nation.
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