JUST DO IT: Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival, 10/1

Tomorrow, the Schuylkill River is going to get loud when traditional Chinese drum beats begin echoing from the bow of over 130 dragon boats. The annual feat is the fastest growing water sport in the world and, starting seventeen centuries ago, it's also one of the oldest.

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JUST DO IT: Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival, 10/1

POSTED: Friday, September 30, 2011, 4:39 PM

Filed Under: Just Do It

Two Hope Afloat teammates

According to ancient legend, the tradition began when a group of steadfast citizens paddled from Hunan’s shore to the underwater grave of Qu Yuan — a beloved Chinese poet, political figure and hero who drowned himself in exile. These rowers wanted to honor their fallen soldier in an annual race to his burial ground, proving that their fight against tyrannical rule would be everlasting. The drums were incorporated as a way to scare fish away and to keep their paddle strokes in unison.

Grave-hopping aside, the Philadelphia dragon boat community continues to carry on this tradition with a variety of teams that strive to exemplify one critical aspect of the sport: solidarity.

Take, for instance, team Hope Afloat. Formed in 2001 for breast cancer survivors, the Philly-based crew touts themselves as a “floating support group,” claiming that dragon-boat rowing is a refreshing opportunity to participate in non-contact, physical activity and, as member Andrea Reiss puts it, a way to form meaningful camaraderie. “It’s not an individual thing,” she says. “you’re all in it together.”

Dragon boating is a sport fueled by achieving positive goals — even if that goal is as simple as making it to the finish line. So if you find yourself within earshot of the Schuylkill tomorrow, it might be worth stopping by to check out the action. Who knows, you may walk away feeling all inspired and stuff.

Sat., Oct. 1, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Along Boathouse Row, Near Kelly Drive and Sedgely Road, philadragonboatfestival.com.

(francesca@citypaper.net)

Posted by Francesca Crozier-Fitzgerald @ 4:39 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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