SEATTLE — Dragon boat racing is a colorful race that has been a traditional Chinese paddled watercraft activity for over 2,000 years. The race has a rich background in ancient ceremonials, a tradition that lives today in the waters of Lake Union. Dragon boat racing is a fun team-building activity that promotes both mental and physical teamwork.
Thanks to organizations like Seattle Flying Dragons, a nonprofit entirely run by volunteers that has been paddling for more than a decade in Northwest waters. They are even part of the larger dragon boat community in the Puget Sound region and members of the Pacific Dragon Boat Association.
They have events like the “Seattle Dragon Boat Festival,” where participants can learn about dragon boats and enjoy an exciting day of racing, cultural performers and food trucks. Many races will take place throughout the festival. Normally, the races run on the south end of the lake with a view of the Seattle skyline and iconic Space Needle across the finish line.
The race is basically done on a large, dragon-shaped canoe with 10 benches - two people per bench and 20 paddlers in total.
There's a drummer on the front and a person on the back. The drummer may be considered the heartbeat of the boat. The steerer, standing in the back of the boat, controls the boat's movement. And then you have the pairs of paddlers that are pretty much the engine of the boat. Everyone has to paddle at the same time, which is really hard to do with 20 people who have a competitive spirit.
“This tradition goes all the way back to ancient China,” said Katie Nishimura, Vice President of the Seattle Flying Dragons. “Some will consider it the oldest team sport in the world. Everyone should come out and try it, at least once.”
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