Dragon boat could light your competitive fire

The first thing I saw Nov. 5 at Nathan Benderson Park was a golden, bloody-mouthed dragon’s head, placed on the bow of a boat.

It had a thin, grey beard and eyebrows that snaked upward. A drum was placed on the boat just behind the dragon, waiting for someone to bang out a fierce rhythm.

No, this wasn’t the boat of an old, international naval fleet. It was a dragon boat, used in the racing sport that shares its name.

At the 2016 Nathan Benderson Park Rowing Festival, Dragon Boat races were the rage. Murmurs from the spectators on the beach began to crescendo when the boats approached the horizon. “What are those?” was a common refrain throughout the afternoon. The crowd crept closer to the water, trying to get a glimpse.

I had to find out more.

Tee Thomas, a Lakewood Ranch resident of 13 years, was happy to oblige.

Typically, 20 paddlers sit in each Dragon Boat, Thomas said, though some teams use 10. Unlike in crew races, paddlers face the direction the boat is headed. The first two paddlers in the boat are called strikers, and their job is to set the pace of the boat. Everyone else follows suit.

One person steers the boat and gives instructions. And yes, there is a drummer, whose job is to provide the boat’s heartbeat, keeping up with the rhythm of the boat’s strikers and ensuring that no one falls off the pace. The sport is a simple one, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Thomas paddles for Survivors in Sync, a team made up of breast cancer survivors. Thomas joined the group in 2014 after her friend, Janet Crouse, convinced her to attend the team’s boat christening. Thomas doesn’t like water sports, and isn’t the strongest swimmer. She also didn’t think Crouse would lead her down the wrong path, so she went.

Intrigued, she went to a few practices, unaware of the challenge that paddling can provide. She moved to Lakewood Ranch for the opportunity to play tennis regularly, and she plays golf occasionally, but this new activity still took a toll on her body.

“I got very stiff the first few practices,” Thomas said. “Very stiff and sore. I didn’t think I would make it.”

Eventually, the soreness lessened, and Thomas decided to stick with the team.

She recently learned a new paddling style that has helped even more. Thomas called it a sweep technique, tracing the outline of a capital “D” in the water. Ever since she switched to this technique, Thomas said, her shoulder has felt a lot better.

Thomas’ favorite memory from her time in Dragon Boat racing (so far) is medaling in a race at the 2014 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival, held at Benderson Park. It was the first time the international festival had been held in the United States. The team hopes to attend the next festival in 2018 in Florence, Italy.

Before the NBP Rowing Festival, the longest race Thomas had completed was a kilometer in length. This race was five kilometers. That’s quite a jump in difficulty. She was proud of herself and her team for completing one full length of the course without stopping during practice last week. Usually, paddlers are not allowed to bring water on board during a race, but this race was an exception. Despite the daunting course, Survivors in Sync found an extra gear and finished the race. 

Like Thomas, I was never a huge fan of boat sports. I tried canoeing at a Boy Scout camp when I was 8, fell out of the boat in less than a minute, and well, that was that. After watching Thomas and her team’s performance at the festival, I have no idea why Dragon Boat racing isn’t even more popular. There’s an opportunity for pageantry that does not exist in other sports.

I appreciate any sport that attempts to set itself apart, especially if its unique characteristic involves beautifully crafted dragon heads.

Dragon Boat practices are held Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. at Benderson Park. Maybe in the future I’ll see you out there.