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Dragon
boat race gets past controversy
By Todd Leland
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
The races and results
for the sixth annual Chinese Dragon Boat races at Marine Stadium
in Long Beach ran relatively smooth, despite controversy that
erupted over the outcome of a few races that some participants
and spectators thought might have involved the interest of
sponsors.
Bruce Chen, a primary organizer of the event insisted that
the controversy was a minor part of the two-day event.
“The problem was on the water; it did not involve sponsors,”
Chen said. “When you’re racing six boats that close together,
boats will touch and nudge each other. The problem was identified
and sorted through in all fairness.”
Many top competitors came to the races seeking first place
and most of them were pleased with their results.
Ornate Chinese Dragon boats filled the waters at Marine Stadium.
“We had over 60 teams enter the races this year,” said Jensen
Liang, 36, a volunteer. “The turnout has been fantastic.”
Liang said about 5,000 people attended the event each day.
Enthusiastic paddlers, family members and friends enjoyed
the action on the water as well as the food and revelry along
the shore.
“We’ve brought everything,” said Michael Kim, a participant
from Marino County. “We started setting up on Friday and have
all the necessities to survive a weekend of Dragon Boat racing.”
Some of the necessities for the event were hundreds of Cabana-style
tents lined up along the shore, dozens of make-shift souvenir
shops where contestants and spectators could buy hats, shirts,
decals and the such from all the different teams. Also, tent-style
kitchens prepared orange chicken and other dishes.
“What is so great about this event is almost every participant
brings their entire family,” Chen said. “The amount of people
really adds to the grandeur of the event.”
The event consisted of two full days of racing. The boats
ranged from about 30 feet long by 4 feet wide, holding 18
people.
A steersman was at the rear of the boat and an individual
was on the bow to hold cadence for the paddlers by beating
a large drum placed between his or her legs. The 16 paddlers
sat in eight rows of two staring ahead at the drummer waiting
to ebb forward at the quickest possible pace.
“The competition is really a series of races over the two
days that will eventually lead to one championship race where
a winner will be decided,” Liang said. “There are 16 different
divisions that will be racing, so the event does take the
whole two days.”
The 16 divisions, according to Liang, were broken down according
to experience level and skill. Each division held six boat
heats until they came to the final where the eventual winner
was decided for that division.
“The competition has brought teams from all over,” Chen said.
“It’s primarily clubs from Southern and Central California,
but this year we have participants from as far away as Canada.”
The competition would have included teams from Far East nations
such as Taiwan, South Korea and China, but unfortunately those
teams were involved in a similar event in Asia, Chen said.
The local competition has, according to Chen, created a serious
interest from the community.
“We are sponsored by NBC, China AirLines, a large software
manufacturing corporation and, of course, the City of Long
Beach,” he said.
The competition takes so much time to organize and prepare
that Chen and other organizers are already speaking with the
City of Long Beach about permits and ways to make the event
run more smoothly next year.
“Next year is already being planned,” Chen said. “We have
meetings setup for organizers and we are already discussing
new ideas with the city. Eighty teams with each participant
bringing dozens of family members is a lot of people.”
Chen and the other Dragon Boat organizers brought together
60 teams and over 10,000 people for this year’s two-day event.
With an estimated 80 teams next year, Chen believes the event
can only grow with each year to come.
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