Dragon boat racing was a demonstration sport at the Paris Olympics this summer and it’s likely to be elevated to official competition in future games. But it’s been around in Asia for more than 2,000 years, and in Superior since 2002.
This weekend is the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival at Barkers Island. It’s sponsored by the Superior Rotary and includes teams representing and benefiting several good causes, including 23rd Veteran, a Twin Ports based group that assists veterans experiencing trauma.
Belissa Ho has been both a competitor and organizer of the teams. She spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” about the sport and the festival.
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This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Robin Washington: Tell us about the sport and how it got to Superior.
Belissa Ho: Dragon boat racing is a very old sport, dating back a couple of thousand years in China. It really took off as a competitive sport in Hong Kong during the 1970s and slowly made its way around the world.
Today, there are huge international Dragon Boat Federation races that bring countries from all over the world —places like Ravenna, Italy and Sydney, Australia. And Team USA does pretty darn well at those as well.
Here in Superior, the dragon boat races started after our rotary went to compete in a race in Thunder Bay.
RW: Other than the dragon heads carved on the boats, how’s it different from rowing or crewing?
BH: In rowing or crewing, you don’t face forward, you face backwards, and you are rowing. In dragon boat racing, you sit forward and you paddle. And you only paddle single-side, because there are two people sitting next to each other.
A traditional dragon boat has 20 paddlers, a steersperson and a drummer. In crewing or rowing, the number can vary from a single person all the way up to a 10-person crew. For the most part, dragon boat racing is 20 people, a steersperson and a drummer. For the Olympics, I believe they paired it down to a 10-person crew with a steersperson and a drummer.
RW: Who are some of the teams and what are some of the good causes they’re competing for in Superior? I know the main one is 23rd Veteran.
BH: 23rd Veteran is a charitable partner with the Superior Rotary. Their team is called A Fighting Chance. It’s a very good cause, trying to help reintegrate military veterans into society. I believe they’ve expanded their program to also assist first responders who experience trauma on a regular basis.
Then there’s the Challenging Dragons from the Challenge Center in Superior, who are wide-ranging folks with various levels of disabilities. They’re the team with the most spirit and the most joy.
One of our newer teams is the T-PAC Dragons representing the Twin Ports Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Collective. They’re significant because it’s one of the few Asian-represented teams for an Asian sport here in the Northland.
RW: Tell us about the people in the boat and the role of the drummer.
BH: The drummer is probably closest to the coxswain in crewing. On the other hand, because there are so many people on a dragon boat, the drummer is flexible. Some of them are very involved in calling out transitions. Other times it’s ornamental — a person who’s banging the drum to symbolize the calling of the dragon in traditional dragon boat racing.
As for the rest of the paddlers, you have your pacers up front, your engine room and your rockets. And then of course, the steersperson — the person who gets you back and forth.
RW: What else is happening at the festival?
BH: On Friday, we’ll be waking the dragon and having our parade of teams. Other events include live music, food booths, cornhole and tug-of-war competition. Saturday is race day, starting at 9 a.m. until the finals at 4 p.m.
If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at northern@wpr.org.
