Dragon Boat Racing: Symbols of Teamwork and Cooperation
By Cindy Au-Kramer, Special Contributor

Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and is one of the three most major Chinese Festivals. The Dragon Boat Festival began as a rite to drive off evil spirits during the summer months, in which competing teams row to the beat of pounding drums. Later, the boat race came to symbolize the search for a famous Chinese scholar named Chu Yuan, who sunk to his death, after the emperor he served would not listen to his good counsel. In modern times, these races are a testament to the Chinese virtues of cooperation and teamwork.

Fortunately, for New Yorkers, this tradition has been brought alive during the summer months of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival (HKDBF), held in Flushing Corona Meadows Park, Queens during one intense weekend in early August. For more info, go to http://www.hkdbf-ny.org/

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Winnie Lee, Captain of this year’s winning team in the Advanced Division – Dragonflies!

How did you get started in Dragon Boat Racing?
Eight years ago, a high school friend, who was not Asian, recruited me to join their diverse team. They needed a drummer, typically a lightweight person, to keep the rhythm going during practice and the races. The camaraderie that develops from intense teamwork keeps bringing me back each year. It’s good to be part of a group who are as dedicated and as crazy as you are.

What is difference between crew and dragon boat racing?
In crew, the team members sit single file and row on both sides of the boat. In dragon boat racing, the team members sit two in a row and use both arms to control the oar on one side of the boat.

What is required to enter the race?
The entry fee is $800 and the entire team chips in to pay for the entry fee. The HKDBF provides each team with a beautiful 30 feet long teak wooden boat to ensure fairness.

How many teams participate and how are the races set up?
There are approximately 15 teams each year, some from San Francisco, Philadelphia, NJ and even Canada. There are several categories: Expert, Advanced and Regular, with different divisions, i.e. teenagers, etc. There are two races: 250 meters and 500 meters. Only 4-5 teams can compete at one time, so there were several rounds to determine a winner. There is another race, where a Corporation sponsors each boat.

What are your responsibilities as a captain?
The captain is the leader who raises team spirits, recruits team members, attends meetings, obtains corporate sponsorship and processes paperwork

How many people are on your team and what are the main roles?
There are 20 people (14 men and 6 women) in my team. The steerer sits on the back of the boat. My sister, Gina, the drummer this year, sits at the head of the boat. We also have a manager, who stays on land, during the races, to manage logistical issues, such as holding or checking for IDs. The remainder of the team paddled.

Within your team, were there any current NYU students or alumni?
Two team members, Teddy Li and his girlfriend Vicky Hoang are Stern alumni.

How often does your team practice?
Some teams practice year round, but my team usually fits in 10 weekly sessions (1 hour each), from early July until the weekend of the race in August. We double up on some sessions. The practices this summer, with the bad weather, was extra hard.

How did your team do this year?
My team competed in the second tier, the advanced division and we had a great year! We came in first in the 500 meters and third in the 250 meters. It was satisfying to see the hard work pay off. This year, we represented Western Union during the corporate sponsored races and did well also.

Wow! Congratulations! That’s fantastic. What made this year different this year?
We changed strategies this year and that may have contributed to our success. Since the weather was so cold and rainy this year, during practices, it was difficult to assess how our team would do. Also, it is difficult to get the entire team to come to each practice. There are always scheduling conflicts on weekends. We didn’t expect to win, since there were several teams that practiced as much as three times a week prior to the races. We were dumbfounded when we won the first race. Some people screamed, others laughed or burst into tears. When we won the second race, we were amazed that our team was that strong.

What would you change about the dragon boat experience?
I would like the procedures for the Captain role to be easier. It would be great if a set process was in place to fundraise, recruit and train new team members, carpool etc.

Since this sport originated in China, do you find that most of teams are composed of Asian Americans?
My team has always been diverse. For example, I had 6 team members who were not Asian this year. Over the last several years, there has been increased participation by non-Asians so it is less shocking now to see a Caucasian or Latino or Black participant.

Why do you think the sport is becoming more mainstream?
Word of mouth mostly. This festival started 14 years ago and it makes senses that time will bring in different types of people. Each year, there is coverage of the event by Daily News. A few years ago, NY Times did an article about the dragon boat festival.

Thank you for your time. Congratulations again on your wins this year!