August is Dragon Boat racing time, and my team the Dragonflies raced for a second year. Dragon Boat racing involves 20 paddlers, one crazy drummer, and one steerage expert to maneuver 40-foot-long dragon boats attired with painted, carved dragon heads and tails. The Dragon Boat Festival is organized by Dragonheart, a breast cancer survival group that raises funds for breast cancer awareness, treatment, and care. I was instantly inspired last year when I saw a festival announcement flier and began the arduous task of recruiting. The festival races two types of teams: breast cancer survivor teams from around North America and local community teams, most of which are corporate. Amidst a field of 80 community teams, the Dragonflies were one of the few all women's teams, although each team required at least eight women paddlers.It was a wet affair this year. It was raining when I got up 4:30am to get to the waterfront. It was raining when I returned home at 5pm. I wondered why after all my extensive wilderness survival training and experience I chose to wear such a large volume of cotton, which I shed later that afternoon after finally reaching chill point. Honestly, the rain hardly dented the spirit of the festival. Nearly 2000 paddlers danced in the warm rain and we spoke of transforming it into liquid sunshine.
What I really like about this event is that it is not about strength, rather it is about synchronicity. That, and it is a heart rush to feel these large boats plane and rise out of the waves under arm power. While we did not win a cup, we gained comaderie and many, many smiles. That said, we won in the spirit category--last year for best overall banner, this year for best T-shirt. Another satisfying "win" was during the practice paddle a few weeks ago. We practiced racing against a corporate team of 20-something-year-old men and women....and we crossed the finish line first. What a sweet moment for our team of one third 30-somethings, one third 40-somethings, and one third 50-somethings. Murmured comments of old, flabby moms rock made me laugh. As I said before, it's all about synchronicity, not strength or attitude.
To see and HEAR what the races look like, visit the Dragonheart Vermont website. Immediately below the center homepage photo it says "Click here for Audio Slideshow of the Dragon Boat Festival." http://www.ridethedragon.org/
5 comments:
New fan of Blue Frog Farm here! Hope you don't mind my lurking . . . but I do have a certain affection for Dragonflies and was very touched to read about your race experience. Something remarkable happens when close friends come together for a good cause. Way to go Dragonflies! Now where can I get one of those shirts? :)
Spymommy! Thanks so much for your comments. I have also long been a fan of dragonflies, so of course really love the name of your blog. Many dragonflies grace the edges of our pond, or hands and knees while basking on rocks. I'll be doing more silk screening for the Dragon Boat Festival Breast Cancer quilt, so can easily make another shirt if you like.
Sounds like fun! Cotton? You wore cotton because it's summer in the mountains....ooops.
Dragonflies like rain, don't they?
What an amazing event and experience. It's so interesting and wonderful to read about all the different events all over the country that are held to raise awareness and more importantly funds for breast cancer research. The Dragon Boat Festival and race are so unique, I would love to actually see it in person.
I love the importance of team work, synchronicity and group bonding for a larger cause. Your attached photo hints at so many stories waiting to be heard from the beautiful women in the picture.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience. It means a great deal to me having lost a friend to breast cancer.
Thank you Queen Vee. I too lost a dear and young friend to cancer last year. The respite house where he ended his life received $40,000 from the Dragon Boat festival last year, so I was extra motivated to start the team. The last time we saw him at home, my dear three-year-old placed fabric scraps on his heart so he would feel better. It was her idea, we all melted. He took the heart patches with him to the respite house. He also took the beautiful pond photo that's in the title for my blog.
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