Three times a week, after a brief warmup and some chatting, members of the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club can be seen paddling in large dragon-shaped boats down the inlet near Cass Park. A drummer at the front of each boat sets the beat to which the crew paddles in synchronicity while a steerer in the back keeps the boat moving in the right direction.
Members of the club, spanning a wide range of ages and experience levels, shared an enthusiasm to be on the water and form part of the team. Even a thunderous rainstorm that prevented the team from practicing during a recent practice did not dampen the team’s spirit.
Dragon boat racing arrived in Ithaca in 2004, when members of the Ithaca Asian American Association founded the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club after receiving two dragon boats from Dalian, China.
Amy Somchanhmavong M.S. ’02 said she and her husband — who are also founding members of IAAA — created the dragon boat club as a form of cultural expression, selecting the boats as a cultural symbol in part because of the ubiquity of dragon symbolism across several Asian cultures.
“We were thinking [about] what would bring various Asian ethnic groups together in this very diverse community in Upstate New York,” Somchanhmavong said.
While this year marks the sport’s 20th anniversary in Ithaca, its history and heritage can be traced back far earlier.
Dragon boat racing has its roots in a thousands-year-old Chinese tradition, where its original participants raced dragon boats as an auspicious practice, as it was said to ensure a good harvest and ward off evil spirits, according to the International Dragon Boat Federation, the sport’s governing body.
Before dragon boat racing was a competitive sport, it formed part of a holiday — the Dragon Boat Festival. This holiday is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which typically falls in late May or early June.
Somchanhmavong explained that the tradition of dragon boat racing originated with the story of poet Qu Yuan, who jumped into the river to protest corruption during the Warring States period.
“He jumped into the Miluo River as a form of resistant protest, feeling that he was not able to protect the country,” Somchanhmavong said. “The fishermen and people surrounding him were devastated, and they were trying to save him when they heard the news that he jumped in.”
To try to rescue him, Somchanhmavong explained, Qu Yuan’s supporters went out on dragon-shaped boats, beating drums and throwing rice dumplings in the river to scare away the fish and stop them from eating his body.
While festivals in different regions of China draw inspiration from differing tales of heroic sacrifice, many elements — such as the boats and rice dumplings — are consistently included.
Dragon boat racing as a sport gained international popularity after the Hong Kong Tourism Board staged the first Hong Kong International Races in 1976 as a promotional event. This event brought the sport onto the global stage and spurred what many call the “modern era” of dragon boat racing.
According to Somchanhmavong, dragon boat racing was introduced to British rowers in Hong Kong while it was still under British control. The rowers then spread the sport across the European continent before its arrival in the U.S. and Canada.
Part of the appeal of dragon boat racing, according to Somchanhmavong, is the unique structure of each team. Unlike most team sports where players have different positions, everyone on the boat — except the drummer and steerer — has the exact same role. The only distinction between teammates is which side of the boat they typically sit.
While many Ithaca Dragon Boat Club members chose to pursue dragon boat racing for health, community and recreation, Somchanhmavong said that for others like herself, dragon boat racing also connects them with their cultures.
“We are all tied to our upbringing,” Somchanhmavong said. “The dragon boat has its upbringing — its own family roots.”
Somchanhmavong added that dragon boat racing brought to Ithaca a new concept of teamwork and family, in part because of its lack of distinct roles within the team.
This concept of teamwork appealed to members of the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club, many of whom said they enjoyed the social aspect of the sport.
John Sheehan, a 12-year club member, said he originally joined the club for exercise. Now, “after falling in love” with the community, he attends nearly every practice and race.
“You’re on a 45-foot canoe with 22 people,” Sheehan said. “You’re a foot away from the water, and you’re moving at six to 10 miles an hour. It is just the most exciting feeling.”
Two weeks after Paula Loskamp moved to Ithaca in 2017, she met the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club when she heard the drumming of the dragon boats while canoeing on the lake. She said she has been a member ever since.
“Being that we had just moved here and we didn’t know a single person other than the real estate person, we met all these wonderful people, and they became our family,” Loskamp said.
Despite changing demographics and motivations of its membership, Somchanhmavong still educates new members on the history of dragon boat racing to keep its upbringing relevant to the club and promote the value of the cultural expression on which it was founded.
“It’s another immigrant story,” Somchanhmavong said. “But it’s just a different form.”
Kate Sanders is a reporter from the Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship at The Ithaca Voice. This piece was originally published in The Ithaca Voice.