Afternoon storm cuts dragon boat race short

Dragon boating has taken much of the world by storm in recent years with its short learning curve and team fun.

Groups of 22 people paddle together in the slender boats to the beat of a drummer, who is perched in the front of the boat near the dragon's head.

On Saturday, a few members of Oklahoma City's Asian community came to Riverfest to see how the 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition would look in a U.S. setting.

"They need some training. There is no rhythm or anything," said Hoa Nguyen, laughing as he watched four of the boats scuttle down the river.

Nguyen, who originally is from Vietnam, said he is pleased dragon boating has made its way to Oklahoma, as it exposes people here to something new. But in Asia, he said, the races are much more festive. The paddlers dress in costumes specific to their towns. People cheer loudly and reward winners with a feast.

Here, the cheers were scant, and Nguyen hopes people will begin to rally more around the races in coming years -- maybe with help from the Asian community.

Worldwide appeal
Wayne Zhao, who grew up on a river in the Black Dragon province of northern China, said he's happy that his country's ancient tradition is making its way around the globe.

"It's a good thing when ... you can add to the flavor of whatever city," he said. "Multicultural is kind of the movement."

Zhao said dragon boating festivals have traditionally honored a great poet who committed suicide by throwing himself into a river. People threw rice into the river for fish to eat, in hopes that the fish would eat that instead of their revered poet.

Traditional dragon dances and the boat races are part of the ceremonies, he said.

Oklahoma City brought in four dragon boats from the Texas Dragon Boat Association for Saturday's races, which featured six corporate teams, including one from The Oklahoman. Each team paid $1,000 to enter. Riverfest benefits several charities, including the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank.

Minh Nguyen came with the Texas group to help run the dragon boat races. He said dragon boating is the second-fastest growing sport in the world, and while it's still "in its infancy" in the United States, it is catching on fast.

Houston's dragon boating festival last year had 35 teams, and international competitions can host 300, he said.

People love the sport because it's easy to pick up, and everyone feels needed on the 22-person team, he said.

"Everyone needs to be on the same page. If not, someone else has to pull the dead weight," he said.

Dell group wins
A group from Dell won the dragon boat races. The group's captain, Joy Allen, who has been a rower for years, said it was easy to get people pumped up for something so unique and so easy to pick up.

"Regular rowing takes so much finesse and technique," she said. "This, you just put the paddle in the water and pull. Anyone can come out and do it the first time."

Riverfest features other activities besides dragon boating, including a regatta, barbecuing competition, wine tasting and brewery samples.