Dragon boat races, festival draw crowds to Racine lakefront

By Julio Urdaneta

Sunday, July 11, 2004 12:59 AM CDT

RACINE - Like most everybody on Saturday, Le Ma and his teammates didn't have much experience in the dragon-headed boats they signed up to race.

"We only had like two hours of practice total," said Ma, a member of the Museum of Slam team, sponsored by the Racine Heritage Museum.

The team was one of 42 to compete in the Great Midwest Dragon Boat Festival races, a new, and widely successful, event for Racine that drew thousands of people to the lakefront to watch the unusual event.

Most participants were novices at paddling the long, slender boats through water that is protected by the breakers near Samuel Myers Park.

"After the first race we learned that it's about team work, is about getting out there and work in unison," Ma said. "At the beginning of the race we were hitting each other's paddles, we were pretty much frantic, but toward the end, we started getting in synch."

Organizers hope the festival itself found its rhythm on Saturday. They ambitiously called it the "first annual" festival, and plans are in the works to bring the races back next year.

Despite fears of rain, sunshine reigned over the festival, which also featured a concert on Saturday night and performances by "Draco the Dragonator," a 30-foot-tall metal dragon.

The competition, sponsored by the Racine Rotary Club West and Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, was a fund-raiser for the Racine Heritage Museum.

A large crowd, easily in the thousands, attended the competition to volunteer their time, race on a team or cheer for their team, either from the competition site at the park or from atop the hills along Main Street south of 14th Street.

Thirty-three races were held Saturday. The competition's championship finals were contested between nine teams, divided in groups of three for their time scores.

Team Dragonflies claimed first place in the Bronze division, followed by the Headliners of The Journal Times in the Silver division. The Gold division championship was won by Cedar River Gang.

In dragon boat racing, a team of 22 people rows in a 42-foot boat, competing in a sprint race of 400 to 500 meters. Most teams were sponsored by local organizations, including the YMCA, Johnson Financial Group and the Bank of Elmwood.

The boats used in the event are owned by Canadian company Great White North, which was hired to coordinate the races.

The sport of dragon boat racing dates back to 2,000 B.C, according to event organizer Rick Granite, who said the competition was becoming more and more popular. "There are over 100 events of this kind in the United States and Canada," he said.

Racine is a perfect place to have this type of competition, Granite added. "It is a way to celebrate the lake," he said.

Many volunteers helped keep the event on track, from clearing out the competition area to taking pictures of the teams before their races.

"It was going to be a fun event, and I just wanted to be involved," said Todd Johnson, one of the volunteers. "There're a lot of people here today, and I am having fun."

Along with the philanthropic purpose, the race also proved to be a tool for building better communication and work skills, participants said.

"You learn to work together as a group," said Tonya Burgoon, from Scott Nelly's Vikings of Johnson Financial Group. "It definitely helps to build teamwork, and it is a lot of fun."

If the event returns next year, she would definitely participate, Burgoon said.

"We are learning how to be as one," added Jennifer De La Cruz of the YMCA team.

Lavone Kenrick, also from the YMCA team, said she enjoyed the event.

"I love the water, I love picnics and it's a fund-raiser," she said about why she signed up.

She added that she was proud to participate.

"Being a small part of a larger picture of this fund-raiser was a big thing," Kenrick said.

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