Dragon Boat Racing: Ancient Chinese Heritage in Singapore Sport
The annual Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, is held in mid-July at the Bedok Reservoir, about a 20-minute ride outside the city.
Players come from all over the world to watch and compete in this sport that has become a mainstay in Singapore spectator sport culture.
The race was brought to Singapore by the Chinese.
In China, athletes have been practicing the art of dragon boat racing for over 200 years.
The sport has a fascinating story of origin.
According to the heritage myths, the sport began when a renowned poet committed suicide by throwing himself into the Mei Lo River.
Local village fisherman paddled desperately to save him, beating the water with their oars to try to keep away the man-eating fish.
They couldn't rescue the poet, but the sport was born to commemorate their heroic efforts.
To this day, some communities refer to the day of the festival as "Poets' Day.
" It was in Hong Kong in 1976 that dragon boat racing first began to have a major international competition base.
Although relatively new in Singapore (it's been around for just over 20 years), the sport has a loyal new following.
It draws thousands of spectators and lots of family-friendly attractions.
Hundreds of boats compete from national teams around the world.
The atmosphere is like a summer carnival, full of music, food and fun.
The dragon boats were originally made in the Pearl River region in the Guangdong province of southern China.
They are more similar to canoes than rowboats, and the correct term for what players do is "paddling" instead of "rowing.
" Also different from rowing, the racers always face forward.
Outrigging is a similar sport, though it uses a larger boat.
Many of the dragon boats have beautifully painted, vibrant dragon heads at the front.
The ancient rite of washing the dragon heads in water before the race, to ward off evil spirits, is a tradition that is still going strong.
Dragon boats are low and long, slender and heavy.
A traditional wooden boat normally weighs about 1,750 pounds and has a 22-person capacity hull.
A drummer will sit at the head of the boat, pounding furiously to keep players in sync.
The race requires both mental focus and intense endurance.
Players must paddle a 550-pound boat for 800 meters.
There are at least 1,000 strokes in a normal 800m race.
Practice drills include paddling with eyes closed to make sure players can still paddle in rhythm.
There are four phases of the stroke used in dragon boating: catch, pull-through, exit, and recovery.
Many players and fans practice on the Kallang River right in the city, just outside the Central Business District.
It's a great place to try out the sport.
Dragon boat racing is just one of the events in Singapore's chock-full calendar of sporting events, athletic traditions borrowed from all over the world.
Players come from all over the world to watch and compete in this sport that has become a mainstay in Singapore spectator sport culture.
The race was brought to Singapore by the Chinese.
In China, athletes have been practicing the art of dragon boat racing for over 200 years.
The sport has a fascinating story of origin.
According to the heritage myths, the sport began when a renowned poet committed suicide by throwing himself into the Mei Lo River.
Local village fisherman paddled desperately to save him, beating the water with their oars to try to keep away the man-eating fish.
They couldn't rescue the poet, but the sport was born to commemorate their heroic efforts.
To this day, some communities refer to the day of the festival as "Poets' Day.
" It was in Hong Kong in 1976 that dragon boat racing first began to have a major international competition base.
Although relatively new in Singapore (it's been around for just over 20 years), the sport has a loyal new following.
It draws thousands of spectators and lots of family-friendly attractions.
Hundreds of boats compete from national teams around the world.
The atmosphere is like a summer carnival, full of music, food and fun.
The dragon boats were originally made in the Pearl River region in the Guangdong province of southern China.
They are more similar to canoes than rowboats, and the correct term for what players do is "paddling" instead of "rowing.
" Also different from rowing, the racers always face forward.
Outrigging is a similar sport, though it uses a larger boat.
Many of the dragon boats have beautifully painted, vibrant dragon heads at the front.
The ancient rite of washing the dragon heads in water before the race, to ward off evil spirits, is a tradition that is still going strong.
Dragon boats are low and long, slender and heavy.
A traditional wooden boat normally weighs about 1,750 pounds and has a 22-person capacity hull.
A drummer will sit at the head of the boat, pounding furiously to keep players in sync.
The race requires both mental focus and intense endurance.
Players must paddle a 550-pound boat for 800 meters.
There are at least 1,000 strokes in a normal 800m race.
Practice drills include paddling with eyes closed to make sure players can still paddle in rhythm.
There are four phases of the stroke used in dragon boating: catch, pull-through, exit, and recovery.
Many players and fans practice on the Kallang River right in the city, just outside the Central Business District.
It's a great place to try out the sport.
Dragon boat racing is just one of the events in Singapore's chock-full calendar of sporting events, athletic traditions borrowed from all over the world.
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