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No Draggin' For These River Racers

Tribune photo by ROBERT BURKE

Teams paddle vigorously down Garrison Channel during Dragon Boat races Saturday in downtown Tampa. The event was part of the 25th annual AsiaFest.

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By MIKE WELLS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 4, 2008

TAMPA - When Chinese poet Qu Yuan was exiled and flung himself into the Milou River more than 2,200 years ago, legend says local fishermen beat drums and slapped the water with paddles to keep water dragons and fish from eating him.

Centuries later, the story inspired boat races worldwide, including one in Tampa that pits regimented corporate teams against rag-tag groups of friends.

The sweaty but smiling faces at Saturday's fifth annual Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races indicated the paddlers weren't thinking about peer networking as much as they were about having a good time.

"It's about friends and fun," said Myrna Starr, a member of Tampa General Hospital's team.

"It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun."

Sixty-six teams raced along Garrison Channel while hundreds of spectators watched from Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park and the Tampa Marriott Waterside.

Each boat had as many as 20 paddlers, a drummer to set the timing of strokes and a coxswain to steer. Teams were required to have at least eight female paddlers.

The teams raced three times on the 450-meter course, vying for a grand prize of the Mayor's Trophy and a chance to win one of the race's seven divisions. Among the teams participating was one sponsored by The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8.

There's a moment when the paddlers first start to move in unison that's quite special, said Jim Igler, captain of the Sea Dragons team of The Florida Aquarium staffers and volunteers.

"You can feel the boat come together as we get in sync," he said. "We're all one boat."

Participating in the races helps connect some aquarium workers who might not ordinarily come into contact, Igler said.

"On Monday, they can walk into the aquarium and know who everybody is," he said. "It's a good way to get the departments together."

The Aquarium team's togetherness wasn't enough, however. The Mayor's Trophy awarded to the top team went to TECO's "Tan Anou" red team.

While dragon boats raced on the channel, spectators could also visit the 25th Annual Asia Fest, held across the street in front of the St. Pete Times Forum.

Founding Chairwoman Kimi Springsteen said the festival and the races benefit one another by building on each other's success.

"It's like a marriage," Springsteen said. "We've been coordinating and really helping each other's organizations."

With its variety of music and dance performances, crafts and food vendors, Asia Fest was designed to help educate the local public about Asian culture, she said.

"We have such a beautiful civilization and culture," Springsteen said. "This will help the average American have a better understanding, taste and impression of true Asians and their backgrounds."

Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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