Dragon boat enthusiasts are hoping the third time is a charm in trying to pull off a race in Tampa.
Fans of the 40-foot-long, dragon-headed boats have been trying to bring a race to Tampa for two years. This year, they are determined to see up to a dozen teams racing the 22-person boats May 1 on a 500-meter stretch of water in the Garrison Channel, with the finish line behind the Marriott Hotel.
For more than 2,000 years, teams in south China have been racing the slender boats, with a steerer in the stern, 20 paddlers seated side-by-side and a drummer on the bow, keeping the paddlers working in unison with the beat. The tradition is based on the Chinese legend of a man exiled from his land who threw himself into a river. Local fishermen supposedly beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles to try to save him from water dragons and fish, giving rise to the noisy tradition of dragon boat racing.
About 50-million people reportedly participate in dragon boat competitions worldwide each year. Though most races are still in the Far East, a growing number of events are held in Europe, Australia and the United States. The reigning world championship team is from Philadelphia.
Tampa's inaugural race will be held in connection with the annual Asia Fest, and proceeds will benefit the Florida Aquarium. The race will be managed by Great White North, a Toronto company that will provide up to 12 boats, a training clinic the week before the race and supervision at the event. The company also will provide a professional steerer for each boat to keep mishaps to a minimum.
Phil Vosburgh, executive director of the group sponsoring the Tampa race, expects about a quarter of the teams will be from out of the area. But he hopes to attract teams from local companies as well.
"It's a great team-building activity," he said. "I'd like to see the chief executives out there, beating the drum for their employees."
While Vosburgh is trying to drum up corporate sponsorships of up to $25,000 each, a team can reserve a boat to race for $1,500. "For that they get a steerer and three chances to race, with the best composite time the winner," he said.
Amateurs should be aware that competition could be stiff. Vosburgh said the Toronto team won the recent dragon boat race in Miami, blowing away local teams.
"Toronto did 500 meters in less than two minutes," he said. "They really wiped everybody out."
