DOWNTOWN - The first Greater Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Festival races are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday behind the Tampa Marriott Waterside. The opening ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. at the hotel.
More than 40 teams are expected to compete in "The Challenge at Cotanchobee," which coincides with Asia Fest 2004 in the Channel District. Among them: the Pink Ribbon Paddlers of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute; CHASE Dragons by JP Morgan Chase; and Crews to Go by Rooms To Go. Most are from the Tampa area.
The races take place between the two Harbour Island bridges on Garrison Channel. The course is 500 meters long. The finish line will be behind the Marriott and winners will receive a championship cup. The best viewing spots are from the Marriott, the Cotanchobee-Fort Brooke Park and the Post Harbour Apartments.
Dragon boat racing dates nearly 2,000 years to the Chinese legend of Qu Yuan. Yuan was a respected patriot and poet who threw himself into the Milou River after being exiled from the land he loved. Local fishermen beat their drums and splashed the water with their paddles to prevent water dragons and fish from eating him. The races began as a way to commemorate Yuan, and modern competitions are based on an re-enactment of saving Yuan.
The dragon boats are typically brightly painted with the heads shaped like open-mouthed dragons and the sterns shaped with scaly tails. Each boat is paced by a drummer at the bow and guided by a steer-person at the stern. Most have about 20 paddlers.
The technique, said Keith Greminger, co-chair of the Tampa event, is different from canoeing. Dragon boat racing requires quick, choppy strokes, not paddling. The goal is to combine rhythm and speed for maximum acceleration and speed.
Dragon boat racing is scheduled as an Olympic demonstration sport in 2008.
