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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Dragon boat races heat up Vancouver Lake

It's hosting qualifying event for world championships

By , Columbian Education Reporter
Published:
5 Photos
The Columbian files
A dragon boat team boards their boat on Vancouver Lake at the 2013 Paddle for Life.
The Columbian files A dragon boat team boards their boat on Vancouver Lake at the 2013 Paddle for Life. Photo Gallery

If you go

• What: Dragon boat racing qualifier for 2016 world competition in Adelaide, Australia.

• When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 31 through Aug. 2.

• Where: Vancouver Lake Regional Park, 6801 N.W. Lower River Road, Vancouver.

• Admission and parking: Free.

• On the Web: www.paddlewest.net

Did you know?

• Dragon boats can be traced to more than 2,000 years ago in China.

• A standard, 20-paddler dragon boat is 48 feet long and weighs about 900 pounds. It is 4 feet wide at the middle and narrows down to 8 inches at the bow and stern.

• A standard 500-meter race takes from 2 to 2:45 minutes to paddle, depending on the crew.

• Vancouver’s very own dragon boat team, Catch 22, paddles on Vancouver Lake, with practices on Saturday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday nights. Newcomers are welcome. Contact Jeff Campbell at 971-222-3679 or jeff@doublefifth.com

Dragons will descend onto Vancouver Lake this weekend, but don’t be alarmed. They aren’t fire-breathing, airborne mythical creatures, but dragon boats, part of a fast-growing sport that originated in China 2,000 years ago.

About 1,100 athletes from 60 of the West Coast’s most competitive dragon boat crews will race on Vancouver Lake today through Sunday vying for a spot in the world championships in Australia next spring. Crews from Seattle to San Diego are competing.

It’s the first time Vancouver Lake has hosted the Pacific Dragon Boat Association Club Crew Regional Championships. Both the qualifying regional championships and the world championships are biennial events.

“This is going to be some of the best racing the West Coast has ever seen,” said Jeff Campbell, event spokesman and owner of Double Fifth Dragon Boating. “Because of the distances, this caliber of team doesn’t get together very often. The level of competition is going to be very high. Many of these crews have world championship paddlers.”

A concurrent but separate regatta, the Double Fifth Paddle West! Challenge Cup races, also will occur on Vancouver Lake this weekend. Those races are open to novice or sport teams as well as those competing for a slot in the world championships.

‘Hair-raising turns’

In dragon boat races, a caller pounding a drum in the front of the boat sets the cadence and speed while a tiller in the rear steers the boat. Two lengths of dragon boats will be used in the competitions. A standard dragon boat is 48 feet long and holds 20 paddlers. Shorter dragon boats hold only 10 paddlers.

Crews will consist of mixed, women’s and men’s teams. There will be junior teams, and senior teams for those older than 40 or those older than 50. Three teams with visually impaired paddlers also will compete.

Teams will paddle 500-meter races on Saturday and 200-meter sprint races Sunday. The event also includes a grueling 2,000-meter gladiator race on a 250-meter course with seven turns.

“Not just turns. Hair-raising turns,” said Campbell. “Every dragon boat at the event will be on the course at once. This is a blood-thirsty beast of a race.”

Spectators can set up lawn chairs and picnics on shore at Vancouver Lake Regional Park. Food vendors will be on site and the lakeside beer garden will offer great views.

“It’s a great family event to bring the kids and come out for the day. Vancouver Lake is this gem,” Campbell said.

Local dragon boating

Campbell, who paddled on dragon boat crews for about 20 years, had to stop paddling because of a shoulder injury. He enjoys the sport so much that he’s been the architect in bringing dragon boating to Vancouver Lake.

Three years ago, Campbell organized the inaugural Paddle for Life, a dragon boat festival on Memorial Day weekend on Vancouver Lake that raises money to make the lake accessible to disabled veterans. It has become an annual event.

Later Campbell approached Vancouver Lake Crew about his idea to develop a dragon boat crew to practice on Vancouver Lake. Until recently, Clark County residents interested in paddling a dragon boat had to drive to downtown Portland, where dozens of dragon boat teams practice on the Willamette River.

Together, Campbell and Vancouver Lake Crew have developed Catch 22, Vancouver’s own dragon boat team.

“We’re always looking for new paddlers,” he said. “Come join us on Vancouver Lake.”

If you go

&#8226; What: Dragon boat racing qualifier for 2016 world competition in Adelaide, Australia.

&#8226; When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 31 through Aug. 2.

&#8226; Where: Vancouver Lake Regional Park, 6801 N.W. Lower River Road, Vancouver.

&#8226; Admission and parking: Free.

&#8226; On the Web: <a href="http://www.paddlewest.net">www.paddlewest.net</a>

Did you know?

&#8226; Dragon boats can be traced to more than 2,000 years ago in China.

&#8226; A standard, 20-paddler dragon boat is 48 feet long and weighs about 900 pounds. It is 4 feet wide at the middle and narrows down to 8 inches at the bow and stern.

&#8226; A standard 500-meter race takes from 2 to 2:45 minutes to paddle, depending on the crew.

&#8226; Vancouver's very own dragon boat team, Catch 22, paddles on Vancouver Lake, with practices on Saturday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday nights. Newcomers are welcome. Contact Jeff Campbell at 971-222-3679 or <a href="mailto:jeff@doublefifth.com">jeff@doublefifth.com</a>

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