The Regina Dragon Boat Festival continues to thrive as it celebrated its 35th year. From Saturday to Sunday, participants paddled across Wascana Lake, competing in races varying from 200 meters up to 2,000 meters. “Dragon boating in this case is large boats which [have] 20 paddlers, a drum and a stern. A lot of synchronicity has to be happening, a lot of training to get that boat moving properly,” explained volunteer Rod Francis. “Racing is a matter of lots of practice, lots of technique, and using proper body form while you’re paddling.” Organized by the club’s president Amber Joy, the volunteer-run event aims to bring a better understanding and appreciation of Asian culture and heritage to the community. It also attracts paddlers, residents and visitors from across Canada. “We have competitive crews that practice basically year-round. They have winter training,” Francis said. “There’s also records that come out maybe three times in practice so it depends on the crew … it would be fun to have more corporate teams out even if they get in the boat three times.” Francis added it would would be fun to have more corporate teams out competing as well, even if they only went into the boat three times. “It’s just a blast to come out and have fun,” he said. The organization encourages people to join as they aim to keep the group’s existence afloat.
