THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 15, 1995 TAG: 9507140068
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
GLIDING OVER the shadowed water beneath the Hampton Boulevard bridge, our strange-looking 40-foot craft broke into the sunlight like a giant paddle-legged centipede.
I was aboard Hampton Roads' only dragon boat, paddled by the women's dragon boat team . . . and me.
Not far from the hand-carved dragon head on the bow, Carolyn Knowles beat her drumsticks on the head of a barrel-shaped drum. Boom . . . boom . . . boom! The paddlers stroked their paddles in time to the beat of the drum.
We moved swiftly across the water of the Hague, along Mowbray Arch, stopping bikers and an occasional jogger in their tracks.
``Why are they staring?'' I asked.
``Because you are splashing water into the boat,'' the woman paddling behind me said.
Paddling on a dragon boat is hard work. After a few minutes, I gave up and let the women do the work. They were good at it with their strong, sinewy arms and muscular backs.
Fifteen minutes earlier, when they arrived at the NOAA docks on Hampton Boulevard for a dragon boat workout, I had doubts about their ability. Professional women, nearly all. Many arrived in work duds: dresses, high heels. But after a quick change into shorts and shirts they looked . . . fit. Each was chosen for proven athletic ability.
``Give me 40 good ones,'' Knowles shouted from behind the drum.
The dragon boat shot forward rapidly, the women bending forward in unison, paddles carving the sunlit water. Wearing shirt, tie, pants and street shoes, I leaned on my paddle, letting the women do the work. It was a pleasant ride. Air rushed across my face as the canoe increased speed.
The 30-inch paddles, which have long, slender blades, are dipped only a few inches into the water, and sweeps are much faster than with other types of rowing or paddling.
An expert dragon boat team can do 100 strokes a minute. The women's team can do about 70 now. But they have only been training for about a month.
I owed the pleasure of my trip to a Chinese poet from the fourth century. His name was Qu Yang. In late spring, Chinese villagers race each other in long, dragon-shaped canoes to commemorate the unsuccessful attempt by fishermen to prevent the poet from drowning in the Mi Lo River.
Dragon boats are made of teak. Each is hand carved. A tiller-like oar is used to guide the vessel. ``Life'' is given to them by a blessing performed by a Taoist priest.
The 15-year-old dragon boat used by the women's team is owned by the local men's dragon boat team, which competed in the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races in 1986, placing sixth out of 200 entries. Last year the local men's team was second in the country.
Why would anyone want to be a dragon boat paddler? Colleen Dobbs said she had competed in triathalons and long-distance runs but had never tried a team sport. She's president of United Boat Lifts, which manufactures lifts for residential use.
``I wanted to do something on the water,'' she said. ``And dragon boats have an interesting history, aura, and mystique.''
June McDaniels, who owns Aquarius Engineering, said her work is often concerned with water quality. ``We practice on the Elizabeth River and the Hague,'' she said. ``It gives me a chance to see how polluted the water is, how beautiful it is at times, and how much more beautiful it can be.''
Harry Finley, a member of the men's team, manages the women's dragon boat team. He said they have made a lot of progress since practices began. ``I was surprised how much interest there was among women,'' he said. ``They came from everywhere when they learned they could join a team.''
Co-captain Karla Marshall said the women are hoping to pick up a sponsor to help with expenses. The women want to compete in the national dragon boat competition to be held on a lake in New York's Flushing Meadows in August. ``We could even fly a banner with the sponsor's logo,'' she said.
When we stored our paddles after the practice run on the Hague, one of the team members who had been seated far from me, in the stern, asked what stroke I had on the water.
``Cardiovascular,'' I replied. ILLUSTRATION: MARK MITCHELL
[Color Photo]
A female crew - and Larry Maddry - power the dragon boat in downtown
Norfolk.
by CNB