Chinatown to host Dragon Boat Race for Literacy at Ping Tom Park
By Susan Fong
Water, sun, and fun against the rhythm of dragon boat drums will be the order of the day during the eighth annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy in Ping Tom Park on Saturday, July 26.
Opening
ceremonies are at 8 a.m., and races start at 9 a.m. Chicago's Chinatown
Chamber of Commerce hosts the event in partnership with the City of
Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and this year's main sponsor,
American Family Insurance. Proceeds from the race will go to the Chicago
Public Schools' Office of Culture, Food, and Diversity.
Besides day-long water sports, festivities at the park will include acrobatic performances from Cirque de Shanghai, martial arts demonstrations from Champion Martial Arts Academy, the Chicago White Sox’s mascot South Paw, caricature artists, music, food, bubble tea, and guest celebrities from the political and media realms. About 10,000 people are expected to attend.
The races have become so popular that the Chinatown Chamber may increase the number of competing boats to 26 this year. Among this year’s contestants are teams from the Chicago Police Department, the Fire Department, United Airlines, Citibank, and Asian American professional organizations.
The American Dragon Boat Association is providing boats, while the timing system and official race judge come from USA Dragon Boating LLC.
According to Chinatown Chamber Executive Director Susan Ng, a new computer timing software system, Omega Timer4, will replace the older mechanical flagging system and improve the race’s judging accuracy.
Chinatown
resident and American Family Insurance agentDominic Lai explained that
dragon boat racing is both a historical and a sports event, celebrated
as a national holiday in China around the fifth of the fifth lunar
month, which would place it in June in the western calendar.
American Family Chicago Metro Sales Director Cesar Pinzon, captain of his boating team, said last year was the first time his team had participated. “Not knowing what to expect, the team exerted themselves in the first heat and had little left for the second and third race,” he recalled, noting that his crew finished around tenth place last year and expects to do better this year.
Insurance sales manager Manny Pena described the paddling event as a "real workout" in which participants do not realize how tired they are until they stop. "Although you can think 'paddle, paddle, paddle,' the arms are so tired that they don’t respond," he said.
A team of 18 to 20 members along with a drummer or caller sitting up front and a steerer in the back compose each boat’s crew. The caller focuses on the two front paddlers to his left and right. Team members usually can see only the person in front of them. An average course is 500 meters.
The keys to the race are coordinating the paddlers and the caller’s pacing; a moment’s hesitation by anyone can bring the boat to a complete halt.
Rhythm, Pinzon noted is "so important." If the caller has no rhythm or starts to speed up, the team members must strive to keep pace, and the race may be lost.
"What
happened last year," said Pena, "was our first drummer struck so softly
we almost couldn’t hear any beat; during the second round, we had my
wife drum. Though small, she surprised us with her strength in
maintaining a steady beat."
Pinzon said his company decided to sponsor the event to thank the community; 240 agents from the metro area will come to show support.
The Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting business and tourism in Chicago’s Chinatown.
For more information, including sponsorship opportunities, contact the chamber at www.chicagochinatown.org or (312) 326-5320.
