Cleveland Dragon Boat Association Hosts Spring Fling Fundraiser to Launch 2018 Season

Sat 4/14 @ 6PM

On the surface, the imagination naturally runs wild when first learning about the existence of a dragon boat. To the neophyte, this could be some sort of “Game of Thrones” board game or a sushi platter.

That’s why Cleveland Dragon Boat Association Board President Rad Schneider knows ahead of time when he’s engaging in small talk about his passion he needs to get to the point.

“I try to explain it right away so the confusion and the curiosity kind of gets diffused,” Schneider said. “You don’t want people thinking the wrong thing because usually when I’m talking to somebody about it, I’m trying to recruit them as well.”

A dragon boat is a 22-person canoe — including a drummer and steerer — that boasts a traditional Chinese boat design.

“It’s a good outdoor activity for the summertime, and a great team-building sport,” Schneider said. “Everybody has to be synchronized in the boat. It’s also just a good way to meet new people.”

The Cleveland Dragon Boat Association promotes and encourages participation in the sport of dragon boat racing, as well as provides a social and recreational opportunity for residents of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

Also, the nonprofit increases awareness of Asian culture and the Asian community, while offering recreational team building opportunities for participating companies and organizations.

Currently there are roughly 200 members of the group, with five to seven local teams that compete around the region; however, most participants are interested in the workout leading up to the 250-meter races.

“When we practice, it’s just going up and down the river,” Schneider said. “There’s no particular distance. We usually practice for about an hour. As we get closer to the races, we usually go by how many strokes it should take us to do 250 meters, which is at least more than 100.

“Then other times we may focus more on strength, which is slower movements and digging deeper into the water.”

While the season runs from May into the October, Cleveland Dragon Boat Association gets things started with its annual Spring Fling fundraiser taking place Sat 4/14 @ 6-10pm at Cleveland’s Forest City Brewery.

“It’s kind of a good way to get everybody together and talk about the plans for the upcoming season,” Schneider said. “This year our sponsored race will be August 11 at the Black River Landing in Lorain.

“In the past we’ve always done it in the Cuyahoga River, but now there’s a lot of construction. We went to Wendy Park last year. The downside is you’re on the lake and the currents got a little nasty. We had a couple of boats flip, so we prefer to stay on the river if we can.”

Considering the popularity of the aforementioned Game of Thrones, is it possible interest in dragons has brought about more interest in the organization?

Schneider laughed, “No, I don’t think that has kicked in quite yet, but that would be nice.”

cledba

Cleveland, OH 44113

 

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