A demonstration of paddling on a rowing machine, a presentation on rowing, the origin story of dragon boat racing and how its history is tied to Chinese traditional history took over the LAC Nordic Lounge on Wednesday, May 24.
As part of events held for Asian Pacific Islander Desi Heritage Month, five members of the Los Angeles Racing Dragons (LARD) visited Long Beach City College to host a recruitment event.
The Los Angeles Racing Dragons are an organization that has participated in dragon boat races internationally but had its debut race in Long Beach at the first Long Beach dragon boat competition held in 1996.
“I started paddling ten years ago and I did as a new mom and I had just had a baby. I wanted to do a recreational sport so I could lose the baby weight,” board president of the Racing Dragons and rower Ligaya Jakmakjian said.
Jakmakjian explained that paddling is a very accessible activity in that anyone could participate in.
“You can start at any level. All the teams are accepting and this is a sport you can do from very, very young and athletic to very, very old. I know some people that are cancer survivors in their seventies that still paddle competitively,” Jakmakjian said.
LARD not only promotes dragon boat racing but also an active lifestyle for all its members, filled with community, exercise and teamwork.
“Whatever you want out of this, you can get out of it. At the time I wanted to just have a place to go to exercise. That grew into me having comradery and getting leadership opportunities within the team and now I try to paddle as much as I can competitively,” Jakmakjian said.
“The best part about paddling is that you get the family, the team, the work you put in and you get to focus on your health and your form.”
A rowing machine was present and members of the LARD team showed audience members the paddling techniques on the machine and talked of the joys and adrenaline highs rowing can provide.
Two other members gave a demonstration of what the paddle board is used for as well as the correct form and technique used when rowing in a boat with 19 other members.
LARD rower and land coach Tyler Satow spoke on the benefits and process of recruiting students for boat racing. He described the sport as welcoming, only hard work and determination are needed to truly experience its advantages.
“It creates a sense of community. It is such an open sport, you don’t have to be the strongest, you don’t have to be the most physically active. As long as you put in the work and the effort and you show up, it builds a lot of character that will definitely take students much further,” Satow said.
A short story from Chinese folklore that explains the origin of dragon boat racing was told as part of the demonstration.
In the story, Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and politician suffered from great despair and distress after discovering his precious country, the Chu State, had been defeated by the Qin State in 278 B.C.
According to the legend, Yuan decided to end his life by holding a rock and drowning himself in the Miluo River. Worried villagers heard of the tragedy and decided to get into boats and row out to the river in search of Yuan’s body but unfortunately failed to find it.
In an attempt to keep evil spirits and fish away, the local villagers splashed the water with paddles and beat on drums. This began a tradition of dragon boat rowing as a staple in Chinese festivals, which later transitioned into a sport in modern times.