Ichi, ni, san, shi… Ichi, ni, san, shi…

The voices sound in unison from our boat, rising louder and louder as we approach the yellow buoys that mark the finish line on the Red River. Five feet away, on either side, are two other boats interrupting our Japanese counting with their own One, two, three, FOUR!

We come in last, but nobody’s concerned because it’s only a practice and because we don’t necessarily expect victory from our rag-tag team of JET alumni – people who have taught English with the JET program in Japan.

Most of us have joined the Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival for the fun, the exercise, the team spirit, the socializing and, of course, to support the Canadian Cancer Society. It’s a fundraising event for cancer research.

The dragon boat has a rich history dating back a few millennia to mainland China. Many attribute dragon boating to the historical figure Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in political protest.
Dragon boating became a way to commemorate his death. It has since become an integral part of Chinese regional festivals and has gained popularity internationally.

Now, I’ve had my share of canoe experience growing up deep in the Canadian shield and I must insist that it is indeed difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.

The dragon boat paddle is very similar to that of a canoe and both boats are paddling as opposed to rowing boats. The oars are unattached, so it is extremely difficult to learn how to paddle in a new way. My attempts thus far have left me with a number of bloody, broken nails, splinters, and a constant supply of fresh Red River water in my lap.

But, I’m learning. With 20 or so paddlers, the boat is going fairly quickly, so the most important thing is to stay synchronized with all the others, to keep your paddle close enough that you scrape the side of the boat and to keep the paddle pretty much upright, while at the same time moving your body backwards and forwards in time with other paddlers.

That’s quite a few things to keep straight! It definitely lacks the relaxed nature of canoeing. After all, it is a competition – albeit one that lasts for only a few minutes – so you go, and you go hard, until you hear the long-awaited words Let it ride (meaning everybody stops paddling) and you begin to sing some Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

In the end, it’s all for fun, and it is good fun.

Check out the Manitoba Dragon Boat Festival Sept. 11 to 13 at The Forks. Over 150 dragon boat teams will race the Red River in support of Canadian Cancer Society.

Visit www.tinyurl.com/dragonboatwpg for more info.