Celebrating a decade of dragon boating

The dragon boats are coming. This weekend marks the return of 40-foot, 650-pound dragon boats and their 22 person crews to Ramsey Lake and Bell Park.

The 10th annual Dragon Boat Festival opens Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Bell Park amphitheatre, with the main action taking place on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Admission to the festival is free.

“This year there will be 51 teams, 49 of which are from the area,” said Ashley Foster, festival co-ordinator.

Up to 3,000 people generally attend, depending on the weather. Local businesses and organizations, such as the Real Canadian Superstore and the Sudbury Courthouse, organize their employees to participate. More than 250 volunteers help out, she said.

Though there were up to 150 teams in the past, that number of participants was difficult to handle said Jim Dixon, a founder of the festival who is in charge of the races.

“It was both difficult for the festival organizers and for those who are organizing the individual teams. We're where we want to be with 51 entrant teams.”

Even the current reduced number have caused the course to be changed to lessen the impact of the festival, noted Dixon.

“This year we are starting at the main beach and finishing at the amphitheatre site where the vendors are and where the team tents are nearby. Last year we had some noise complaints when there was so much activity at the main beach. This is easier for everyone.”

The festival is far more than the races, said Ava Chow, a member of the Chinese Heritage Association of Northern Ontario. There is a children's area where Chinese crafts are tackled by youngsters, wagon and pony rides, ethnic food and Chinese dancers.

The festival came to fruition after Chow and her husband, Dr. Ting B. Chow, along with Stephen Lee, wanted to highlight Chinese culture locally. They were members of the Chinese Heritage Association of Northern Ontario.

“About two years before the first dragon boat festival, they were talking over a coffee. They said to each other, we should bring the dragon boat festival up here because we have such a beautiful lake in the middle of the city.”

However, they soon realized the undertaking was too big for their association.

“So we went to the canoe club and talked to Jim Dixon. He recruited members from his group to help out.”

Dixon, a retired physical education teacher, said his group had applied to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for some new equipment at the same time the Chinese Association was applying for funds to bring the dragon boats here.

“I went to a meeting and knew we would not get in with our application with all the rest of the applications there. So we got together with the Chinese Association. We both sent a team to Toronto in 1999 to find out something about dragon boats.”

Sudbury was not the first city in the north interested in dragon boats.

“When we took delivery of our first dragon boat, there were also boats going to the North Bay canoe club. They had been involved before we were,” he admitted.

Currently, the festival owns five boats and rents eight others, plus some extras from Great White North in Toronto.

The Sudbury dragon boat enthusiasts have helped other northern cities establish their own dragon boat festivals.

“We assisted Blind River, Parry Sound and Temiskaming. Timmins did not continue with theirs,” said Dixon.

The Lake Ramsey races are 500 metres and paddlers are of mixed gender.

“Eight out of the crew have to be female. It makes it more of a fun event. Only the competitive teams want to go single gender,” said Dixon.

The top team in past years, Team Chiro, was originally made up of chiropractors. Their time came in at just under two minutes.

For more information, visit www.sudburydragonboats.org.

Dragonboat Festival events include:
- Opening ceremonies, 6:30 p.m., Friday in the Bell Park amphitheatre
- Tommy Fyfe and Whisky River in Dragon's Den tent on-site.
- Races begin 9:30 am Saturday.
- Chinese cultural dances from 10 a.m. - noon, followed by drumming.
- Winners announced around 4 p.m.