Asian Festival Dragon Boat Race 2012

Along with the events of the Asian Festival at Franklin Park, there were also Dragon Boat Races held at Genoa Park.

Dragon boats are long boats that seat paddlers in pairs and rowing in unison, they send their boats down the waterway.  This is not a sport of strength alone.  It is more about working together as a team and having superb technique.

The two images seen above show the drum that the captain uses to keep time and provide a beat for the paddlers to use to get their rhythm down.

Before the races begin, there is a ceremony where monks pray for the safety of the competitors as well as general good luck for all.  They finish the ceremony by dotting the eyes of the dragon heads on the boats.

Portrait of one of the monks.

The monks are about to begin the ceremony

We can see some of the teams in action.  The heats were actually timed and after two sets of heats, the three teams with the lowest combined scores competed for the overall winner.

Before the races and around lunch time, there were dragon dances to entertain the sizable crowd.
Later on in the evening, Taiko drummers played as well.

The City of Columbus also had a team competing, captained by Mayor Coleman.