Valen Miao (9) pushed and pulled the heavy dragon boat paddle, propelling himself and his team forward with each stroke. He was fourth from the back, within his team of 15. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Yet, the steady rhythm of the snare drum was the sole focus in Miao’s mind. Driven by passion, each stroke Miao took pushed him deeper into the world of dragon boat racing, where his personal goal and family legacy lay.

Dragon boat racing is a team sport that originated in China around 2,000 years ago. The dragon boat is thought to ward off evil spirits, and to encourage rain for prosperity. Usually taking place in the middle of the year, the Dragon Boat Festival season is when the most dragon boat races happen around the world. Dragon boat racing consists of 10-20 paddlers guided by a drummer, who sets the rhythm in the front of the boat, and a steerer in the back. The races are typically set around 250 meters, with multiple boats racing against each other to the finish line. The team coach usually decides the positions of the crew members, depending on their skill set and experience.

“More skilled paddlers are typically in the front,” Miao said. “The people in the front are called the pacers who set the pace for the boat, and they have to have good technique, they have to be good at timing the [strokes] to be in the front of the boat.”

Miao is a member of Chinese Youth Dragon Boat, a local dragon boat racing team, where he is usually a paddler and sometimes steers when others can’t. His family history and legacy of dragon boat racing influenced Miao’s choice to join the team about a year ago.

“My dad used to dragon boat for a team in Beijing,” Miao said. “He taught my brother [how] to paddle, who paddled for the team
I paddle for right now.”

Miao said that since dragon boat racing is a cooperative team event, it requires a substantial amount of practice as a team and effort from individual members. During typical practices, he and his team warm up with a 400m rowing exercise to prepare for the 800m distance, their technique practice, and strength training.

The teamwork-focused nature of dragon boat racing is arguably the greatest challenge to the athletes, according to Miao. They need to stay in sync in order to keep their speed, and that requires each member to focus on the people in front of them to keep the rhythm. He said that while the team sometimes struggles to stay together, he enjoys the collaborative aspect of the sport.

“I like how dragon boating is teamwork,” Miao said. “[For example], in sports [like] soccer or basketball, you can be the MVP. You can be a star. And sometimes the other people [would] be forgotten. But in dragon boat, if one person works harder than the other, nobody notices.”

The individual struggles and efforts put into achieving unified perfection are often hidden. Miao said that he often had to work during breaks and outside of practices to get where he is today. However, the challenges and difficulties in dragon boat racing have also created unforgettable moments for him as a paddler.

“[When] I was learning how to paddle, I was really bad because I struggled a lot to learn how to get the right technique,” he said. “But when I finally managed to [conquer] it through repeated practice, [although] it was a lot harder than [the wrong] technique, it also paid off a lot more, and it was really rewarding. I felt that [moment] was really important to me as a paddler.”

After a year of dragon boat racing, Miao’s passion has only grown. He said that dragon boat racing has become a very important part of his life, and that he hopes to continue to participate in the sport in the future.

“I am planning to [continue] until I graduate,” Miao said. “Our team is a youth team, so I can’t really continue in college as a part of the team I am [currently] in. [However], there are other teams in an older age group. If I can continue during college, I will.”