Number of strong teams is proof of growth of dragon boat racing

From left, DBCC Technical Team member Jack Ave, DBCC Head Randy Su, DBCC Technical Head Ed Solana, and Maayo Hotel Branch Manager Bing Torre with the official singlet of the Dragons in Argao 4 Dragon Boat Race.
/CDN PHOTO RABBONI BORBON

For Dragon Boat Cebu Central (DBCC) head Randy Su, things are looking bright for dragon boat racing as shown by its growth in the past years.

“The growth of the dragon boat sports has been phenomenal,” said Su in a press conference for the Dragons in Argao Dragon Boat Race yesterday at the Maayo Hotel in Mandaue City.

Proof of its growth is the number of teams participating in the fourth edition of the Argao race slated Sept. 22 and 23 at the waterfront of the Maayo Stay in Argao town, south Cebu.

Organizers are saying that this is so far the biggest dragon boat race yet with a total of 300 paddlers expected to compete.

“(There are) more teams (competing) so the more is the competitiveness,” Su added. “And we have a nicer venue.”

Another sign of the growth of the sport is the presence of stronger teams in different parts of the country.

“Even teams from Mindanao are getting better and better,” Su said.

In fact, among the favored to dominate in this year’s race is a team from Cortes, Surigao del Sur, which will be making its debut in a Cebu-held competition.

“They are a team to watch for since they already won a lot of races in Mindanao,” Su said, “Their mayor is also a paddler and he will accompany them in the race.”

This year’s Dragons in Argao will also highlight a new category, which is the women’s category.

And the team from Surigao, which was just recently formed, is also expected to excel.

As of this writing, 12 teams have confirmed their participation in the tournament, including the defending champions of the open category, team Dauis Wild Dragons from Bohol and the internationally renowned Philippine Accessible Disability Services (PADS) Dragon Boat team in Cebu.

Last year, the Dauis team bested PADS in the open category after clocking one minute and 30.46 seconds.

The latter finished at 1:31:24.

Among the Cebuano teams who will also be competing in the race which will feature a 300-meter short-boat course are the Cebu Pink Paddlers, Sugbu Mighty Dragons, Cebu Fireblades, and team Bakunaga.

The Dragons in Argao 4 is organized in line with the town’s annual fiesta and is sponsored by Maayo Stay Argao and Primary Structures.