No more Mister Nice Guy. It’s time to take on the dweebs in the sales department, the workers in shipping and humble The Suits at work. How? Taunt them until they accept the Dragon Boat Challenge! It’s hosted by the nice folks who run the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club (LCKC).
Sure, you could be sweet and have fun asking your friends and colleagues to a very fun day at the 6th Annual Dragon Boat Challenge on Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 8-ish until 3-ish at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
That’s okay for tubing through Helen or drifting down the Hooch. This is Dragon Boat Racing! Harrr! To the victors belong the spoils and maybe tacos! May the Fourth be with you!
Please Note: Just in case your team loses, don’t be too tough. You might find that those otherwise reliable folks in shipping sent your rush order to Russia or the sales department invoiced your best client for 10,000 tons of speedometer lubricant, instead of ten tubes.
Wait. Did you say, “But I don’t have a dragon boat and nobody I know has any idea what to do?”
You don’t need a dragon boat or any equipment! You don’t even need to find someone to steer one (if that’s even possible). LCKC supplies the dragon boat and someone to man/woman it for you. All you need is 19 other willing participants and you’ll have a winning team ready to row! Maybe.
You may bring your own drummer or LCKC will provide one for you. Don’t worry, paddling probably won’t kill you — especially if you work in shipping instead of sales.
Please Note: Sorry, the world’s best drummer, Joe Morello, passed away in 2011, but not from Dragon Boat Racing. Hear his stupendous work here.
Putting a team together is as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, ROW!
- Designate a team captain who will handle the registration process.
- Register the team and pay the team entry fee of $650.
- Schedule a practice time after business hours the week before the race.
- Show up at the scheduled practice time and then again for a fun day of racing on the lake.
- Teams will compete in distances of 200 meter, 100 meter, and an optional 1,000 meter race in a looped course.
Entry includes a one hour practice after working hours at the Olympic Venue in the week preceding the event. Teams will be coached by experienced dragon boat paddlers including some of the local athletes of the 2014 World Champions, the United States National Dragon Boat Team.
LCKC Information
Prizes Awarded at the Dragon Boat Challenge!
LCKC says they’ll pass out awards to winners in these catagories:
- Highest fund-raising team
- best costumed drummer
- most enthusiastic team
- best overall team theme and
- race awards 1st through 3rd in these categories: Educational, Municipal, Corporate, Community, when 3 or more teams compete.
- Teams in the Open category must have at least eight women, plus a drummer.
- All types of groups are welcome – small and large corporations, fire departments and law enforcement, youth sports organizations, schools, churches, neighborhoods, etc.
You never made it to the Major Leagues. You never performed at Carnegie Hall, invested Post-it Notes or won big money on Cash Cab. Do something important before you kick.
