Members of the Helena Dragon Boat Team recently made a major purchase that they hope will help inspire others in the area to take up the sport: their very own dragon boat.
At 42 feet long when the head and tail are attached, the yellow and black boat is built for speed, sitting low in the water and less than 4 feet across at its widest. The team had been using a large and heavy canoe for practice over the last six years, but now with a boat in tow, members hope to recruit some new paddlers to propel it.
“We want to build our member base,” said Nancy Gillespie. “It’s the beginning of a whole new future.”
Dragon boats are a reminder of the past – dating back nearly 2,000 years to southern China. Racing the boats largely fell out of favor until the 20th century and then grew in popularity until today, when more than 50 countries have dragon boat teams.
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In Montana, every year teams convene at Flathead Lake for the annual Montana Dragon Boat Festival highlighted by races. This year’s festival is scheduled for Sept. 7-8 in Big Fork. More information is available at https://www.montanadragonboat.com/.
Six years ago a collection of Helena paddlers began attending the Flathead festival, borrowing dragon boats to compete. Propelling a boat requires nearly perfect unison among the 20 paddlers driving the boat forward to the beat of a drum. The technique is unique, Gillespie says, and requires a special type of paddle.
Dragon boat racing is comprised of different divisions. The Queen Bees is the all-female team, the Buzz is a co-ed group, and so far the Helena Dragon Boat Team has not fielded a team for the ultra-competitive open division.
Due to a limited number of paddlers, Helena is currently only sending a team for the co-ed division, but that could change if more members decided to join. Several members are also working on becoming certified in steering the boat.
“We’re hoping by purchasing a boat we’ll be able to recruit more people,” said Jo Ann Thun. “It’s a beautiful boat, it’s a lot of fun and hopefully we can attract more people to come out and join us. We just really want people to be excited about the sport.”
Both Thun and Gillespie say they hope to build the dragon boat community in Helena. The activity is great for team-building, Thun said, and other areas have seen great success with teams made up of breast cancer survivors and veterans, Gillespie added.
“There are a lot of different reasons people do this,” Gillespie said. She has reached out through United Way to try to recruit veterans and also to teachers for the potential of a team of teens. And doctors have found some benefits to paddling when the body is recovering from breast cancer, she added.
Along with growing membership, the Helena Dragon Boat Team, which is a nonprofit organization, is also fundraising to pay back a loan for the purchase of the boat. The team made a significant investment in a 32-foot trailer to transport the boat as well. Memberships, donations and potential sponsorships are included in the team’s plan to fund the new boat.
The team practices twice a week on Hauser Reservoir. Gillespie says they encourage members to attend as often as they can, as paddlers work on technique, get some exercise and have a good time. The team welcomes those of any age and fitness level, and paddling experience is not required.
For more information, call Thun at 461-7421, or Gillespie at 422-8082. Visit https://helenadragonboat.org/ to learn more.