Louisiana Dragon Boat Races

374

Louisiana Dragon Boat RacesThe Alexandria Museum of Art and the Louisiana Dragon Boat Races Committee are pleased to announce that the 2nd annual Louisiana Dragon Boat Races will take place Saturday, May 12th on the Red River in downtown Alexandria.  Last year’s event was a huge success and we are proud to bring the Dragon Boat races back to Central Louisiana.

 

Dragon Boat Racing started in China over 2,500 years ago and has long been their National Sport.  In North America it has grown from relative obscurity 20 years ago, to over 1,000 annual events with over 1,000,000 participants.  It first came to Central Louisiana in May of this year and 32 teams competed.  Over 5,000 attended this free event and in 2012 there will be a maximum of 39 teams and over 8,000 are expected to attend.

 

Louisiana Dragon Boat RacesDragon boat racing is visually spectacular and easy to learn.  Anyone can do it, regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.  Furthermore, it is a sport where men and women compete together in an unbiased and fun environment.  This exciting sport has become an extremely popular team building activity for community organizations and corporations.

 

A business, organization, or group of friends can put together a boat team.  AMOA supplies the boat, paddles, life jackets, instructors, the helmsmen, event t-shirts, and plenty of medals and trophies.  The team supplies 20 high-spirited paddlers (a minimum of 8 must be female) and one costumed drummer.

 

Louisiana Dragon Boat RacesIf you are interested in participating in this year’s race there are a limited number of team boats still available, so register your team today. If you or your organization is interested in participating you must have a team of 21 members and a designated team captain. More information and registration forms are available at the Alexandria Museum of Art, or online at  http://www.louisianadragonboatraces.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/LouisianaDragonBoatRaces.