LET THE RACING BEGIN !
The first Tampa Bay LAO Dragon boat races sponsored by the LAO Community took place in downtown St. Petersburg next to the Dali Museum and Albert Whited Airfield. The event was both a cultural event for the Laotian Community, and open to the public. A great day of sports and competitiveness for those who chose to see how fit they were. The two boat heats went on all day till a winning team prevailed.
It was officially called: THE SOUTHEAST ASIA BOAT RACING FESTIVAL MORE ON DRAGON BOAT RACING
Nothing was left out of the culture this day, there was Dragon Boat Racing, a sport inherited and popular in southeast Asia, the Dubai (UA) area, of course TampaBay, the West Coast, and believe it, Denver Colorado. This is a worldwide sport popular on all continents with the exception of Antartica.
Traditional music played all day with live performances.
The vendors brought authentic LAO dishes, with do-it-yourself varying degrees of heat (from mild to nuclear) for all, and many vendors displayed Lao style and unique products, cultural information, and wares. There was an assortment of Beer, Wine and Soda and traditional compounded drinks with juices and liquor from LAO authentic recipes.
ONE OF THE FOUR GROUPS OF DANCERS
Several groups of young dancers showed their style and heritage, beautifully in-synch with each other, authentically costumed representing their birthright. Our Hmong drummers added to their dancers with traditional rhythms and cadence. The preservation of their heritage is job one with the children and their poise and confidence showed in all of their performances.
HMONG DRUMMERS ACCOMPANIED THE DANCERS
It lasted all day, non-stop, something was always happening and I would declare it a success, it went over the top for a first time event. Hundreds attended all day and the general reaction was positive and plans are already in the works for next year when they hope to double the size of the event.
After blessings and prayers with the Monks, respectfully the various teams literally took to the boats which were the sixteen (16) paddler size, perfect for this canal. Dragon boat races have become popular in Tampa Bay with teams from Tampa and Sarasota. The usual class is the larger twenty (20) class boats. Thats 18 paddlers and a drummer and sweep (rudder)
In the Lao, Thai, Cambodia region monster thirty-two (32) paddler boats are common and one celebration has a 50 man crew.
The wish list for next year is obvious; • More attendees, • More vendors, • More food • More paddlers • More racing next year. Head for the gym and the rowing machines it could be very competitive next year as this event grows. Hint: It’s an upper body thing.