Though most conversations about sports in Philadelphia surround our major league teams — whether it’s too early to worry about the Phillies (it is), whether the Sixers have a shot in hell at making it all the way (sports books have the odds of them winning the NBA Championship at 140 to 1) — let us not forget about dragon boating. Yes, dragon boating.
Philadelphia is home to the oldest and one of the largest dragon boat associations in the entire country, boasting 14 clubs and close to 700 active members. And with their record of wins and top speeds during the last season, one team has just qualified to compete in the youth division of the 15th International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships, happening on Liyu Lake in Hualien, Taiwan beginning on August 29.
“I’m so excited!” says 16-year-old South Philly resident Shwe Tun. The Masterman School student is one of the captains of the Discovery Pathways team that plans to send some of its most committed members to the competition in Taiwan. “I went to Germany as part of Team USA last year, but to do this with my home team from Philadelphia, I’m so happy. So proud.”
The championships alternate from year to year, both in terms of location and what types of teams are represented. Last year, countries competed against each other — Tun for Team USA — on Beetzsee Lake in northeastern Germany; this year, individual teams will show up to see who is the best.
The South Philly team was formed in 2023 by Adam Forbes, executive director of nonprofit Discovery Pathways, which has a mission to provide free outdoor activities to Philadelphia students and expand access to things like kayaking, hiking, and oh, say, dragon boating. Participants in the various Discovery Pathways programs come from lower income families; many are immigrants or have parents who are immigrants.
“I had been a part of an adult local dragon boat club,” says Forbes, a former English as a Second Language teacher for the School District of Philadelphia. “I wanted to start a youth team, but there are so many barriers — just getting some of the kids to the water and to a race, not to mention all of the equipment.”
Forbes says the Cambodian dragon boat team in Philly gave Discovery one of their boats and several paddles, as did other members of the local dragon boating community. One of those people was Center City resident Tommy Leonardi, a world-champion dragon boater, president of the United States Dragon Boat Federation and the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Association, and dragon boat coach, including of the Discovery Pathways team.
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity for these kids,” says Leonardi, a photographer. “Providing access to the waterways had not always been easy to do in the past. And then the sport itself can be so beneficial to the students. It’s not just the athleticism. It’s also about the repetitive nature at a relatively high rate of, say, 65 strokes per minute that really creates a meditation. It focuses the mind while developing the body. It is, essentially, mindfulness therapy.”
Last year, Forbes was able to get five of the Discovery Pathways kids to California to see if they could qualify to represent Team USA at those championship games in Germany. “And then they did,” remembers Leonardi, “Adam calls me and says, ‘I have the greatest news: they made it! The bad news: They cannot go.’ I told him in that very moment: ‘They are going.'”
Getting a handful of kids to Germany is one thing, which Forbes did with the help of Leonardi and other donors. Getting a complete team to East Asia and housing them and feeding them and, oh right, getting passports for those who don’t already have them (almost none do, with the exception of the students who went to Germany last year), is quite another. So Forbes launched a GoFundMe to raise at least $9,000; it topped $5,000 this week.
There are two categories in the races. One is for large boats, which hold 20 paddlers, a helmsperson or steerer, and the drummer. The other category holds 10 paddlers, plus those two other positions. From the beginning, Forbes says he knew it would be impossible to raise enough money to get 22 team members, plus alternates and coaches, to Taiwan. Forbes says some of the team members are unable to make the trip because their parents, some of whom are undocumented, have concerns about them traveling internationally. He’s also whittling down the team based on ability and athleticism, to some degree; but the level of commitment the team members have shown is more important, he says.
“Being a part of this team has really changed my life,” says 16-year-old South Philly resident and team co-captain Yazmine Acosta. “I had no idea this even existed. When I joined, I was very inactive. Just sitting at a computer all day, playing video games. Not only has this completely changed my body; it has also changed the way my mind works, and it has really made me understand the concepts of teamwork and leadership.”
The team practices on the water at FDR Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays and maintains a rigorous individual workout program throughout the week. Forbes says that practice schedule will intensify as the Taiwan event approaches.
“It’s hard and it’s a lot of work,” says Acosta. “But it’s worth it. I am so much stronger now in so many ways.”
Villanova University Associate Chemistry Professor Aimee Eggler, who is a competitive dragon boater in Philadelphia, decided to help coach the Discovery Pathways team beginning in 2024.
“I saw immediately how hard those kids worked, and it really inspired me,” she says. “You can see them growing and growing every time, becoming empowered and growing into leaders. They’re also just fun and cool to hang out with.”
Eggler recently invited more than a dozen team members to Villanova to share with students how dragon boating changed their lives. “People in the audience had goosebumps; we were all in tears,” she recalls.
All of the students I spoke with were palpably excited about the prospect of traveling to Taiwan to compete. But perhaps none more so than Tun, the Masterman sophomore. And she certainly has her priorities in order. “I’ve never been to Taiwan,” she explains. “Germany was a lot of fun, but I’m guessing the food in Taiwan will be much, much better.”
Want to help? Donate to the GoFundMe here.
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