Hilda Yang, Shirley Tong/ Staff reporter
This year is the first time Gleneagle has hosted the Dragon Boat Club since Doug Mansel formed the team 24 years ago. Evan Wang wants to get a dragon boat team together for the Spring Regatta.
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan, a respectable minister of the state of Chu, is said to have harbored resentment and thrown himself into the river, according to folklore. He utilized a dragon boat to scatter the fish in the river since the Chu people didn’t want to see Qu Yuan’s body eaten by the fish. Many believe that the Dragon Boat Festival honors the memory of Qu Yuan, a renowned Chinese poet and minister who made a substantial contribution to classical poetry and became a national hero because of his patriotism. Qu Yuan is remembered through the festival in his honor. Dragon boats are rowed to remember every May 5th.
“The main reason I wanted to restart the Dragonboat club is because it is a hobby I enjoy and wanted to share with other students at Gleneagle,” said Evan Wang, grade12. “My dad got me into it, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” Evan has been dragon boating since 6th or 7th grade. Dragon boat is a very common and traditional Chinese culture that he wants to develop and expand. He also plans to race at the one we volunteered at this year to concord Dragonboat festival.
“From rebuilding this club, I think there will be more and more people interested and involved in Chinese culture.” added Sonia Hebrahim, grade11. As a Chinese, she also thinks that the dragon boat club is a great opportunity to promote the history of China. It’s appreciated to let more people in school know about it. Also, she thinks the rebuild is more about making the school more of a group, and providing a platform where students can make friends, exercise, also practice communication and teamwork.
“I’ve been rowing in the women’s division for 12 years and I love the sport, so I want more people to know about it,” said Ms Priestly. She know that Evan Wang has rows for a long time so she decided to rebuild the club together. Ms Priestly really wants more people to join the dragon boat club to feel the sport and to play on water.