Penn’s Dragon Boat Team (except for race days, the dragon-figurehead is kept in storage) practices perfectly synchronized paddling on the Schuylkill River in the summer heat. Since each dragon boat team consists of 22 members—20 paddlers, a steersperson at the rear and a drummer at the bow to keep the pace—both teamwork and upper-body strength are key. The Penn team was born last year, after David Liang C’10 and Henry Chow C’10 kicked around the idea during an alumni happy hour. The team now consists of equal parts alumni and undergraduates, and it’s been trying to pick up speed (and some more members) since celebrating victory at its second-ever race—the Philadelphia’s Independence Dragon Boat Regatta in June.
—Text and photo by Maanvi Singh C’13.
