Dragon Boat fires up Manayunk

By Bernard J. Scally
for The Review

Despite threatening skies, the Heavens cleared for a special occasion at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant on July 8. Government and business officials from the People’s Republic of China came to Manayunk to present the six dragon boats and paddles as a gift to the Cradle of Liberty Council, Boy Scouts of America.
“Couple of months ago, an individual had an idea to combine one passion with another passion. We’ve got a longtime dragon boater…Arnie Chassen, who has been a devout Scout for years, and he had a vision to combine these two passions together and we’re here today,” said Michael Blundetto, Team USA Dragon Boat coach.

This event marks the first time the BSA will incorporate the ancient Chinese sport into its youth program. A dragon boat is a human-powered boat traditionally made of teak wood to various designs and sizes. These boats are made of fiberglass. While competition has taken place annually for more than 20 centuries as part of folk ritual, it emerged in modern times as an international "sport" in Hong Kong in 1976. For competition events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. At other times the decorative regalia is usually removed, although the drum often remains aboard for training purposes.

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