Sea Dragons
The CYSM was amongst the first teams in Melbourne to participate in the Melbourne Dragon Boat Festival during the 1980's. Although the intention of the competition was to promote the Chinese culture of dragon boat racing, the team adopted a light-hearted approach of navigating down the Yarra River in an unconventional and destructive manner. The team was able to cover the 500-metre circuit in 600 metres after ricocheting off the riverbank (both sides). No doubt this was one of the reasons the team temporarily discontinued its participation in competition.
1995 saw the re-emergence of the CYSM in the Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival, competing yet again in the Men's division. Although the team was comprised of a younger generation of CYSM members, the results were equally as disappointing. However, this only fuelled the team to persevere in the competition. The team moved from an all Men's team to a Mixed team as a result of a strong interest from the Chinese women in the CYSM and wider community. The CYSM Sea Dragons have since competed in every Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival along with other races during the Dragon Boat season including the 2010 Falls Creek Mile High Championships. In mid 2010, members of the CYSM Sea Dragons travelled to China to represent Victoria on an international level.
If you wish to join the CYSM Sea Dragons, head down to Shed 2, North Wharf Road, Docklands on Saturdays 10am to 12noon for a free training session OR email our Co-Captains Ting and Erika at dragonboat@cysm.org for more information.