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New dragon boat team paddles into The Beach

Every Saturday and Sunday morning, a fleet of dragon boats launches from Mother’s Beach and laps the Alamitos Bay for upwards of two hours.

Now, one of those boats officially represents Cal State Long Beach.

The CSULB Dragon Boat Team is the newest recreational sports team on campus, and team captain Curtis Guinn said they’re already looking to establish themselves as a player in the region.

“This season, the goal is to make a name for ourselves,” Guinn said. “We will be going up against more established schools, and we want to get CSULB up there.”

The sport, which is practiced worldwide, has its roots in a folk ritual practiced throughout southern China for the past 2,000 years, according to the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival website.

Dragon boating requires 20 paddlers, a caller and a drummer all working together in a race that usually lasts about two minutes, said Monica Sanrindo, president of the Dragon Boat Team.

As team captain, Guinn, who has been paddling for five years and won third place with a team that raced in China in June, stands at the front of the boat and gives commands and advice to rowers.

Sanrindo stands at the back and steers the boat with an oar.

“[Dragon Boating] encompasses the elements of power, speed, synchronization and endurance,” Sanrindo said.

Sanrindo said all students, whether they have paddling experience or not, are encouraged to join the team.

“It’s really fun once you get into it and feel the boat moving with every single one of us hitting all together,” Sanrindo said. “It’s such a great feeling, and I honestly can say I fell in love with the sport.”

The team is training for three big races this spring: Baby Long Beach, Big Long Beach and College Cup, Sanrindo said.

College Cup will be the biggest race for the CSULB team. They will race against established teams such as UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine at Lake Merced, according to Sanrindo.

The team practices every Saturday and Sunday with dragon boat teams from others schools from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mother’s Beach in Long Beach.

Eric Doo, a transfer student from San Francisco, said he has been paddling for three years and just recently discovered the CSULB team.

“I was planning on joining a UCLA or UC Irvine team, and then I wondered if Long Beach had a team,” Doo, who was among the few attendees at the team’s first meeting, said

He said a Facebook search lead him to CSULB’s team.

For more information about the Dragon Boat Team, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/csulbdragonboat.

2 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Hey Marco! I’m actually on the dragonboat team and we’re looking for new members! If you’re interested feel free to check out our Facebook page with the link on the article or just show up at Mother’s Beach on Saturdays & Sundays at 10:20pm!

  2. Avatar
    Marco Villicana

    Hey, looking for some people to hang out with send me your information.

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