Scaly beasts cut wakes

Marines, sailors propel dragons in 8th year of boat-race tradition

Lance Cpl. Andrew S. Avitt
OKINAWA MARINE STAFF

Two roughly 30-member crews of Marines and sailors competed in Naha’s 34th Annual Dragon Boat Festival at Tomari Port May 5.

The two all-Marine-and-sailor teams represented the Marine Corps Community Services Single Marine Program for the eighth year in a row at the races.

SMP had one all-female team and one all-male team, which never raced against each other in the field of 52 teams, which included all-Japanese crews, crews comprised exclusively of U.S. soldiers and also Japan Ground Self Defense Force crews.

Each heat matched up three boat crews, which propelled their colorful dragon boats forward, paddles digging in unison into the water with each beat of the caller’s drum.

Hundreds watched as SMP’s all-male team bested the U.S. Army crew in their first heat, finishing first with a time of 5 minutes and 25 seconds for the 600-meter course. They received a trophy and advanced.

“It’s all about the rhythm,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Tudo Ricardo. an SMP team member. “Once we got the momentum going with that rhythm, it wasn't hard.”

But rhythm only carried the SMP males so far against the two Japanese crews they met in the second race. The Japanese showed prowess in the 500-year-old Chinese tradition, eliminating the Americans after handing them a 3rd place finish in the heat.

The SMP males said beating the Army in a healthy rivalry was enough to call it a successful day.

The SMP females raced against two locally renowned teams, rowing the 600 meters in 6:47, but the team’s finishing time was short of what was needed to advance. Despite not advancing. the SMP ladies walked away smiling.

“Dragon boat racing was a great opportunity to build camaraderie with our neighbors,” said Cpl. Jeannene Burns, a member of the SMP female team. “What really made this great was coming out here, meeting new people and experiencing the culture.”

MCCS representative and team coach Sergio Morales said SMP will continue the tradition for years to come.